This week has been really prosperous! I feel like I am getting a little hold on this area. Here’s the scoop:
Monday January 25th
PDAY… it has been a LONG time since I have had such a chill pday! We just emailed, went to the grocery store and hung out at home … AMAZING! I wrote lots of letters and I even took a nap! It was glorious. We had FHE with Rebecca, her 3 daughter and her mom Andra and finished up our night with Tess Brunner. It was a good day. In the evening I got to call Tiffany Baumstark and Lupita to say bye… it was really nice. I love them. I will miss them greatly. Tiffany is so wonderful, I can’t wait until the sisters get in to teach her family. They are so prepared. Lupita wanted to move the day she went to the temple to do baptisms so I could be there! I told her NO WAY! It was cute though… we have a baptism here that day. I just can’t make it… it stinks!
Tuesday January 26th
We went to ANTIGO… we serve in that branch as well… We work all over this area. It is known to everyone as THE NORTHWOODS… it’s fun up here. It’s snowmobile country! I want to do that when I am not a missionary. It looks SO FUN! All you see around here are snowmobile trails and at night you can here the buzz of their motors all over the place, they have the cutest little stop signs!!!!… we taught TOBY [she is LA and has started to come back. She is a single mom with two young children. I admire her… she is a strong lady] and JOEY [he is 10 and has a baptismal date… cute SMART kid]. We then came back to Rhinelander and taught AJ… he was just baptized a few weeks ago. He’s 25 and has a burning testimony. His mom was baptized as well.
Sister Johnson called me tonight! Marka is PREGNANT… AND her and caleb are getting married in june after the baby is born… then she can be BAPTIZED! AND the elders set a date with NORMAN in RACINE and HEIDI was at church with AARON, so his baptism is still on! YIPPEE I love good news like that!
Wednesday January 27th
ZONE CONFERENCE with just the Wausau zone. All of 18 missionaries were here… the good thing was it was here in RHINELANDER so we didn’t have to drive far at all.
I saw elder peckham! He served in Sturgeon Bay [that was his only area!!!] for over 6 months [he was just a visa waiter, but his visa for India never came, so he’s here for good now!] and he was SO pumped to see me! He said he felt the same way when he saw sister warner the day before! He said he LOVED the way we kept up that area book! It felt good to hear that that was helpful! We didn’t do much in that area, green Bay was pretty demanding, but we did keep up the area book! They reactivated SO many people and had a baptism!
I was able to tell elder Villanueva all the good things I love about Rhinelander! It was a good long list. I love him! He’s one of my most favorite assistants, I love his comp elder carter too… they are so involved in our work and I can tell they love the missionaries they serve. He told me that that challenge helped him to think about WHY he loved his area too. We had a good talk. I love missionaries!
We got a new standard of excellence. It is one sentence long. Just like the LORDS STANDARD in MOSES 1:39. check it out. Ours is “10 in 2010: With enduring love for Jesus Christ, the power of the spirit and faith to follow the prophet and unite with local leaders my companion and I commit to find, teach and baptize one of God’s children every transfer and 1 family in 2010” That’s 10 people a week for every zone! It’s so exciting! I have faith that though my time is short… if I work hard I can accomplish that as well! That means two people baptized and a family baptized before I leave! This work is SO exciting! It’s GO TIME!
We talked about how our calling gives us AUTHORITY but keeping our covenants gives us POWER. . . this work thrives on those two things!
We talked about being bold… I reminded them “DON’T BE A SALLY!” and to have FAITH to go and do … FAITH to invite to be baptized … FAITH to plan … AND FAITH to plan!
We talked about expanding the circle of our investigators … Sister Barrett taught us about doing the work of the restoration… WE are RESTORING truth to those we teach and REMINDING them of who they were before this life! I love that! President taught us to be meek and lowly of heart and to PLEAD for help. He told us we have our companion, other missionaries, the spirit and the LORD to help us. WE ARE NOT ALONE. He talked about all the people who went on missions NOT of their choosing… abinidi… the savior… He said we are where we are because the LORD needs us HERE! I guess many missionaries are still struggling with transfers. That’s rough! I am so glad that was just a day or two spell! He laughed at me, that I was so happy. He must think I am SUCH a GIRL! Ha.
After zone conference We taught Alyssa at the church and then had dinner with Brian and President and Sister Barrett. Brian will be baptized Feb 13th. He is AMAZING! It was a good dinner!
Thursday January 28th
We studied. We planned. We taught Mike at DQ. We went to the SOUP THROW-DOWN in 3 lakes at the high school, it was good soup. Sister heidi lindner entered her soup. WE met a FAMILY there that the LInders daughter, Brittany, knows. They are so prepared! They just moved here, are looking for a church… … They have been to SLC for a steven covey seminar… They’re going to Wausau on Saturday for a “Modest Prom DRESS fashion show” with the linders at the stake center. It should be good. They have 3 children. I am excited to teach them.
