Dear Family,
Transfer week has gone well. My new companion is Sister Reas (Reese). She's been in the field for 13 months and in her last area she was companions with Sister Rae. She was raised in the church and she is the oldest of three; she has two brothers. She was born in Hawaii but grew up in San Diego California. The ward is always excited to see the different Sister Missionaries and they're always so loving towards us.
The past few days have been great getting to know one another and working together. I've felt Heavenly Father's help with all of my companions and He's given me as well as them the ability to adapt to each other so quickly. I wanted to take a picture so I could show you what she looks like but that will have to wait until next week.
We're excited for the new transfer which officially started today. At our transfer meetings where we go to find out who our new companion/area will be the assistants always share their testimonies of the transfer process. They get to work with President Jones really closely all the time and especially during the transfer process. One of the Elders, Elder Seymour, shared a testimony that was really powerful and made me so happy.
He talked about how he enjoyed reading the Bible to know how our Heavenly Father created everything spiritually before it was created physically upon the earth. He told us that the same process happens for our transfers and how president is mindful even at the start of a new transfer, of how the upcoming transfer will be. He shared his testimony of Heavenly Father guiding our mission president and he invited us to go out and physically create what has been spiritually created already. That strengthens my testimony that we are where we need to be and we're fulfilling a part of our lives and others as well in the plan Heavenly Father has created.
The gospel is so true:)
Love you all,
Sister Green
Monday, January 24, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
01/18/11
Dear Family,
I'm sending a quick e-mail this week letting you know how transfers have turned out. Sister Boyd and I will be separated once again. I will be staying here in Old Settlers and she will be leaving (we'll find out Thursday where she'll go). We love transfers.
One quick highlight of the week was when Sister Boyd and I got to go see Sierra again; the kind woman who let us in from the rain. We talked to her about the restoration and we talked more about our beliefs. She asked us wonderful questions. When we talked about the Book of Mormon and how we viewed it as "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" she said, " Yeah I can see that, even movies have sequels." I love that she's understanding the gospel in her own way. Sister Boyd and I have another appointment with her today after we e-mail and we're going to watch the Restoration DVD with her. She's heard some false things about Joseph Smith and how he was called to be a prophet so we love to make the truth known.
Wonderful things are happening in the Old Settlers area and all throughout the mission. Hope you all have a great week and I'll be looking forward to telling you who my next companion will be:)
Love you guys,
Sister Green
I'm sending a quick e-mail this week letting you know how transfers have turned out. Sister Boyd and I will be separated once again. I will be staying here in Old Settlers and she will be leaving (we'll find out Thursday where she'll go). We love transfers.
One quick highlight of the week was when Sister Boyd and I got to go see Sierra again; the kind woman who let us in from the rain. We talked to her about the restoration and we talked more about our beliefs. She asked us wonderful questions. When we talked about the Book of Mormon and how we viewed it as "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" she said, " Yeah I can see that, even movies have sequels." I love that she's understanding the gospel in her own way. Sister Boyd and I have another appointment with her today after we e-mail and we're going to watch the Restoration DVD with her. She's heard some false things about Joseph Smith and how he was called to be a prophet so we love to make the truth known.
Wonderful things are happening in the Old Settlers area and all throughout the mission. Hope you all have a great week and I'll be looking forward to telling you who my next companion will be:)
Love you guys,
Sister Green
Monday, January 10, 2011
01/10/11
Dear Beautiful Family,
It's been another great week. The temperature has dropped and it's been really rainy but "the show must go on." A few days ago Sister Boyd and I were on our bikes headed to an appointment when it started to sprinkle. We stopped to talk to a woman named Sierra and she was on her way to go get lunch with her little boy Ian. She told us she lived in Utah with her husband and that she has a lot of friends who are members.
Around this time it started to pour and she invited us into her home until the rain stopped. We were able to get to know her better and she told us her husband is a member but he hasn't been to church in over a decade. He wasn't on any of our lists so it was a wonderful miracle to have found them. I love "running into people" that way. Just like the lost tribes and how no one knows where they are but our Father in Heaven knows where he led them, it's the same with us. He knows where every broken heart is, every tear that's shed, every pain, every loneliness, every disappointment, every loss...everything. It's been wonderful to be led by His Spirit.
