Life is Great!

Hey Family,

 

My life is kind of awesome when you really think about it.  I wake up and exercise. (not for long enough-that's a down side).  Then I get to eat oatmeal and toast, which I really enjoy.  I've been eating the same thing for breakfast for about 7 months..I don't know why!  I just get in moods where I only want to eat one thing and then I eat it till I can't stand to eat it anymore.  Then I get 3 hours every day to study the scriptures.  Then I get to pray the rest of the day that Heavenly Father will lead me to those whom I can bless and help.  The two most important things a missionary does is to invite and to help.  The more I come to understand this, the better work gets done, and the less I focus on myself and feeling guilty for not doing more. 

 

Well, we have been working really really hard on our missionary music devotional.  It is titled "Ask in Faith".  The missionaries from the Memphis area are presenting it.  We are basically teaching the first lesson, The Restoration, in the form of song and testimony.  I am arranging a few of the pieces.  I am trying to have a lot of faith because I hardly have any time to practice.  But mom, you might be proud of me, I notated all the voice parts for the choir, so now they have music.  This is turning out to be a lot more work than I expected.  Also, it is becoming bigger than we expected.  We only expected about 10 wards to be involved in it, but a few of the missionaries talked to the stake presidents of both the Memphis and Memphis North stakes and now it is involving all of the two stakes!  I feel very strongly that this is part of the reason I am called to Memphis for this time.  This is my way of expressing my love for the Savior and inviting others to come to Him.  He truly will draw near unto us as we draw near unto Him.  When we truly look unto Him in every thought, use our words and actions to turn toward Him, He will abide with us. D&C 88:63, D&C6:36, Proverbs 3:5-6.  I know this devotional can change people's lives.

 

We had a very special experience with Debbie this week. One day, she was very upset about something. We had planned to go over to her house that day, but the way our day worked out, we felt that we needed to go over earlier than the time of our appointment. Right as we pulled up to her house, she called and asked if we could come over. She said she really needed to talk. I said, "Well we're at your front door!" "What?? So fast? How did you do that?" she said. She opened her door and then exclaimed "Oh my three little angels!". :) Well, over the course of our visit, it became clear to me that we needed to ask her if she would like a priesthood blessing. We asked and she accepted. Some elders came to give her a blessing. After it, she commented on the peace she felt. We had a discussion about the power of the priesthood and how it works according to her faith in Jesus Christ. She does have faith in Jesus Christ! Then Elder Shepherd said, "Debbie, do you mind if I ask you something? Are you preparing yourself to be baptized?" Now let me interject- We have been inviting Debbie for months to be baptized. She has some concerns. But to my surprise, she said that indeed she was preparing to be baptized but wouldn't set a date. Smoking is one of her hold ups. Well, Elder Shepherd looked at me and said, "Sister Wilde, invite her to be baptized right now!" As I waited for the right moment, these words came to my mind "Debbie, I promise you that if you will set a date to be baptized that the Lord will help you stop smoking". As I said them, for the first time, Debbie was silent. She just stared at me. After a few moments she said, "okay. I have faith in you." She had the faith to accept that invitation not because of me, but because of my calling as a representative of Jesus Christ.

By the way Cameron, Gladys Knight is coming to our mission!!  Don't rub it in too hard... :)  We get her in May.  I am really excited for the turn out, after hearing that cameron's mission got 201 self-referrals.  That's money right there.

 

Remember last week when I told you that Sister Boston was the southern version of Aunt Denise?  Well, I found the southern version of Elliot.  I'm in heaven!!  I don't know why I didn't see it before.  We just had a new ward missionary called- Buzz Rayman.  He is a firefighter :)  The more I talk to him, the more I miss my brother Elliot.  He reminds me of him because whenever I'm done talking to him, my face hurts because I've been laughing so much.  I don't really know how to describe him, but I wish they could meet each other.

 

We found a few legit investigators this week..I really get excited about it.  Sister Heaton told me that my reactions remind her of Giselle off of Enchanted.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

 

Well wanna hear a cool story?  It didn't happen to us, it happened to the Millington elders.  Last sunday they were having a rough day.  At the end of the day, they were walking in to their apartment when they saw a girl sitting on the stairs.  She looked upset.  They decided to go talk to her and give her a pass along card.  The more they talked, the more she opened up.  She told them that right before they came walking in, she had been praying for a friend to come to her.

Heavenly Father is so cool!

 

I love and pray for you all.  Hope you have a good week, and hang in there.

 

love sister wilde

6th Transfer

(Sorry it took me a few days to post.  Alas, here is her most recent letter!) 

