WHAT THE WEEK!!!!
It's been another toughy, that's for sure!! BUT GOOD.
SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!!! I've received much comfort this last week that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, and at the same time have received extra hard times and sad news along the way! IT NEVER ENDS!!:)
I love Sister Weber soooo much!! (She sang "Happy Birthday" to her sister in her sleep the other night.. it was cute!) We are seriously the best of friends! But even with that comes the understanding that it's hard to spend time with ANYONE 24/7 for going on 5 months.... hahaha :) We were talking about it the other day... and seriously, besides missionaries-- WHO DOES THAT?? NO ONE. Not even married couples do that... so we're pretty proud of ourselves:) I love her!
We did go on exchanges this last week-- seriously, the greatest day ever. It just happened to be a rainy day-- first rainy day since last fall, and it was LITERALLY a breath of fresh air <3. I was able to go with Sister McMaster (from my MTC district) to her area which is Fairview-- between Omaha and Lincoln and spend the day with her in her area. I also got to spend the night with Sister Goldsberry! My 1st MTC companion:) It was SO GOOD to see her and I can't explain how proud I am of her for after going home in the MTC for her ankle-- getting back out here and working so hard! She had a companion go home this last week. But being in Fairview with Sister McMaster was so good:):) I absolutely adore her! Changed my life!
Sister Weber and I were able to help out one of the members in our ward who is a leader in the Kwanis club out here--we raked leaves at the Lincoln Zoo!! SO FUN!!! It felt like I was in youth council again and it was the happiest day ever!! :) We got to go around and get a tour of the zoo too. I love the zoo :) Got to see some llamas and make my "llama face!" Just like Emperor Kuzco.
We were actually able to go BACK to Yankee Hill this week! The Elders called us and said that one of their investigators, Christina, who we LOVE and got to know real good, wanted them to invite us to their baptism this week!! So we got to go back to the stake center and see her and her fiance, Jovon, get baptized!! We got to see soooo many of our loved ones from Yankee Hill again! It was a party!!! :)
We went to the General Woman's Broadcast on Saturday. I AM SO EXCITED FOR CONFERENCE!!!!! I promise every talk given was prepared just for me-- sorry, but it's true! ;) How BLESSED we are to be able to have the spirit testify and give inspiration to ALL OF US who watch it or listen to it ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!! When they were talking about mothers, I couldn't help but bawl because I believed that my momma was watching the same thing at the same time all the way at home and we could still share the experience from miles away. These many sessions of general conference are SO IMPORTANT.
Amy is so sweet-- she found a friend for us to teach!! We went over to her place and her friend Danny came over and we were able to teach him the restoration and we're going to help him clean his house this next week. Missionary work is so much easier when members give us refurrals. Amy is just BEAMING with light and all her friends and neighbors are noticing it-- and they are wondering what it is that has brought her this much happiness. AND SHE'S SHARING IT!! And we're getting teachings because of it. THIS is how our Fathers work is meant to happen. She is out there shouting to the world the happiness that the gospel brings, and then we go into some members homes that have had the gospel their whole life and we have to pull teeth to get them to share the gospel. There is NO SHAME in sharing the truth, people! Like they always told us in the MTC-- "if you feel you should do something to share the gospel, but it seems awkward, ALL THE MORE REASON to share it!! You follow through with a prompting AND have a story to tell!" No matter if we mess up-- the Lord will make up the difference if we just open our mouths :)--
We went to our stake's fireside all about the "Addiction Recovery Program" last night. There was a good amount that showed up. We decided to go because we had invited a lot of people, but no one said that they were for sure coming. There were two LA from our ward that showed up last night. One of them, a lady that always sits by herself at church on Sundays. I directly went to go and sit by her and she was explaining to me that she didn't have any Word of Wisdom addictions, but that everyone has addictions to even little things and that is why she wanted to come. Now this lady, Valerie, has been trying SO HARD to get back on the right track. She is the only one in her family that is coming and has no support from anyone-- not even women in relief society! She told me last night that she was glad we came to sit with her because she always sits alone in church and "members treat me like I have the plague".. it broke my heart.... She was crying lots during the addiction fireside last night. She is just trying her very hardest to get to the temple and no one is reaching out to help her. So I ask all of YOU that you look around on Sundays and maybe don't sit by your "usual" group of people, or even family, but that you seek out the one, like Christ did that is needing support and love. --that's my two cents for member missionary work for the week.:) I love Valerie so much...
