Week 5

My heart is so full! I really appreciated all the emails I've gotten this week! Sister H. said that emails are like Christmas! In the mission field- we get Christmas every week ;) Well we have seen miracles this week! It went by so quickly because we were so busy. 

This last week has probably been the week I have seen the most change in myself from my mission so far. I was really struggling with trying to understand how to be a good missionary and how I could improve. I was praying so hard to just hand myself over to the Lord and lose myself in the work, but I came to realize how much I was resisting in doing the very thing I was praying for. I can be very stubborn at times, and I did not want to just fit the mold of the perfect missionary. I guess I could say I did not want to conform and wanted to hang on to a lot of the opinions I had, I did not want to become passive. I don't think I'm explaining my feelings well, but to make it to the point I was struggling with understanding the rules and some of the guidelines in PMG and the whitehandbook. We have seen miracles this past week, and I have come to understand that PMG and the whitehand book are meant to help me fine tune myselves- to be the very best misssionary I can be. I don't need to lose all of my personality traits, I just need to refine some of them and probably eliminate a few, but this is the time where in losing myself- by forgetting those stubborn opinions that I do have, and by putting the will of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ before my own- by immersing myself in PMG and by doing all that I can to build up the kingdom of God is where I can find myself.
I love this work. Even when a day has not gone as well as planned, when I lay down at night I know I am doing the work of the Lord and I can feel Him encouraging me. 

We taught an investigator last week- he is AWESOME! haah we showed up and when he opened the door he was listening to Opera (he is a single guy, kind of macho, long hair, scruffy beard, lives by himself, loves to garden haha) anyways he invites us into the kitchen, and he has made us a pinapple upsidedown cake with homemade whipped cream! hahah he is an excellent host! Just very domestic, but really awesome. When he gets baptized we are going to have to find him a wife.He grew up Catholic but is very open to other religions. As we began to teach him about our loving Heavenly Father and stuff I loves what he said, He said something along the lines of- I don't feel like we are meant to be servants of God, but that we should be equal- to beable to have a conversation with him. I just wanted to jump across the table and tell him that our whole purpose is to progress so that we can become like God and live with him.......and give him the whole spill!...but that would ahve been too much so we are workign on baby steps there. I can't wait to teach him the Plan of Salvation too! He doesn't want to die because he doesn't want to stop learning....good thing we have the truth about that one! He will be a great priesthood holder one day!

Then we also taught a 15 year old girl :) going well with her! AND she came to church with her little brother. They are adorable!

We discovered a park that is awesome! It's called Waterloo park and there are animals, a spraypark, a boardwalk by the water, and LOTS of people waiting to hear the gospel :) haha So that was pretty fun

Here is your weekly funny story: We were talking to this man who had a little puppy (and he was soo cute! the puppy not the man), and then the puppy peed all over my shoe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mad, mad, mad. haha but funny.

Oh and Abigail, you would die to go out to the Bishop's home here! It is up in this little town about 30 minutes from here- farm land, and farms, and farm houses, and a dream pretty much. I would live out there. Oh I've decided I want to marry a farmer and have 9 kids. I'm not super set on the farmer...but the 9 kids thing is kind of a set deal hahah.

The Broadcast last night was sooo good! Loved, loved, loved it! We are so excited to be missionaries during this time! 

Anyways, 

love you all! 

Sister Allred