Só Milagres

OI Family! How are you all?! I miss you and think about you all the time! Thank you for all of your emails and letters. I don't have much time to respond to them all but I appreciate them so much!

 

This week has been filled with more awesomeness! Where do I start...

 

Zone training was awesome this week! We talked about how as missionaries we need to be setting people up to succeed. We talked about how a lot of the time we set people up to fail if our commitments for them are impossible for them to do. For example, giving them huge reading assignments or difficult scriptures especially when the language of the scriptures is foreign to them--that is setting them up to fail. Also, inviting them to church but not making sure that they have a ride to get to church. Or teaching way deep doctrine or teaching way too fast. Or teaching about the Word of Wisdom but not taking their alcohol out of their home. Or failing to get them a fellowshipper/friendshipper. Or baptizing them when they never went to church or only went once. We just need to be careful when we give commitments and make sure that we are setting them up so they CAN actually keep the commitments and progress. It was eye-opening for me because I don't want to fail these people. I love them so much already!

 

Also, this week we have been meeting with a lot of less active families. If they aren't home, we have left them with a  copy of the talk "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox. Thanks dad for introducing me to that talk a million years ago! It has been a blessing to many people here!

 

One of the Elders in my district had a baptism this week. Well actually it was a triple baptism because it was a mom and her 2 kids. At the end, she bore her testimony and thanked Elder Tanner for not giving up on her. She had let her kids talk with the missionaries for a couple months and as the elders taught the kids, they never gave up on the mom. They constantly invited her to join and checked up on her even when she said no time and time again. She cried as she expressed her thanks for Elder Tanner because she knew that she wasn't fine every time that she told him "I'm fine." She said that it was because he didn't give up that she was baptized. I was inspired because we can never give up on people. Even if they say they are okay and fine without the gospel, we can't give up on them because Christ wouldn't give up on them so we shouldn't either.

 

Random stuff:

-we play ultimate football (basically ultimate Frisbee but with a football) most mornings with our district. it's way fun! I'm basically Drew Bledsoe status now. --Also a couple of the members of the ward give me a hard time because of my last name. Bro Knight teases me about it all the time because he thinks Drew Bledsoe is a cry baby. It's funny. Most people can't pronounce or remember my name, so I'm usually just "sister."

-We volunteer at the Food Bank every week. Another church is in charge but it is cool to help. There is a ton of need here so our help is much appreciated.

-We taught Relief Society last week. It was on missionary work- shocker! lol. It was great though and I think the members trust us more. The members are so great! I am over 2 wards and they are both full of amazing examples. I think that meeting them is one of the reasons why I am here in Page. Some of the greatest people I have ever met with the most incredible stories. Also they give us really REALLY good food and treats :)

 

I love you so much!

Enjoy your week!

Tchua, Tchau

Love, Sister Bledsoe

 

Also here is my email to my mission prez.

 

hey President!

This week has been really good. Still lots of learning. I am constantly being humbled but I am coming to love the people so much! Missionary work is hard but so rewarding!

Emotionally, I have been doing well. When I start to feel overwhelmed, I try to count my blessings and remember why I came out on a mission. I remember the people that I am teaching and how much I love them, and then things don't seem as hard. Physically, I am doing well and staying healthy. I need to work on ways to stay awake during planning at night though, but I know that if I have a good attitude about it then I will be able to finish the work quicker and more efficiently.
Spiritually, I have been doing really well. Some days and in some lessons it is really easy to feel the Spirit. I feel like the Spirit is constantly strengthening and teaching me. I would not be able to be out here without the Spirit and the daily tender mercies of the Lord.

12 week has been going well. I have enjoyed role playing with my companions and it has really helped especially with tracting and teaching people when we first meet them. It is nice to have two awesome trainers as well! They are great!

One of my favorite moments this week happened on Tuesday in a lesson with Lavinia, a progressing investigator. We brought a member to the lesson, Sister Moody and she was awesome! She followed promptings throughout the whole lesson and taught Lavinia many important lessons about strengthening family as a mother and a wife. As missionaries, we couldn't give that kind of counsel, advice, or testimony. Sister Moody bore powerful testimony to Lavinia about the importance of marriage and a strong relationship with a spouse when Lavinia said that sometimes she thinks that things would be easier without her boyfriend Nate. Lavinia started crying as she realized the importance of a mother and a father in families. The Spirit was so strong. Since that lesson, Lavinia has been reading the Book of Mormon with her 4 young kids in the morning AND at night. She also prays with them and is setting a great example for Nate.  The work is working!

-Sister Bledsoe

on the way to Tuba City for Zone conference!