Dear Family,

 

Another week has passed.  I am still here in Bartlett.  I am beginning my 6th transfer here.  While my location stays the same, I am seeking to change each day.  Sister Martell has helped me greatly in that.  I got another companion this week.  Her name is Sister Heaton.  This is actually the last transfer of her mission, so I am praying that I can help her make it her best one.  Being in a trio again is...good.  An adjustment.  The tri-force 2 is much different than the tri-force 1.  I know it will be excellent though, because I have this awesome vision for us.  I want us to be able to walk into a home and have the people there feel the spirit working through all three of us as we teach and testify in the most simple way possible.  Sometimes missionaries just like to listen to themselves talk- and this is not teaching by the spirit!  If you have 3 missionaries doing that, it gets a little overwhelming.  That is why it will be that much more important to focus on teaching simple truths in a concise way, testify, and then let the spirit work with that person.  The title of this goal is:  success in the spirit.  The Holy Ghost is what makes us strong.  Read Helaman 4:24.  The Nephites did not have success because they did not have the spirit.  It made them weak.  Then read Ether 12:27.  Does it give you a different perspective?  I have been thinking about that and also the Book of Mormon in my studies lately.  Something I came to understand more fully this week is something a dear friend taught me. It is that while the Bible asks us to follow Christ, the Book of Mormon more clearly teaches why we follow Him and how we might effectively do so. Alma 7:14-15 teaches us the importance of baptism as a covenant. Our covenants to Heavenly Father are truly what sets us apart from everyone else. As we remember and obey the Savior, we will have His spirit, and will therefore be strong.  Covenants are so important!

 

I had a wonderful experience this week.  We are still teaching Maria, and have been struggling to help her to see the importance of these covenants.  We were in companionship study when we felt that we needed to take Maria for a lesson at the church.  We planned to do 3 mini lessons.  One in the Relief Society room(for Maria), one in the Primary room (for Gaby), and then end in the chapel.  We decided that we would choose a hymn to sing for them in each room and teach them the purpose for those classes.  Great idea, right?  I knew it was gonna be good, I could feel it.  As we came to the last part of planning our lesson, we needed to choose a song to sing in the chapel that focused on the Savior.  Sister Heaton said, "what about hymn 187?"  It was right then that I remembered a sweet experience Mom shared with me in a letter I received the night before.  I thought, oh that's the one we need to do!  As I opened the hymn book, I came to see that it was the exact same one Sister Heaton had just suggested.  God loved us, So He sent His Son.  I knew the spirit spoke to Sister Heaton and also my dear sweet mother as she shared her thoughts about that hymn.  The best part is the 3rd verse when it talks about how we hold a place in the Savior's heart.  Well, we put our plan into action.  We sang that hymn for Maria.  Afterwards, I read my mom's testimony/experience from her letter to Maria.  I shared with her how much  I love my mom and am grateful that she showed me the reality of the kind of love Jesus Christ has for us.  It is evident in the covenants we make to serve, remember, and follow Him.  Then I gave her one of the bookmarks my mom made.  The best part was that our lesson was on March 15, my mom's birthday.  I felt happy that I could do something small to honor my mother who has given so much of herself so that I could understand more clearly what love is.  

 

For the closing hymn in church yesterday, we sang "I am a child of God".  It was great because all the primary children knew it-and it was like the room came alive! The children sat up straighter and sang with all their hearts.  "Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way".  I couldn't help the smile that came to my face, and as I looked around, everyone else was smiling too.  The spirit of the Lord was there.  It just was!  It was unmistakable.  I think of the power I felt then and all the new missionaries that are coming out now and pray that we can purify ourselves so that we can carry that to the world.  When we truly have the spirit of the Lord with us, it will be unmistakable.

 

One of the speakers in church yesterday was Sister Boston. I. Love. Sister. Boston.  I have thought this before, but realized again yesterday that Sister Boston is like the southern version of Aunt Denise.  What could be better?!  She said in her talk, "It's good to give talks. It's good to teach lessons."  She went on to say that it helped you learn things you didn't know before, but I felt like I could really hear my Aunt Denise saying that.  Always encouraging me to serve faithfully in my callings cause she always did. I get sorta homesick for my Aunt Denise when I am with Sister Boston.  Someone was trying to guess my name the other day and one of their guesses was Anna-lou.  More memories of Aunt Denise...

 

We found 3 legit investigators this week.  I'll tell you about them next letter..I think my letters may be too long, especially judging from Cameron's. :)  I am proud of him though.

 

I love you all.

 

love sister wilde   

Time is Flying By!

