August 23, 2010

This week we have stayed pretty busy like usual. We have been striving to be exactly obedient and diligent so that we can see miracles in our area. We are teaching so many great people but we are struggling with knowing how we can help them progress! We know they will be so blessed as they take that step of faith and pray. I wish I could help them know and feel what I do but they still have their agency. As a companionship, we are trying to be bold and confident missionaries so that others will recognize that we are servants of God and more importantly, so we can invite the spirit into all our lessons. We have so many great relationships with those we teach and sometimes we become to casual when we teach or live commitments, so we are working on being more bold and to help them see that we want to help them come closer to Christ!!!

On Thursday we were able to go to Bellevue to teach Takae Sone, a Japanese self-referral. She visited temple square and requested a Japanese and English Book of Mormon. Because Sister Furugen is the only Japanese speaker in the mission, we were able to teach her. It was such a neat opportunity and experience! She speaks very little English so Sister Furugen taught the whole lesson in Japanese. Even though I didn't understand word for word what was being said, I still knew what she was saying and I could feel the spirit. It was amazing to see the gospel being preached in a different language. Even though there are many different languages, the gospel and the spirit is the same wherever you go :) Takae has no religious background but hopefully as she reads the Book of Mormon she will be able to feel the spirit and have the desire to learn more.

This week we committed 5 of our investigator's to be baptized but they didn't accept. Even though they didn't accept yet, we know they will soon. We were able to find some concerns and now we know better how to help them. If we never invite them to change, then they never will so it was a good experience and it helped each of them know that that is our purpose; to invite them to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end! We are going to extend the baptismal commitment every chance we get now!

The work is continuing to move forward in the Victor Falls ward! We are going to make this a miracle week and to help our investigator's enter into the waters of baptism so they can receive all of the blessings our Heavenly Father has waiting in store for them. I love being a missionary and everyday I learn so much!