Dear Family,
It's hard to believe that I'm on my fifth week in the field. Already. We had another excellent week last week. President Petersen is always saying that if we are exactly obedient that we will see many mighty miracles. Our new goal as a mission is to get 7 new investigators a week, so one for each day. At first this sounds pretty hard. But our companionship has seen it happen. Each week, we have gotten 7 or more. This last week, we got 10. It is a big blessing to see how the Lord puts people in our path. I'm still not great at just waltzing up to people and talking about the gospel, but I'm getting better. I can kind of tell which ones we should talk to, so that's pretty cool.
I loved watching Conference this time. I listened with new ears, especially when we had an investigator sitting next to us. The prophets and apostles taught with such clarity the plan of Salvation and the role of our Savior as the central figure of that plan. I don't know if I have ever felt the Spirit with more intensity than I did these past few days. We were thrilled to have 2 of our investigators come to one of the sessions. I felt such a desire for them to understand with their heart the message that was being taught. I then realized that this is exactly how Heavenly Father feels about us. He wants us to be aware of Him and His goodness in our lives. In the Saturday afternoon session, I was surprised to see the MTC choir singing! It was way sweet, because I knew a lot of them! I was slightly jealous but then remembered Elder Holland's remarks, so tried to change my attitude. :) It was wonderful to see them up there, especially singing praise to the Man because I could feel their testimonies of the restoration of the gospel. I know that God loves us, and that is why He restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. This is the way to happiness in this life.
Saturday was pretty much the best day of my life. We spent the evening with Joy (the lady I met at Wal Mart) and her mother and her friend Jamie. They are all very religious and believe already a lot of what we believe. They fed us dinner, and I felt very comfortable there. The night seemed to naturally unfold. We laughed a lot, and talked about sad and happy things. They are all single mothers and have had a rough going with their divorces. But I could feel of the love they had for their families and for Heavenly Father. We shared the message from Elder Baxter's talk about how the children who come from those single parent homes will praise them for what they have done for them, and that it would count in Heaven all the sacrifices they made. I felt equally grateful for my own parents who have sacrificed so much of themselves and their time on my behalf. We bore testimony, taught truth, and grew closer with these wonderful women. The coolest part was watching the friend Jamie. Her husband just left her for another woman, and is struggling a lot right now. We saw how her countenance changed over the evening. At first when we met her, she was very stand offish and quiet. Throughout the night as we talked and shared, she opened up a lot more. They asked us to sing hymns for them, and this really touched Jamie. The spirit entered the room and quietly assured us all that we had a loving Father in Heaven who was with us. All she could say was, "wow, that was beautiful". By the end of the night, she said, "You sisters are gonna come to see me at my house, right?" It was amazing.
Last night, we visited a family who is wonderful. The parents have 5 kids who are very beautiful and energetic. It sort of reminds me of being with Jeremy and Chelle and their 5 kids, although I love Lincoln, Grace, Graham, Jayne, and Peter more. Any more on the way I should know about? :) hahaha sorry I couldn't resist. Anyway, this family is undergoing a transformation. We have to remember to be patient, because the transformation takes time. But they have already come a long way. It really touched me to see that as we opened up the scriptures and started reading and discussing, the kids all went to get their own copies of the Book of Mormon and flipped through the pages. I will never forget little 4 year old Alex who walked up to me, and with pure trust and humility in his eyes said to me, "Help me find the page, help me read. Will you help me find Jesus?" Tears came to my eyes and I told him I would help him. Mosiah 3:19 took on a whole new meaning to me. That is what it means to become as a little child. That is the way we need to approach our Father in Heaven in prayer. Pure humility and real intent-being willing to change whatever it is that is keeping us from progressing on the path of discipleship. I loved what I learned from the apostles yesterday. No matter where you are on the path of discipleship, you are on the right track. It is all the same work- seeking daily to become more like our Savior through faith and repentance, and that through following him, we will be led to the presence of our Heavenly Father and know true joy. I'm grateful for a family who understands and lives this. Thank you for your example and support of me on my mission.
I love you all with all my heart.
Love Sister Annalisa Wilde
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