Monday, June 8, 2015

MidHOOD is Home




June 8, 2015
We had a sick last week of the transfer! Found 4 new investigators and got 3 people to the temple! Honestly we spent most of the week doing bible referrals (we got 6 one day) so just looking them up, we get new investigators from a lot of them so it's cool. We had an exchange which was good, sisters only get 1 a transfer and it's such a good opportunity to look at things with different eyes and see what you can do better. We taught a few lessons to Valerie, she is our most solid investie right now. Our other one, Debbie, is the coolest thing ever! Her family is all kind of against her joining and she has held firm and keeps making huge sacrifices to come to church! Last week she had worked 48 hours without sleep and instead of going home for a nap she came to 9am church straight from work! She almost fell asleep during the meeting and I had to take her shoes off for her because her feet were so swollen. She really inspires me to sacrifice more of myself for this great work. 


So we went to the temple Thursday and it went so well! The session was full (I've never seen that in Manhattan) and the lady we brought had such a good experience! I feel so blessed we get to go with people for the first time or when they are returning...I feel like it is always just what I need just at the right time. Friday we went to the Barclays Center for a "Eternal Families" finding activity. We held up signs "do you think families can be forever?" And had "yes" and "no" signs for people to put their sticker on to vote. We would yell the question at people as they passed. Most people smiled and said "yes!" But in my opinion far too many people shook their heads "no." One feller, after I asked the question, said "no" and I said "why not?" He said "I'm proof." My heart kinda dropped and it made me so sad! I am so grateful for such a lovely family and can't even imagine what it's like to have it all ripped apart. This gospel is all about uniting families to return home to Heavenly Father. Which leads into our Saturday! We got volunteered to volunteer at the "Global Family Reunion" in Flushing Meadows Park as part of the World Fair. It was put on by some random book author but FamilySearch was there and so was our whole mission to volunteer! They pre-sold 2,500 tickets so it was pretty big. Dr. Oz, George H.W. Bush, and lots of other famous people were there. I got to sell t-shirts with about 8 other missionaries. It was so fun!! We also got to talk to a lot of people on the train on the way there and back, I met one guy on the way there that was actually going the event, and he said we could bring him and his wife a Book of Mormon! He was so cool and was actually normal! It's hard to come across those kinda people sometimes, no offense haha. We were talking to a Jewish man who has been investigating for about a year now and he said "most people in Brooklyn are spiritually challenged...they all look kinda dead!" He is a miracle in himself. He lives in our neighborhood but sneaks out to come to church and none of his Jewish friends know and it's been a year!...I want to make a movie out of his life. After church we had a discussion on the front steps with him and he bore us his testimony about how this is the true church. Do you know how weird it is to have a Jew tell you that if you'll live your religion you'll always be happy? This really is the true church and hearing a non-member say that seriously just hits home everytime. I mean, I know it's true, but I guess it's the difference of NOT a having the gospel, and then HAVING it that makes those testimonies so powerful. 


Ah man, so many other things happened! We met with a Indian girl who was sooo cool! While we were waiting for her at the church an older lady from the Spanish branch came and basically had a heart attack so she sat through the lesson and even bore her testimony!! And then we walked her home. We also had dinner at a member's house, the dad is the guy who invented all the cool stuff on Excel and the mom is pregnant and in med school so I felt kinda dumb in their house haha but they were so nice! I love doing family mission plans with people, from PMG (and I quote): “It will be a great day,” taught President Gordon B. Hinckley, “when our people not only pray for the missionaries throughout the world, but ask the Lord to help them to assist the missionaries who are laboring in their own ward”. I hope I can be that rockin member missionary who brings my friends to the missionaries...I guess I'll have to get some non-member friends first haha. 

Something cool from studies was from the July 1973 conference (yay for iPads, it's not like I'd have a copy of that laying around in the pad) by President Kimball he said a few good things I thought ya'll might enjoy:
If your knees are knocking, kneel on them.”
Again, the revelation says, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”
That preparation comes from infancy and childhood training, when faith is born and character established. It is a bit late to try to build faith when the ship is sinking or the plane is falling or the head-on collision is certain. One air navigator gave us this: “I had said my prayer back in the fifteenth orbit”; and another: “Courage is said to be fear that has said its prayers.”
"what a world it would be if a million families in this church were to be on their knees like this every night and morning!" 
From "The Family Influence"

I love the prophets so much and am so grateful for a living prophet today. I'm also grateful for a church that doesn't compel anyone buts asks each person to discover for themselves if it is true. I know it's true because of the thoughts and feelings of peace I have had as I research and learn on my own. I'm convinced that if we don't spend personal time in the scriptures we will never gain a complete witness that this church is true. It comes through reading and person revelation. It also isn't something we can do once and then never again. It takes constant effort "heaven is not attained, it is practiced." 
Love you all!
Sister Wadsworth

1. Grand Army Plaza on our way to service!
2. The temple with Jennifer and Michelle (: 
3. Bout sums up mah life

4. Blonde hair don't care...the humidity was terrible haha.

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