Week 30

2/20/17

Wow! Where to start with this week...

We had Zone Conference on Valentine's Day. That was awesome! It was so great to be with President and Sister Tateoka. They always give such amazing trainings and we can just feel their love for us. President gave the training that I really needed, he answered some of my prayers. We also got to learn more about planning more effectively and that was really great! They gave us a guideline to follow as we make decisions and I really liked it so I wanted to share it with you. Their vision is for us to be Diligent/obedient missionaries and the Brethren want us learning how to be more independent in making righteous decisions so Pres. and Sis. Tateoka want us to 1) Be riveted on our purpose 2) Teach Repentance, baptize converts 3) Line in the water [how much effort we are putting in when we are out, not just how long we are out]. We also got trained and were given permission to implement the new schedule!! YAY! It has been kind of weird so far, but we are trying it out to see how it helps with our effectiveness. So the rest of our Valentine's Day, we had a "date" with a couple in our ward. They fed us steaks and gave us balloons and gifts and it was just wonderful haha. Then we had a lesson with Adrian that was really great because he ended up being able to help a member's son who has really been struggling. Adrian has been doing so awesome!! He is on fire! He shares the gospel with everyone he meets and he is teaching classes at church. He wants us to take him to more lessons and he wants to have people come to his home! 

With the new schedule we have thirty extra minutes in the morning to get ready for the day which is weird, because I don't really know what to do with myself in that extra time. I have gotten so used to just being ready at 8am and now I don't need to be ready until 8:30am. We do our daily planning in the mornings now, instead of the nights and our companionship studies have been moved to be placed where ever is convenient in the day, during proselyting time. I'm not sure how I feel about that but I will adjust. We also have nothing that we need to do at night when we come home so we can just relax and take our time getting ready for bed. Most of the changes are making things easier on us, but they did cut our lunch time in half so Sis. Hartvigsen doesn't get her lunch time naps anymore...

We got to go on exchanges this week. That was really awesome because I got to be with my old companion/trainer again! It was a super stressful day for me because all our plans fell through and since she doesn't know the people I had to figure out what we needed to do. We made it through the day though. It was nice to have a chance to talk to her. It was sad when the exchange ended though because I had to say goodbye to Sis. Bennett. She has been with me since the beginning of my mission and I just love her so much, but she has finished her mission and goes home tomorrow.

Kaleb got baptized on Saturday!! That was awesome! He is such a great kid! His dad got to baptize him and he did great. Kaleb was confirmed on Sunday. I'm so grateful for the chance that we had to teach him and watch him gain better understanding of the gospel.

We went to the ward youth auction that night. That was crazy! They were just so intense and the auctioneer brought his sons as spotters and they would yell every time they saw a bid. Everyone was a bit terrified to move haha. It was hilarious though! I ended up getting a whistle that the young men made out of wood and a para-cord bracelet that they also made. The ward is so loving to us too, because when I went up to pay for my stuff, someone had already paid for me :) These people are so amazing!!

So we got transfer calls that night...We are staying together!!! I get to be with Sis. Hartvigsen for her last transfer which also means I will probably be in Amity for two more transfers because I will have to introduce the area to another sister before I leave, unless the whitewash it again, which we highly doubt will happen. So this is my home for awhile longer.

So Adrian got the priesthood on Sunday!! That was really exciting because now we can help him work on going to the temple!!!

We also had a really cool referral. This guy called us, randomly, and asked what time our services are. We told him and asked what his name was. He introduced himself and said that he is moving into our area, he has been talking to a coworker about the church and wants to learn more. we were able to set up a time to call him again today to get to know him better and teach him a little something. That was super exciting, I honestly didn't know people actually referred themselves, I thought it was a myth haha.

We just had a fantastic week and are looking forward to another great transfer!!! I love you all!

"The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as the philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God's light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals. ...

"We believe that God has given and will give to all people sufficient knowledge to help them on their way to eternal salvation" (Statement of the First Presidency regarding God's Love For All Mankind, 15 Feb. 1978)

God loves all His children and will give everyone a chance to learn and grow towards Him, even if they don't or can't have access to His gospel.

Love,

Sister MacKay