9-16-13 and 9-23-13

9-16-13

Okay, so this week has been pretty awesome. So jam packed with miracles!!!! It's funny because so many things fell through and we had so many "failures", but we also had countless miracles and found sooo many new people. We even met a homeless man and made an appointment with him, so we will see where that goes. It was honestly almost bizarre. Things were falling into our lap left and right. But first, guess what, I have two new roommates in our house and we are splitting the area by people. Sis A is gone and we miss her a lot, but I know she is doing awesome things back home now. What an amazing missionary she was. We have a Guatemalan sister and a visa waiter, so we are speaking lots of Portuguese. Also, the Guatemalan is a national champion street fighter, so we are teaching each other stuff in the morning. So fun. ahhhhh I'm out of time. Okay well include whatever you like in the post. Just have discretion, ya know haha. Okay I have to run. Sorry. Oh, M kinda dropped us :( but we are staying friends with her so I know she will get things figured out. She promised to finish reading the BoM.

Sorry guys, but in using my discretion, this was all that I chose to include. But the next email is awesome. (Carol)

9-23-13

Alrighty guys, 

 I'm back and this week FLEW by. Wow, It's really hard to think back and know what went where, but all I know is that we got lots of miracles. So, we are sharing the car with the two new sisters, who are awesome, and have been walking a lot more because of it. It has been so nice in so many ways. First of all, my feet are more or less better, so I can walk and finally enjoy it now. Also, now I get to be outside and get more exercise, which is SO great. Last, we have found an insane amount of people just through walking and talking to every single person that we see or meet. It's been such a blessing to walk and I just am so grateful for the the fact that we don't have the car, as weird as that sounds haha. Okay, so we have found so many people who have expressed interest in learning about the gospel, but it's a whole other ball game to actually get them to commit to sit down and talk to us and do something about their curiosity. The very hardest part is getting people to come to church. Gregory I feel ya! Something just always come up at the last second second, and it's usually something very insignificant. If we can't set aside a few hours of our week to devote to God, then how is He supposed to communicate with our hearts throughout the rest of the week. We have to give Him something so that He can reach us at other times. We are teaching a lot of single men this week. I'll be honest when I say that I'm pretty sure most of them first spoke to us in order to hit on us...then the convo turns to the law of chastity.....then we lay down the law....then they actually wanted to learn more. Anything works I guess haha. Don't worry, we are meeting them in public places, AND I'm back to practicing Jiujitsu, thanks to my most amazingly awesome roommate ever, Sister A . I can't remember if I already said this but she is the Guatemalan national street fighting champ. What!? So cool. She is also probably the nicest and most humble person ever. We work out and train and teach each other different moves every morning. It's the best and makes my whole day so much better when I can get some real exercise in. Even more though, this Sister has the greatest faith I have ever seen. I'm not going to go into detail, but she has trials that I cannot even imagine having. I would expect that most people would just give up on God, but she just trusts in Jesus Christ so much. Seriously,  she is always looking forward and hoping for a better future and trusting so fully in the love and power of Jesus Christ. I have able to talk with her and help her through some of her trials, but honestly she is the tender mercy for me. I am just so blown away by her example. We have to keep a smile on. We just cannot lose hope. If we lose hope, then everything else crumbles. I wish I had more faith! I know that faith is the key to happiness, truly. Sometimes I get down, and then I know that if I could just have more faith, then I would not feel sad ever, because a hope in Jesus Christ can literally get us through anything. I want to have a faith that can carry me through anything life throws at me, and then inspires others to believe as well. I want to know that the power of Jesus Christ can overcome all obstacles, that He truly did endure ALL things, so that none of us have to anymore, and that He can bring us happiness in the darkest of times. Right now I truly do believe and have a hope for all of these things, but I want to KNOW. I am striving to know, because it will bring me true, unwavering happiness, and it will bring miracles. The only way to fid this knowledge is to follow the advice in Alma 32 and exercise a little faith first. I have to do. I have to hope and believe it is possible. I have to act and open my heart and stop fearing. I'm realizing that we are all so afraid of one thing or another. It's something nobody is immune from, and it causes us to hide from action. Fear is probably the biggest reason why we hurt one another, which causes even more fear and pain. If we realize that we are all just a little bit afraid of this thing or that, we would be less inclined to judge one another so harshly. We would be able to help one another. If we shed our fears, we can trust God and open our hearts to others and feel true peace in our lives. I can't imagine somebody genuinely not wanting those things.

