Another week in the books! Western New York is getting pretty toasty. It was warm week. Not excited for the summer humidity....😬 and we are already half way through June... where is the time going?!? Can't believe some of my friends are preparing to leave here soon! Embarking on the greatest journey of life, something that prepares us for the rest of our lives. And to be completely honest, this is the most rewarding work there is. Nothing better than being dead tired at the end of the day and just Rest In Peace. And to see people change their ways and to come unto Christ and be perfected in him, mmmm nothing better!! Love every second of it.
Monday was a good p-day, we wet over to Gowanda and hung out with the elders there. We went to a bunch of stores and looked around, I had to go to the largest western store east of the Mississippi! Haha it wasn't too impressive... we went to. Pet store and looked around. We were bored. We hung out out at the church building and tried to email... the WIFI there was horrible so didn't get to do much. Hopefully today I'll be able to talk more! :) after p-day we had a lesson with Jodi Mason, she a less active recent convert... sad situation. We gave her a blessing because she went in for surgery on Tuesday. Then we had all the single adults meet at the church and we did a FHE, it was a lot of fun! We had our investigator Tyrone there. He's so awesome.
Tuesday was a dreadful day.... it was pouring rain and all our appointments canceled. In the morning we actually had a huge Miracle happen.... a member in the ward has a sister who is very interested in the ward and we got to meet with her at the church building and teach her the restoration! As we were explaining the Book of Mormon to her at the ed of the lesson she looked at me and said "you don't have to sell me on it, I already believe it." SCORE!! She has a had a series of dreams that has taken her from hating her brother for joining the church to wanting to know more, in those dreams a person is teaching her doctrine and she believes them, and we believe what she has been taught in her dreams! Pretty awesome! God works in mysterious ways... our afternoon appointments canceled, so we sat in Mcdonald's and called people out of our area book to see if they are interested. Not much luck. We had a lesson with Amanda and her daughters, we read 3 Nephi 11 and helped her understand the language and meaning of words form the Book of Mormon. She is on date for the 1st but it'll most likely get
moved... want her to be ready not half doing.
Wednesday we had a good morning of visiting some of our retired folks. We got a couple that are pastors of their church but are retiring and are depressed with their gray haired congregation and want a church to go to after there retirement, sounds perfect! Haha we did some less active finding and got chewed out by some cold and hard
hearted people, hurts my heart every time to see a member be so lost. Then we had another lesson with Brandi, the members sister. We taught her the plan of salvation and she is eating it up. Still believes everything we say. She's so awesome. Even with the persecution from her father and husband she still persuing the truth. So awesome. Righteous are persecuted in all things. We finally got in contact with Katie, we didn't hear from her for a week... she scared us. I would've cried if we weren't able to contact her, she has so much potential and is doing
so well. She's so awesome. We went down to Rushford Lake and tracted there and had dinner down there as well. Then we had a lesson with Tyrone Mot. He said baptism is a thing he wants to persue!! So excited, we are taking him to the sites on the 21st! He's going to love it!!
Thursday we had district meeting here in Freedom, I gave the training on Finding people to teach, chapter 9 of Preach My Gospel! I mainly focused on the "no effort wasted" segment. Just cause that has helped me with the area that I just came from. I know that I didn't waste any efforts at all. I think it went well. My district is pretty
cool. It's small, just 4 of us out here in the middle of nowhere! Haha After district meeting we did some tracting in Arcade. No one was having it. The whole neighborhood was Catholic like always. Haha after dinner we drove down to Frankliville, about a 25 minute drive and we have 2 families that are progressing down there. We saw one of them. We just saw Jesse Sexton, we taught him the word of wisdom, he was kinda bent outta shaped because coffee and tea but we explained and he agreed to live it. It was a good day!
Friday was a day full of planning and then we went out to a little town called Sardinia, NY and we did some finding there. We headed out to Springville and helped a member and her nonmember husband move some furniture from their upstairs to the curb. Luckily we didn't get bedbugs... thought we were going to, nasty!! After service we did some finding out in the boonies of Springville, then exchanged! I went to Gowanda with Elder McCune.
Saturday was HOT. In the morning we helped out at a children's fair with a family history booth, in Silver Creek. The furthest you could get away from the mission home without leaving the mission! We handed out a couple bible and Book of Mormons! It was lot of fun. We did have a tent to sit under and the sun was bright and hot... and I got fried,
we sat out there from 10-3. It was a good time. Afterwards we contacted a bunch of potential investigators in Silver Creek and had a couple lessons. Then went back to Gowanda and had dinner. Then had a lesson with one of their most progressing investigators then exchanged back and made the trek back to Arcade. While on the drive home we called one of our investigators to confirm that he was going to come to church and he said he wasn't go to be able to make it because he had lit a cigarette while he was on oxygen, and to make things worse our last lesson with him was the word of wisdom. Haha idiot. Elder McCune is an outstanding Missionary. He's been out 4 months and killing it! I was very impressed. He's also from Hawaii.
Sunday was an outstanding Sabbath day. Always love them. Elder Shaw spoke about tithing in sacrament meeting! I got off the hook! SCORE! Haha I sure they've already got me lined up for one in the near future. Tyrone and Katie both were at church today! It was so good. All the lessons here on Eternal Families. It was great! After studies a
former investigator called us and said that her brother is dying and is not going to make it through the night no wants to meet with its on Wednesday! Kinda sad but wonderful that it is pushing her to the gospel!! We had a lesson with a recent convert family and they fed us! The Leffler's! They have 12 people in their family. 10 kids... we went out with our branch mission leader and he took us to a couple of his friends houses to introduce us but they weren't home!! We did some tracting in Chaffee, NY and had a lesson with a less active couple theTitarantinos.
This week was awesome lots of things are happening in these humble villages in the southern tier. The lord is providing for his diligent, obedient servants. It amazing to be able to see the hand of the lord in this work. In my personal study I came across a verse:
1 Nephi 21:15-16
15. For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee, O house of Israel.
16. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; walls are continually before me."
With the events that recent accrued back home, this scripture will hit home for most. The lord has not and will not forget you. He knows each trial we face now and in the future. But what he can take us to he will take us through. He loves all so much and will not leave us behind he will put you on his back and carry you the rest of the way.
That's becoming perfected in Christ. Doing what you can, trying your best and letting him take the rest. Let him, he wants to. He wants to do it out of pure love. I know that for a fact. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love,
Elder Judy
1&2 my sick district
3. A road we tracted in the boonies
4&6 Sunset on the drive home
5. Elder McCune and I at sunset bay on Lake Erie
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