Just Believe

I don't think I've ever been this tired before in my entire life.  It's a good reminder that every piece of energy, and every miracle, and every good experience has been a blessing, and not by my own doing.  But honestly, I feel like I could sleep for at least 2 weeks straight.  

So, given the circumstances and how slowly my brain is functioning right now, and that I only have about 30 minutes total left for p-day, this will probably be a short one.  Sorry...

TEVIN WAS BAPTIZED!!!!  One of the best days of my mission.  He told us that his face hurt because he couldn't stop smiling.  It was amazing to see him finally take that step, and to do it so willingly.  After his confirmation on Sunday, he even told us that he felt Heavenly Father's love for him, for the first time.  What a beautiful day.

Festival is crazy as usual, but still fun.  I love seeing the sisters talking to people and working miracles every night.  They truly are the sisters that I never had.  

Well, I'm sorry this is so short, but family, I will talk to you soon!

I love you all.

Stay true to what's eternal.

-Sister Welch

Last Weeks Miracles (continued)

To finish up from last week, I'll start with Deedee and Margaret.  Sunday morning (the 4th) Sister Wankier and I had about 2 hours in the area before church started.  We had met our goals for the week, but could still use some new investigators, so we decided to do some finding.  Since we had already visited everyone in the former investigator book, and had checked/called all of our potentials, we were left with tracting.  (Members would be getting ready for church since it was Sunday).  The street we chose was in a well-to-do neighborhood, with beautiful brick mansions, and little families that were all getting ready for church.  None were too interested, or very kind.  We were getting a little discouraged, when we knocked on a door, heard a dog barking as usual, and were surprised to see a woman opening the door and stepping outside to talk to us.  Her name was Deedee and she told us that lately her coworkers had been sharing the book of Mormon with her! She's been looking for a church, and would love to learn more as soon as she finishes the last 5 weeks of her nursing degree, quits one of her 2 full-time jobs, and has a little time.  And she meant it.  She really listened to the message and counted it as a sign from God that we were at her home.  It was such a little tender mercy to have her buried in between these homes of disinterested people. 

But, that was just the beginning.  I think Heavenly Father was preparing us to expect miracles that day, because we needed to have smiles on our faces and we continued to search for those who were prepared.  The next place we went was a little subdivision of town homes.  Everyone we met was either Asian, or from the Middle East.  We were turned away at every door, until we came to one house where a huge golden retriever watched us through the glass storm door, and started to bark.  His owner, a blonde woman in her late 40's, came to the door, saw us, and said, "Wait here! Wait here!  I have to put the dog away!" She dragged the dog over to his kennel, came back to the front door and said, "Come in!" We were shocked, but didn't question, and walked right in.  Now, this is not normal behavior for a blonde, caucasian woman who sees two girls in dresses on her doorstep.  The next thing she said was, "Did Alex send you?" Sister Wankier and I looked at each other, told her, "No..." And I was thinking, "But please don't kick us out," when she said, "Oh.  Really? That's so strange.  Alex is my 18 year old son who joined your church 2 years ago.  This weekend he came home for college to visit, and just last night he said that he was going to send some missionaries over to meet me."  Ahh!!!!!  Things like this don't just happen.  We told her that Alex definitely did not send us, but Heavenly Father had.  We were at her home because he knows her and she needs us.  To make this story even better, Alex is now thinking about serving a mission, and as a single mother who's son had just joined this church 2 years ago, she had a lot of questions.  They were mostly about the logistics of a missionary's life, but we were able to answer all of the questions she had, and bear our testimonies of this great work.  In the meantime, Alex came home after finishing church at the Chinese Branch.  (The boy is 18, fluent in Spanish and English, and is learning Chinese so he went to church there.  Crazy.) Anyway, he comes home and is ecstatic that the missionaries are in his house talking to his mom.  He told her outright that she needs to let us teach her, and that is absolutely our plan as well.  Such a miracle.

This week has been wonderful as well.  Tevin is making progress (pray for him), and he even told Sister Wankier and I that we're "actually pretty cool."  Coming from a 16 year old black kid, that has to be worth something.  But aside from that, he's reading the Book of Mormon, praying about it, and really searching.  He's finally taking this into his own hands.  He even stayed for all three hours of church.  And the ward was great with him.  I LOVE this ward.  The members are wonderful at missionary work, know their duty when it comes to serving others, and they are excited about the gospel.  I love it! It's such a blessing.

So pray for him, and for Claudia, and Wachen, and Brittany.  They're all so close. 

That's all I have time for today.  I love you all!  Stay true to what's eternal.

