Mom,
My week was fantastic! It both flew
by and went super slow. When I say that, I mean that I look back and it went by
really fast but then I think about everything that happened last Monday and it
seems like so long ago! It's crazy how time works. Things were good though. I
love the people I am serving so much and I don't want to leave this area. There
is a possibility that I could though. Transfers are November 19 so we'll find
out if we go or stay on Saturday before. I am hoping and praying that I will
get to stay one more transfer at least because then I will hit Thanksgiving and
Christmas and I will know the people here.
On Monday we were able to teach our
investigator at a member's home. They are great members. I love them with all
my heart. If you come pick me up, I will definitely want to take you there so
you can meet them. (I have already made a list of members I want you all to
meet if you pick me up--hopefully we'll have time!) We had to meet our
investigator at a gas station so we could take her to the members' home. She is
very fragile and has a lot of concerns. She has been through a lot and is still
going through a lot. It's hard but I know we have helped her a lot. She has
changed a lot since we first started teaching her about five weeks ago now. We
have helped her and she is still thinking of baptism. I'm not sure if she will
make it to the date we've set but she said she is still thinking about it. She
also asked if she had to do it right away. We told her she didn't and that she
could take time to do it. I was sort of reminded of you when we were teaching
her. When she said she may want to take more time, I thought of you and the
eight years it took for you (as far as I know) and the four sets of
missionaries (?) you went through before you were baptized. I think about you a
lot when we are teaching people that may take more time. Some missionaries may
want to drop investigators if they aren't going to be baptized soon. But I
think that sometimes people take time--like you. If they take eight years, they
may go through several sets of missionaries. But I know some people take more
time than others and I know that it may take some time with her. I will be
there when she gets baptized, whether I have to come back or whether she is baptized
while I'm still here. I will be here because I love her with all my heart and I
hope that I can continue to have this love in my heart for her.
We were able to practice teaching a
lesson on President Cleveland, who is the stake president in the Fresno Stake.
I love him. He's so great. He has so much love for the people in his stake and
he is super missionary minded. He told us that he has been trying to get it
across to the members that it is up to them to find people for us to teach for
eight years and it doesn't seem to have caught yet. Hopefully one day members
will see that it is up to them to find those people for us to teach. I love
these members but we need help finding people. We can't do it on our own. There
have been some members that have potentials for us but it's all a matter of
them getting the member to their home or inviting them to take the discussions
and so on. I hope one day people will look back and remember President
Cleveland and his desire to bring people to the Gospel.
R is our other investigator. She is
still set for December 6 and she is so determined to make it there. I love her
so much. Sister Lunddahl and I have been able to connect with her so well and I
am hoping and praying we won't leave before her date. I know we were meant to
be here for her at least and I am so grateful for that. I am grateful that the
Lord led us to her and I am so excited for the progress she has made. Her
husband, Rick, just had surgery on his back so she has been taking care of him
all week. We had an appointment set with her on Tuesday but she cancelled on
us. We went up to Friant anyway and left a note for her and her husband. She
opened the door right as we were getting ready to drive away. It was inspired
that we go there and leave a note. She let us in and we were able to share a
message of faith with her. Then we went on Saturday evening when it was super
dark. Friant is about a twenty minute drive from Fresno and the road you take
to get there is really dark. There are no street lights and it's windy. So it
was kind of scary. I don't like driving on that road in the dark. But we really
wanted to go see her so we did. We felt the spirit so strong in our lesson with
her. We followed every prompting and we helped her. She is already going to the
bishop for help which shows that she trusts him. It is really great to see how
much progress she has made. I pray every night that she will continue to
progress and that she will be prepared for baptism on December 6. She wanted us
to text her when we got back to Fresno to make sure we were safe. It made me so
happy to know that people--our investigators--care about us.
We are teaching a woman who removed
her records from the church years ago. I love her. She is so great. She has
realized that maybe she should come back and so we are working with her and her
daughters (5 and 10) to come back. There is a woman in another stake who is her
friend but we're hoping to get the Alluvial ward involved as she is in the
Alluvial ward boundaries.
