Happy New Year!!!

I hope y'all have a great last day of 2012! Live it up. :) Do you have any fun plans for this week? I'm glad you made it to St. George and back safely. It makes me really sad to hear about Grandma and Grandpa. I am praying for them! Please keep me updated on them and if they move up closer to y'all. Was it a pretty quick trip down to St. George? Drive safely since the snow is so bad up there right now!

 

The weather here is getting cold!!!! I've been such a baby in the cold this past week. I think the coldest it's gotten is down to 39 degrees, but it feels so much colder since it's humid. The heater in the church was broken on sunday and everyone was frozen to death. I didn't think that it got cold in Texas. I am used to the heat, it's going to be sooo hard coming back to Utah weather. :( haha

 

So one of our Former investigators texted us last week to tell us she was getting baptized on Sunday (yesterday). She had been taking the lessons at her boyfriends house in the East mission and going to church there with him so we had to get permission from our mission president to leave our mission to go. Well yesterday morning President Ashton called us and told us he just got off the phone with the other mission president and he said that she would be a member of our ward since she lives in our ward boundaries!!! We were sooo excited to hear that because Sister Mekini and I prayed and set a goal for 2 baptisms together this transfer and we know that Andrea was an answer to that prayer. We went to her baptism in the east mission yesterday and she will be confirmed a member of the Church next sunday in our ward! She is so awesome. :)

On Saturday we also got a call of a baptism that was going on of Sister Mekini's former investigators in Alief area. So we brought one of our investigators named Alisia to the baptism and she LOVED it! It was probably one of the most informal baptisms I've been too, but Alisia was telling everyone there that she was getting baptized next month. She told us last lesson that she really wants to be prepared for her baptism, so we don't know if it'll be on the 12th of January like we had planned, but she is in this for the right reasons. Pray for her! She is going through a lot right now.

 

Rachel and her mom Sandy didn't come to church this week.... we are really sad cause Rachel keeps saying she'll do things but she isn't doing them anymore. Sandy told us she isn't looking to "switch churches" we asked her if she prayed about it and she hadn't. She is such a sweet lady, and I just hope she realizes the blessings she could get. It's so hard to see how much someone needs the gospel in their lives, and not see them exercise their faith in Jesus Christ to receive those blessings that wait in store for them. I think that is probably one of the most difficult things being a missionary is KNOWING without a doubt that the Gospel can carry these people through their problems in life and yet seeing them choose differently. We are just praying for people whose hearts are prepared, because I know there are people who are ready.

 

On Friday we felt really strong to pull out all the part member families in the ward boundaries and try to visit them. I was suprised when Sister Mekini told me her and Sister Peck hadn't tried any of them really. But we saw miracles when we went to visit these families!!! We got in to see 4 part member families and I am almost positive each of the members in the homes had been praying for us to come by for their family. I hope these families will come to church! We want to keep working with these families and more to bring them together in the gospel. There is still lots of work to do here.... I don't know how long I'll be in this area, but this ward definetly needs the Spirit of Missionary work. Right now we have 1 amazing sister in the ward who will come out with us whenever, but it's hard to get anyone else. I hope each one of you can find ways to help the missionaries and the missionary work in your ward. There is soooo much you can do! Just look around and find one family to focus on and befriend. :)

 

I love being a missionary! I was reading my patriartical blessing today and this opportunity I have really is a Privledge like my blessing says. :) I hope that Kailey and Alli will go and see what this is all about. It's shaped my life in a way nothing else could have.

 

I love y'all sooo much!!!! Please be safe and careful with all the snow!

 

Sister Avery.