-Sister Welch

Closed for Construction

The VC was closed for an entire WEEK.  Now, that may not sound like a long time, but I didn't fully understand what a blessed life I was living until I had to tract every single day, in the cold, in Kentlands.  Here's what I've learned:
1. To appreciate the elders more because this past week for me is every week for them.
2. The Visitors' Center is a sanctuary in more ways than one.
3. Sister Wankier is incredible to put up with me 24/7 for a whole week!
4. Full pros (full time proselyting) really isn't that bad.  It's interesting; I wasn't as tired at the end of our full pros days as compared to the days when I'm at the VC and in the area.  And it was a fun challenge. I learned a lot.
5. Our area needed this time.  We saw soooo many miracles.  I'll try to include them all. 

On Thursday, we saw Claudia.  She's been taught for over a year now, and she's SO close to accepting the gospel as part of who she is.  She actually took us through the baptismal interview questions (because she has them written down somewhere) and she knows it's all true. And she's living the commandments.  She's just keeping herself back.  But I had a neat realization this morning.  I was reading the story of the 10 lepers, because I was studying gratitude, and I realized that Claudia's situation is this story.  The lepers were Samaritans, 'enemies' to Christ's people during that time, and Christ even called them strangers.  They had lost everything that was valuable to them, but had come to Christ and he had healed them by taking their leprosy away.  Only one returned to thank Him, and as he did so, the gratitude he expressed probably helped him to let go of any bitterness in his heart.  He could have been very bitter for the lost years, lost family, lost job, and everything he didn't have, but because he was grateful, Christ pronounced him "whole".  To me that means that he was whole inside and out. His body was healed from the leprosy, but his heart was also healed from a spiritual leprosy.  Claudia is also a leper in her own way, but Christ has already taken her 'exterior' leprosy away from her.  She's lost all of those exterior, material things and there is nothing that is physically in her way from being healed and part of the congregation.  Just like the lepers, she's at ground zero.  But, she has to choose to thank Christ for what he's done in order to lose the resentment in her heart and experience the healing that only Christ can give.  Then he can lift her by saying, "Arise, go thy way."  Christ would only command us to go our own way if it was also His way.  The paradox is that we have to be grateful for what he's taken away, in order to give him more - our hearts - so that we can inherit all of the blessings and promises He offers.  It reminds me of a quote from the Nauvoo pageant: "To give more than we had, we gave of ourselves."  And just as Elder Maxwell said, "Consecration is the only surrender that is also a victory."  We are healed inside and out through giving ourselves to Christ, truly, through giving thanks to Christ. 

And I have faith that Claudia will reach that point very soon.

Friday we met with a mother that's been less active for years.  The ward made it sound like she'd be a little bitter and difficult to reach, but when we went to visit, her heart was ready.  Her oldest son is 8 and after visiting with them they agreed to go through the lessons together! It's not what we were expecting, but it's what they need.  We're actually teaching them the first lesson today and I can't wait. 

Saturday was a day full of appointments. And most of them kept!  Andrew, our Polynesian tragically said that he's not ready for this yet and asked us to not come back.  We were so shocked that we didn't know what to say to him.  Kristy, from the Chinese branch, was with us too because she's going on a mission soon and wanted the practice before she goes out.  This is the second time she's come out with us and she always stays for as long as she told us she would (so usually about an hour) and I felt bad that she had to witness the rejection, but we stayed positive, went to lunch afterwards, and told miracle stories from our missions.  Looking back, I do just remember the miracles, and not the rejections as much.  It's like I told Sister Wankier: every day on the mission is a good day.  Even if it's a hard day, it's a good day.  I hope that Kristy keeps her excitement because she is going to be a great missionary.

So the appointments that did keep: Wachen and Brittany.  We had members for both of those, and both were great.  Brittany finally opened up to us, and she is ready for this message.  Her soul is searching.  I finally felt peace about her after our lesson with her.  Wachen, our 30 year old Chinese investigator, was a hoot.  I don't remember if I mentioned that he has a learning disability and gets distracted very easily.  In our lesson we talked about who God and Jesus Christ are.  We have to start with the very basics with him.  There was actually a moment in this lesson that was priceless.  (Well, there were a few...but this one was the best.)  We were sitting in the lobby of the church, looking at a picture of Christ, as we were bearing our souls and our testimonies about who Christ is to us.  All of a sudden Wachen says, "Can I ask you question?"  We said, "Of course."  Then he looks right at me and asks, "Are you Irish?"  Hahaha.  I did have to laugh and then had a fun time trying to tie 'not being Irish' into my testimony of Christ.  But, the spirit was there, so I hope it sunk in, but we had to be very simplistic, and that was a little harder than I thought it would be.  Sister Shawen was a great help, though.  And the best miracle actually came after the lesson.

Wachen had left when Sister Shawen started talking to us (I don't have much time left, so this will be the condensed version...)  and gave us two incredible referrals.  One is her son's friend, who he brought to church.  They were texting afterwards and his friend said that he doesn't have to keep his side of the deal and come to her church, because his is way better and she's thinking about converting!  Then there's this family that has had so much contact with the church and just needs to come and feel the spirit and she's sure they'll be ready to join.  Ah! I wish I could write the whole conversation in detail because to me, member referrals like this are almost as good as baptisms.  It was a blessed day.

