September 29, 2014
All is SO well,
Okay looking back on my journal entries for the week... it was such a fun week. WOW. We are having "film night" on Tuesday nights, guess what we watched this week? Baptists at our BBQ!!! I was a star, wow it was so funny... we went back and rewinded the very beginning of it where we are walking across the street and where I'm screaming in the car like 6 times. In case y'all didn't know, the Wilson family is famous ;)
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| Watch this funny film to see Brooklyn's acting debut |
Sooo we should be having a baptism this weekend, so that's cool :) Her name is N., she's 50. The whole time during the interview I was afraid she was going to try to hold hands with Elder Wall. After he was done talking to her he told us that she has the understanding of about an 8 year old, but that's enough to be baptized. Hoorah :)
This week we also went to a music school and my companion got to play on this guys violin (a less active works at the music school so we're trying to reach her through music). This man, Vl. asked if he could listen to her play, she plays AMAZING. She is so talented on a violin. After she finished playing he asked her if she would do a concert for the whole school... it took everything in me not to burst out laughing. She is SO GOOD, there is no way that would ever be allowed, it was just so funny to me for some reason that that could even be a possibility.
We had a lesson with our investigator S. this week and something really interesting happened while we taught her. Our lesson was on priesthood, but because she always has so many questions the subject got dragged into temple work. We were talking about where we go after we die and that we have to do temple work for the dead so that they can progress. Well all of the sudden in the middle of our lesson she goes, "OOOOHHH, That's what grandma was talking about!!!" Yeah, we were all really confused. But about 3 years ago she saw her grandma in a dream and was able to talk to her, she asked her where she was and if she had made it to heaven. Her grandma told her that she was in "the pre-kingdom" which comes before heaven. S. was confused by that dream for years, but now all the little pieces are coming together. Our member help on the lesson testified that S. needs to get baptized so that she was do her grandma's temple work. Members make missionary work so easy sometimes :)
Here's a little part that I wrote to president this week:
"Wow I am in love with this place. A mission is the best choice I've ever made. I love how many people I've met and how much I've learned about God and about myself. I just wanted to say that :) ALSO, you are the most amazing spiritual giant I've met. Your VOICE is always under the influence of the spirit and you say and do exactly what God would have you do. I know that because you had us study the scriptures in a van on the way home from zone conference and it was a very spiritual experience. I know for myself that I received some personal revelation, actually maybe you noticed that I asked some of my own personal questions during that drive. One of the questions I asked being, "can/will God take away our temptations or will he just take away the beauty of the temptation?" I think I pieced my answer together by putting bits of everyone's testimony together. What I learned was something like this: God can take the temptation away, but as soon as Satan sees that you are doing a lot of good by resisting that temptation he is going to work A LOT harder to get you to give in. Oh my goodness it is so true. Satan is a monster. Let me tell you why...
Here's a miracle I saw yesterday. I have been slacking on talking to people on the bus, big time. It's somewhere between a laziness and a fear of talking to people. Yesterday I just got so sick of how I was feeling by not doing my job. I struck up a conversation with a woman sitting across from me (my companion and I have agreed that if I start a conversation that she'll try to keep it going) then Sister Haroldsen took over that conversation. So that gave me the courage to talk to the woman next to me, we got started into religion really quick, and here's a little bit about our conversation... she reads the bible, she doesn't really agree with many of the Russian Orthodox beliefs like having to confess your sins to the priest in front of everyone. Then she just started asking questions like, "why are there so many churches?" and I said, "yeah I know right?! There's one God, shouldn't there be one church?" and she was like, "YES I totally agree!" (wow I'm getting so excited writing about this?) and so sadly we had to get off the bus at the point. But I gave her a Restoration pamphlet and pretty much begged her to read it because it answers her questions. When I got off the bus I was just in shock. I KNOW that God sat that woman next to me, he set the perfect woman by me so that I would remember what happens when I open my mouth.
UGH SATAN IS SO SMART. All I have to do it open my mouth! I am a little bit frustrated and fed up with myself, I know that God is just laughing with me and giving me a little pat on the shoulder saying, "I told you it's not that hard, it's my work not yours, open your mouth and I'll take care of your language and the person's heart." Yeah. God is so wonderful, he's just so smart and I know he put that woman next to me for a reason, sometimes we just need little reminders :)"
Next time you are doubting something, just do it. I know it's scary! But here's something coming from a coward herself, when God gives you a good thought, GO FOR IT. We don't see his plan for us unless we act.
Tonight my companion and I are going up to Saratov to the sister training leaders to do splits with them. I am so excited. I know they can help to get me on track a little, I just need an example, and then I can give it my all for the rest of this transfer. Actually I had an interview with President Schwab after zone training and he gave me some wonderful advice on things.
Be good.
Love, Sister Wilson
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