Dear family,

 

This has been a short transfer.  Transfers are already Wednesday.  Already!  I can't believe I've had Sister Martell for 5 weeks.  I really love being her companion.  We just found out that we are getting another sister on Wednesday.  She's not a new one.  This is actually her last transfer.  It is also Sister Gladden's last transfer.  Missions go by so quickly but at the same time so slowly.  That is why it's important to live in the moment.

 

I've learned a lot of things this week.  We had an exchange with the Jonesboro sisters, Sister Gladden and Sister Christensen.  On Friday, we met halfway- in Marked Tree Arkansas.  That's the name of the city.  Marked Tree.  Sis Martell went with Sis Gladden and Sis Christensen came with me.  It was a fun time, except for that Sis Christensen got a really bad migraine on Saturday so we had to stay in the apartment all day. haha.  So..funny story.  We were apparently supposed to meet back at marked tree on Saturday at 3:45.  Well for some reason I thought it was supposed to be at 4:45.  So I was driving there, and Sis Christensen was completely out of it the whole way.  We pulled up to our meeting spot to find Sister Gladden with the deadliest of glares I've ever seen.  I could see her mouthing the words "I'M NOT HAPPY WITH YOU".  I thought it was a joke.  She then rolled down the window and said again "I'm. Not. Happy. With. You.  You could have been dead at the side of the street.  We called your zone leaders and they said you left at 3. We called you a million times and you never answered."  Well, I'm sorry!  Sister Christensen was concentrating on not throwing up!  And then I started crying a little.  haha.  It's been a while since I've been yelled at.  But it was sorta like getting yelled at from my mom.  It makes me feel bad but she's my mom.  I don't know if the story sounds funny to you, but it was pretty funny. At the same time not funny.  sister Christensen just completely forgot about the phone..haha.  It all ended up being fine.  But Sister Martell had a great time with her grandma.  She described as Sister Gladden getting her all hyped up and then sending her home back to her mom.  haha.  :)

 

During our lesson with Maria and Gabby(6yrs) this week, we were talking about Heavenly Father.  Gabby said, "My mom told me that God is in my heart.  I didn't know that before.  But when she told me, I knew it."  That was the sweetest instance of the faith of a child.  It touched me.  Have you seen the new mormon message "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father"?  That's what it reminds me of.  You should watch it.

 

I was sitting in sacrament meeting yesterday when who should walk into the chapel but Brad Wilcox!  It made me very excited.  Especially because we had been talking about him and one of his talks just the day before.  I got to talk to him and find out that Whitney is on her mission in Spain.  Very excited.  I think I also met Michael McClain.  Without knowing it.  I didn't know what he looked like.  I was informed after the fact that that's who it was.  Then me and Brother Seaman played a game of my dog's bigger than your dog.  I told him that I grew up with Brad Wilcox's kids.  He then told me an assortment of other facts that totally beat my comment...I don't even remember what he said.  He usually one-ups me though.  That's okay, I got over it.  Because I'm pretty sure my dad can still yell louder.:)

 

Here are some things I learned this week.  

-Faith is not only a feeling; It's a decision

-If you want to have more strength in your home, sing a hymn with your family at night and then take turns praying aloud.  Each one.  

 

One more funny story.  We were eating dinnner with the Eaton family last week, and as we began dinner, Brother Eaton said, "so I'm on a new diet".  We said, "Oh?  What's that?"  He said, "It's an indian diet".  "So, what does that entail?"  "Well basically, if Captain Moroni didn't eat it, I'm not gonna eat it".  :)

It might not sound that funny, but it really was.

 

I love you all.

 

love sister wilde

Teaching with Music

Dear Family,

 

I am mindful of you always, but especially at this time.  Me and a few elders have been putting together a missionary music devotional.  I have been arranging a few pieces, one of which is a combination of I am a Child of God and Families can be Together Forever.  I had the opportunity to work on that song this weekend with them.  Music always seems to pull me to higher heights and uplifting thoughts.  Many times the answers to my prayers come through music.  These words seemed especially significant to me as I played.  "I always want to be with my own family" and "I am a child of God".  I love each of you very much.  In church yesterday, Sister Robison stood and bore testimony that we are children of God.  I'm convinced that the words sent to her were inspired by God and were in part for me.  She said that some trials are not necessarily for our strengthening or testing but for us to remember who we are.  Heavenly Father wants us to square our shoulders and know that we are His children.  That is our nature-and inherent in that nature is our ability to endure in a brilliant way.  I felt in my heart that this is true.