Then Deedee and Margaret.  Best miracles of the week, but I'm out of time!  Bah! Remind me to write about them next week. 

I love you all!!!  Stay true to what's eternal!

-Sister Welch

Okay, okay

This week will be longer.   ...Hopefully.

 

So, starting on Thursday of last week.  We got a new investigator!!!!! His name is Samuel. He's been deployed to the Middle East, twice, and his soul is searching for peace.  It was interesting to talk to him and just feel how hungry his Spirit was for the gospel. He talked about some of the things he saw and experienced, including a time where he watched 6 of his comrades hit a road-side bomb, and how he re-lived that moment every day in his mind.  He talked about how it had affected his family and how he was trying to teach his kids to be honest, and have standards (including modesty) in this world where there are no morals.  He talked about how his wife was 7th-Day Adventist, but he felt nothing when he went to church with her.  We did a lot of listening for the half hour that we talked, and after we finally had the chance to tell him what we did, he agreed to start meeting with us.  Amazing what happens when people feel cared about, and like someone really wants to help them.

 

The next day we were at the VC for most of the day: me in my meeting, and Sister Morotti talking to the souls who are searching.  Have I told you that every Friday we have a Training Meeting with all of the sisters, then the 4 of us trainers meet together from 10-4? These meetings have been an interesting experience for me because it focuses leadership on each of the sisters and what their needs are.  I love being part of this cycle of bringing souls to Christ who are bringing souls to Christ.  (Does that make sense?) I just love the unity of purpose that we have.  It makes every solution to the problems we experience so much easier to find, because all we have to do is ask, "Does it bring them closer to Christ?" and if it does, then that's the answer.  It's incredible to be in this place where everything we do is centered on coming to Christ.  And it's teaching me that everything I should do will bring me closer to Him.  Now and forever.

Lately, I decided to study the atonement every day that I have personal study.  I don't take the whole hour, usually, but just a part of it to focus on the Savior.  I'm going to keep doing this until the end of my mission.  Already it's been an incredible, eye-opening, experience, and it's stretching me to focus and really seek revelation if I want to understand anything during my studies.  I wish I had time to share all that I've learned, but one of my favorite things is to find symbolism between the prophets and Christ.  There is so much there.  And I feel like I'm just scratching the surface.

Saturday, we had the miracle of meeting a less active family that the ward and missionaries have been trying to contact for months.  I didn't even realize what a miracle this was until Sister Morotti said, "Do you know how big a miracle dat was?" I said, "No" because I'm still learning the area and I guess I'm used to people opening their doors to us, but then she told me that in the three months she's been here, she's never been able to see them, and when they have been home, they've yelled through the door, or said to come back later.  But this time they invited us in! And we shared a thought!  And prayed!  Huge difference.  I'm glad she told me what I miracle this was so that we could appreciate it for the blessing it is.

Sunday.  IKE WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!  Happy day.  I've decided that I like baptisms a lot more when I'm not in charge.  It was much more peaceful to be able to sit next to him and visit, and not to run around trying to organized everything.  Ah! It was amazing. 

And....I'm out of time.  Sorry!!!  But Monday was exchange with Sister Wong, who I still want to be like when I grow up, and yesterday I got to see an old investigator (Blessing) at the VC.  Life is great.

Stay true to what's eternal.

I love you all!

 

-Sister Welch

Another week in Zion

Lots of teaching this past week.  And lots of miracles.  I'm trying to think if anything funny happened, which I know there were funny things, but usually it's just the Sister Lin quotes.  She makes me laugh like no one can.  And she is really the miracle worker.

This past Sunday, we had plans for the day, and stuck pretty closely to those plans, until dinner time.  After dinner, we didn't feel like we needed to do what we planned, so we left to check on a referral, who wasn't home, and then went back to the car feeling a little lost.  She suggested we pray, so we did, and then she opened her scriptures and read a verse in Alma talking about success.  She asked me, "What success mean?" and we talked about that for a little bit, then decided we just needed to work and that would be success.  So we started driving.  She was in the passenger seat, and when we came up to a street called Nightingale she said, "Turn here!" so I obeyed.  Then we turned onto a court, but she didn't feel right about it, so we kept going down the street until she said, "Stop!" so we stopped in front of a nice, big, well-kept house with a collection of shot glasses displayed in the front window.  There was a man watching us through the window, so we waved and he smiled and came outside to meet us.  His name is Bob, he's in his 60's, he's white, he's Catholic, and he wants to learn more.  Miracle.  This never happens in mini-Africa.  But it does when you have Sister Lin as your companion.

According to President Matsumori, she has the gift of tongues as well.  We had our interviews with him this past week, and he walked out of her interview astonished at how far her English has come this transfer.  It's amazing for me to see, that's for sure.

