Elder Bednar Visit

Dear Family,

 

Sorry for the delayed letter.  The library was closed yesterday.  We have been doing great this week.  It's funny how I'm in the same area, but everything feels new because I have Sister Martell here with me.  She is a great fit for the area, for our investigators, and for me.  She is very sweet and very smart and has a clear vision of how to study, prepare to teach, and teach.  So basically I do absolutely nothing to train her.  I have always thought that being a trainer is not any different than not being a trainer.  What I mean to say is there is no reason for me to act like I know more than she does.  I am here to learn from her as much as she is here to learn from me.  She has taught me many things.  So I love working with her because we both love to work and we get things done!  Plus we have been blessed with our investigators this week.  They are making progress and we have seen some miracles.

 

First of all, last weekend we had a very special opportunity to have Elder Bednar come to our mission.  We had a meeting with him and all the missionaries in Little Rock on Saturday.  Basically the whole meeting was Elder Bednar teaching us a pattern for receiving revelation.  He taught that we are agents to act rather than be acted upon.  So if we want to learn by the spirit, we have got to ask questions, pray, and then act by application.  We came prepared by reading a few talks he asked us to read, and when we got there, he asked us what we learned.  Missionaries stood and shared insights.  He would ask questions to help us learn more.  I wish I could go into more detail, but it was a wonderful experience.  Afterward, I got to meet him which was cool.  We think of apostles as these incredible men that are untouchable-which, don't get me wrong.  They are.  But, I was impressed during the meeting that Elder Bednar is just a normal person.  He really is.  I didn't feel intimidated in the slightest.  Everyone was completely at ease and we were able to learn together.  I then thought of my dear mission president.  I feel the same way around him that I do around Elder Bednar.  I think he is every bit as godly of a man as Elder Bednar is.  So I feel like I know an apostle because I know President Petersen. :)  I am grateful for him.   Also at the meeting was the presiding bishop, Bishop Stevenson, and Elder Maynes(spelling?) who is one of the presidents of the 70.  They were wonderful as well.

 

One of the best things about that day actually happened after the meeting.  We had gotten a ride to little rock with a member, and were waiting in his van for everyone to get there so we could go back to Memphis.  As I sat there, I saw President Palmer!  (The branch president of the Glenwood branch which was my first area).  I was overjoyed to see him.  I really can't tell you how happy I was.  I ran up to him and shouted his name and he immediately hugged me.  I guess I'm not supposed to do that, but it really wasn't my fault.  It was so good to see him again.  He expressed that they missed me in Glenwood, which meant a lot to me.  I miss them too.  We talked about one of the families I was closest to-the Burnetts.  Brother Burnett just passed away.  He was only in his 60s.  Sister Burnett is hanging in there, and is about to be called as a branch missionary.  She was pretty much already the branch missionary when we were there.  she helped us so much.  Brother Bledsoe is still doing great.  He is about to get a calling too.  In the elders quorum presidency!  I'm so happy for him. 

 

The next day we had a special stake conference with Elder Maynes.  President and Sister Petersen also spoke at it.  It was a great meeting.  We had our investigators Terri and Debbie there with us. Both are progressing very well. Terri's baptism is set for this Saturday. Debbie has truly been changing over the course of meeting with us. She has attended church the past two weeks and is planning on being at the baptism on Saturday. We feel very blessed that she is accepting the promptings of the spirit in her life. We know that is is truly because she has chosen to be receptive to them.

When Elder Kipichke came to our mission last month, he told a story of a missionary he had while he was a mission president.  This missionary would write to him in her weekly email and frequently mention that she found a b.i.e.  After reading a few references to her b.i.e., he was puzzled at the meaning of it.  He asked her, "Now sister, what is this b.i.e. you are talking about?"   She replied, "Best Investigator Ever!"  :)

Well I'm happy to tell you all that we found a b.i.e.!! Last monday we were contacting referrals, and went to an apartment that we thought was the home of the referral we needed to contact. Come to find out, it was not. However, the man we met was touched by our visit. His name is Skyler. We taught him a little bit about the Restoration, and he knew that this was a sign of God's love for him. He said that he was going through a hard time in his life, and that God sending us to him was the best thing that had happened to him in 3 years. We were likewise touched. The spirit was there and we invited him to church. We have gotten a ward member involved, and feel hopeful that he will continue to progress.

 

I love you all.

 

love sister wilde