Sister warner called me tonight and said in the Madison Zone conference President Barrett gave me a shout out! He told the whole zone how I did not want to come to Rhinelander… but now I love it. Goodness, at least I can be a good example of a CHANGE OF HEART? I emailed him today and told him thanks for the shout out!
Friday January 29th
We taught Andra. We taught ABRAM. He is SWEET. He’s a friend of Scott Mehr’s and is SO prepared. He had lots of questions, we gave him a BOM, answered his questions and invited him to take the lessons. We meet with him next week. Scott is amazing .the only active young man his age.. he said here in Rhinelander they call it “YOUNG MAN’S” … it’s tough… but he has a good attitude. He’s a great example to Abram. We had Martha for Dinner and then taught Brian again. HE’s SO AMAZING. We taught the 10 commandments, the LAW of CHASTITY and Keeping the Sabbath day holy. He is going to live all of them!
Today I studied PMG page 156. There is a line that says, “Wherever you are called to serve, remember the Lord has “suffered you to come unto this place; for thus it was expedient in [Him] for the salvation of souls.” How AmAzing is that? If I still had a battitude about Rhinelander, that would have changed it. It helped me to be excited to FIND those who need the gospel here in RHINELANDER. Heidi Linder also helps me to remember that as missionaries we are Called of God by a PROPHET… We are literal REPRESENTATIVE of Jesus Christ to do HIS work. She says that all the time. It’s a good reminder. There is power in those statements! I love my CALLING! I love LOVE lOvE being SISTER BLACK a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My life is good!
Saturday January 30th
We went to ANTIGO again. We visited Mike Barnes and Coleman. We went to the church and planned. We had BONNIE for dinner. She is AmAzing. I love her . Such a cool lady and she reminds me SO MUCH of Grandma Black, so that’s doubly good for her! We stayed the night at the Bloechls. I love their family. They have 2 young girls. It’s a fun place to stay. We helped sister Bloechl with her essay she had to turn in for online school! She is still learning all the ins and outs, I felt so computer savvy, I really am not though! That’s britts job!
The SNOW SPARKLES here it’s so cold! It’s like GLITTER! It’s AmAzing and BLINDING all at the same time! I left my facewash in the car accidentally over night… it FROZE solid… so did my “CHEWY” granola bar and my WATER BOTTLE and our LOAF of BREAD [I was starving on our way to church, remembered we had that really good loaf of cottage bread, I reached for it and it was like a BRICK… I was so mad!] CRAZY… this is all so NEW to me! THAT NEVER HAPPENS IN PHX.
Sunday January 31st
We had Church at 9:30… then a potluck afterwards. I love the Antigo Branch. There are black’s in the branch. Brother Black is in the branch presidency and he gave a talk. President Thompson calls HER OLD sister black… I told him she wouldn’t like that… she didn’t. he said it anyways! There was a 5th Sunday potluck afterwards. Then we met with the branch mission leader and president Thompson. I went to ask the ward clerk to print me some lists and he said, “I read a letter about you, they said you’re the ENERGIZER BUNNY!” Ha, I think that was the same letter President Thompson said he got from P. Barrett. Apparently they send all leadership a letter when they get new missionaries. He said, “You don’t want to see what he wrote in ink on the bottom!” He never did tell me, but I am sure It’s something about being feisty or spunky or something… goodness! I laughed though… ENERGIZER BUNNY? Ha, I just like to be busy!
We made some visits and had dinner at the Peters… she is a REKOW! I love the Gresham REKOWS! That is sister Bartell’s mom! Sister Rekow is the CHICKEN FEET queen and houses the elders there. I’ve heard so many good stories from Grandma Rekow herself, the elders and sister Bartell about life on the REKOW farm! Sister Bartell is the BEST and her and her neice, Lindsey rekow [sister peters sister] are in the GB 1st ward! SMALL WORLD! I love being a sister missionary!!!! They made us HOMEADE PIZZA! It was so yummy. They live in a cool house that looks like a barn! They have 5 kids… such a great family! They must be if they’re REKOW related!
The moon WAS SO CLOSE, SO ORANGE and SO BRIGHT TONIGHT! It reflected off the snow like the sunset does on the beach. It was beautiful. We drive about 2100 miles every month, so I get to see LOTS Of COUNTRY! It’s great here… did I mention we drive a four door 4x4 toyota truck. I feel like a country girl!
I love all of you! WRITE ME! Be good.
Love, Sister Pamella JO Black
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