This week was JAMMED pack with a lot of good stuff.
Utica's Uniques:
---> I had my first door SLAMMED in my face this past week.
---> I also got flipped off by a less-actives daughter. haha it was so sad.
---> Saw my first drug deal.
---> Sleep over with the Fayette sisters. They came in to Utica for Return and Report Friday.
---> There are pizzerias on EVERY CORNER here. It's a ridiculous.
---> Had my first authentic Utica New York dish: Chicken Riggies.
---> President Rogers' phrase: "You know what I'm sayin??" hahah I love it.
We had a really busy week! We taught A LOT and met almost all of our goals (key indicators) and we were out two days out of the week because of Zone Conference and Return and Report. Zone Conference was incredible. I left with so much enthusiasm and "go gett'em" emotion. President Rogers' focus was on the Doctrine of Christ as well as the 42 points of the 4 lessons we teach to investigators. We spent an entire hour talking about the Doctrine of Christ, which is found in 2 Nephi 31 and 3 Nephi 11. President pointed out to us that there are VERY FEW places in the scriptures where The Father is actually speaking to us. It is usually the Lord, meaning Jesus Christ. Throughout all of 2 Nephi 31 you find, "And the Father said:" Really and truly is is the Father's Doctrine, and Jesus Christ submitted to His Father's will making it His very own, which all of us can do as well. President Rogers' goal for his missionaries is for each of us to have the Doctrine of Christ or the Father embedded in our hearts. He then brought to our attention that it is only when the Doctrine of Christ is truly understood when true repentance and conversion happens. It was a powerful hour discussing those chapters. We could have gone on for a lot longer I'm sure. Ifffff only. :)
As for the 42 points. Before I arrived, as well as President Rogers, this mission was teaching strictly by the pamphlets. President Rogers vision for the mission is to be able to teach MORE with the spirit and to teach from Preach My Gospel more. There are 42 points that make up the 5 lessons in PMG. He has challenged all of us to memorize them and use those as a guide in our lessons. I went on an exchange Wednesday night to Thursday night with Sister Wheelock. (I forgot to bring my SD card with the pics from the exchange so I'll have to send those next week!) Sister Wheelock and I had an aahhhhhh-mazing exchange together. We got to see SO many MIRACLES. One of the miracles was Anna. Each week Sister Wheelock and her comp Sister Dahl go volunteer at a Food Pantry usually on Thursdays. So I had the opportunity to go. Anna is a nutritionist and works through Cornell University. She goes around to different Food Pantries and rest homes and does little presentations on nutrition and MyPlate and such. We started visiting with her and saw my name tag. She continued to say, I've seen you guys around, the boys ones, but I've never seen anyone have a tag like yours. ha ha I giggled and jumped at the opportunity to explain. She started asking questions about whether we get to choose where we serve and stuff like that blah blah blah. It was cool. Then I ask her if the Elders that she had seen had ever taught her anything about what we believe. She said they hadn't and so I saw it as an opportunity to go ahead and teach her the Restoration. When I offered to do this, she replied rather excitedly, "Really?! You could do that now?!" Why of course we could. hahaha There we sat in the food pantry teaching this sweet Anna the Restoration PURELY off of the memorization of the 8 points of the lesson. Words just came to me as well as Sister Wheelock and when it came time to recite the first vision Sister Wheelock NAILED IT. The spirit was soooo strong. While she was reciting the first vision I got the chills real good. Ah. When we finished I offered her a Book Of Mormon and she took it gladly. :) (My first BofM I have EVER given out!!!!)
Anna is our Food Pantry miracle! That whole experience was a testimony builder for me in the sense that what is taught to us at Zone Conference is INSPIRED and that we must have faith in what we are trained on to exercise it in our work. Sister Thao and I have been working hard at getting those 42 points down. We should have em locked in the vault here in no time. :)
RETURN AND REPORT: This meeting is typically for "greenies" or as President Rogers calls them "goldens" who are in their first transfer. Techinicallyyy I'm not a "golden greenie" but President said we could come join anyway. I'm so gald we got too. hehe it was fun. I love being around a lot of missionaries. They just make me happy. There was an Elder there that was training.. his name escapes me at the moment, but we got talking and he was asking about Czech and stuff like that. We were getting ready to go into the chapel for testimonies and he said to me, get up there and bear your testimony in Czech! I actually did do that on Wednesday at Zone Conference, so i told him I didn't want to be annoying and do it again, but that I would just do it for him right there before we went into the chapel. I was surprised at how easily the words came to me as I bore my testimony to him in Czech. When I said Amen, the Elder said, "wow. That was so cool and the spirit was SO strong." Then he turns to Sister Thao and says, "You've got the COOLEST COMP!!!!" Hahaha he made my day. It felt so good to bear my testimony, especially in Czech. I really miss speaking it. I know that Heavenly Father is continuing to bless me with the Gift of Tongues. One of my goals is to finish the Bood of Mormon in Czech before I go back to Czech and I finished Alma this past week! Woot woot. I am in Helaman 5 now... So I should be able accomplish that goal before I make my return back to the Czech lands. :)
AMY AND JACKSON GRAVES: These two are some of my favoriteeee people in the ward. They work with the YSA here. Amy teaches with us a lot. Gah. She is THE best. We will definitely be friends after the mish. They took us to get Indian food! YUM! They also spoke in church yesterday and did a fabulous job. Jackson is going to school here at Hamilton College and will be done after this semester. It will be a sad day when they leave. :(
OH! Mom! Dad! Did I mention that Sister Thao is from OROVILLE!!!! Hahahah I thought that you two would enjoy that. :) Also, how did the surprise trip go????! Tell MEGAN SHE NEEDS TO EMAIL ME.
I love all of you so much! I want you all to know that I can FEEL your prayers every single day. I have felt them soo so much and they give me so much strength. Keep praying for me. I need them!
I want to leave with you some of the verses that stood out to me in 2 Nephi 31.
12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father givethe Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.
13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shallfollow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting nohypocrisy and no deception before God, but with realintent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, bybaptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh thebaptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.
20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastnessin Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a loveof God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is theway; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.
I know that this is the Fathers Doctrine. I know that if we follow it, there will only be happiness in store for us! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
S laskou,
Sestra Fred :)
This is sister Furihman. She feeds us breakfast and lets us do her laundry at her home on Monday's.
AND! She LOVES Tea!!! AHHHH it takes me back to Czech and I love it. Her and I are officially Tea buds. :)
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