 

We had a special experience this week. One of the recent converts in our ward had a stroke this past week. Sister Martell and I went with another lady in the ward named Sister Jensen to visit her in the hospital. While there, I felt that we should sing to her. We sang "I Know that My Redeemer Lives". A sweet spirit filled the room. Afterward, Sister Jensen told us that she was teaching a lesson in Relief Society on sunday about the temple. She was touched by the hymn we sang earlier and asked if we would sing a song about the temple in her lesson. We began to think about what we could sing. All we could think of was "I Love to See the Temple". While we love that song, it didn't feel like the right one. As we were getting ready for church yesterday morning, Sister Martell had her music playing. We heard a song about the temple that I had never heard before. The words were perfect! They really painted the picture of the feelings and blessings found in the temple. We both felt prompted to sing it for Relief Society. I am happy that Heavenly Father sent us that song right when we needed it. It reminded me of the importance of ordinances and covenants. Those things will truly be our anchor in times of trial. Because Heavenly Father has promised us everything that we really need in this life! If we keep our covenants, we will be blessed and strengthened to do whatever He asks us to do. Perhaps the greatest thing we can learn through our trials is understanding. We will have eyes to see that our hardships help us realize our need for divine help. Our circumstances are the means by which we can feel the love of God. Christ can have a fulness of joy because he understands what it took to get there. We are here so that we might learn to do the same. Men are that they might have joy.

 

Sister Martell and I have seemed to study the exact same things this week without knowing what the other one was studying.  We have truly had revelatory experiences.  I know that as we consistently pray and read the scriptures personally and as a family (or companionship) that the spirit of the Lord will come into our lives in a gradual way.  This spirit will change our lives if we will allow it to.

 

There's more I'd love to say, but for now I would hope that each of you know my love for you.  I honestly wouldn't be here if I didn't love you and love the Lord enough to realize the importance of representing Him. 

 

love sister wilde

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

New Companion

Dear Family,

 

I've had a long and great week.  I got to spend the first half of the week in Collierville with Sister T (Tumanuvao).  We had a wonderful time together.  It was like a spiritual re-charge.  However, it's probably that we didn't stay companions, because we would get nothing done.  haha.  Well last P day we went to a member's house (Sis Gardner) to hang out.  Did I tell you about when we did a musical number when Elder Kepichke of the 70 came to our mission?  We did I know that My Redeemer Lives combined with I feel my Savior's love.  I played for her and Sis Yuen and Sis B to sing.  Well we were playing piano and messing around and decided to just sing it together while I played.  It turns out it sounded awesome.  Well Sis Gardner heard it and asked if we would sing it for her early morning seminary class the next day.  What a beautiful experience it was to do that.  I got to express my testimony through music-which is probably the way I express it best.  I do know that my Redeemer lives.  

 

Somehow Sis T and I got talking about grocery stores, specifically Maceys, and I mentioned that I liked that store because I could feel the spirit in there.  She said, "me too!"  So I'm not a complete freak for thinking that!  :)

 

Well I have a new companion.  Her name is Sister Martell from Stansbury Park UT.  It's by Tooele.  She's fresh out of the MTC.  I like her a lot.  We already work great together.  I know she will help me to be the missionary that I need to be.  We have had a few great experiences with prayer finding.  Prayer finding is when we knock on doors we feel inspired to knock on and ask if we can leave the Savior's peace and blessing on their home and their family.  I like this approach because it helps others understand that we are not there to shove religion down their throat, but to bless them as representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

On transfer day when all the arriving missionaries came, this elder marched right up to me and said, "I worked with your brother Elliot!"  All I could do was grin.  This made me very happy.  Then he told me that he also went to school with Cameron.  I just feel really happy about that.  His name is Elder Randall. 

 

Debbie came to church yesterday!!!  She had said before the meeting that she had to leave after the first hour, but when sacrament meeting was over she told us she changed her mind. She felt the spirit there. The relief society lesson was about testimony and conversion. Sisters shared sacred experiences of the spirit witnessing to them of the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of mormon. Debbie turned to us and said, "I gotta be Mormon. That's what this is tellin me." We pray for her continual progression.

 

Breaking news.  I rode my bike for the first time in my entire mission on Friday!!  It was really fun at the same time that it was horrible.  Haha.  Biking up hills on busy streets, with a bag, wearing a hideous helmet, IN A SKIRT.  I have nothing more to say.

