Thursday, February 6, 2014

Tender Mercies and Surprises

Dear Family and Friends!

This week has been a pretty good week!! We were able to teach more lessons and get to know the area more and the members! I have gotten to know the members in this ward more than I think any ward I've lived in..except maybe Wisconsin. But to get to know most of them in about 2 weeks is pretty nice! Definitely a tender mercy. We also have 4 new investigators!!

Let's see...On Monday Night, we were able to have dinner at an investigators house after another dinner cancelled and get to know them and build a good trust and friendship. 

On Tuesday we were able to have a couple lessons and make red velvet cupcakes during our lunch time..they were sooo good! We had an awesome super awkward lesson with a less-active who isn't even in our ward...there was some confusion as to why we were at a families house...And then we were able to have an awesome member drive us around to try to find some of the potential investigators because we don't have too many progressing or promising investigators. 

On Wednesday we were able to organize our Area Book some more and get that in better shape to help us work more effectively and efficiently. We were able to meet a potential and schedule to go back on Saturday but things fell through on Saturday sadly. Wednesday was pretty sad because the people we wanted to see weren't home and no one was available to take us to see anyone else and so we worked more on organizing the Area Book..yes this has been a good lotta hour chore. I will be so thankful for when we get our iPads NEXT WEEK!!!!!

Thursday we were not able to teach any lessons but it was an AWESOME DAY! Full of tender mercies!! We had District Meeting which went really well and I was able to receive some good personal revelation. Then we were given a ride to a lesson but she wasn't home and so we tried contacting a potential investigator from 2012 and she had moved but we were able to talk with the new owner and she is interested and wants us to come by and teach her family. She suggested us teach her FAMILY! We're so excited!! We were also able to contact 2 other potentials and schedule appointments with them as well!! It was a good day!

Friday we had a day full of WEEKLY PLANNING! Woooo... 

Saturday was a pretty good day as well! We contacted a couple referrals and got a new investigator out of it! She's awesome!! We were also able to have a member with us at all of our lessons that day...3, mostly with less actives which was good!\

Sunday was...interesting. I had a little surprise and shock at church...B, T and C were at my ward. It was fun to see them and C has grown SO MUCH! She's walking and talking now! I was so sad that I couldn't hold her or hug B but it's okay. I was a bit shook up after but luckily it was only for a few minutes. I'm glad I have family so close that I can call in case of a real emergency. It's comforting to know. We are now pretty much all organized with our map of our area, our ward directory, and our area book!! So we went out to contact more potentials and no one was home and one lady got mad at us for interrupting her Superbowl game...opps. I think it was okay though because Eternal Salvation is much more important and valuable than the Superbowl! We had a wonderful Breakfast for Dinner at a members home, it's tradition for them to feed the missionaries on fast Sunday and do breakfast! We were also able to get 3 more new investigators!!! A family we contacted into from the potentials. They had been taught before but a couple years ago. So the facts are not all there. They seem to show some promise as we work to help them understand and help them gain the knowledge and find the truth and understanding for themselves through prayer, study, experience, and keeping God's commandments.

I am so happy to be here in Claremont! The ward and members are amazing and are helping us so much! Nothing can really get done in missionary work without the help of members. The role of a member of the Church is so vital in missionary work to retain and fellowship those who are interested and learning! 

I am so happy to be a missionary and I am loving the work so much!! It is crazy how little time we get with the people we work with and how much we need to help them with in so little time and the Lord trusts us with it. I love this work and helping others come to the truth. It is SO vital that we have the truth. I know that this is the only true church on the earth and that it is established through a true prophet of God who has the power and authority to lead it. I know that without the gospel of Jesus Christ I would have nothing but because I have the gospel of Jesus Christ I have everything. I can have eternal life, I can have my family with me forever. I have the knowledge that my Heavenly Father loves me as well as every individual on the earth past, present, and future. He has such an infinite love and so many blessing He wants to give us that we just need to humble ourselves and ask Him for His help. Through Jesus Christ we can be saved and given comfort through every trial we go through. I know this and am so thankful for the restored gospel and that God still speaks to each of us individually today. 

Love,
Sister Celeste Riches

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