Before Christmas we were able to speak to a lot of people who told us to come see them after the holidays. Sister Boyd, Sister Rae, and I kept a list of all these people and the different ways they said we could contact them (phone or stop by, etc.) Of a list of about twenty people, two people allowed us to set up an appointment to come teach them with a member.
One of them is a man named Billy Walker. We met him one afternoon when he was getting his mail. We had a decent conversation, invited him to learn more and he told us we could contact him after the new year. He told us he is a non-denominational preacher and during our lesson he told us his sermons are put on T.V. (I don't think he's too well known so don't go looking his name up on the Internet...Dad:)
He's very sweet and he has a wonderful conversion story. He's in his 70's and he was born and raised in the Austin area. He had a rough life in the beginning but when he was in his thirty's he decided he needed to take steps to change and he started reading in the Bible for direction from God. As we were listening to him. He said " One day I opened my Bible and came across James, first chapter fifth verse; which reads, If any of you lack wisdom..." I think we all know how this ends. It was a powerful moment. The Lord is preparing people in His own way to receive the blessings of the restored gospel.
The restoration and living prophets was new to Billy as was the book of Mormon, but we shared our testimonies and invited him to read it and to ask Heavenly Father if it's true. He told us to give him a week so our next appointment is this Wednesday. I wish I had time to tell of other experiences but don't. Things are going well.
As always thank you for all that you do.
Love you all,
Sister Green
It's been another great week. The temperature has dropped and it's been really rainy but "the show must go on." A few days ago Sister Boyd and I were on our bikes headed to an appointment when it started to sprinkle. We stopped to talk to a woman named Sierra and she was on her way to go get lunch with her little boy Ian. She told us she lived in Utah with her husband and that she has a lot of friends who are members.
Around this time it started to pour and she invited us into her home until the rain stopped. We were able to get to know her better and she told us her husband is a member but he hasn't been to church in over a decade. He wasn't on any of our lists so it was a wonderful miracle to have found them. I love "running into people" that way. Just like the lost tribes and how no one knows where they are but our Father in Heaven knows where he led them, it's the same with us. He knows where every broken heart is, every tear that's shed, every pain, every loneliness, every disappointment, every loss...everything. It's been wonderful to be led by His Spirit.
Before Christmas we were able to speak to a lot of people who told us to come see them after the holidays. Sister Boyd, Sister Rae, and I kept a list of all these people and the different ways they said we could contact them (phone or stop by, etc.) Of a list of about twenty people, two people allowed us to set up an appointment to come teach them with a member.
One of them is a man named Billy Walker. We met him one afternoon when he was getting his mail. We had a decent conversation, invited him to learn more and he told us we could contact him after the new year. He told us he is a non-denominational preacher and during our lesson he told us his sermons are put on T.V. (I don't think he's too well known so don't go looking his name up on the Internet...Dad:)
He's very sweet and he has a wonderful conversion story. He's in his 70's and he was born and raised in the Austin area. He had a rough life in the beginning but when he was in his thirty's he decided he needed to take steps to change and he started reading in the Bible for direction from God. As we were listening to him. He said " One day I opened my Bible and came across James, first chapter fifth verse; which reads, If any of you lack wisdom..." I think we all know how this ends. It was a powerful moment. The Lord is preparing people in His own way to receive the blessings of the restored gospel.
The restoration and living prophets was new to Billy as was the book of Mormon, but we shared our testimonies and invited him to read it and to ask Heavenly Father if it's true. He told us to give him a week so our next appointment is this Wednesday. I wish I had time to tell of other experiences but don't. Things are going well.
As always thank you for all that you do.
Love you all,
Sister Green
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
01/03/11
Dear Family,
Quick e-mail this week but things are going well and I'm looking forward to the new month and the new year. I have one quick scripture and invitation I want to extend to each of us before I sign off. The scripture is in Ether and this is the Brother of Jared who is preparing a way for the barges he has built to receive light. I've found an interesting parallel between this scripture and the new year, when a part of our culture is to set goals for the upcoming year.
