Hello All!!!
This coming week, on Saturday, we find out about transfers. Crazy huh? It's already the end of my first transfer! Ha. I have no idea what will happen. But I could really use some prayers to accept whatever God has in mind for transfers. I need to be ready for anything. Next Monday I will let you know what's going on. We transfer on Tuesday next week. Ok so one of my highlights this week was going to a potluck in Loveland to say goodbye to the FEMA workers who have been working at the Flood Relief Center that we have been serving at, including Debra, who I have talked about a bit. None of them are members but they love the missionaries that they have gotten to work with so they invited our whole zone to come basically. It was nice to go and we were able to be more open with our religion since it wasn't service hours. I even wrote Debbie a card with my testimony and thanking her for her wonderful example or being so happy and cheerful. I was going to give her a Book of Mormon, because she talked about wanting to learn more, but an Elder had beaten me to it;) but that is ok! She said she would e-mail me and keep in touch. I am going to include a picture of her. She is so great!
Funny story of the week, yesterday, it was BEAUTIFUL outside, like hot even. So we went walking to visit some less-actives and do some tracting on the way. So we went to the less-active's house, we have been trying for 5 weeks straight to visit and she is NEVER home! But today a guy answered and we asked for the person, he said, she lives across the street. So we had been visiting the wrong house because the ward directory had it wrong! haha. Then we went to the right house and knocked on the door. As we knocked on the door a cop car pulls up to the house and he gets out and starts walking towards us. We were like...uhhhh. And he said, do you two live here? We were like, No! We were just trying to visit someone. He said, "Oh you are with the church?" We were like, "Yeah." He said ok and let us go and then HE went and knocked on the door. Haha. We were like, oh boy, why would the cops be knocking on the door we just knocked on? We were like, maybe they are criminals or drug bust or who knows. Haha. We walked away pretty quickly. Then the cop drove by us a few minutes later and stopped to explain that it had nothing to do with us and told us the story of why he stopped there, it was something to do with a dog or something....haha, and he said that he was a member of a different ward and thanked us for all we do:). haha. So that was my story of the week.
We are slowly starting to gain the trust of the members and we can see that when we get referrals. The other day we got a big approval of trust, when the bishop gave us a referral for his neighbor. He has known her for a while but has never given her to sisters in the past, he has been waiting, and now we finally were able to go visit. We taught her this week about the restoration. She says that it all sounds right and makes sense, feels familiar. So neat! And since we didn't feel the spirit stopping us, I extended the baptismal invite in the first lesson. She said yes, when she learns more. But didn't agree to a date yet. But it was neat to be able to teach her and I hope this week's lesson is able to go well. We have the bishop's wife sit in with us. We have been striving to get member present lessons because in the past, that hasn't happened. The w family is doing really well. Bro. W is awesome! We taught the Word of Wisdom this week and we were a bit nervous about it because we know he struggles with some stuff but he committed to living by it. His wife, Sister W, is now struggling a bit and we are trying to best know how to help her be as excited as her husband. It is weird because for the longest time, it was the other way around, and now he is moving forward and ready for anything and she is dragging. We are working to help him get the priesthood and will talk to him more about it this week. We also want to teach their kids but they are members of another church and are not as interested in learning. So we pray for their hearts to be softened so we can teach them as well. The F family said that things are getting too busy right now to teach them, and Brother F doesn't want to move forward with something until he is fully committed and he doesn't feel like he can do that right now with everything that is going on.
I don't know if I ever told you but a lot of this area was affected by the floods last year and the LDS church members were the first ones on the scene helping. Which has helped to soften a lot of hearts.Another random thing I haven't told you, most of the less-active members, were baptized within the past couple years, but we are finding that they did not have firm testimonies or understandings when they were baptized, so we are having to go in and teach them from ground one basically to help strengthen their testimonies. It is so important to understand that baptism isn't the final step, it is just the beginning!
Another random thing, there is a man in the area book that we have been trying to visit and we finally caught him home. He is a dance teacher in Berthoud. I told him about my background and that I love to dance! Ha so he invited me to come to lessons at his studio for free! haha. Funny. He says Ballet is on Mondays, my P-days, so maybe;) Anywho, he was such a great fellow and one of the nicest people I have met but he is not too interested in learning more. We'll keep trying.
One day when I was feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders and struggling so much, I happened to turn to Matthew 11:28-30.28 ¶aCome unto me, all ye that blabour and are heavy laden, and I will give you crest.
29 Take my ayoke upon you, and blearn of me; for I am cmeek and dlowly in eheart: and ye shall find frest unto your souls.
I realized then that while I felt like the one that everyone is always leaning on, that is nothing compared to the Savior. He invites each of us to lean on him and he doesn't ask for anyone to lean on when things are tough for him. When we take his name upon us, and learn of Him, we will find rest to our souls. This verse has helped me to better know and love my Savior and turn to Him.
Hope you have a wonderful week!! I love you all so much! Thanks for the letters and e-mails! Keep them coming, I really do love them and they come at times in the week that I need them. Thanks for everything:)
Love,
Sister Karissa Young
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| Tracting in the middle of nowhere |
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| FEMA Potluck |
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| Debbie |
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| Berthoud Sign |
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