Every Thursday, we got see a woman
who has some form of brain cancer. She has had this scab on her head for a few
years and they finally fixed it. She is the sweetest woman ever. I love her so
much. She is so humbling. I love going over there because she has such a
wonderful outlook on life. She doesn't remember anything and she has a hard
time remembering people who have come to see her and yet she is so happy all
the time. She is so great and I love visiting her. you would like her, I think.
We went to the Thomas's for dinner
yesterday. He is in the stake presidency. They're great and I love them. I love
all these members and I hope I will be able to spend another six weeks here.
I heard that Kirsten gave her
homecoming! I can't believe it has already been that long since she left. I
remember being so excited for her to get her call!
I hope Hunter does well. He's going
to do great in indoor. That's cool that he is the only non senior. That should
say something. I still haven't heard from him. tell him to send me pictures of
homecoming! Grandma told me he got a limo...I had no idea!
I sat alone in Sacrament last week
because we were on splits. Sister Lunddahl went to ward council in Woodward
Park. So I was alone. It was a little weird but I didn't mind. You shouldn't be
embarrassed. I have a letter from this missionary's mom that she got from her
mom that really helped me. I should send you a copy. You could help others
using that.
We are probably going to go to Kurt
and Melanie Kuhn's house for Thanksgiving. And possibly the Crops'. I am a
little nervous for my first Thanksgiving away from home but I know that it'll
be okay because I have the Lord and I am in your prayers.
Sister Lunddahl leaves on December
6! I'm so sad! I don't want her to go. She has helped me overcome so much and I
love her so, so much. I'm going to go visit her in Denmark one day. I hope I
have helped her as much as she has helped me. She has taught me so much
I love you and I hope everything is
going well for you! I got the package, by the way. Thank you so much!
Always <3,
Sister Abigail Reese
PS I 'll send it as soon as I can!
Dad,
This week was really wonderful. It
was both a long week and a short one, but it was a good one. We were able to do
a lot in our area. On Monday night we were able to teach our investigator at
the members' home. They are members of the church and they are absolutely
amazing. I love them so much. They have helped us with our investigators a lot
and it's always amazing to be able to teach in their home because there is such
a spirit there. She is really struggling. We met her at a gas station to lead
her to the Taylors' and she seemed really upset. We tried our best to help her
as we taught her of her worth. I love her and hope she will continue to
progress. It may take some time, but I know she will eventually be baptized.
Even if it takes eight years, like Mom. Or if it takes several months, like
others. I know she will eventually progress to baptism, even if it doesn't
happen on her scheduled. I hope I will be able to be here for it regardless of
whether or not I am still in this area.
We also were able to practice
teaching on President Cleveland and his wife. He is the stake president in the
Fresno Stake. I love him. He and his wife are so incredible. They have such a
wonderful spirit about them. He has helped us a lot and he is so missionary
minded. He told us that when we are married, if our husband's don't treat us
right, to call him and let him to talk to them. It was really funny and it made
me happy. He told me how much he has seen me grow since the first time I met
with him back when we first got Woodward Park. It was really cool that he had
seen that. I love it when members tell me how much they have seen me grow
because it helps me to see how much I have grown. And I have grown and changed
so much. You and Mom would be so proud if you knew exactly how much.
