August 20, 2012

August 20

Hey Chelsie,

 

Thank you so much for your email. Yes I did get your letter and pictures. You are all so darling and I miss you so much. I love seeing pictures and reading about all the new things that you all are doing. Thanks for being an awesome friend.

 

You are going to do great at school and I know that the Lord will bless your life has you finish up. I know that Keagan will be okay and that he will understand. I miss being able to talk with you at anytime of the day as well. Just think time will fly by so fast(it already has) and we will be able to talk everyday. I cannot wait!!

 

This week has been a good week. Each day I am learning and being able to be patient with my companion. We are starting to get along a little bit better and we are starting to understand how we each do things. I have been praying everyday for the strength to love her and to look past the differences that we have and for the strength to being able to focus on the work and not what is bothering me about her. The Lord has truly blessed me and I know that she has been put in my life for a reason. I think that the lesson that I am suppose to be learning is really how to be patient with someone that is different from me. I have learned to be patient and I have felt the blessings from being patient with her. I still have lots to work on, but I am relying on the Lord and His strength to help me through the hard times.

 

Yesterday the Alvarez's were baptized! It was such an amazing day for them. They were so cute and so happy. They were so excited and couldn't wait till they were able to enter into the water with their father baptizing them. The spirit was so strong and I knew that Heavenly Father is so proud of them and smiling. I know that their mother was there with them and that she is so proud of them for making the right choice and being baptized so that they can start working their way up the straight and narrow path. It brings me great comfort when I am able to help them find that happiness and that joy that this gospel gives to me. I know that I have been placed in this area for a reason and that I was able to be their missionaries to help them all to become closer as a family and to be able to share that peace in their lives.

 

That was mainly the highlight of our week. We have been working hard and trying to find new investigators to teach. We haven't found anyone yet, but I am not giving up and I am still working my hardest to find those that I need to be teaching. We did contact at the park last night and talked with a family for awhile. They have to kids and one of them has a disability and the other one is hard of hearing. We started off just talking about their family with them and then it turned into who we were and about our church. We shared with them what we do and a little about our church. They were telling us about how they have been to many different churches and have never found one that they liked or that they have felt welcomed in. They said that every time that they go to a church they are mean to them and don't like talking to them. We shared with them how our church is very family orientated and that we are nice and never turn anyone away. Another problem that the churches have had is that fact that they  have a disability child. We told them that we love everyone and that won't stop us from loving them. We love everyone in the church. We shared that we go to church for three hours and that the kids go to primary and described to them what primary was. They were super nice and gave us their name and number and said that they wouldn't mind us coming back for another visit. I was so happy to hear that. We will visit with them sometime this week. Hopefully the spirit can work with us and tough their lives so that they will want to learn more about this gospel and want to come to church with us.

 

We have still been doing a lot of member building up and have been getting the members thinking about someone that they can pray about to help them with any needs that they may have. We have been doing this and hoping that we can help the members step by step and that we will be able to help them with their friends and families and to share this gospel with them. We have quite a bit of families that we have started with and we will be following up with them within the next week or too. I feel good about how this  is turning out and I know that with faith we will be able to teach those that the members are working with.

 

I want to close with my testimony. I know that this is the only true church on this earth and I know that I am where I need to be at this time of my mission. I know that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and loves me for just the way that I am and that I am here because there is someone who needs me just the way that I am. I know that I am daughter of God and that He is very pleased with the work that I am doing right now. I am so grateful for prayer and I turn to my Father in Heaven every time that I need to feel that peace and comfort. I know the scriptures are the true words. I am grateful for the peace and love that I feel every time that I open them up. I know that I am not the only one who has had hard times in life and that through the strength of the Savior I am able to get through anything. I love this gospel so much and can't imagine myself without it. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

 

Have a great week! I am sending off a letter today for you! Loves of hugs and kisses! Hope you enjoy these pictures. These are the two boys that got baptized and their dad. My companion and I and sister fleming and me and a group of all of us sisters in the area.

 

Love Sister Ackley

Here are the pictures that she sent along with this email!