I wish I had time to write about all of the people we're teaching.  Elwood (91 y.o.) moved back home to be with Claire and we went to see them this past Sunday.  Claire's lost a tooth, hair, and her hands were swollen because she's so stressed.  It was a relief for her to see us and I wish that we could just live with them to take care of things there, but they have nurses coming now, so it should get better this next week.  My heart just aches for them and I keep praying to know how to help them feel comforted.  Those two are family to me.

Then Barbette lost her baby.  My heart hurts for her too, and I'm glad that she has the gospel and church to keep her going.  In situations like this, I don't know what people would do without their faith.  The Plan of Salvation is so true! And it just makes more and more sense the longer I live.

We found two new investigators from Ghana, Eric and Yvonne who are unrelated to each other, but again, the more I'm around African people, the more I'm amazed at how they just "get it."   Sometimes they have some interesting, but most of the time they are right on, and so spiritually in tune.  Can I request that my next mission is in Africa? There is so much to learn from these incredible people!

We also saw Kydoai, from Nigeria and met his wife. More updates on them later.  They should be coming to church this Sunday.

And then Kadie!!!!! She and her daughter Yvonne are getting baptized next week and they are so excited.  Keep them in your prayers as they're preparing to take this step.  They just need their interview and then they're good to go.  Ah! I just love that little family and I'd adopt them if I could.

Well, time's up. Love you all.

Stay true to what's eternal.

Love, Sister Welch

Jerome and Betty and Theo and Blanche

There were miracles this week. Jerome came to church! I just about had a heart attack because I was so excited. The Sisters have been teaching Jerome since September and he had been to church ONCE. He just has some complications with work and family that legitimately make it hard to come. But this past week he got his schedule and he wasn't working on Sunday. Miracle number 1.

Miracle Number 2: Betty. Betty is a woman in her 60's that usually goes to the mega-church across the street. It's called Reid Temple and I'm sure that thing is bigger than the Conference Center. It's HUGE. (As a side note, our church was built first.)

 Anyway, this church attracts a lot of people and they even have a whole police force directing traffic every Sunday because there are so many people. 

Well, it was getting a little too big for Betty, so she decided to come to a church that was a little more personal.  And that was our church.  She came on the Sunday that we got the new bishopric, so the Spirit was strong, and she was just adopted right into the ward.  I was so pleased with how everyone noticed both her and Jerome.  In Sunday school, she wasn't shy at all, and loved to answer questions.  One question seemed to be a little overwhelming because as she started to answer, her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head, and she started trembling like she was having a seizure.  Her voice kept getting louder and louder and the eyes of everyone else in the room kept getting bigger and bigger.  I was a little worried, I'll admit, but Elder Noel (senior missionary) handled it really well, and just cut her off by thanking her, and continued with the lesson.  Then it was just funny and I was trying to not laugh as I realized what had just happened.  It will be interesting to see what future Sundays bring.  We'll be teaching her now and she wants to be at church every week.  I think our first lesson may need to be on the fruits of the Spirit.  :]

Miracle Number 3: Theo.  He's from Ghana, and is so prepared to make this a part of his life!  We showed up at his house for our appointment, and he wasn't there, so his brother called him, and he immediately drove over.  He felt so bad, and as we started to teach him we could see how sincere he was. He has an interesting background.  He's married, and has a family, but they are all in Ghana while he's over here working.  When his kids get to high school age, then they'll come over and do high school and college here, then go back to Ghana.  That seems to be a common thing that Africans do here. They want the harsh punishment and spanking from elementary schools in Ghana, but the education from high school and college in America.  Interesting, but it works for them.  Theo grew up in Ghana and he said that he recognized who we were almost immediately because of what the missionaries and church has done for his people.  He had a chapel in the town where he grew up, and it was common for him to see people getting food and clothes from members of the church.  He loves the Church and wants it to be a part of his life.  And to make this story even better, when I had gone on exchange a couple of weeks ago, Sister Holt had gone to this area with Sister Chan, and she'd felt like there was someone there waiting for us.  So we knocked the whole street and found Theo.  Amazing. 

Miracle Number 4: Blanche.  She's a referral from the Elders, and she is also so prepared for this message.  She's had questions about everything we teach, and she accepts everything we say in a heart beat!  She's 17, and will fit in perfectly with all of the girls we have in the ward.  Wonderful how that happens.

Also, I went back to Olney on exchange last week (one of the perks of being a trainer) and got to see Daneil!!!  It was SO good to see her and to know that she's still teaching the 4 year olds in primary and STUDYING the Book of Mormon, not just reading, but studying.  She told me that she looked up the Valley of Laman and the River Lemuel the other day on google, and people had some really weird ideas.  Haha!  I love that girl.  She also told me that the spiritual thought we left was corny.  ...But I know that just means she liked it.  I wish I could have spent the whole day with her.  But we got to teach Russell as well, because the Sisters have started teaching him again.  It was good to see him too, and it made me laugh because I'd forgotten how brilliant and also how stubborn he is.  What a service he will do for the church when he accepts it. 