   We had some pretty big disappointments this week. One of them being D. She, like so many others, has a lot of fears that are holding her back....and now she has allowed her fears to make her not like the church. She still loves us and wants us to keep coming, but she is not interested in coming to church any time soon. We aren't sure what to do. It's a tough situation and it was a really hard blow to my heart. I love her so much and want her to be happy. That's all I want and I know that by turning away from the gospel, she will not find the lasting happiness it could bring. She is so plagued by her past and it is seeping into her present. Sometimes I wish Satan had a body, so I could sucker punch him hahaha, but seriously. 

 Okay fun story: We waxed our eyebrows this week. It was quite the adventure and very hilarious. Sister H does it all the time, so she did it for us. It wasn't too bad, but Sister A's reaction was priceless. It was also sis H's B day, so we got her a pinata for her to break....also hilarious to watch. Anyway, we have LOTS of good times to get us through the harder times. There are so many tender mercies every day, and sometimes it's up to us to recognize them. For example, one morning sis A and I went out to run and it was pouring rain. We could have been all bummed and just gone inside, but instead we had soooo much fun running in the rain and splashing in every single puddle like little kids. It was an awesome start to what could have been a bummer day. Attitude is everything. Pray for a good one :)

 LOVE you all. Sorry letters are kinda falling behind. there is just so much work to be done :)

9-9-13

Alright, well here comes the update!  A lot happened this week, but that's nothing new right? Where to begin? Honestly everything often blurs together and it's hard for me to remember when things actually happened. So I guess I'll begin with the pig roast. Our neighbor, Brother F, is a Tongan who is also in our ward. He has a crazy life story, and you can hardly understand his English sometimes, but he's such a great guy. No joke, he goes tracting for us! Here just picks a street and then knocks on doors and hands out Books of Mormon. Then he gives us a list of names and addresses to follow up on. Oh, those follow ups were pretty entertaining, because most of the names weren't even spelled right. He even got a the son of a Jehovah's Witness family to take one haha, but we didn't think it would be a very good idea to go back to that house. We don't want to start any confrontation or Bible bash. Anyway, so Brother F helped us have a ward luau with a Tongan pig roast. He buried a giant pig in a pit in the ground and then you build a fire over it and cook it. It was a great success and lots of investigators and member came. Our only investigator was D, but it worked out well, because we could put all our focus on her. I was so proud of our ward. Everyone really came together and welcomed all the strangers. There were big smiles all around and just a great family feel. I don't think D has had much experience with functions like this and she just ate it up. She said she loved the peaceful, loving feeling she had, and that's what this church is all about right? Loving and supporting one another, so that we can all come unto Christ. 

    Okay, so the next day, we got to do another cool thing. We brought Jerry and Dominique to all the church history sites in Palmyra. It's about a 2 hour drive, so the R (a senior couple) drove D and J and we drove ourselves. what an awesome opportunity it was! It's one thing when you just tell someone your own testimony of Joseph Smith, but it's another when they can go to the very place where he grew up and the very grove of trees where God appeared and called him as a prophet. Going to these places just takes me back to when I was a high school teen and really did not have a testimony of Joseph Smith. I knew the Book of Mormon was true, but I really hadn't bothered with Joseph Smith, because it really was quite a strange story. I had a lot of doubts. A young farm boy being visited by an angel and digging up gold plates? How was I to know he hadn't made everything up? However, I promise that anyone who truly puts in a good amount of research into the story of Joseph Smith and the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon, there is truly no way it could be made up. this farm boy should have lived and died in obscurity, yet he started a church and translated a book that continues to spread throughout the world. Truth doesn't fizzle out. How perfect that he was an uneducated farm boy, who knew nothing of Hebrew culture or history, who had a 3rd grade education, and yet the Book of Mormon has been proven to endure historical scrutiny with authenticity? How could he do that? Facts aside, there is a peace that comes to my heart when I truly ask if Joseph's story really is true. That is all God wants. We only need ask and search and He will give us the answers we seek, but only if we truly open our hearts and minds to receive His answer without fear. Something that we stress to our investigators (and members) is that all of the stories and people and revelations and changes have only one purpose: to bring us to the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, our Savior. He is the focus. He is what this gospel centers on. He should be the bottom line of every parable, every story, every book, every experience. Jesus Christ is our hope for a beautiful future, for a peaceful world, for a healing heart. We can't let doctrines distract us or stop seeking until we understand HOW they bring us closer to truly knowing Christ on a personal level, for that is their sole purpose. 

