Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Hi Everyone!
I totally should have brought my camera so you could have seen some pictures but I forgot them so I guess some mental imaging with have to do. James got baptized!! Woohoo! His fellowshipper baptized him and everything worked out almost as planned! We set everything up and then pulled the TV out of the outlet cord so that in the middle
of the baptism the movies we showed took a little longer to do. Also the baptismal suit we picked out was a little too small so we had to scrummage around to get a bigger one. But the Spirit was there so strongly and he had so much support. The ward loves him and his personality is coming out stronger and stronger. After his baptism he bore his testimony and he said that he had already been blessed. He hadn't remembered how to tie a tie and that Google couldn't help him so he prayed and he figured out how to do it. =) Then he talked about how he had learned about Jesus Christ and he knew that was good
because Jesus Christ is the perfect example and James wants to be an example to other people some day. It was incredible. It’s what it’s all about.
Teddy came to the baptism too. He is our golden boy. The Gospel just clicks with him. His environment is awful but he is amazing. He just gets things. He should be baptized on May 12th - and even if I get transferred I'm definitely going to that baptism. =) We taught him the restoration yesterday again with the cups object lesson and when all the cups fell down when the apostles were killed he immediately said "Oh... that's why there are so many churches." There are things like that that happens every time we teach him. It blows my mind. He's been to church twice and now we just have to help him to quit smoking.
Sunny is going back to Korea on Thursday. =( We will miss her a lot but we got her address so that we can send missionaries to her in Korea that can teach her in Korean! That will be a blessing. I'm excited for the missionaries to meet her and see how ready SHE is for the Gospel once she can understand it and feel the Spirit more since she's not concentrating so hard on overcoming the language barrier.
So yes! Life is super good. We started doing something that will help the work a lot. We've starting working with the other missionaries in our stake and getting all the less actives that are YSA on their ward lists and have started visiting them. If I were less active I think I would be more interested in going back to a younger ward rather than a
family ward. So I think we'll see miracles from that. It’s kind of intimidating though. We’re working with the SD 7th ward and that's the expensive La Jolla area. So the other day we went up to the top of Soledad Mountain Road where these GIANT houses are and we went to this gorgeous meticulously kept house that had windows where you could see the ocean view all the way through the house. It was CRAZY. We didn't even know where to knock because the doors were glass. But that's my area... ha-ha.
FHE yesterday was making ice cream from tin cans. It reminded me of Drumlin Farm. We were able to meet a member’s non member boyfriend and he's willing to meet with us! The SD 7th ward has an investigator to give us who already has a baptismal date for the 26th. His name is William. More info on that when I meet him... (If I meet him because of transfers... ) But wahoo! People are just coming out of the woodwork. The Lord is blessing the La Jolla singles ward area. I know that part of it is because we helped the ward start a 40 day fast for missionary work and miracles have happened because of joint fasting and prayer. I feel very blessed. Fasting is real and powerful, and if something is going on in your life I invite you to fast and pray. Miracles will happen.
I totally should have brought my camera so you could have seen some pictures but I forgot them so I guess some mental imaging with have to do. James got baptized!! Woohoo! His fellowshipper baptized him and everything worked out almost as planned! We set everything up and then pulled the TV out of the outlet cord so that in the middle
of the baptism the movies we showed took a little longer to do. Also the baptismal suit we picked out was a little too small so we had to scrummage around to get a bigger one. But the Spirit was there so strongly and he had so much support. The ward loves him and his personality is coming out stronger and stronger. After his baptism he bore his testimony and he said that he had already been blessed. He hadn't remembered how to tie a tie and that Google couldn't help him so he prayed and he figured out how to do it. =) Then he talked about how he had learned about Jesus Christ and he knew that was good
because Jesus Christ is the perfect example and James wants to be an example to other people some day. It was incredible. It’s what it’s all about.
