First Transfer News

So, I am staying in Berthoud for another 6 weeks and finishing my training with Sister Mathews. I think the Lord prepared me for this. I have been feeling like this was going to be what happened and so I really have just been praying to accept the Lord's will. That prayer has been answered and I have been given comfort and felt peace with how this transfer turned out. There are reasons for everything and I still have things that I need to help with in Berthoud and things to learn from my companion. We have set some goals for this transfer that I think will help us move forward and make this area grow. My biggest thing is, I don't want it to stay the same. I need change or else I will go crazy. So I am going to constantly be working for new things every day and week. I'm sure there will continue to be ups and downs and some weeks may be hard like they have been this transfer but I am determined to make things better and rely on the Lord. 

This week I have been working on listening to the spirit and acting upon the promptings, not just having a thought and brushing it off, because I think it is just me. I am learning that the Lord speaks and when it persists, if it was a good thing, then I should just listen to it. We have nothing to lose really! Haha. That is what I tell myself when I get a little hesitant to knock on a door or talk to someone. I have nothing to lose, I have a strong testimony, I've been rejected before, and our message is WORTH IT! It can only go up:)  We have contacted lots of potential investigators and found them home, finally! One day, we had an appointment cancel so we decided to go visit someone we had been trying to visit for a while. We drove by the house, and it didn't look different than it usually does when no one is home, but I just felt like we needed to try knocking anyway. So we parked and knocked and she was home. She was super nice, invited us in, and proceeded to tell us how they had some LDS friends in California, she was raised in a church that was very confining and corrupt, and just barely got out of it a few years ago. She was building her relationship back on God and Jesus and she is very intune to the Holy Ghost. She said at this time they aren't interested just because they are working on that foundation and finding truth right now by just going to the source, praying, etc. But that sounds like she is ready to me! Ha but we are going to take it slowly because they are very sensitive right now an worried about "man-run churches". So we need to help them see that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is not run by man, but by God. So we taught her a bit right there, prayed with her and she said we were welcome to stop by anytime. So, we will see. The Lord is preparing people. 

This week on Saturday Sister Mathews was feeling really sick in the morning because the night before a member had taken us out to eat at a BBQ place and ordered the Family Size! Holy meat! I will include a picture. Anyway, she ate a little too much meat and so the next day she was pretty sick. So...I got to do personal study for about 4 hours until she felt a bit better and we could go out and visit people. But it was really nice to be able to study during that time. I switched up what I was reading every half hour or so but it was great to have that study time to strengthen my relationship with my Savior.  

This week we also did service for a family who is struggling a lot. They have 3 funerals next Saturday...so there have been a lot of hard times. So we went over and cleaned a loft in their house that hadn't been cleaned in about 17 years...yeah. It was dusty to say the least! Haha. I have NEVER seen so much dust in my life. But we served, they made us dinner and we taught them. I'll include some pictures.

This transfer, we are going to try to get more involved with each auxiliary in the ward and see how we can work with them to help the work progress. We also want to work more closely with the Ward Mission Leader to help the work go forward. Asking the members how they feel about missionary work, has truly gotten their brains working and moving forward and I feel like they are beginning to think more about the work because they know we are serious and we want to help them in any way that we can. There are a lot of members that have potential investigator friends that we are going to follow up with. The more they see that we want to work and want to help them, the more trust they are going to have in us. 

Funny story....ha. So the other night, we had some time before we needed to be home so we decided to search for houses with lights on inside and on the porch. So we prayed and then went to a street and I felt like one house that we saw was where the Lord wanted us. So we knocked on the door and....it was a member. Haha. We hadn't officially met them yet but we had been wanting to, but we didn't realize that a member lived in the house when we knocked on the door. Which is kind of unlikely in Berthoud. But, after we got over our surprise, we played it like we had meant to come by. haha. We taught them a lesson, and then asked them about their missionary work. They actually had quite a few connections in the community. Which is also unusual in Berthoud. Most of the ward kind of sticks to themselves and to those in the ward. So, I  feel like we were meant to be there to start helping them move forward to have their friends come closer to learning the gospel. We are excited to work with them more, and they gave us cake. haha. 

We had Zone Conference this week and it was great to hear from our leaders and to strengthen our resolve for next transfer. I love meetings like that. 

A lot of investigators and less-actives here are struggling with finding "time" to learn more about the gospel and feel like they are too busy and that this commitment would be too much for them. But this gospel is meant to help us during those busy,crazy times, and with the gospel everything else will fall into place. If we are putting the Lord first, He knows what we have need of and He will provide it as we move forward and make time for Him first. 3 Nephi 13:31-34

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

 32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 33 But ^aseek ye first the ^bkingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. ^aSufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.

The Lord will take care of His children. I know this to be true. 

Love,

Sister Karissa Young

The BBQ Family Size platter...

Tracting in the wind on the country dirt roads.

Cute llama on the road we tracted.  so many llamas here!!  I LOVE IT!

Before...

and after of this Antelope :)

Dusty loft that we cleaned.  17 years of dust.

Colorado sunset with the Rockies

Berthoud missionaries before the first transfer and Bro. H, our Ward Mission Leader.  Yeah...I;m not looking the best in this picture but oh well.  Here ya go;)