We took some young girls out tracting with us on splits [more on that to come] and they thought is was just SO awful that people were so rude and it was so cold and they said they could never be missionaries... etc and all sister bishop said was, "I hear the retirement benefits are AmAzing!" hilarious.
ON TO the more MeAtiEr MatTeRs...
I love the counsel Alma gives to his son Helaman in Alma chapter 37. He says:
44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.
As members of the Church I think sometimes we forget that! The scriptures are our LIAHONA! They will LEAD us and GUIDE us in the wilderness of life, just like the Liahona did for Lehi and his family. Let us not be slothful because of the easiness of the way! We can be pointed straight to the promised land, even the Celestial Kingdom! Is that not our goal! I love that I get to teach people this each and EVERY day! The gospel is SO incredibly simple.
This has been such a great week. Honestly, I'd say one of the best on my mission.
monday the 22nd
pday. email. walmart. walgreens. dinner. then... MARTHA. Martha hasn't been active for many years and was a heavy smoker. Just about 3 weeks ago she decided to quit smoking and prepare herself to go to the temple. She's been smoke free for almost 2 weeks now and will be going to the temple with us on March 6th! How exciting! We went to teach her the restoration. We got about half-way thru when her son came home and asked us if we could wait until his girlfriend came so we could teach all three of them. We said, "OF COURSE!" What a pleasant surprise! [that NEVER happens!] We started over with a prayer. We taught Dan and Genny and Martha the restoration. We watched the DVD. Martha cried. The spirit was OVERWHELMING in Martha's little apartment. We committed all of them to read from The Book of Mormon and pray to know of it's truth. It was AmAzing. I love Dan... he is a great boyfriend! We hear Genny's been reading, Dan apparently has not, we'll work on that. He's been taught before and said the missionaries were too pushy about baptism. We're really following the spirit! It was a great experience. We teach them again tonight.
tuesday the 23rd
today was an antigo day. We had lunch with Bonnie and Art Palmer. They're the best. Then we saw sister Bloechl. I love her. Then we visited Toby and then taught Joey and then visited the people we met tracting the week before. It was a long, good day and we topped it off by watching Scott Mehr's hockey game with Sister Mehr and Abram and his WHOLE FAMILY. it was AmAzing. Abram's mom accepted the invitation to have lessons in her home and said she has lots of questions for us! ExCiTinG! When we taught Joey today we taught him about he Armor of God from Ephesians 6:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
I love LOVE lOVe the promises in those verses! We made armor and dressed him and his little brother, Mikey, up in it. It was a lot of fun. HIs older sister Theresa, who was just baptized a couple months ago helped and his mom taught with us! She is such a great teacher!
As for the HOckEy GaMe ... it was the championships, they lost... but they did so well and scott played AmAzing! He's a great goalie. It was a lot of fun to watch. SupEr INtEnSe!!!
wednesday the 24th
elder abe cut my hair. he did such a good job. it had been since August! well needed. i have lots of BODY lets just say that! It was an experience to let and ELDER cut my hair... not as bad as the time I let Jennifer cut my hair though!!! Remember that fiasco? haha good times. We had lunch at Hmong Style, a hmong restaurant, owned my members, in wausau with President Thompson. THEN... ELDER PERRY CAME TO VISIT OUR MISSION. HE WAS IN MILWAUKEE. [ive known he was coming for 6 weeks and for 6 weeks I worked on getting to milwaukee to see him in person. it just didn't happen. he requested all missionaries not travel, that sealed the deal! the assistants even called me tuesday to make sure i wasn't planning on driving down! so funny! like i'd REALLY do that! ok, maybe i would! :)] BUT they broadcasted it and it was AmAzing! I sat in the relief society room in the Wausau building with my little zone, all 18 of us, so tiny! It was wonderful to hear an apostle of the Lord speak to us! He spoke about the Restoration of the Priesthood! THAT MAKES US DIFFERENT was his main message! I loved it. Just like when elder Hafen came, he spoke on simple doctrince too! I learned so much. We went through the scriptures to see how the priesthood was given in the new testament times and then we talked about now. It was cool. He also told us our missions just keep going after we leave the field. He told us not to lose touch with our companions. I love ELDER PERRY! He reminded me again why i love being a missionary! The truth we know sets us free! We ended the night having dinner with our zone at Buffalo Wild Wings, a little ironic isn't it? Whatever! it worked. good food and i got to see elder love. he's the best! I see how he's grown so much since we were in the mtc. I hope people can say the same for me!
thursday the 25th
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHLOE! I love you! I thought about you ALL the DAY LONG! YOu are FOUR! that is NOT allowed!
we had to take our car in to be fixed from when sister behrends ran it into a ditch back in december. We felt carless and stranded in our apartment, but then sister kagie picked us up and we did some visits. We visited penny and mike who are both sick and won't accept meals being delivered. SO sister Kagie said, we'll use your food, make some meals and freeze them. I thought she was crazy. That was going to take FOREVER! In an hour we were out of there and we made spaghetti, a roast, porkchops, tuna noodle casserole, cherry chocolate cake, & sloppy joes. She's AMAZING. THey were very thankful.