    Watching our investigators walk through the Sacred Grove, the very place where God appeared to Joseph Smith, was such an interesting experience. I could almost see to their hearts, and they were being filled with peace and reverence. In fact, D could sense that it was a sacred place and decided she should take off her shoes, so she and Sister A walked together through the grove barefoot. What place could be more appropriate right?

   Well, transfers are tomorrow and this is sis A's last day before going home :( :( :( I'm really going to miss her. She has taught me so much through her example, and her energy kept me peppy when I was so often discouraged. I have no doubt she will continue to be a great missionary even after she goes home. Our area is getting split and we are getting two new sisters, probably in our house. Fun:)! Even better, the two new sisters are a visa waiter and a Guatemalan sister who also speaks Portuguese!! Que legal! Oh, and Elder L got his visa last week, so things are looking promising. I'm feeling good about my visa. I think it's coming within this transfer. My love for Brazil is honestly growing even though I'm not there, but I have so much to do here and really love the people. God's timing truly is best, so I'm trying to not get anxious. Prayers are much appreciated still. 

We are all sooooo blessed. Remember that. Okay I love yall.

9-3-13

Hey there!

Wow, I feel really tired. Please bear with me. I'm not exactly sure why, but this week really wore me out and I'm having a super hard time remembering what actually happened. Sometimes life is a bit of a blur. I think we had a lot of cancellations last week, but once again, I can't remember when everything actually happened. Haha, am I going crazy!? I hope not, but all missionaries are probably a little bit crazy.

 We did get a less active member to come to church this week, which was pretty cool. He usually blows off missionaries and has a reptutation of being really tough, but I'm finding quite often that many situations just need a little feminine touch ;) No offense to the Elders. It's just that people don't get scared of girls or something or they don't seem as pushy. It does seem to be a trend that we are really popular with the old men though haha. For example, yesterday we spent the day trying to meet people out and about on the boardwalk of Grand Island. We ended up finding a car show, which we were excited about because that meant that we could talk to lots of people. However, we had a problem....none of us really knew much about cars, so it was super hard to strike up conversations. All we could really say was, "Oh, that's a cute color. Oh look at the teal seats, that's fun"......which doesn't get you very far with serious car-guys. So, we weren't really finding much success until we approached this 63 T-bird and said something to the old guy sitting next to it. he gave a smile and seemed pretty friendly, so I asked him to teach me something about his car, which really got him excited. He jumped and started listing off all kinds of information and then went into a tangent about about his life story. He was a full blooded Sicilian ex-sherriff who had family in the mafia. As you could guess, lot's of stories. Well, he really liked having some young gals around, so he started parading us around and introducing us to all kinds of people that he knew, even a reverend/police man on a horse (who we exchanged some Bible jokes with....oh missionary humor). Then, he bought us food, whether we wanted it or not haha. We suddenly became very popular and talked to many people and gave lots of pass along cards, so it was a success all thanks to Frankie haha. Wow, the mission life is full of surprises. Sometimes we walk away and just ask ourselves if something really just happened. Yesterday, we were more or less marriage/ financial counselors for some of our recent converts. I know we aren't supposed to counsel, but it's hard because we try to avoid details about marital issues and stuff, but they just lay it on us whether we want it or not. New Yorkers are really reserved at first, but if you get them talking, even a stranger will tell you about their personality disorder or birth defect. haha. 

The B_____s are....really struggling. ugh....but J has committed to reading the scriptures every day! He pinky swore :) so I know it will really help him with feeling so lost. He is so awesome and just gives every part of himself to his family, but they are all still facing so many trials. I can feel the spirit so strong when we teach them and I just love them so much. D is also doing quite well. She is funny, because she talks soooo much and is so deep and all over the place. You can't even interrupt her, because she will just talk over you, but in the end, the Spirit teaches her exactly what she needed to know, just in a very roundabout way haha.

Okay gotta run. Pray for me. Love you all

8-26-13

Hey, hey, hey,

 Niagara falls was fun, but we only did the America side, which isn't quite as cool. When I come back  one day, I’m going to go to the Canada side again. It's nice to get out and walk around in nature anyhow. 

