Hello my family!
I can't believe that it's snowing it Utah today!!! That is crazy. It has
been pretty hot and humid here, but last week on transfer day we got a nice rain
storm while trying to move everyones stuff into different cars. That was fun.
haha It sounds like everything is going well with everyone! I'm glad that school
ends for you this week mom, now you can relax a little bit. You need a little
break from all the stuff you do. Maybe you and dad should take a vacation?
Things here are going well! I'm trying not to stress too much cause I
really love this new calling, but it keeps me super busy. I miss being able to
write in my journal at night because of all the phone calls I get or make, but
I'm hoping Heavenly Father will bless me with a good memory so I can write
things down later. We've seen miracle after miracle here in mission bend! I love
this area. I was only able to be in Alief one day this past week helping Sister
Howard and Cordova, but I'll probably be there most of this week, and Memorial
on exchanges with other sisters this weekend before Ashleys baptism. It's fun
getting to go work with the other sisters! We have some really good sisters in
this mission. To answer dads question... Each zone has a "Sister Coordinator"
and then the Sister Coordinator comes to Sister Ker and I, who are the Sister
Training Leaders and we go straight to President. But Sister Ker and I also
cover a zone of sisters. It's kinda confusing, but it helps the Elders to not
deal with the sisters problems, and now president isn't getting as many phone
calls from people. So he just stays in close contact with us to help the
sisters.
Transfer meeting last week was so cool! I love being in the mission field
at this time when the gospel of Jesus Christ is spreading quicker than ever
before. It was a HUGE transfer with about 24 incoming missionaries. I love being
a part of Gods army! I've been thinking a lot about how He is really preparing
the youth of the church now because these are the last days and he needs all he
can get. I have never taught so many youth in my mission as I have in this area.
We are teaching 4-5 teenage investigators, and our Bishop has also asked us to
start doing the missionary lessons with all of the youth in the ward to help
them prepare for missions and share the gospel with their friends. It's been
really successful as we started last week. They have given us lots of their
friends names to go try! The young women in our ward are excited to come teach
with us. :)
Oh!! I didn't even tell y'all about my new companion. Sister Petersen! She
is from Tremonton Utah. This is her 2nd transfer so I'm her follow up trainer,
but it's cool cause her first trainer is Sister Workinger! So in mission lingo,
she is my granddaughter! haha. It's been a fun week with her and Sister Hinton.
They will probably get to know each other better than I'll get to know them
since I won't be here a lot, but they are both really good missionaries. Both
are very shy and timid.
Sister Howard went to Alief which is right next to Mission Bend. They even
meet in the same church building as us, but it is a very struggling area. They
even had to take a portion of mission bend ward and stick in in Alief because
there weren't enough solid leadership positions. I feel really bad for Sister
Howard cause she has been stressed out, but I told her to just act as though
she's opening a new area like she did with us in mission bend. I hope I can help
them this week. It's just hard cause the sisters that were there before never
worked.... I don't get why people come on missions if they don't want to do what
they've been called to do.... Anyways.
Cool experience while I was in Alief... We got a call from one of their
investigators whose husband had a stroke the night before and was in the
hospital. We asked one of the Senior missionaries, Elder Lamb, to come with us
to the hospital to give him a blessing. So we went over there and after his
blessing we asked the investigator Melissa if she would like one too because she
was super emotional and hadn't slept all night. We went down to the Chapel in
the hospital and Elder Lamb and another Elder gave her a blessing. After the
blessing she was all red, and she explained the spirit exactly. She said, "Have
y'all ever had a blessing? It feels so warm, before I was cold but it's like an
instant heater in my body. I didn't think I'd be at peace just like that."
We all sat there smiling because she knew now the feeling of the Spirit as
the comforter!
Last Friday we had a zone meeting which was really good, and after we had a
church tour set up with an investigator family we've been working with all last
transfer! Their names are Jessica and Anthony Valascez and they have 3 girls,
Danielle, Gabi, and Emma. They are the cutest family ever!!!! We were so excited
when they told us they wanted to see our church. We have invited them several
times but they haven't been able to come to church so this was a good way to
show them what it would be like and know where to go. We ended the church tour
at the baptismal font and we bore testimony of the our Savior. I could see in
Jessicas eyes through her tears that she knew this was right! Two days later she
and the girls came to church!!!! We taught them last night after church and I
can't wait to see their family sealed in the Temple! I know it will happen, but
it needs to happen in the Lords time.
Saturday morning we got to go to a volleyball game of a young women in our
ward! It made me so homesick for volleyball, but it was good to go support her
and let nonmembers see us missionaries in a non threatening way. That was
fun!
Also on Saturday Sister Petersens investigator from Memorial got baptized
so we got to go to that! It was also the baptism of Tyson, from memorial who I
taught a few times before I got transferred. His mom was the one who came back
to church after not being there for 13 years!
Yesterday at church Ashley Casey got up and bore her testimony in Sacrament
meeting! It was so cool to see how far she has come. She wasn't going to be able
to make it to church yesterday because of some service hours she needed to do
for her school, but we fasted for her to come and she made it. She also had her
baptismal interview and passed, so her baptism is this Saturday! We are excited.
:) Great things are happening here in Texas. Please keep her in your prayers.
How is y'alls Book of Mormon reading? I remember challenging y'all to read
it before I come home. Do you think you'll be finished?!? I'm starting it for my
last time here soon. I'm in Mormon now, so I've still got another week or two
but you should start now and try to finish before July!
I love you so much and I'm grateful for y'all in my life. I couldn't be the
missionary I am without each of you.
Sister Avery
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