Oh, another miracle.  Mosquitoes like new blood better than the old stuff so I'm not getting eaten alive this summer.  That's a HUGE blessing.  We went to do yard work for a member in the ward and I only had one bite when we left.  Poor Sister Holt did get eaten alive.  But that wasn't as scary as when the member started telling us about the ticks she'd been finding on her kids AFTER I'd been tromping through the bushes and foliage in her yard.  Oh dear.  But I came home free of those nasty bugs too.

I wish I had time to tell you about all of the funny things that have happened this past week.  There have been a lot.  Grown men riding the little 2-foot-tall children's motorcycles, the Noel's stories, and so many more.  By the way, we had transfers yesterday and Sister Holt and I are staying together! Which is great because we have so many things going in the area and the ward now and we've gotten better at maximizing the little time we have.  It will be a fantastic transfer. 

Well, we're off to a nationals baseball game right now.  We'll be sitting in the stands with about 150 other missionaries, in our proselyting clothes (which means skirts and suits), wearing our baseball hats and enjoying the sun.  It's going to be glorious.

  Go Nationals!


I love you all.  Stay true to what's eternal.

Love, Sister Welch

Five Minutes.

We see some of the most interesting people out here.  The other day, we were driving down a 45 mph road, when this 20 year old guy with dreds that were about 3 ft long, pulls out into the intersection going 2 mph on a little riding lawn mower.  I almost had to pull over I was laughing so hard. 

And the best part is, that's pretty normal here.

I love teaching in this area, because usually when we go to a house to teach the Mom, her husband comes home, and then a brother walks out of the back, and then the brother's girlfriend shows up, and by the time we're done with the lesson, there's a whole giant family that's home and just waitin' for the gospel!  It's great.  And humbling.  I sometimes have no idea how so many people fit into one house.  For example, there's a family of recent converts who lives in a little 500 square foot home, and this is who is living there: The Mom and her two teenage boys.  The Mom's sister who is expecting a little baby.  The Mom's other sister and her daughter, and her daughter's fiance and their three little boys.  All in that little house.  And they're happy people.  That's the best part.  They know what's important and they've found that and are hanging onto it and each other.  It's amazing to see.

The Visitors' Center has also been great.  So many miracles.  Sometimes I can't believe the caliber of sisters that I serve with.  We have a new exhibit up that answers frequently asked questions and has pictures of a sacrament meeting, and baptism, and things that people are curious about.  It is going to be so wonderful to have.  Already people have come away wanting to learn more because their questions were answered.  I'll have to take pictures to send to you (because I'm really good at sending pictures home, haha.)

Well, I'm about out of time, so I'm sorry this was short but our week has been a missionary week: full of finding and member work and the VC.  Life is grand.

I love you all.  Stay true to what's eternal.

Love, Sister Welch

Happy Day, All is Well . . .

I cannot believe it is possible to be this happy!!!

Audrey was baptized on Saturday and it honestly was one of the happiest days of my mission and one of the most fulfilling days of my life.  She was glowing.  Sister Hazen and I went back together and it felt almost like we were going home.  Neither of us had been back since we served there together and then here we were, companions again, going back to Olney.  When we walked into the church, John was the first person we saw and he was almost glowing as much as Audrey was.  We asked him how he was and he said, "Wonderful.  I couldn't be happier for her."  He then told us that he'd been trying for months to get her baptized and he was glad that she finally had listened to him.

 It makes me laugh to know that John was on our side the whole time and I know he'll come along soon.  What a day that will be when he is baptized and when we can come back and go to their sealing!

The program at the baptism was beautiful.  We probably had half the ward packed into the gym and I smiled thinking, "This is how it should be."  Sister Corina Miller, one of Audrey's fellowshippers and a convert herself, said the opening prayer, and then Sister Chris Willis (the friend/neighbor to introduce her to the church) spoke about baptism.  Then Brother Willis performed the baptism.  Words cannot express how joyful that moment was when I watched Audrey make that covenant.  She finally did it! I wish I could put into words all of the prayers, and studies, and thoughts, and notes, and lessons, and encouragement that we gave to her so that you could understand how miraculous this day was.  But there's just no way to say how much Audrey means to me and how much it meant to see her "enter in at the gate."  Oh my.  Happy, happy day.

And on that same day I got to see Erin.  She was the little miracle I had during festival of lights that just walked up to me and asked if we could talk.  She's 18 and is dating the RM and was taking the lessons.  Well, now she's getting baptized too!

Sabir=Incredible.  Here are some Sabir quotes:

"The Book of Mormon is amazing."

and

"I told my brother we're like Nephi and Sam in our family."

and

"I already repent daily."

and

"I gave up coffee a long time ago and I'm so much happier now."

and many more.  Sometimes I don't think this is real life.  But it is!