Teddy came to the baptism too. He is our golden boy. The Gospel just clicks with him. His environment is awful but he is amazing. He just gets things. He should be baptized on May 12th - and even if I get transferred I'm definitely going to that baptism. =) We taught him the restoration yesterday again with the cups object lesson and when all the cups fell down when the apostles were killed he immediately said "Oh... that's why there are so many churches." There are things like that that happens every time we teach him. It blows my mind. He's been to church twice and now we just have to help him to quit smoking.
Sunny is going back to Korea on Thursday. =( We will miss her a lot but we got her address so that we can send missionaries to her in Korea that can teach her in Korean! That will be a blessing. I'm excited for the missionaries to meet her and see how ready SHE is for the Gospel once she can understand it and feel the Spirit more since she's not concentrating so hard on overcoming the language barrier.
So yes! Life is super good. We started doing something that will help the work a lot. We've starting working with the other missionaries in our stake and getting all the less actives that are YSA on their ward lists and have started visiting them. If I were less active I think I would be more interested in going back to a younger ward rather than a
family ward. So I think we'll see miracles from that. It’s kind of intimidating though. We’re working with the SD 7th ward and that's the expensive La Jolla area. So the other day we went up to the top of Soledad Mountain Road where these GIANT houses are and we went to this gorgeous meticulously kept house that had windows where you could see the ocean view all the way through the house. It was CRAZY. We didn't even know where to knock because the doors were glass. But that's my area... ha-ha.
FHE yesterday was making ice cream from tin cans. It reminded me of Drumlin Farm. We were able to meet a member’s non member boyfriend and he's willing to meet with us! The SD 7th ward has an investigator to give us who already has a baptismal date for the 26th. His name is William. More info on that when I meet him... (If I meet him because of transfers... ) But wahoo! People are just coming out of the woodwork. The Lord is blessing the La Jolla singles ward area. I know that part of it is because we helped the ward start a 40 day fast for missionary work and miracles have happened because of joint fasting and prayer. I feel very blessed. Fasting is real and powerful, and if something is going on in your life I invite you to fast and pray. Miracles will happen.
I love my mission so much! I'm just so happy. I'm finally
seeing what it’s all about, God has blessed me so much and I just love it. And
love makes me happy.
I came to the realization this morning (even though I
already knew it) that the Lord has been giving us all these people to teach,
and he'll continue to give me people to teach and that I can love in whatever
area I am in. If I get transferred I will really miss these people though. It
will obviously be a good thing though. One of the themes of my mission comes
from the ending quote of the Mormon Battalion video. "God gave us what he
wanted the most from where we least expected it" I'm definitely
internalizing that principle each and every second of my mission and it was
something I really needed to learn.
Oh! A cool thing! I ran into a family that I helped teach
and got baptized ( I wasn't their missionary though) and they are getting sealed
in July and they want me to go! I was so excited to see them and they were
stoked to see me! It was the greatest. Missionary work
in action. I hope that they do it in the little time between the end of my mission and going to Massachusetts so I can go and you can all meet them. They are the Macias family. =D
But yes! Life is good! I feel great and I'm glad you are excited and ready for this transfer... semester? Wow... I'm a missionary for sure ha-ha. I'm so glad I came on a mission. Best decision ever! Baptism!!
So yes! Thank you all for your examples, for you love, for loving me and my mission and for being so excited for me. I love you all so much! So much. You don't even know. =) It’s crazy how fast time flies.
Remember that the church is true! That God is real and that he loves us. That he worries for us and that he wants us to be happy. That we just need to go forward with faith. =)
SMILE
Sister Tardiff
in action. I hope that they do it in the little time between the end of my mission and going to Massachusetts so I can go and you can all meet them. They are the Macias family. =D
But yes! Life is good! I feel great and I'm glad you are excited and ready for this transfer... semester? Wow... I'm a missionary for sure ha-ha. I'm so glad I came on a mission. Best decision ever! Baptism!!
So yes! Thank you all for your examples, for you love, for loving me and my mission and for being so excited for me. I love you all so much! So much. You don't even know. =) It’s crazy how fast time flies.
Remember that the church is true! That God is real and that he loves us. That he worries for us and that he wants us to be happy. That we just need to go forward with faith. =)
SMILE
Sister Tardiff