WE had lunch with sister Kagie and I had a little taste of home: a taco salad! I miss mexican food! then we helped her clean moth balls out of her pantry and then we went home and sister bishop packed. I made dinner... jiffy blueberry muffins and some noodle stuff. such a typical missionary dinner. so funny. we took pictures.
THEN... PRESIDENT BARRETT CALLED AND ASKED IF I WOULD TRAIN A NEW MISSIONARY. of course i said YES! and he said, "I think you'll do a great job!" He is so great. I just love him. I am SO excited to get a greeny! How fun! i had the best trainor ever, i hope she'll be able to say the same! Elder Hallstrom of the 70 came and spoke with elder perry and said the position of a trainor is the MOST IMPORTANT position in the mission! NO PRESSURE! He read an amazing letter of a 65 year old man to his trainor 40 years after their missions... the jist of the letter was, "Dear Trainor, your dilligence and work ethic changed my whole life." no pressure, eh?
friday the 26th
Study. weekly planning. Sister Lowther picked us up, we picked our car up, they even washed it for us!!! and we taught Alyssa with her! WE had a great lesson.
We then taught Abram at the Mehrs. It was a wierd lesson. He wasn't in it. at all. We taught about the spirit. We've got to mix things up with him... a chapel lesson tour will work best i feel. He's not reading either. you can't gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon if you don't READ IT and PRAY ABOUT IT!!! Then we all went to "FRIDAY NIGHT FISH FRY" with the Mehr's. IT was the first week of Lent so it was SO BUSY. IT was so fun. SO expensive! I had fried Haddock! YUMMY! It was so good. I usually loathe fish... but that was good. i suppose i don't like the smell and I don't like the bones, this had neither! in wisconsin it's FISH FRY every friday. that's just what you do. Catholic or not. and it's not going to "a fish fry", its going to "fish fry". SO FUN, SO YUMMY! I love the Mehrs! It was fun to be with abram and scott too. They're hilarious. THey'll both be at BYU when I go back. I love them... they said they'll even be my friend there! haha I will need that.
saturday the 27th
study. tracting. we committed to get 100 invites again this week. so we embarked late in the week, again on saturday! We needed 70 more invites before sunday. . . We started in Three lakes, and then we nt to Eagle river and went on splits with brittany lindner and cassie nutter. We got double the invites and lessons WITH members that way! It was good. Cassie went to work and then we went with brittany to the ICE SCULPTURE.. a huge castle in eagle river. THey cut ice out of the lake and build it. so cool. Then we visited her friend morgan and her family. Brittany is a great missionary! We got quite a few invites ... then we went home, took a bunch of stuff to goodwill and made brownies. I went to bed at 9:30 ... I was SO tired! tracting drains you!
i don't want to hear...
I have my own church
I don't need another bible
We're already Christians
I'm already saved
... ANYMORE! oh, the things you learn while tracting!
Sunday the 28th
CHURCH. brian received the AARONIC PRIESTHOOD AND WAS ORDAINED TO THE OFFICE OF A PRIEST! so exciting! HE isn't thrilled about having to be up in front of people to prepare the sacrament... but he'll do it! He gets to come to the temple on saturday too! We spent FOREVER at the church so sister bishop could say goodbye and take pictures. We taught the sunday school lesson on TEMPLES. i showed a picture of the mesa temple and my family and talked about how we were sealed. IT was a great lesson! Martha, Brian and AJ were there!!! All three going to the temple for the first time on saturday! We finished tracting and found SO MANY good potentials! We have 4 return appointments! I know it is because we prayed with faith, knowing people are prepared... we had a better attitude this time!
I love my calling. i love this mission, the WMM! i love rhinelander. i love sister bishop. [i am very sad she's leaving. she's so fun]
I am excited to train. I am Sad this is my last transfer. I love seeing shanty's covering the BAJILLION lakes around here... I saw a WHALE shanty the other day! I love seeing bars and churches quite literally on every corner... this is a great place... so prepared for the message we share!!
I love you all!
Love, sister pamella jo black
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