So, this week was great! So many miracles happened, seriously. I can't believe how much God rewards our efforts when we just have a little faith and trust in His timing. We started the week with a great FHE with the B____s, and sister B___ finally spoke to us. She said she read the Book of Mormon and felt peace again, which is a relief, because she gets her results about her cancer this week. Their family has sooo much on their plate, but they are pushing through and I think our presence is making a big difference. So at first, this week seemed like it would be a disaster, because every one of our appts were falling through. Mary literally just went A-wall and didn’t show up or respond to anything for a few days. We were facing serious rejection, and I couldn't figure out why we were so epicly failing. So, we decided to try a former investigators house, and he and his wife were really interested. It was such a strange lesson though, because they have a hobby of ghost- hunting....literally. they started to tell us about a suicidal ghost they found with an "i-phone app" (seriously?) but he ended up haunting them and then they had to get their witch ant to cast a spell that nailed his soul to his grave......soooo I was racking my brain to bridge the topic back to the gospel of Jesus Christ, because the Spirit was loooong gone. We ended up talking about life after death and bearing testimony about God's eternal plan of mercy for us. It clearly brought great peace to the wife, because she had just had a friend who committed suicide and was worried he would go straight to hell. We explained that the Atonement covers everyone, and everyone will have a chance at Salvation. I could see a weight come off her shoulders. 

   So, the week went on and we had more miracles. D_______ has started to really open up to us and finally explained that she hasn’t been reading the Book of Mormon on her own because she doesn't even know how to read scriptures in the Bible, and it's too overwhelming. We are going to start having scripture study with her, which should really help. Even more, she really considers us dear friends, which is great, because it got her to come to church this week. We told her we wouldn't be able to see her til next Thursday, and she was like "that's too long. I' think I'll come to church so I can see you guys". Then at church, we got to have some scripture study with her and  bring her some peace regarding her family situation. 

   So, back to Mary. We had visited 3 times and called a bunch and I was scared it was all over, but sis A  wanted to swing by again. I was like "she is Not going to answer", but sis A had more faith than me. When we got to the door, we could hear voices inside, which meant she was at least alive (for a bit, we were scared she was dead and her birds and hamsters were eating her in her apt, sorry if that was gross haha). I knocked on the door, and lo and behold, Mary answers with a big smile like nothing happened. Turns out her phone has died and she had totally forgotten us due to a rough week. We got to teach her a lesson about forgiveness and the importance of the priesthood and we have two more appts with her this week! It was perfect that she didn’t show up for her other appt too, because we have a potential investigator from that open time slot where we talked to random people on the street. 

 There were even more miracles, but Im all outta time :( 

I love you all and this gospel is true! Do your visiting and home teaching please!! And learn as much as you can about the sacrament. It is powerful and sacred and beautiful and I had no idea. 

Okay, love love love yall

Keep in touch.

Oh yeah one more thing. I am loving it here and I know I’m fulfilling a purpose, but I’m starting to feel like I need to get to Brazil. It's weird. I am feeling a bit of a pull. I don't know what that means, but if you all could please pray for my visa, it would be much appreciated. Prayers are powerful, and I really want to fulfill whatever purpose I have in Brazil. Thanks!! 

8-18-13

Alrighty, hello hello. I'm going to be honest, this week was hard. We had to dump someone. she is this old lady who pretends to forget her commitment, but then slips up and tells us she remembers and we finally just flat out had to tell her that if she never intends to go to church, then we cant keep coming. She was fine with that and said it was understandable haha, so I guess that's the easiest breakup Ill ever have. Also, I never realized how crucial the ward is!!! You guys, anyone who is reading this, church is not about showing up on Sunday for a few hours and half-way doing your calling and then going home and forgetting about everyone you saw and everything you heard. Church is not about going to a building and having someone entertain you and make you feel like youre the greatest and don't need to change anything because Jesus has it covered. To be honest, this church is hardly even about going to church. We call it a "ward family" for a reason. The gospel of Jesus Christ must exist within the hearts of the members. Our church is only as strong as the members, and we MUST be continually working to be knit together with love. I'm sorry if this is coming off as brash, but we are just pretty frustrated with our ward. They don't care about one another. Sure, they will make a lasagna if someone breaks their leg, but they don't want to listen to someone rant about their life problems (which New Yorkers love to do haha). That's what family is for right? Wrong. If you are in a ward, they are your family, okay. We call eachother Brother and Sister for a reason. Our Heavenly Father has asked us two things: love Him and then love one another. When we leave the church building, our work has only begun. We don't have to do big things, we just have to be there for one another. My comps and I are desperately trying to think of ways to unify the ward, because if they can't support one another, then how can they support investigators? I love the families in our ward, but I'm starting to wonder if they even realize how awesome their "ward family" could be. there are so many families that have so much potential, but they are struggling, and nobody is showing up for their brothers and sisters. They just tell us about it, and expect us to fix it. This church is more than a church. It is a lifestyle. It is a state of mind. It is a family under one God and of one heart. Let's act that way and care for our brothers and sisters. On that note, I am soooo grateful for the ward that I grew up in that set such a wonderful example to me. I am using the family feeling I had growing up in my ward as my vision for what this ward could be. Keep that going. It is SUCH a blessing to the youth. It is essential for the success of the members and missionaries.

