Hey everyone!
So this email is a little early because tomorrow we've got interviews with the new mission president, President Allred! I've had some time to get to know the Allreds because I'm in the central zone of the mission and we are so close to the mission office now!
Saturday we had to be off the streets by 6:00 so we had a Zone Activity and the Allreds came and it was so cool to get to sit with Sister Allred and just get to know her and talk about the area I'm in and get some really good advice from her. I know this mission is going to see some miracles soon because they are so inspired and inspiring!
The 4th of July was a really fun day. We went street contacting which I have never been able to do before! We went to a farmers market and to the park and just talked with everyone. It was really fun to just get our names and faces out there. Then we drove the circut and just visited everyone who was home. We were able to get into some houses we haven't before because we would ask them if we could sing them a hymn! There were some very positive reactions to that! I was so happy to do that for these people because it was definitely fulfilling the missionary purpose to help people come closer to Christ, even though we didn't teach many lessons we still helped people turn a little bit towards the Savior.
At the zone activity it was about a billion degrees (and humid 0.0) but I played basketball anyways. There is an elder in my zone who knows Jake Carlson! They played basketball together in Alaska and then served together here. Pretty small world haha. We also watched the Best Two Years. Which is way funnier as a missionary by the way!
We also played a game called slaughter ball which is basically dodgeball but kind of more fun. I am proud to say that I won one of the games! It came at a cost of a rugburned knee, but it was a sweet victory xD
This week we've been working with kind of half of a teaching pool, and working really hard to build it back up. We've seen miracles on both fronts, on the finding front and the teaching front.
One night we finished about 20 minutes early for the day. We prayed to find out what Heavenly Father wanted us to do to use those 20 minutes to serve Him and His children. And a name popped into my mind! Tanya. She is a girl we found a while ago, but who was super busy because she was getting ready to move to Texas to go to school there. We prayed about it and decided we should go and give her a Book of Mormon to take with her to Texas. I wrote a brief testimony on a sticky note and bookmarked Moroni 10:3-5. When we got there we found out from her father that she had left for school the week before. Darn.
BUT.
Her dad told us, "she's not here, but I would really love to read that book".
So yeah, we have an appointment with him for this week.
And we have continued to teach Cynthia. I was kind of frustrated earlier in the week because even though we could find her in her house pretty easily, she would cancel our set lessons every time. I was sad because she had seemed so ready to hear the gospel and I had felt like we were led back to her house by the spirit at precisely this time. And then Sunday, she texted us and we got there as fast as we could. And wow it was an amazing lesson. She asked questions and told us about how in her ponderings she has determined basically that the Church of Jesus Christ had to be restored. And also how Jesus Christ probably appeared to the Americas. So as we testified of the truths we know of the Restoration it was so cool to see the puzzle pieces clicking together in her mind. We asked her if she would pray to know and she said she already could feel that it is true, but that she would also ask God for the witness we promised her. And she said the closing prayer! It was kind of an Ammon/King Lamoni moment. wow. The Lord really does prepare people to hear this message. I love those moments where it is so clear that I'm not the teacher, but so privileged to witness the hand of the Lord in the lives of these people.
Here is a challenge for each of you: Share your testimony with *every single* opportunity the Lord gives you. Pray for eyes to see those opportunities :) I promise you will have more strength to endure the difficult things that are happening in your life and you will feel closer to the Savior than you ever have before. Mosiah 13:28 and "What Think Ye of Christ", October 1988 by Elder Oaks.
I love you all!
Hermana Ogden
So this email is a little early because tomorrow we've got interviews with the new mission president, President Allred! I've had some time to get to know the Allreds because I'm in the central zone of the mission and we are so close to the mission office now!
Saturday we had to be off the streets by 6:00 so we had a Zone Activity and the Allreds came and it was so cool to get to sit with Sister Allred and just get to know her and talk about the area I'm in and get some really good advice from her. I know this mission is going to see some miracles soon because they are so inspired and inspiring!
The 4th of July was a really fun day. We went street contacting which I have never been able to do before! We went to a farmers market and to the park and just talked with everyone. It was really fun to just get our names and faces out there. Then we drove the circut and just visited everyone who was home. We were able to get into some houses we haven't before because we would ask them if we could sing them a hymn! There were some very positive reactions to that! I was so happy to do that for these people because it was definitely fulfilling the missionary purpose to help people come closer to Christ, even though we didn't teach many lessons we still helped people turn a little bit towards the Savior.
At the zone activity it was about a billion degrees (and humid 0.0) but I played basketball anyways. There is an elder in my zone who knows Jake Carlson! They played basketball together in Alaska and then served together here. Pretty small world haha. We also watched the Best Two Years. Which is way funnier as a missionary by the way!
We also played a game called slaughter ball which is basically dodgeball but kind of more fun. I am proud to say that I won one of the games! It came at a cost of a rugburned knee, but it was a sweet victory xD
This week we've been working with kind of half of a teaching pool, and working really hard to build it back up. We've seen miracles on both fronts, on the finding front and the teaching front.
One night we finished about 20 minutes early for the day. We prayed to find out what Heavenly Father wanted us to do to use those 20 minutes to serve Him and His children. And a name popped into my mind! Tanya. She is a girl we found a while ago, but who was super busy because she was getting ready to move to Texas to go to school there. We prayed about it and decided we should go and give her a Book of Mormon to take with her to Texas. I wrote a brief testimony on a sticky note and bookmarked Moroni 10:3-5. When we got there we found out from her father that she had left for school the week before. Darn.
BUT.
Her dad told us, "she's not here, but I would really love to read that book".
So yeah, we have an appointment with him for this week.
And we have continued to teach Cynthia. I was kind of frustrated earlier in the week because even though we could find her in her house pretty easily, she would cancel our set lessons every time. I was sad because she had seemed so ready to hear the gospel and I had felt like we were led back to her house by the spirit at precisely this time. And then Sunday, she texted us and we got there as fast as we could. And wow it was an amazing lesson. She asked questions and told us about how in her ponderings she has determined basically that the Church of Jesus Christ had to be restored. And also how Jesus Christ probably appeared to the Americas. So as we testified of the truths we know of the Restoration it was so cool to see the puzzle pieces clicking together in her mind. We asked her if she would pray to know and she said she already could feel that it is true, but that she would also ask God for the witness we promised her. And she said the closing prayer! It was kind of an Ammon/King Lamoni moment. wow. The Lord really does prepare people to hear this message. I love those moments where it is so clear that I'm not the teacher, but so privileged to witness the hand of the Lord in the lives of these people.
Here is a challenge for each of you: Share your testimony with *every single* opportunity the Lord gives you. Pray for eyes to see those opportunities :) I promise you will have more strength to endure the difficult things that are happening in your life and you will feel closer to the Savior than you ever have before. Mosiah 13:28 and "What Think Ye of Christ", October 1988 by Elder Oaks.
I love you all!
Hermana Ogden