The scripture reads:.(Brother of Jared Speaking) "O Lord thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because if his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires."
Last year President Cutler invited all of us to pray and ask Heavenly Father what He would have us accomplish in the new year. Now as 2011 is here we can do the same. The Brother of Jared was a prophet and a leader of an entire civilization but he never lost sight of his dependence upon the Lord.
What are some of the "desires of our hearts?" I invite all of us to think about them and pray to our Father in Heaven to have Him help us set goals this year that will bring us closer to Him and to our Savior. He knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows what will make us truly happy; We just have to trust in Him. I know that if we will make Heavenly Father a part of our goals for the year we will look back in preparation for 2012 and find that we've grown that much closer to who He would have us be.
I Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.
Sister Green
Quick e-mail this week but things are going well and I'm looking forward to the new month and the new year. I have one quick scripture and invitation I want to extend to each of us before I sign off. The scripture is in Ether and this is the Brother of Jared who is preparing a way for the barges he has built to receive light. I've found an interesting parallel between this scripture and the new year, when a part of our culture is to set goals for the upcoming year.
The scripture reads:.(Brother of Jared Speaking) "O Lord thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because if his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires."
Last year President Cutler invited all of us to pray and ask Heavenly Father what He would have us accomplish in the new year. Now as 2011 is here we can do the same. The Brother of Jared was a prophet and a leader of an entire civilization but he never lost sight of his dependence upon the Lord.
What are some of the "desires of our hearts?" I invite all of us to think about them and pray to our Father in Heaven to have Him help us set goals this year that will bring us closer to Him and to our Savior. He knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows what will make us truly happy; We just have to trust in Him. I know that if we will make Heavenly Father a part of our goals for the year we will look back in preparation for 2012 and find that we've grown that much closer to who He would have us be.
I Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.
Sister Green
12/27/10
Dear Family,
It was a wonderful Christmas week in the field. It was great to feel of the spirit of the season. Sister Boyd and I have been praying mightily for opportunities to share the gospel. Especially around this time of year when a lot of people feel alone. Christmas day we didn't have any lessons planned but after I finished my phone calls a family from the ward picked us up and took us to the church where they had invited other families to come and play games and eat. Only one other family from the ward came by, but a wonderful "Christmas Miracle" happened.
We had been in the church for a couple minutes when a young woman walked in. She told us her name was Stephanie and she asked us if we were having any services during the day. We told her no but that she was welcome to come back Sunday and come to church with us. She seemed a little disappointed. Sister Swan (the member that picked us up) asked her if she wanted to stay and eat food and play games with us and she said "Could I?" She told us she lived a few blocks down the street but that her family didn't want to spend Christmas with her.
As the Swan's got things prepared Sister Boyd and I sat with Stephanie for a few minutes and got to know her. She's 20 years old, and she told us a little about her past and family problems. She told us she was searching and that she'd been to a lot of different churches and was raised Baptist but hasn't really felt anything yet. She's heard several things about our faith and she asked us questions about those things. She was relieved to find out none of them were true.
Sister Boyd and I invited her to learn more about the things we believe by talking to the Taylor Elders (She's in their area) and she said she wanted to. When we had a minute we called the Elders and they stopped by the church not too long after. We all answered more of Stephanie's questions while eating ham and playing Uno Jenga:) The Elders had another appointment to get to but Stephanie stayed at the church for a couple of hours and throughout the time she spent with us she kept saying "I don't know why people think ya'll are crazy, you're some of the nicest people I've ever met."
Sister Swan gave Stephanie a ride back to her home and the Elders arranged for her to get a ride to church the next morning. The Taylor Ward meets right before the Old Settlers Ward but Brother Swan goes to church early for ward business and he saw Stephanie there with the Elders.
My testimony of our Heavenly Father watching over each of us, individually, has been strengthened. Even though it wasn't a big turn out the Swan's were guided to have a little "get together" at the church. If it were not for that Stephanie would have kept walking. I'm so glad I got to be a part of something so wonderful.
