Sunday, May 31, 2015

26May2015

Hi :)

1) I am not sick anymore :)

2) We woke up to run at 5:30 today and we walked outside and there were two raccoons in the tree. Terrifying because I hear those things are mean. I ran away while my companion exclaimed how cute they were.

3) Our mission president called us into the office this week and gave us the keys to a BRAND new car... Like we drove it off the lot new. I have never driven a new car. It even has a backing camera so now when we stand behind the car and back we can dance for our companion's pleasure.

4) Now onto things that actually matter... Arionna got baptized!!!! It was a very powerful experience. When she got up to bear her testimony and told her dream experience, the whole room got totally still and warm. When her friend Eric baptized her, he is waiting on his mission call btw, I felt chills go down my spine. I just knew that the power of God was being manifest by a 18 year-old boy who was trying his best to be good and clean. The power of God is manifest in covenants and without actual physical manifestations of our commitment the gospel is hollow and empty for us. Covenants change our very nature. I am so proud of Arionna and her strength to the hard thing that was right. Now we are working on getting her into BYUI!

5) Insight from J. (ok the insight is now wayyyy down there...sorry)  Update: J. is the man we tracked into at the beginning of my stay here. He was in prison for 22 years and got out 2.5 years ago. He is one of the most insightful and intelligent people I have ever known. Teaching him is a dream for me. He accepted my challenge to read 9 chapters in the Book of Mormon a day. NINE. I have never been so grateful for my countless readings and studies of that book. I have needed every insight and piece of information that I have ever acquired to teach him. I truly have felt the Holy Ghost bring to my memory facts and insight that I can barely remember where I learned it from. I have been able to tell him the lineage of Lehi, diagram the 12 tribes and all the promises and specific prophecy that each event in the Book of Mormon fulfills. I have never loved the Book of Mormon so much. I feel so alive when I get in one of these conversations with him. Things just flow into my mind and I make connections that I never realized I had made before. It is awesome. Anyway, insight, he said "A God fearing man is one who is totally obedient to God and wants to be". Then he said how all he wants is to be a God fearing man but how far from that he is. I think we are all far from truly being willingly obedient.

6) So our investigator D. is trying to stop smoking among other things. We try and set up appointments but have found that showing up is way better with her. It seems as if every single time we show up it is right as she has walked outside to smoke. We find her on the porch about to lite up. The other day she goes, "You keep coming as I go to smoke! Heavenly Father I get the message!" She then said how profound it was to her that we always seem to show up right when she needs us most. I believe strongly that we are sent to those that need us and will accept us. I also believe that God's hand is in every day to day moment if we allow it to be.

7) Our family of 7 is doing good!! Half were at church and the bishop sat down and talked with the whole family and parents. It was so awesome.  Pray for the family please!

8) We picked up a new investigator who is just so amazing. His name is W. and he is an African American man who was a marine for many years. He is the most humble soul I have met. I can not wait to teach him more.

9) D. is great as ever. We showed up for a lesson and he goes, "you are just coming to check on your sheep and make sure I am still eating the right kind of grass." "Don't worry, I am still eating the right kind of grass." haha it was great. The ward has been more then wonderful to him. I am so grateful for all of them.

I am out of time but I have more to share! Next week I guess. Enjoy the ending of May!

