Dearest Family,
I feel like I have a lot to tell you this week. There are a lot of
great things happening. The work here is the same but soo different.
Once Joe told me that it was funny how the seasons don't really make you
feel that different. It's either hot missionary
work or cold missionary work. I sometimes wish that I could be more
like Valerie and forget what season it is when I'm inside.
Unfortunately, I have been painfully aware of the fact that it is summer
here. But great news! We had the most delightful day
on Saturday. It was perfect football game weather. I got so much
happiness from it. Other random realizations from this week: Sister
Bridgewater always teases me that I messed up our chance to have BYU
initials because she is sister Bridgewater
and then we have sister Yuen, but my name doesn't
start with U. Then I figured out that Wilde makes a Y sound and Yuen
makes a U sound, so we really can be BYU. Then, this member pointed out
to us that we each represent all the BYU towns!
I'm from Provo, Sis Yuen is from Hawaii, and Sis Bridgewater is from
Idaho. So we really are BYU! hah.
We went to a member's house for dinner this week, the Carltons. By
the way, the members are really good about feeding us. Every night.
It is really nice of them. Anyway, while I was there, I felt the most
wonderful spirit in her home. The kind of
spirit that cannot be imitated, but only acheived by keeping the
commandments. I commented to her about this and she then told me of how
a few years ago, they watched dear friends of theirs go through a
divorce. They realized that they needed to be deliberate
about FHE and having family prayer and scripture study every day. I
could tell the difference. Simple as it may sound, there is nothing
like having that spirit in your home. I remembered a time that someone
walked into our house to see Dad and the first
thing she said was, "Wow, you can really feel the spirit in here".
That taught me a lesson about the importance of what my parents were
doing for their kids. As Sister Carlton talked, I felt a motivation and
vision for my life in the future-that I wanted
this same spirit. I want to provide that for my family. It comes from
following the prophet and keeping the commandments.
I had a meaningful experience with a mormon message by President
Eyring this week. The message is called "Choose This Day". In it, he
teaches that we should search the scriptures daily to know what service
the Lord would have us do that day-and that service
brings about the change in us made possible through the atonement of
Jesus Christ. We should not procrastinate rendering this service, for we
do not know how long we will have on this earth to become like Christ. I
think of my Grandpa, who lived a simple and
service filled life. He did not procrastinate serving the Lord, and was
therefore able to reap blessings and joy. The miracle of serving the
Lord is that as we do so, we feel his love, which President Eyring says
will draw us continually back to His service.
It also allows our love for the Lord to increase, until nothing can
separate us from it (Romans 8:35-39). My favorite thing that Pres.
Eyring says is to pray to Heavenly Father and say "It doesn't matter how
little things I am able to do, just let me know
what I can do. I will obey. I know that I can with thy help". Well,
something like that. That wasn't an exact quote. We shared this message
with a less active lady and it touched her deeply. She was too emotional
to speak. She did come to church the next day
and stayed longer than she has in quite some time.
Get this. We had a media referral come in a few weeks ago. We
went to contact her this week. Her name is Sheronda. On the media
referral, there is a box where the person can leave a comment about what
they want to know or if they want a Book of Mormon
or something. In the comment box Sheronda wrote, "What's up with the
mormons". hahahahaha. We went over there. At first she was
apprehensive because she really wasnt expecting people to come to her
door. As we talked with her, she opened up and I could
see her surprise turn to astonishment that we would go out every day
and teach about Jesus and help people. She told us that the other day
she woke up and in her mind kept coming the words, "the book of jacob.
book of jacob." She didn't know why- so she
looked in the bible. No book of jacob. She looked online and came
across
lds.org. We were able to explain to her what the Book of Mormon was
and that there is indeed a book of Jacob! How crazy! She loved it. I
will let you know what happens with her.
Yesterday at church I ran into this missionary who (long story) is
serving in the family history center at BYU and is here with his parents
to go to st. jude for some health reason. Anyway, I met his mom. The
son said, "She's from provo". When she asked
my last name she then said, "You wouldn't know a Diane and Jeff Wilde,
would you?" ...I can't express the feeling I had. I thought she'd ask
me about one of my aunts or a distant cousin or someone that I didn't
know, I didn't expect to hear Diane and Jeff!
I felt this proud/grateful feeling as I said, "Those are my parents."
She said she knew they were because I looked like the perfect mix of my
mom and dad. how crazy!! She went to high school with my mommy!
Anyway, her name is Deborah Robertson Sheets.
For some reason that I didn't know I started talking to her about the
choir my mom sings with and how much she has loved it over the years. I
didn't realize that this lady actually lives in Provo. But when I said
it she said, "You know I have really been
wanting to do something like that. What is the name of the choir?" I
thought it was cool that I didn't know why I was saying something but it
ended up really helping her. Missionary work is like that if you pay
attention. Sometimes you don't know why you
are saying stuff but it really helps people.
Well, I gotta go. I love you all! Oh and congrats to Cameron for getting your mission call! I'm telling everyone I know!
love sister annalisa wilde
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