And Sabir introduced us to his brother Quadir (they're twins, hence the names), and Quadir is just as golden as his brother.  Pray that they'll both be ready for the 10th of March.  We're sure they will be!

And Susan is Susan. Which means she's wonderful and happy and has so much faith!

And Tracy.  Wow.  I don't know where to start with this one.  We have had quite the week with Tracy.  I sadly don't have time to go into details, but I know without any doubt that Heavenly Father loves His children and notices even the details of our lives and our needs.

Tracy is evidence of this.  I have never felt Heavenly Father's love for someone so powerfully as I've felt it for Tracy.  She has, by far, the most excruciating challenges and life I've ever heard of, but Heavenly Father knows her, and loves her, and wants her to succeed and she WILL.  Please keep her and Anthony in your prayers.  She needs to feel those angels around her.

Oh, and one last thing.  I saw Sheri!!!  The Elders brought her to the VC and that woman is amazing too.  After her knee surgery she wasn't supposed to walk for a few months, but she had so much faith in her blessing that she's walking all over the place now.  Wow.  Her baptism is the 4th of March.

Miracles, miracles.

The Church is true.

Stay true to what's eternal.

Love, Sister Welch

P.S. Mom, could you send me the instructions on how to fix dry wall?

One of our investigators had a little accident that resulted in a giant hole in their dining room wall.  Oops...  Thank you!

The Rest of the Story

So, on Friday night, we had a message on our phone from the assistants saying, "Sister Welch, please call us back as soon as you can." So I did, and our conversation went like this:

Elder Wright: "Are you going to be at the VC on Saturday morning?"

Me:"Yes..."

Elder Wright:"Okay.  We're pulling you out for a meeting."

Me:"Okay..."

Elder Wright:"Thank you!  See you then!"

Me:"Thank you?"

I was so confused! But Saturday morning my guess was confirmed when President Matsumori told all of us there that we would be training! It makes me laugh to think about this because it honestly feels like I got here yesterday.  Yesterday!  Wow, time is such a strange concept here.

But Sister Gros (said Sister "Grow") is wonderful.  She's from Northern France, and I'm excited to get to know her and see the "greenie" miracles in our area.  I'll be here for the next two transfers with her, and they are going to be great transfers.

This past week Sister Wong and I saw a lot of miracles before she left.  Susan came to church again, and has a goal for a baptism day.

(By the way, two more weeks until Audrey's baptism!!! I'm so excited.) Kathlyn has been reading from the Book of Mormon and has been asking some incredible questions.  She's so in tune with the Spirit; it amazes me.  Last night we were explaining baptisms for the dead, because that was a question she'd had, and we talked a little about the spirit world.  She asked us if we believed there were spirits with us that we didn't see, and when we said yes, she asked us if that meant the spirit world was here...on earth.  She's incredible! I couldn't believe she'd picked up on it that fast.  We were trying our hardest to keep it simple and not go into deep doctrine, but she came to that conclusion on her own.  Can you say 'elect'?

Tracy is our other miracle.  Pray for her.  Every day is a struggle but I have so much faith in her, and her family.  They're ready to change and heal.

And tonight we're meeting with Kyle and Jessica, a cute young couple looking for a church.  This will be Sister Gros' first lesson and it's going to be so much fun.  Sister Wong and I had set up an appointment with Kyle, but he wasn't home when we came, so we checked on them again and met Jessica.  She was super nice and kept trying to talk to us while her dog was trying to escape.  Right as she said she'd have to talk to her husband before we set up an appointment, her dog jumped out of the house and took off.  We said, "We'll catch your dog! You go talk to your husband and set up a time." Then we took off, in our skirts, after the dog (which was a labrador and a puppy) and she just laughed and said "good luck...!" That silly dog would not respond to anything we tried, no matter how many treats we offered, or when we tried to get him to chase us instead-he just wouldn't come.  Finally we took the car keys out, jangled them a little, and he came running.

I almost got tackled to the ground, but grabbed his collar and dragged (nicely dragged), him back home.  Needless to say, Jessica was impressed, and we set up an appointment.  Oh man.  What we'll do to get appointments.

It should be great tonight.  I'll keep you posted.

Stay true to what's eternal.

Love, Sister Welch

Festival of Lights; Week One

To start off with, I just want to tell you how incredible Sheri is!  Before we could even ask her to come to church last week she said, "I want to go to church.  I'm going to ask my boss for Sunday's off."  So she asked her boss, and lost her job! There were other things involved, of course, but that was the type of thing they were waiting for to let her go.  And instead of getting mad and blaming us, she took it as a sign that this is right for her.  Oh happy day! She's amazing.