Our investigator's husband had back
surgery this week and so she cancelled our appointment with her. But we went up
to Friant which is a twenty minute ride from Fresno anyway. It was great. We
were just going to leave a note at her door but she opened the door as Sister
Lunddahl was getting back in the car. She told us we could come in so we did
and we were able to share a little message of faith. It was so sweet and I love
her so much. I want her to be able to make it to baptism on December 6. I know
that as we continue to work with her and prepare her for baptism, we will be
able to help her. We were able to meet with her on Saturday evening as well and
we had a really spiritual lesson with her. It was kind of a scary drive up
there because it was dark and dreary and there were no street lights, but it
was worth. She had us text her when we got back to Fresno to make sure we were
safe. It made me happy to know that she cares about us. Please continue to pray
for her. I love her and want to see her progress
It's crazy how much I love these
people I am serving. The last week, it has come to my attention exactly how
much I love them. I don't even know how to describe it, other than I have grown
close to so many members and I love them all with all my heart. They will
always hold a special place in my heart because it is my first area. I never
knew how much capacity I had to love until I realized how much I love these
people. It's crazy to think that a gift God has given me is the gift of
charity. Sister Lunddahl says that if I were a super hero, my super power would
be charity. I don't know if that's true, but I do know God has blessed me with
the ability to love people and I am so grateful for that. I don't want to leave
this area ever, but I will settle for not leaving for now. This next transfer
will hit both Thanksgiving and Christmas and I am hoping I will get to stay at
least for this next transfer so I will know the people in this area. I love
them and want to help them. They have helped me through so much of my mission
and I can't think what I will do when I am transferred, but I don't have to
think of that now.
We are working with a woman who
removed her records from the church a few years ago. She is super great and she
has a lot of friends who are members of the church. She wants to meet with us
and she even said that she wanted to meet again sooner rather than later on
Wednesday, the first time we met with her. I am so happy that I am able to help
these people. I see so many people who are struggling or who fall away and it
breaks my heart. But those who do want to learn or want to return or want our
help make everything else worth it. She is one of those people. Even though it
won't really count for us, it will count in my heart and with Heavenly Father.
I know that I wouldn't have been able to find these people and love them
without Him.
This week really showed me what it
means to follow the promptings of the spirit. On Friday night, we were going to
go to this member's house whom we both love dearly but then when we got there
(or actually earlier than that), I had thought of another family, the Burts.
they are super great and they are super active and so strong in the gospel, but
I felt like we should go see them. So I mentioned it to Sister Lunddahl when we
were about ready to get out of the car and she said she thought of them too! So
we decided to go see them. It was almost time to go home, but we thought we
could spend a few minutes talking to them. It turned out that they had some
visitors who needed some help. So I know that we followed a prompting and were
lead to people who needed us. It was a great feeling to know that the Lord was
trusting us with these promptings.
Then yesterday, after dinner, I
thought of this family who had been struggling a lot in the last couple months
whom we hadn't seen in a really long time. But I thought that it wasn't really
right. Then Sister Lunddahl mentioned them so we went by. We knocked twice and
rang the doorbell once and no one answered so we got back in our car and
started to drive away. As we were approaching the stop sign, a car pulled onto
the street and I watched it from the rearview mirror as it pulled into the
house we were just at! So we turned around and visited them anyway. Only the
wife was home but I know she needed us at that time and I know the Lord wants
us to follow our promptings. I love that He trusts us so much.
That's a really cool story about
Kirsten! I can't believe she's home already. Time flies! It's going to be weird
when I report, but I know I still have a little over a year left. I can't
believe in a couple weeks I'll hit my six month mark though. Crazy! And in two
transfers, I'll hit my halfway point. It goes by so fast!
In California, they have Veterans'
Day off. They also have today off. I'm not sure why but it's cool. I don't
think we ever really had Veterans' Day off.
President Cleveland reminds me of
President Evans. It is so great because it makes me feel even better when I
think about being homesick. There are so many people here who have become like
family to me and it has helped me through a lot of different things. I love
being here so much and I hope I will continue to love it.
Tell Pat I said happy birthday even
though it's late! if you talk to her again, anyway. It makes me feel good that
she is thinking of me. I had forgotten we told her that I was going on a mission.
How is she doing with everything? Is the eighth ward treating her as well as
you did? I hope so. She needs a lot of support. I have come to realize the
difference between home teachers like you and home teachers that don't really
want to try. I hope you know what an example you have been to me with those
things.
I love you, Dad, and I hope you know
I pray every night and day for you! Have a wonderful week!
Always <3,
Sister Abigail Reese
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