Love Sis Huber






Why Hello 18May2015

Why hello!
 "If you understand the Plan of Happiness, what goes on in life won't determine your happiness." Elder Scott. I loved that quote this week. We had some ups and downs and rough patches but after all is said and done, it doesn't seem to matter. I am happy and life is good.
Moments from the week:
 We helped at a funeral and at a baptism. It really put life into a new perspective because of the peace and calm that was at both events. I felt God in both activities and I know death is not the end. Happiness and joy are waiting for us at the end of all of this.
They decided to teach 20 mins of our gospel principles class on why people should feed the sister missionaries and how to overcome the HUGE obstacle of gluten free... I was dying. I just wanted to talk doctrine and they are talking us! This one lady got it in her mind that gluten free was impossible so the whole room had a discussion on possible meal options I could eat. It was just bad. I am grateful for a ward that is so supportive and kind to us though, they treat us so well.
- Arionna is getting baptized on Wednesday!!!! YAY!!!! We had a huge up and down with her this last week. She almost got kicked out of her house by her aunt for the church and different things so we were scrambling to find her somewhere to stay. After lots of talking and praying her aunt and her came to terms and all is well for now. Whew. Ari is so very prepared and can't wait to be baptized!
It RAINED! All week. I think my companion, who is from Washington, brought the rain. We had some major water and lots of puddle jumping in the dark when no one was watching. We have an image to uphold so we had to be careful :)
- We picked up a family of 7! I am so stoked about teaching them and see a lot of potential in them. They have Mormon family and want to get into church. The big obstacles are smoking and some family issues that are hard to overcome. Dad is not to thrilled about this all. So pray for them! Natasha and family.  
- James, someone we have been teaching, got the answer that he should get baptized! In December..... but it turns out he couldn't get baptized until then anyway. So I thought it was pretty cool that his answer was the first possible date he could get baptized. God doesn't want us waiting. I told him I would be back in Dec anyway so it was on! Meanwhile he needs to start attending church.....baby steps I guess.
Dennis is doing so so well. I will quote a text from him to try and show you how awesome and kind he is to us. “Sisters you're awesome. I thank the Almighty God for bringing you into my life at the 11th hour, that I truly needed help. Now I can only count the many blessings and happiness I experience in my day to day life being sober. I now relate with people better and I'm leading a meaningful life here on earth. You're simply amazing people and keep up the good work you're doing. God bless you sisters!" He took us to a buffet to eat because he simply insisted on taking a turn at feeding the wonderful sisters. He is thrilled about home teaching and can't wait to take his father's name to the temple soon.
 - I was able to take the time and sit down to write some goals out this week. My mission president invited me to do it to finish strong. It was an awesome experience and I was able to feel the spirit very strongly as I really determined what I had left to do out here. Two of the goals, to pray for a minimum of 10 mins each night before bed and to read a minimum of one chapter from the Book of Mormon before bed, have been so helpful! Some days we get home and I am so spent and worn out but being committed to doing those two things has changed my attitude getting into bed and therefore changed my whole day. I know He listens to us when we pray and I know he is waiting to answer us through the scriptures and the Holy Spirit. I plan on never stopping these goals. Life long commitment.   
I love you all!!! I love being a missionary!

-Sis Huber



Sunday, May 17, 2015

11May2015

Hello!!
My last and final companion is wonderful. She is a convert of 2.5 years and we get along really well. I can't wait to train her and to see all the miracles. I feel so lucky to get to be the one.
Dennis passed the sacrament and that was wonderful to see. He called us up one morning just to tell us how proud he was of the good work we were doing. It was the greatest motivational booster ever. He is being so strong even though many around him are mocking his choices.
Arionna is also doing really really well. She came to church and loved it. She also had an incredible dream that further pushed her towards baptism. It should be in the next couple of weeks. She said our lesson this week was a direct answer to her prayer and that was a confirmation to me of the preparation and spirit that goes behind everything we do.
We had a really really good lesson with Jen and Chris this week. They are ready to get baptized as soon as their parents jump on board. They both have really strong testimonies of the church and a desire to have a family in the gospel one day in the future. They are 15 and 11 years old and were met while contacting.
 Dawn is a single mom and has a 2 year old daughter. She is facing some serious negative feedback from her family about the church. It is really sad to see and hear some of the things that people are telling her. She read the Book of Mormon everyday though and we are slowly getting her ready to feel strong enough to come to church and move forward.
 We had a miracle lesson with a new investigator named Randy. He texted us right as we were waiting for another appointment with a member to teach. The one lesson canceled and we took the member and went to teach Randy. It was a very powerful lesson and he is now preparing to get baptized. He is someone that I contacted about two weeks ago.
 
Life is good and Vista is doing well. Have a great week!!!
 
Love S Huber