HELLO!!!!
I loved eveyones emails they were fun and I loved all the pictures as well!
This week was amazing! We had another wonderful man get baptized, had SO many wonderful lessons with a million people, helped someone pack, did service, went GLEANING!! and had the Relief Society Broadcast [which may or may not have blone my mind and I might have sobbed a couple times. because I LOVE this gospel and I am so blessed to be a missionary!]
Ok first I have to say mom you would be SO proud of me for eating new things. I am not even picky here it's amazing. I meet a LOT of people from Ethiopia [they are beautiful and stunning] and on monday I ate Enjara [don't actually know how to spell that] but it is this elephent skin looking tortilla thing you dip in sauce and eat with your hands. Delish! Then I had samon [also delish] and hummas, and who knows what else but it is fun! And I am really trying to eat what ever I am given. Shrug my shoulders and say sure I'll try it :)
We had a baptism for Pat :) or Pattycake! Ha he is hilarious and I love him. I spoke on baptism at the meeting and he loved it and was talking to me the whole time I was talking. He is so sweet and wonderful we love him!
So we found this man Frank. I don't remember if I have already talked about him yet or not but he. is. golden! We met him as we were going down one of the many hills in the area and just stopped and talked to him. He loves Romney and loves mormons because we are the nicest people and he wanted to "know our secret" we laughed and told him there was no secret but we would love to come and teach him more. So he got our number and said he would call us. AND HE DID!! That doesn't happen very often ha. So we set up an appointment and fell in love with him instantly! We taught him twice a week for the last two weeks set him on date and then helped him move and pack up his stuff because sadly he moved to Daytona Beach Fl Sunday!! So the rest will have to get taught by them, but he is so amazing and is going to be baptized and this is going to bless him so much!! We will miss him but we know God has a specific plan for Frank! :)
Here is Virginia they have a day of service to feed the hungry and this year it was on Saturday and so we got permission to go out of our mission and drove with some members to Winchester [B-E-A-UTIFUL might I add] to GLEAN! haha We went to an apple orchard and sorted through the apples that were under the trees that were still good, and put them in bags to go to a shelter to feed the hungry! It was SO much fun! Then we went to the little farmers market and bought apples and ate apple cider dognuts [yummmmmmm I may or may not have had 3] and just had a jolly good time! It was wonderful, came back taught a lesson and then went to the Relief Society Broadcast!!!!! Oh my goodness, if you didn't get a chance to see it or hear it I advise to go onto the Website www.lds.org and watch it because it is life altering. It was focused on the atonement (the suffering of christ for each of us) and how amazing of an event it is, and how we can really utilize it in our lives! I was so deeply touched by all the comments I want to watch them all again and again!
Then we had church which is always amazing and we learned about forgiveness. Elder Uchtdorf from the first presidency of the church says it perfectly in his two word sermon, about always feeling the need to justify our grudges we hold, or the things we gossip about, or the feeling to not forgive someone is.... to "Stop it" . Simple as that. If someone does something or says something or anything really let it go. You not forgiving them is only hurting you. They are not recieving anything out of it, you are alone in your wollowing... It may be easier said than done, but this week I want everyone to take a second and think of the people you aren't talking to because of something that was said, or a grudge you hold against someone, or that one time a long time ago they said something that offended you... "Stop it" Let it go, forgive and forget and you will be free! The Savior has already taken that on you don't both have to feel it, let him and let it go. LOVE IT!! Then I sang at a fireside at the Mission Home and we brought Darlene!! LOVE HER!!!! She bought us earings and tic tacs, [hehehe] because she was thinking about us when she got her hair done.
I am so lucky and so blessed to be in the area that I am, and so blessed to be with my companion another 6 weeks (we stayed together at transfers), I am blessed to be a missionary and to have a front row seat at watching my Heavenly Father welcome His children back into the fold of His arms. I am blessed to be in the ward that I am in and to have a ward and family back home sending love and prayers my way. I feel the love all around me and it lifts and carries me through. This week we have the most incredible opportunity ever to hear from a Prophet of God President Thomas S. Monson. Him and the apostles and other leaders of the Church will address the world on matters that our loving Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ want us specifically to know. How lucky are we to hear from them? I hope and pray that everyone takes the time to pause their busy life for even 5 minutes a day to set aside time to prepare spiritually for this wonderful event! Write out specific questions you need answered, whether temporal or spiritual and God will answer them. Have faith and hope, Heavenly Father wants to help us in this crazy world we live in. He is pleading with us to get down on our knees, repent, and humble ourselves so we can feel his guidance and hear his answers.
I love this gospel! I know that Jesus is the Christ and that he suffered and died for my sins that I may be able to have a way to live like him. That I can repent, and change everyday to be more loving, charitable, patient, humble, and kind. I know that as I do my best with everything that I have He will carry my through any hard ship that I have. They will still come, they always do, but I know that I can rely on him and I will get through them. I love the book of Mormon and the simple truths it has inside it's pages, it truly is the word of God. I know that Joseph Smith was called of God to Restore Christ's Church on the earth, I know that we have a Prophet on the earth today and as I listen to his guidance and teachings I will draw closer to my Heavenly Father and Savior. I love you all so very much and I hope you have the most amazing week ever!
Love you!!!
Sister Stones
Ps Invite your friends to listen to and watch conference! :)
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