Week #5- sorry guys I missed it in my e-mails!

Hello Friends from another Life,

Well last week I went backwords and worked my way to monday i guess this week i will work from monday to sunday. monday was pretty uneventful, you know like emailing and stuff, but we were able to see our less active family and read alma 7 with them and then we went to visit an investagtor that we didnt have an appt. with til sunday and he was stand offish but then said we could come eariler in the week, we taught him 3 times and the first three lesson, last night he agreed to be baptized when he learned for himself that it is true. Tuesday was a day full of appt. but only 2 worked out but we found 4 other lessons with people we met on bike and such. So we had a lunch appointment and she fed us fish, and if any of you know me you would know how much i dont like fish. Suprisely I was able to eat it and show respect (tender mercy). Tuesday we got the car back, after a 120 mile bike week.

Wednesday was zone meeting, pretty awesome we had to teach the zone, what is considered a new investagator or made a investagator an investagator. We had called a less active family to set up an appt. and they said to come eat. I love food.

We met with the same investagator on thursday as we did monday and we used chalk to teach the plan of salvation. His daughter turns 8 in two weeks so it would make two converts if they continue to progress. We stopped in on our less active and she was very receptive and we were able to talk about the blessings of the word of wisdom.

Friday :) start with a smile, I was nervous about exchanges, I dont handle change well. In case you didnt know, i like to do the same thing and have a very set schedule. Sister Vargus came to my area and sister piepgrass went to hers. However, somehow sister piepgrass managed to take our phone with her so we were without the phone for 24 hours. this is super strange since i alway have our phone. With Sister Vargus we went harvesting and knocking and were blessed to find two families to leave the saviors peace and blessing with and to leave them the commitment to learn more and set up return appts. We then taught the family that is struggling that the bishop asked us to visit. In the past we have had trouble getting them to open up but with sister vargus not knowing the background history on the family she was able to ask better questions and they opened up to her. I learned from sister vargus that I need to work on asking more questions, well more inspired questions, and also to talk with people not just to people.  We visited a returning member and used her in a role play where I got to practice sharing the first vision. I also learned how lucky we are to have a gym in our complex to work out on. Exchanges were very benifitcial but i was glad to switch back, I didn't think i would have to drive so soon on my mission and so was greatful to hand the car keys but to sister piepgrass.

Saturday the zone leaders had two girls get baptized so we invited our investagators and went. They didnt come but it was a great experince and reminded me of my own baptism.

Yesterday we went to eat at the relief society pres house and her husband is in the stake presidency. it was nice to meet him and to be able to share the first vision and commit them to share their testimony with others. President Clayson was our investagator and he chose someone he was seeing today as his background story. it was a very spiritual experince.

Well, that was our week, and it is great to be in service of our God. Press forward, and keep the faith.

Week #10- 72 hour kits and exchanges

Week #10

Well Hello everyone from a land far far away. Hope this letter finds you all well and safe.

 I have found that to be safe from the storms of weather is one thing but to be safe from the storms of life is so much better. We can prepare for weather with the proper clothing, sunscreen, umbrellas, and all the above all at once. We have to prepare for the storms of life the same way. We have had multiple trainings on hurricanes and tornados lately, (yes i have my 72 hour kit complete) and it got me thinking about how we can prepare for the trials that are bound to come our way. What is in our spiritual 72 hour kits?

 

I think that we need to make sure that we have the iron rod meaning the scriptures. I love that when I am teaching or talking to someone and I have a scripture that pops into my head that can answer their question or concern. However, they can't just pop into your head you have to put them there. In John 14:26 the Savior promises that the comforter will bring things to our remembrance, but we have to know or have read and studied them first. Another thing to have in your 72 hour kit would be a friendship with the Savior and Heavenly Father, we have to show him that we trust him and want him to help us. The bible dictionary tells us that there are blessings that our heavenly father is already willing to grant unto us that are conditional on us asking for them. There are promised blessings taught in preach my gospel about prayer. "As we pray with faith, sincerity, and real intent we will see God's influence in our lives" I know that is true, and as we ask questions with prayer and seeking answers with scriptures, we will be prepared for the troubles that are ahead for each of us. Attending our church meetings is like replacing the water in your storage, we all need water and we all need to be nourished by the Good word of God. Each week we have the oppurtunity to renew our baptism covenants and remember the Savior. Most of us, if not all of us, have already been baptized and confirmed in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints, and we have promised to keep his commandments and alway remember him. One of the first things I learned on my mission was that obedience brings blessings. President Summerhays, who leaves on monday, told us in a specialized training that the one thing he would want us to learn is to get the right spirit and then to keep it. In D&C 4 we are told to serve with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. This goes for missionaries but it also goes for any calling or job that you have accepted. Get a good attitude and keep it, a smile will go a mile.

