August 6, 2012

August 6

Chelsie I just wanted to say thank you so much for all that you have done and for the love and friendship that you have shared with me. I love you so much and miss you lots. Sorry for not emailing you last week. Here is an update on my week.

Well this past week has been a hard week. It has been a bit stressful with a new companion and having to show her around this fairly new place that I barley even know myself. I don't know why, but I carry too much stress and think that I have to do everything by myself. I know that Sister Butler knows what she is doing, but I think because she hasn't been here I felt like I needed to take the lead with everything which isn't that great. I have learned to rely on the Lord so much more this week than ever. I have asked for comfort and patients with my companion. Sister Butler is great, but we are completely two different people and we have butt heads a couple times. I am trying really hard to stay positive and to not the things that she does bother me. It is hard, but I am trying be very best. I have to pray everyday and all day long and the more I do, I can tell the Lord is with me and that I am able to be patient with her and to just move along when the things that she does bother me. Sister Butler has helped me so much to grow as well. I am very grateful for her even though it has started out a little rough.

This week we have done a lot of ward member building. We have been going around to everyone in the ward to get to know them and to help them stay missionary minded so that they can help us with referrals. Working with the members is the key thing in missionary work. Without the members this mission would be impossible because finding on our own is not very successful and is super hard. We have done lots of contacting on the streets and at the parks. We haven't found anyone who is that interested yet, but we are putting ourselves out there so that people are seeing who we are and what we do. We are also trying to find many service opportunities to serve the ward members and the communities here. It is hard to find people to let us do some service, but I am not giving up and I am working hard to find service. I love being able to serve.

We are still teaching the Alvarez family and they are growing so much. The two younger boys are going to get baptized on Sunday the 19. I am very excited for them and the boys are just has excited. Their father has changed so much since we have been teaching him and his family. He is working on going back to the temple and wants the best for his children. It is amazing how much he and his family has changed since I first met with him. They are growing closer has a family and their lives are becoming full of happiness and joy. Helping families grow closer together is amazing and I love seeing them smile and making right choices. The gospel is so amazing and I love watching how the spirit plays a hug part of bring them happiness and showing them that this is the true church. They are an amazing family.

We are still working on Sister Thomas to help her realize how important church is. We have had some awesome lessons with her and the spirit is great. She knows that she needs to come to church, but she won't come out to it. All we can do is keeping going over there and reading the Book of Mormon with her to keep that spirit and to keep reminding her that coming to church is important.  I pray for her often and hope that she will have that desire to come one of these Sundays.

We have found a potential investigator. Her name is Shelley. I may have mentioned her before. Anyways we have been visiting with her twice and this last time we left her with a strength of youth booklet and asked her to read it before we come back next time. She is going to start fostering some children and thought that it would be a great booklet for her to read. She is a great women and has lots of faith. I hope and pray that her heart will be soften that she will be willing to make commitments and to want to learn more about the gospel. She is kind of hard to teach because she likes to talk a lot. We just need to make sure and be bold and tell her why we are here and we are here to help her to come closer to her Savior. She has a very open heart though.

Alica is another investigator that we are working with. She also has lots of faith and knows that what we are telling her is true. We have invited her out to church, but she has not yet come. She says that she doesn't like big crowds and doesn't like people talking to her. We told her if we came we would help her so that she wouldn't feel scared. She said I am open to the idea, but won't commit to anything yet. Our lesson with her went great. We read Alma 32 with her and talked about faith and also talked about how the Book of Mormon came along and the time line of it. She seems really interesting and has asked us to talked to her about the Plan of Salvation. She has questions that we couldn't answer that day because we ran out of time. We are going to see her again this week though which is good and hopefully we can get her to really read the Book of Mormon and find out if this is the true church for herself. She is an amazing lady and I hope that her heart will be soften as well.

Well this was about all that has happened this week. Just lots of finding and building up the ward members. I just want to end with my testimony. I know that this is the only true church in the world and that Joesph Smith is a true prophet and has restored this gospel on the earth today. I am so grateful for all of you and that we can be families forever and never be separated. I love the Scriptures and have turned to them so much. They have helped me get through the bad and good times that I have. I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for the sacerfice that he did for me. I know that through him I can do all things even when the possible seems to be impossible. I know that he has sent me here for a reason and that He has a plan for me and knows what I need right now in my life. Yesterday is testimony meeting someone got up and said: "When God calls us to do something, it is because He knows that WE CAN DO IT!" I loved this and it touched me so much. I can do this hard work and I am not going to give up. My Heavenly Father has great things in store for me and I know that I can do whatever gets put in my way. I love this gospel with all of my heart and I am so grateful to be a missionary here and to be able to share this wonderful message with everyone that I come in contact with.

I hope that everything is going great for you. Love you lots and miss you three so much!

Love Sister Ackley