And now for two stories from Festival.  The first one happened on Saturday.  At the beginning of the evening I was thinking about numbers and about how many "Message of Love" I needed to get...even though I knew better.  This is about the people and their eternal welfare, not numbers.  But I'm human, and it's hard to make a connection, invite, strengthen their faith, really listen to them, keep focused, and help them want to share the gospel all in two minutes.  And yes, sometimes I think too much, but Heavenly Father is good to me, and let me meet my goal so that when I met Erik, I could be prepared to be a true instrument.

Erik was in the house with his two little girls (about 6 and 3 years old) when I started talking to him.  I know this was a Spirit-led conversation because I honestly cannot remember what I said.  But I do remember that Erik started talking about the temple.  He said he's come to the open house when we was four, and it had made such an impression on him, that he still remembered it.  I asked him if he'd like to see pictures of the inside, and he looked surprised, a look of "Is that allowed?" but took no time to say "yes".  I just glanced down at my watch and it just so happened to be time for me to go up to the front where the temple pictures were.  That was a little tender mercy in this huge miracle.

So we went up to the front, and as we were walking up there, he mentioned that the temple is such a landmark for him, because he grew up next to it. He said it's such a crazy world we live in, that he wants his girls to have something to keep them grounded.  I don't remember what I said or what we were talking about that would lead him to say that, but wow.  He's a seeker.  When we got to the front, we looked at the temple and the pictures.  Erik's girls loved them, and he just looked like he was in awe.We talked about eternal families, and his six-year old told us she wants to be married in the temple.  And, it gets better.  He asked me who the man was on the top of the temple which just led perfectly into testifying of the Book of Mormon.  I could not believe how smoothly this whole conversation was going!  I mean, I could believe it, but a miracle, nonetheless.  It just all fell into place.  Heavenly Father knew he was ready.  When I asked him if he wanted a Book of Mormon, he didn't even have time to respond.  His six year old just yelled, "Yes!"   We laughed and he said, "I think we need to take one, then."  It was a beautiful experience for me and the perfect reminder I needed that this work is in the Lord's hands.  He knows who he wants in this church, and we just get to be the instruments.

The next night, I was standing in front of the Christus when I heard someone say, "Sister Welch!" I turned around and there was a family standing there that I recognized.  The Mom said, "So you remember us?" and I said, "Of course!" and gave her a huge hug.  She looked so happy to be at the Visitors' Center and to see me that I was surprised for what she told me nest.  She said she had some news, and pulled out her camera.  Then she showed me this picture of an older woman in a wheel chair, and asked, "Do you remember her?"  It was her mother-in-law that had come with them to the Visitors' Center a couple of months before, and she was one of those people that I will never forget.  Everyone in the little family, (Mom, Dad, and two boys) were members, but the woman in the wheel chair (the Dad's mother) was not.  When they were here before, I was able to take her on a little tour about the temple, and offered to send missionaries, to which she accepted.  Then this sweet lady that had come back with her family to see me went on to say, "Well, she was baptized! And four days after her baptism, she passed away."

Oh my goodness.  I didn't know how to respond, and all I told her was, "That just makes me want to cry!" as I felt my eyes start to water. Then tears started falling down her face and she said, "It's okay to cry. We cried a lot when she was gone, but mostly because we were so happy that she had been able to accept the gospel before she left."

I know that this is Heavenly Father's work.  He knows who is prepared, and I am more grateful than I can even put into words that I get to be His servant.  This is real joy.  And this is what life is for: to learn, and serve, and live up to the glorious beings that he sees us as capable of becoming.

I love you all! Stay true to what you know is eternal.

-Sister Welch

A little poem

I always have to laugh when p-day rolls around, because without fail, the day before p-day is always INCREDIBLE.  So I count it as a blessing because my faith is strengthened and my emails are happy.  But I want you all to know that this is HARD work.  And I can't even explain the word "hard."  Anyone who has been a missionary understands, and anyone who will be a missionary one day will eventually understand too...but wow.  A mission is everything and nothing like what I expected.  And I love it. 

As for the past week...where to begin.  I LOVE personal study time.  Did I already tell you that? I can't remember, but I've never had it until this transfer, due to my VC schedule, and it's the best.  At the mission tour/zone conference, Sister Matsumori talked about how personal study is study by ourself, and not for ourself, and I can honestly say that I get so much more out of my studies when I'm studying for investigators.  This past week I studied gratitude, because we were doing a family night with a less active and his two little kids.  And I wasn't going to tell the whole story, but it's such a miracle, that I think I'm going to write it anyway.