  The last thing that I would suggest for you 72 hour spiritual kit would be to have a first aid kit. Someone to go to in case of emergency someone to talk to when you feel all alone, remember that our Savior is alway there for us, but sometimes it is nice to have someone to turn to for advice. We often find friends within the gospel and outside of the gospel. Hold on to them, make sure that if you are not the one needing help that you are there for when they fall. We all have hard times, and we all need a bandaid at one point or another.

 

Well, I think I may have just taught you all almost half of the 4th lesson in Preach my gospel but that was on my mind, study preach my gospel if you haven't had an opportunity lately.

 

Is anyone wondering when I am going to talk about my week or how missionary service is going? :)

 

Here we go!

 

Monday was p-day, and we were able to e-mail and go over to the spanish Heramas and write letters and just talk.

Tuesdays blessing of the day would be a shower at dinner, really honestly, it was 100 degrees out and we were on bike, we knocked doors all afternoon and had time before our dinner appointment so we cooled off, it is in the health handbook so i felt as though i was being obedient, we did find a grocery store with a really cold water fountain in the middle of our area.

Wednesday was spanish world, ok let me explain, so we had a zone meeting and then exchanges. Our Sister leading trainers are spanish-speaking and I got to go to Valrico to work with them this time. We had a lesson that evening that was 100% in spanish, completely understood about 4 words maybe 5. I was able to understand where they were with the first lesson, though.

Thursday, still on the exchange, we went and did service for an investagator that is getting baptized this week in Valrico. I got to vacuum up about a hundred spiders and a nest that would have been thousands, and we also got to clean a couch. A parable from cleaning the couch: sometimes we are burdened with hair or dust, sometimes we can't see the way to be clean but with a little work and effort on our part, even small steps make a difference, our vacuum is powered by the atonement of our Savior. We exchanged back and then we got to teach Hiedi, who just showed up to church a few weeks ago with her son and is interested in learning more. We got rained on at the end of our picnic dinner, but we were able to stay dry and the lightening stopped right before we finished our lesson.

Friday was weekly planning, and seemed to go much better for me and we were able to pencil plan a lot more appointments in. We were able to teach an investagator at the church with a member who rescued us from biking in the rain. 

Saturday was biking, biking, and more biking with some knocking in there as well; we were on a hunt for less actives and contacting referrals. We didn't get into many homes or lessons, but we did find one family that was willing to let us leave the Saviors peace and blessing and got a return appointment with them.

Sunday... wow what can I say? I was excited all week for the broadcast. We planned a potluck at the stake center for the missionaries that didn't have a meal appointment, (we have only had 6 meals this month (I think it is because of 3 sets of missionaries in the ward) We went to the fireside, and are super excited to work with the ward more.

 

Some highlights would be.

Elder Holland. "We must plan for and use this force of missionaries. Feel the savior guiding and lifting and directing us and his work. Invite others to come unto Christ. An invitation born for our love of others will never be seen as offensive."

Elder L tom Parry said "It is a new era for missionary work, special generation that need oppurtunities to teach. They plan on opening the meeting houses for guided tours. Get the missionaries on facebook and social sites within the next couple months, and tablets. 58 new missions this year 173 new mission presidents on monday July 1, and that the purpose of any member is to invite their friends and neighbors to come unto Christ. Stand as a witness in all places, times, and things."

Elder Neil A Anderson (used video from our mission)

 ours is a spiritual work

• begins on our knees
• work together with faith and unity
• we are all in this together
• he won't let us fail when we do our best
• trust leads us by the hand miracles follow
• we can't see the end from the beginning

Okay I am sorry that this is so long and I am out of time so please take the opportunity to watch it, it was amazing.

 

Thanks for you continued support I love you all and hope to hear from you soon.

 

Sister Sliger

Week #9: Old lightening and Anti-Lehi Nephites

Week #9

 

Not much new to report this week, we went out and knocked on a lot of doors. We were able to find a few people to teach, which is always wonderful. I have decided that Florida weather is much worse than Utah weather. I dont mind the rain, but the lightning gets old.