After Stephanie left we were talking about how Heavenly Father reaches out to "the one." Sister Schorr (the wife of the other family that came with us) talked about how Elder Bednar once asked "Do you think the Lord would send me to a place for one person?"...Of course He would." I remember when Elder Bednar came to see us in February and he allowed us to ask him anything we wanted. There was an Elder who spoke up and he mentioned that he was a recent convert to the church. He didn't get into too much detail but his past still troubled him and he wanted to feel of God's love more in his life. I remember Elder Bednar pausing for a moment to listen to the Spirit and then he spoke directly to this Elder. He promised him blessings for keeping his covenants and told him of things to do in his life to help him feel of God's love. He also told him the Lord accepted him. It was a powerful moment.
I love the gospel. Anyone who is sincerely searching for truth will be led to our Savior's church. It's been an unforgettable holiday season. Thank you all for your warm Christmas wishes.
Love you,
Sister Green
It was a wonderful Christmas week in the field. It was great to feel of the spirit of the season. Sister Boyd and I have been praying mightily for opportunities to share the gospel. Especially around this time of year when a lot of people feel alone. Christmas day we didn't have any lessons planned but after I finished my phone calls a family from the ward picked us up and took us to the church where they had invited other families to come and play games and eat. Only one other family from the ward came by, but a wonderful "Christmas Miracle" happened.
We had been in the church for a couple minutes when a young woman walked in. She told us her name was Stephanie and she asked us if we were having any services during the day. We told her no but that she was welcome to come back Sunday and come to church with us. She seemed a little disappointed. Sister Swan (the member that picked us up) asked her if she wanted to stay and eat food and play games with us and she said "Could I?" She told us she lived a few blocks down the street but that her family didn't want to spend Christmas with her.
As the Swan's got things prepared Sister Boyd and I sat with Stephanie for a few minutes and got to know her. She's 20 years old, and she told us a little about her past and family problems. She told us she was searching and that she'd been to a lot of different churches and was raised Baptist but hasn't really felt anything yet. She's heard several things about our faith and she asked us questions about those things. She was relieved to find out none of them were true.
Sister Boyd and I invited her to learn more about the things we believe by talking to the Taylor Elders (She's in their area) and she said she wanted to. When we had a minute we called the Elders and they stopped by the church not too long after. We all answered more of Stephanie's questions while eating ham and playing Uno Jenga:) The Elders had another appointment to get to but Stephanie stayed at the church for a couple of hours and throughout the time she spent with us she kept saying "I don't know why people think ya'll are crazy, you're some of the nicest people I've ever met."
Sister Swan gave Stephanie a ride back to her home and the Elders arranged for her to get a ride to church the next morning. The Taylor Ward meets right before the Old Settlers Ward but Brother Swan goes to church early for ward business and he saw Stephanie there with the Elders.
My testimony of our Heavenly Father watching over each of us, individually, has been strengthened. Even though it wasn't a big turn out the Swan's were guided to have a little "get together" at the church. If it were not for that Stephanie would have kept walking. I'm so glad I got to be a part of something so wonderful.
After Stephanie left we were talking about how Heavenly Father reaches out to "the one." Sister Schorr (the wife of the other family that came with us) talked about how Elder Bednar once asked "Do you think the Lord would send me to a place for one person?"...Of course He would." I remember when Elder Bednar came to see us in February and he allowed us to ask him anything we wanted. There was an Elder who spoke up and he mentioned that he was a recent convert to the church. He didn't get into too much detail but his past still troubled him and he wanted to feel of God's love more in his life. I remember Elder Bednar pausing for a moment to listen to the Spirit and then he spoke directly to this Elder. He promised him blessings for keeping his covenants and told him of things to do in his life to help him feel of God's love. He also told him the Lord accepted him. It was a powerful moment.
I love the gospel. Anyone who is sincerely searching for truth will be led to our Savior's church. It's been an unforgettable holiday season. Thank you all for your warm Christmas wishes.
Love you,
Sister Green
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