August 31, 2015

Hey Playas!

So I got some good news and I got some bad news. The good news is I'm going DOWNTOWN IN LIKE 1 HOUR!!! An adorable YSA is taking us. We're pumped. We're going to the Blue Jays Stadium because they are killing it this year!! And we're going to China town and Dundas Square and EVERYTHING ELSE. I'm so excited because I've honestly missed the city! Anyways, I'll take lots of pictures and send them next week. The bad news is, this e-mail probably won't be super long... But I'll write the coolest things that have happened!

STEVE'S IS PROGRESSING LIKE CRAZY: So our investigators Steve is acutally getting baptised next week!! HOLLA. Talk about the 180 degree change! Holy smokes it's so amazing. He was an alcoholic and he's been sober for over a month!! He's reading and praying every night and has been to all 3 hours of church 3 weeks in a row. He took his earings out a couple days ago! And he looks and acts so much different. Seriously the Atonement it real! And it DOES change people! It's cool to see how much has changed with his relationships! He hasn't been super close to his dad but recently he's been talking to him a lot! And his dad is coming out to visit him on Wednesday and will be here till after his baptism on Sunday!! When he comes they are going to work on Family History together and we're having an awesome corn fest this Saturday that they'll both be coming to! Anyways, his dad has noticed the change and a couple weeks ago asked him, "How did you change?" And Steve told him that' he's changed because he's living the Gospel now! YAHOO. At church yesterday he participated so much - the ward loves him! 

MY 1 YEAR MARK: There is a family in the ward that we are WAY close to! We are at their house once a week for dinner and we're with them on a lot of preparation days! They've taken us hiking like 3 times. Anyways, we love them! Well on Tuesday I hit my year mark of being in Toronto. They had signed up to feed us that night and S. Morgan mentioned that it was my year mark and THEY THREW A PARTY FOR ME!! Oh my gosh, it was so cute! Like we walked into the house and the kids yelled surprise and started throwing balloons at me! Honestly, I was confused at first! But then I saw the cupcakes which said, "U DID IT" and then realized. I kinda wanted to cry just because it was so nice! But unfortunately, I couldn't... But we had an amazing dinner then some yummy cupcakes and I got to wear a princess crown! Ha. So happy!!

SWEETEST PRAYER: Our investigator April is doing really well! She is still progressing towards being baptised at the end of September. We taught her the Plan of Salvation this week and she loved it!! She was so surprised by the three kingdoms but at the same time it all made sense to her. At the end we invited her to say the closing prayer. She responded, "I'm so glad you guys asked me. I've been thinking about it all day! And I'm so nervous because it's my first prayer!!" We we talked about it a little bit more and asked her some things that she was grateful for then said she could pray about all of them. Then we asked her what questions or concerns she has right now. After she told us we said that she could pray about those things. We talked about why we open with addressing our Heavenly Father and why we close in the name of Jesus Christ. She felt better after we talked about it then started praying. Well her voice was so shaky but she said such a heartfelt prayer! It was so cute! I couldn't stop smiling! I love hearing peoples first prayers!! Think about how Heavenly Father feels. WOW.

ZONE COUNCIL: We had an awesome meeting the the zone this last week. Sister Morgan and I were asked to give an instruction on diligence and I was so excited!! I loved studying it and the instruction went really well. A lot of the missionaries talked to us after and said it really motivated them to be more diligent. We focused on the scriptures D&C 58:26-28 "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." SO GOOD, RIGHT? 

WOOPS!!: So the other day we were tracting in a members area and wow - the area we were in was SUPER NICE! Most of the people were kinda rude but whatever, we kept going. I walked up to this house and I was looking at their cool mat when I rang the doorbell. ROOKIE MISTAKE. So I rang and for some odd reason the doorbell kept going off... So I started to feel awkward then I started to feel SUPER awkward when I read a sign by the door bell that said, "please do not ring, baby sleeping!" Uh... So this lady comes outside and she's a little TICKED. "What the *heck did you do to my doorbell." I said I rang it and I didn't see the sign till after... I kept apologizing but she wasn't really interested in accepting that... I felt bad! I'm a lot more careful now when I ring doorbells.

TITHING: This last week I heard two funny stories about tithing! Brother Saunders was telling us about this bomb bar he had before he met the missionaries. Like, it sounded legit! Well when the missionaries taught about the word of wisdom he stopped cold turkey and was baptised one week later. Well he had to get rid of all the alcohol so he sold it all!! His first tithing check was from the money he made from selling his bar! So tight! Rebecca's is kind of strange. She was baptised when she was a teenager but has gone through stages where she's been super inactive. Well one of those stages, she was a stripper. Apparently she was making a lot of  money and the only commandment she was obeying was tithing. She would hand in huge checks to her Bishop from the money she made from the clubs... Ha I guess at least she was paying her tithing, right?

HASSAN: He's awesome and the lesson we had with him yesterday was powerful. It's sad because he knows that the church is true but he can't be baptised because he's Muslim. There were a couple of random things that happened though... About 10 mins in my eyes started stinging like crazy!! I kept on wiping my eyes but I had like TEARS COMING DOWN. I wish it was because I was just filling the spirit so strong but it was because their were a lot of onions that were freshly cut before we came it. I forgot how sensitive my eyes were to onions... And then, a bee got in somehow... Hassan just walked up to it and smashed it WITH HIS HAND. Not sure it if stung him. I was just in shock because he kept talking the whole time about the Book of Mormon and didn't say anything about it. Strange. 

TALK IN CHURCH: I was able to give a talk in church this last week and I was so excited! I talked about "The Work of Salvation" and all of the changes in the mission. I read a section in Preach my Gospel that talks about the success that comes from missionaries and members working together. Then I read D&C 84:88 and talked about how we aren't alone in this work! Then I committed them to think of the blessings they've received as they've lived the Gospel. Then to think of someone they want those blessings for. Anyways, I'm running out of time so this probably doesn't make sense but I was super bold! And I was grateful for the opportunity! 

OK LOVE YOU ALL! 

To celebrate my year mark! :)

Cute puppy we played with. Don't worry, we invited the owners to come to church with us. Full purpose missionaries! 

Ha bella took the picture so it's a little blurry but this is the amazing sister Stothart who had a surprise party for me on my year mark!