 

The youth of our stake were challenged to read The Book of Mormon by stake conference in August. I started the challenge, went all the way though Mosiah, and am now half way through Alma. I love that as Ammon and Alma teach they start with stating their authority and then teach the plan of salvation. We as missionaries still do the same today we start with the restoration and priesthood and then teach the plan of salvation. It is amazing to read of the conversion stories of the lamanites.

 

I hope that each of you can be like the anti-lehi nephites; when you are converted to the gospel you will never fall away. I know that as we hold strong to the core standards and do the little things you cannot fall away.

 

Live life to the fullest. I know that I still have some letters to respond to or some snail mail letters, so I am working on responding as fast as I can. Right now I am out of stamps and I don't think that we will get to go somewhere today for me to get some more. I love hearing from all of you, thank you for your support.

 

Sister Sliger

Week 8: Tornadoes and Interesting People

I am alive and for the most part i am well. I am dry for the moment, and just finished an interesting bike week, We were awoken by tornado alerts going off wednesday night i think there was 5 alarms and the weather radio is in no way quiet. Though i was up since 2:15 when the first one went off, sister peipgrass was able to sleep though most of them. We got up right on time thursday morning and went to the gym to work out. When we got back to our apartment, we had a text saying no one was to leave the apartment until after 11 and to use caution. Around 10:30 that text updated to "do not leave the apartment until futher notice." There was a tornado that hit sun city, which is about 20 miles to the south of us. About 4:30 we were told that we must remain in for the rest of the evening. The funny thing about that was that was the best weather in the evening all week. We were wet on Monday, soaked on Tuesday; so soaked that we went to the library and used the hand dryer in the bathroom to dry our shoes slightly after pouring the water out of them...

 

we thought we were wet then. hehehe

 

We were wrong. We had a pretty good morning Saturday and then were riding to cross over from the west side of our area to the east side, we saw the black clouds, we called our district leader (whose area is just south of ours and close to where we were heading and they said that it wasnt raining and there was no lightning. We went out. We got about 20 mins away from our apartment on bike when the storm broke and lightning lit up the sky. We were in the new area of our area (they changed from spliting with the elders north south to east west), which we are very unfimilar with. I thought that there was a park down the road so we prayed that there would be some sort of shelter. We got there and the pavilion was being used by a family birthday party. We were drenched and the lightning wasn't letting up. We were just going to wait a few minutes. We were stuck, with our phone dead, there until the lightning stopped (over 2.5 hours). We did have someone come up on bike and was able to teach a lesson to him and also with that family that was there we found a previous investagator that had a baptism date set when he moved. By the time that we got home I would have to say that it was the coldest that I have been in florida. I was frozen and it was still 70 degrees out. We were dripping and got to pour our shoes out again, and every inch of clothing was soaked but we made it home safe. I think that it is funny that the weather was worse on Saturday when we were allowed to go out then it was on Thursday when we were imprisoned to our apartment.

 

We have an interesting (stalker) investagator, totally doesn't want to learn, he came to church last Sunday and left because we don't teach out of the bible. He was in gospel doctrine (D&C) on temples; we were teaching primary. We were caught in the rain Monday and he invited us up to the porch. He had question after question, looking back he was more of trying to trip us up then listening. We had our appointment with him Wednesday night and we never even sat down before he was trying to bible bash us. I told him our purpose as missionaries which is to invite others to come unto Christ. He started railing on the restored gospel and that we don't need a church to be saved. I quoted to him the 11 article of faith and told him that we needed to go. He turned to Sister Piepgrass as she was trying to bear her testimony of the gospel and tried twisting her words. He told her "you dont have to go with her" "you could go somewhere with me" "you know i am right" We booked it out of there as fast as we could. Our phone was dead, so we couldn't call the member that was supposed to meet us, but he did find us where we were biking home (complete different route then we would usually). I have never been so grateful for a companion as I was that day.

 

We recieved about 15 texts from him during the Thursday storm and the zone leaders told us to text him our purpose and we dropped him as an investagator since he is definitely not ready to receive the restored gospel. Then he showed up at church again yesterday. He makes me very uncomfortable and I am not sure what to do about the situtation.

 

We work hard and we strive to obey the rules, we are blessed with safety and I am learning so much.