We went to our stake's fireside all about the "Addiction Recovery Program" last night. There was a good amount that showed up. We decided to go because we had invited a lot of people, but no one said that they were for sure coming. There were two LA from our ward that showed up last night. One of them, a lady that always sits by herself at church on Sundays. I directly went to go and sit by her and she was explaining to me that she didn't have any Word of Wisdom addictions, but that everyone has addictions to even little things and that is why she wanted to come. Now this lady, Valerie, has been trying SO HARD to get back on the right track. She is the only one in her family that is coming and has no support from anyone-- not even women in relief society! She told me last night that she was glad we came to sit with her because she always sits alone in church and "members treat me like I have the plague".. it broke my heart.... She was crying lots during the addiction fireside last night. She is just trying her very hardest to get to the temple and no one is reaching out to help her. So I ask all of YOU that you look around on Sundays and maybe don't sit by your "usual" group of people, or even family, but that you seek out the one, like Christ did that is needing support and love. --that's my two cents for member missionary work for the week.:) I love Valerie so much...
There was one of our friends in the back of the chapel that came up to us afterward and said "Good job keeping your baptismal covenants, I saw those sweet precious hugs offered during the talks and just wanted to say good job!" -- It was so cool... reminded me a lot of the goals I set from listening to the covenant talks at the woman's conference. <3
So we went to church yesterday and realized that a World Class Wrestler training for the 2016 Olympics just moved into our ward-- how cool is that! :)
Something I was pondering as we were knocking on some doors this last week.... People that answer the doors don't even realize that if they just let in the 2 missionaries standing on their porch, that they will only be letting in 2 new lifelong friends-- that's all we are. We're people coming out to LOVE them and bring them HAPPINESS-- that's what the gospel is!!!! I wish we could just tell people that.. but it might also be a little creepy if we used "Hello, we're here to be your new best friends" as a door approach.... I'll work on that.
SAD NEWS from this last week... so you probably remember me mentioning April, that we worked with in Yankee Hill. Well on the news this last week here in Lincoln, not sure if it was national news or not, but we were informed that there was a woman that frauded churches $12,0000 in 2 months that was arrested on Friday...... It was April. Sister Weber and I are still way confused and devastated. We helped her through SO MUCH and we love her so much! We would often mention how we were going to come back and stay with her after our missions and we saw her at her LOWEST. And now she is in prison... :(:(:(:( We have contacted a lot of members from our last ward for updates and they say she is doing okay. But that has been so extremely sad for us.. I wish I knew what was going on. Because we KNOW April, and we KNOW her heart.....
Anyway, keep her in your prayers.
Anyway, keep her in your prayers.
WOAH...... not to mention NEXT week is my hump day..... WOAH AGAIN.
"WOAHHHHH we're [almost] half-way there... WOAH living on Prayers!!"-- worldy music.. oops.
Anyway, much to look forward to and many things to look back and learn from. I think the biggest testimony building topic from the last week has been the healing and enabling power of the atonement.
The atonement is REAL!! Whether it's seeing someone be healed after committing crimes, or overcoming addictions, or just repenting of the little things that slowly eat away at a companionship from day to day. It works for everything and it's been amazing to see the drastic difference in healings that it is able to do.
The atonement is REAL!! Whether it's seeing someone be healed after committing crimes, or overcoming addictions, or just repenting of the little things that slowly eat away at a companionship from day to day. It works for everything and it's been amazing to see the drastic difference in healings that it is able to do.
I love my Heavenly Father-- if we strive to make our prayers sincere, we will feel Him. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and know he is always with me. How blessed I am to have amazing brothers to help me relate that relationship to. I know this gospel is real, true, and that we have a LIVING church, a LIVING relationship with our Heavenly Father and Christ, and a LIVING prophet that we get to hear from this next weekend that will guide and direct us. Prepare yourselves always.
Keep on keepin' on!! We'll hear about transfers on Thursday!
LOVE YOU.
Sister Checketts
Sister Checketts
Pic: Christina and Jovon's baptism!!!
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