Okay, so Mitch was someone we met our first night here.  He lives in a basement apartment with his two kids (ages 5 and 3 I think), so we couldn't come in, but we asked if we could do a family night sometime soon. He said sure, and so we went on our way, and didn't think much of it.  However, when we brought it up to Bishop, his eyes got really big and he said, "Really...?" Apparently, Mitch had not been receptive at all to people from church in the past, even the elders.  His family (parents and siblings) is super active, live in Utah, and he left the church right before he got his mission call.  It hurt my heart to hear that, thinking about how much he lost by that decision, but it made us even more determined to make this a good experience for him.  So we decided to make it a Thanksgiving lesson (pretty appropriate, right?) and to read in Luke 17 about the 10 lepers.  There is so much symbolism in that story, that it made it easy to connect with Mitch.  The catch for this lesson though, was to find the right person to go with us.  There are so many young couples his age in the ward, but that could be touchy, since he was just divorced, and he needed someone younger, but the only single youngish woman in the ward was busy.  Then the thought came, "Call Jazmine."  Now, Jazmine is also a less active, but she's 21, really outgoing, and was pretty open when we met her, so we thought, "Why not?"  We called her, she said yes, and she came! It was truly inspired and perfect for everyone.  We were laughing, and happy, and the spirit there was peaceful.  And everything else had fallen into place, too.  At the last minute, we found a picture of Jesus cleansing the lepers for the kids to color, grandma sent me crayons that we could give to the kids (which they loved, by the way), and Sister Wong had a treat that went perfect with the lesson.  It all worked out so smoothly, and it may not sound like that big of a deal, but in the missionary world, when every other appointment cancels, when people aren't open with us, and when we just learn to deal with glitches in our plans, it was amazing to see everything fall into place.  A miracle. 

And other miracle: Sheri.  I'll talk more about her next week because I'm out of time, but she was a referral that we taught last week and she's golden! Pray for her.  She is just so prepared for this.

Also, I wanted to include a poem that helped me make it through one of those hard days when I was feeling insignificant, and not great enough for this work.  It was quoted by President Monson, and I don't have the exact reference, but here it is:

Father, where shall I work today?

And my love flowed warm and free.

Then He pointed out a tiny spot

And said, "Tend that for me."

I answered quickly, "Oh no; not that!

Why, no one would ever see.

No matter how well my work was done;

Not that little place for me."

And the word He spoke, it was not stern;

He answered me tenderly:

"Ah, little one, search that heart of thine,

Art thou working for them or for me?

Nazareth was a little place,

And so was Galilee."

Beautiful, isn't it? I read it often and it's such a strength to me. 

I love you all! I hope you're doing your missionary work at home.  I know your lives will be blessed in every way as you share the gospel.  That's my promise to you as a missionary. 

Love, Sister Welch

Rundown on Prophets

This week has been another roller-coaster.  Sister Withers and I have been praying harder and fasting more often (not too often, don't worry Mom) to find people ready for us to teach.  And it's worked.  I have such a stronger testimony of fasting and prayer now.  It's amazing to see how quickly these blessings flow in.  We had 7 appointments set up for this week (starting on Sunday), and we're getting more every day.  Miracles, miracles.  One day when I'm home, I'll tell you all of them, because there just isn't enough time here!  But the two highlights:

On Thursday last week, a couple came into the Visitors' Center while it was very slow.  I played the Christus narration for them, and as I came up to talk to them afterwords, there were tears streaming down the woman's face.  Usually people are more subdued, or peaceful after listening, but rarely is anyone brought to tears.  I needed to see that and have that reminder.  It IS powerful to sit at the feet of the Christus, while hearing a voice speak the words that He spoke.  He is real! I feel it and know it the longer that I'm here.  It's such an indescribable blessing to see His hand in the life of so many of His children, really, in all our lives! I can't even put this conviction into words, other than to say it simply that He is real and that He KNOWS us and loves us.

The other experience I wanted to share happened yesterday.  Another slow day at the VC, but there were some Elders coming in with their investigator and they wanted the "rundown on prophets" before they watched the Joseph Smith movie.  They said it was going to be casual, and to not worry about planning some elaborate tour, so I took a minute to think about what I would do/say, and then went off to do something else until they got to the VC.  I was not expecting what happened.  I took everyone (elders, investigator, senior couple that came with them) to the back of the VC where the Prophet's Kiosk is.  We talked about what a prophet is and what he does and why we need one so badly today.  Then I asked one of the elders to bear his testimony of President Monson.  He took a minute to think, then bore such a powerful, heartfelt witness that he KNEW President Monson was a prophet.  The Senior couple had even been able to shake his hand and bore their own witness.  The Spirit that entered this "casual, run-down on prophets" tour was amazing.  The President Monson kiosk was close, so we watched his testimony of the Savior, which is always moving and undeniable, and then I felt to have the other Elder bear his testimony of Joseph Smith.  Before he even started speaking, he was emotional.  The feeling of peace, and of love, and of truth that surrounded us in that little room was tangible.  As he bore his testimony of the prophet Joseph, all of us had tears in our eyes.  There was that confirmation to my heart again, that Joseph Smith is truly a prophet.  It was such a sacred experience for me to be a part of that lesson where the Holy Ghost was the teacher.  What a special gift it was.

I pray that all of you will have your testimonies strengthened of our Savior and of the prophet Joseph Smith.  You'll be happier the stronger your testimony is.  I love you all!!!

-Sister Welch