August 13
Hello Everyone,
I fist want to thank you all for everything that was in the package. I really appreciated it. I have the best family and friends in the world. This made my whole day when I got it and the letters. Thank you again so much for everything. I think I got everything I asked for and more. Thank you Chelsie for the sim card and the scrunchy. Grandma Martina, Thanks for the hair supplies I love them, and Mom, thank you for everything thing else and the goodies. I hope you all know that I really do appreciate all that you have done for me and that it makes me feel so special to know that I am loved by many people back at home. You all are the most important people in my life and I am truly grateful for all the great examples that you are for me. I love EVERYONE of you so much.
This week has been a little bit better than last week. I want to share an experience that I had yesterday morning when I woke up. So like I have mentioned before I have been struggling with my companion and have been having a hard time getting along with her. When I woke up this thought came to my mind that I needed to fast for patients and for love for her. This impression was so strong and I knew it was from the spirit so I didn't think twice and I fasted for the love and patients that I need and to overcome all of the differences that we have so that we can be unified in our work. As I fasted for this all day, I could feel the strength from my Savior and I was able to be happy with just the way Sister Butler was and those little things that bothered me about her and all of our differences weren't a problem anymore. I was able to look past them and to be able to stay unified with her and we were able to get a lot more work done and I was able to feel of the spirit more that day. It still is going to take a lot of patients, but I know that I can do it and that I can become a better person if I focus more of our purpose and not the things the things that we don't agree on. I can be the bigger person and not let the adversary come between our relationship. I have a strong testimony of fasting and that we are truly blessed when we fast for a purpose and have the desire to do whatever it takes that we are fasting for. I know that the Lord will bless us and that He will strength us at the time that we need it the most. Fasting is a amazing and I have truly seen all of the blessing that come when I fast.
This past week we have been staying busy with Alvarez's. This week is a big week for them. The two boys, Stephen and Jacob are going to be baptized on Sunday. What an exciting day for them. Stephen is so excited and cannot wait to be baptized. His testimony has grown so much in the couple of months that we have been teaching him. This week we are reviewing all of the lessons and going over the baptismal questions and it is amazing how much the two boys have learned and have remembered. They really like when we talk about the plan of salvation with them and that they know that they all can live with their mother again and that she is really watching over them and that she is so proud of them to being baptized. When we mention this their eyes just light up with such peace and happiness. I love this family and I am glad that I have been a part of their lives and help them receive that great happiness and joy that I feel in my life.
This family are the only ones that we have progressing right now. We, however, are teaching a lady named Shelley. I don't remember if I have mentioned her to you yet, but this past Friday we visited with her and we talked about the strength of youth. We asked her what her favorite part was and she said that is was the section about gratitude. We talked a lot about how we need to be grateful for all that we have and to be able to teach people about gratitude. The world is becoming to be a world where no one is being grateful for what they have. This is an important thing to have in our lives and that we shouldn't take things for granite because once they are gone we have nothing and all we can do is be grateful that we had them. I am so grateful for this gospel and for the love that I have for it and for the love that I feel for my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to have all of you and for the examples that each of you have on me. This lesson was so great and I learned for myself that I need to be grateful for the blessing that I have in my life.
We had dinner with a member of our ward on Wednesday and she is amazing and has a sweet spirit. She is married to someone who is not a member. She told us that she feels like it is time for her to go back to the temple and she feels strongly that she wants her husband to start taking the lessons from us so that he can know for himself and also can know what this gospel means to her. She is going to talk with her husband and see what he thinks and then she is going to let us know if we can teach him or not. I hope that he will be okay with us teaching him and that he can help him understand what Sister Zimmerman is doing in the church and I hope that we can bring them closer together as a family and help them to become happier in their life and with their relationship with their Heavenly Father.
We also might be starting to teach a grandson of a lady in our ward. Sister Lamonda says that her grandson really wants to be baptized and wants us to come over and teach him. It makes me so excited already to hear that he wants to be baptized and wants his own set of scriptures. I hope that we will be able to teach him and to bring this happiness and joy to his life and to help him know and understand that his Heavenly Father loves and cares about him too.
Friday was our walking day at it was the hottest day of the week. It got up to about 112 degrees. I love our walking days no matter if it is hot or not. The heat doesn't bother me and I love being able to get out see people and to talk with people who are out on the street. We had received a referral that was for us in Glendora. We called the lady, her name is Donna, to confirm her address and has for directions to get to her apartment. Well we followed those directions and went to Denny's like she told us and that she lived right behind Denny's. Well we got there and there were no apartments. We back tracked and still couldn't find where she lived and we kept calling her and she kept saying that we were close, but we couldn't find her. Well it got to be too late and we needed to start heading back to our dinner appointment that we had and we said we try again tomorrow. Well the next day we tried again and still couldn't find her, so we called her again and this time we asked if she was in Glendora or another city. Guess what? She lived in another city next to us. This would explain why we couldn't find her. We finally found her though. She is a sweet lady and has recently lost her husband. She is interested in the church and wants to learn more. We gave her a family answers video that she ordered and said that she was going to church with her sister in law on Sunday. We were very excited for her and told her that she will love it and explained a little bit of what happens at church. She wants us Sisters to come back, but we will have to ask if that will be okay since she is not in our area. She is a sweet lady and I think great things will come from her.
I want to just close with my testimony that I know this is the true Church of Jesus Christ and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I am so grateful to me a member of this gospel and that I can have so much peace and happiness in my life from knowing the many great things of this church. I am so grateful for prayer and for the comfort and the strength that I am able to gain when I pray. I am grateful for the spirit and for the thoughts and promptings that I am able to receive from it. I am so grateful for the plan of salvation and know that we can be families forever and that nothing can tear us apart after death. I am so grateful for my savior Jesus Christ and for the love and sacrifice he did for me and that he knows exactly what I am going through and that I can overcome all of my trials and be forgiven through the Atonement.
I love you all so much and I hope that you have a great week. Remember to always smile and to be happy.
Lots of love, hugs, and kisses
~Sister Ackley
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