 

One night last week, we had dinner with the stake president and his wife.  He asked where I was from.  I said Provo.  He asked where in Provo.  As I explained to him where I live, he said, "So that means you must have gone to Dixon Middle School and Provo High School".  "...How did you know that?"  Well he went to those schools too.  Turns out he's only 2 years older than my parents.  THEN we found both of my parents in the yearbook!!!!  Dad was tiny!  And Cameron looks like him in that picture.  And I had never seen that picture of Mom, it was beautiful.  Mom and Dad, do you know a Claude Zobell?  Apparently he was the yearbook editor.

 

I love you all.  I know the gospel is true or I wouldn't be riding a bike in a skirt in order to tell people.  Just kidding, it really wasn't that bad.

 

love sister wilde

New Companion Coming Soon!!

Dear Family,

 

Okay, I'm going to open up a little bit.  I am mildly worried that this is going to be put up all over the internet.  Just kidding.  Well you all know that change has been in the wind for quite a while now.  Last night it started getting really windy.  We had a great week together, Sister B and I.  She is truly a sister to me.  I love her dearly.  I can't really tell you about everything that happened, although I wish I could.  But we had a great week.  Debbie has taken strides this week.  We taught her last Saturday about the priesthood.  I showed her a picture of Christ laying His hands on one of His apostle's heads to give him the priesthood.  I then showed her a picture of Peter, James, and John giving Joseph Smith the priesthood in the same way.  As she compared the pictures, the spirit filled the room.  I exclaimed the first thing that came to my mind: "The priesthood is so cool, I know it's true!"  I told Debbie that the feeling she was experiencing right then was the Holy Ghost and that after she was baptized, she could receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  She smiled at me and said, "how did you know I was feeling that?"  I told her it was because I felt it too.  The Holy Ghost is real.  He can cleanse our souls and wash out feelings of negativity.

 

During that same lesson Debbie taught me a great lesson.  We were talking about where I am from, and how there is a lot of snow and ice in the winter.  I started carrying on about how I worried about my mother because I didn't want anything bad to happen to her in the bad weather.  Debbie looked at me with that smile again, shaking her head-as though she were astonished that I couldn't see what she could see.  She said, "Why you got to be worried when she's already protected?  You got Heavenly Father."  She was so right.  Here I am teaching her to rely on the Savior and the plan of salvation- and I wasn't even doing that.  She has a lot of faith, Debbie does.

 

Back to last night.  We had to eat 3 meals in a row..that was not pleasant.  But it was really sweet of all the people who fed us.  We got to eat with the Robisons again (the coolest people ever).  I wish you could go inside their home..the spirit there seems to wrap around you and you never want to leave.  Their home is a place of learning and respect.  Sister Robison made Sis B and me cry.  It's not that hard to make me cry anymore, but even Sis B!  Oh I want to tell you this story that a man shared in testimony meeting yesterday.  He is in the military, and just returned from Afghanistan.  He stood to bear his testimony about how he had a blessing that he would return home safely.  He shared the experiences where the Lord protected him. One of his biggest worries was whether his family would be taken care of.  His wife is pregnant and they have 3 kids.  One week, she was too sick to go to the store, so they ate the food they had in the house.  One night, their little girl asked her mom for a cookie.  She told her that they didn't have any, and that she would have to wait for them to be able to make it to the store.  The little girl said, "but I really want a cookie, Mom".  Just then the doorbell rang.  It was the youth- singing christmas carols with a plate of cookies in their hands.  I know you're probably thinking that these stories only come from the Ensign, but really-things like this can happen to us all the time if we will look beyond ourselves, pray to be able to help someone, and reach out in love.  And even if people aren't receptive of that, no effort is wasted.

 

Well I've been worried about a lot of things lately.  Needless to say, I know.  I had an experience today at the temple that I would like to share with you.  This one EFY song kept playing in my head during the session. I didn't know why because I haven't listened to it in a little while. When I finally paid attention to the words, I knew why. "Power in the heavens, power in the plan. Power in discovery, learning who I am. There's power in obedience, the truth that sets us free. We find a sense of confidence. Power in purity". I felt the spirit come over me. I have been feeling extremely not confident for a few days, but this song taught me that I can find confidence in the Savior and His merciful plan of Salvation and atonement. He has sustained me through this day- I know He has.

 

I am in Collierville right now with Sister Tumanuvao (she's Samoan, Dad :)).  She is AWESOME.  I am super excited to spend a few days with her while I wait for my new companion.  With my companion of 6 months going home, I have come to realize even more how short my mission experience really is. I cherish it. I am seeking to learn and to give all that I can to this work. I have seen time and time again how important it is. I have felt the spirit testify to my heart of its truthfulness. I have made friends for eternity.  I know Heavenly Father loves His children.

 

Love Sister Wilde