On another note. I ate at the BEST BBQ place of my life. Yes, Amanda, it was even better than Smoking Apple, which I feel guilty even saying, but it's true. also, we are going to Niagara Falls today. Woot! Oh, and it's a miracle! I got some shoes that dont kill my feet. I can walk pain-free!!! seriously such a miracle.

I hope I didnt sound too negative. There are some progressing investigators that are doing great and really are learning so fast. They answer our questions before we ask them. I love so many of the people here so much. I just wish they could have a more eternal perspective. I wish I did too. I am working on trying to leave things in God's hands and letting Him work in His own timing. We truly are His children and we are cradled in His loving hands. If we could only see how much He cares for us and protects our little hearts, I think our trials wouldnt seem so tough. I KNOW that God only gives us as much as we can handle. I know He loves us more than we comprehend. I know that everything that happens is for our good, even if it is soooo hard to see in the moment.  I love you all. Keep writing. I really appreciate the letters. :)

8-12-13

Okay, so now it's time for the NY update! 

Wow, there is waaaaaay too much to write, but I'll do my best. So first of all, here is a funny story. Apparently I can prophesy death!! We had this inactive member that we did service for who is diabetic and his body is falling apart and he is miserable. He talked about how God doesn't seem to love him and he would rather just die and that he is considering suicide. Well, I tried to share some scriptures to uplift his spirits and I promised him that God loves him. Then, I felt inspired to promise him that he had something good coming. I said it a few times with such surety, even though I really didn't want to promise that to such a hopeless situation. Well, guess what....Webbie went to the hospital and died, but they resuscitated him! We all felt bad for him, because he was probably pretty mad to be alive (he has died and come back a few times). I was feeling pretty guilty, because I had promised him something good and now just look what happened! Then, the next day, we were talking about how I felt guilty and when I walked out of the bathroom, they said Webbie died. Honestly all we could do was laugh because it was such a  weird situation, and I couldn't quite decide if my promise had come true or not, haha, but I'm pretty sure that death was the best thing for Webbie. Now he can be free of mortal pains. So there you have it, I'm a prophetess! 

Okay, here's another one. So the F___s are this crazy couple who just joined the church and they are so great and sincere.....and really loving the church welfare system haha. We had dinner at their house, compliments of the church, which they love telling us with a smile. They really love and appreciate how much the church has blessed and changed their lives. So, anyway, Sister F___ was talking about her family and then explained that her brother was married to their first cousin!! I guess it's legal in Massachusetts. The best part is that she thought it was perfectly fine because it was legal there....not strange at all. ahhhh!! We all tried our best to act natural when she told us that, but all I could think of was children running around with 11 toes. They are such sweet people, just a little different and naive I guess. 

So, we have some awesome investigators. Dominique is staying with her grandma and in her 20s. She is such a deep thinker and loves discussing life and religion with us, but she thinks in these huge circles and always comes back to how Buddhism also brings us to enlightenment, so how do we know what is right. We keep trying to explain that the fact that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the whole truth and doesn't negate the good things about other religions. She worries me though, because  her thinking reminds me a little of myself with the way she goes on these crazy tangents and gets really deep. Sometimes I think its a miracle I didn't think myself out of a testimony. We will see though. I have hope for her that God will touch her mind like he has touched her heart. 

We also have a super sweet investigator in assisted living who is a hoarder. So, we helped her clean her apartment for about two hours and she kept calling us angels. Jenny, you would have loved this activity, haha. We got to clean and organize and really turn her place around. She is so faithful and has a love for God. I think she is going to be easy, honestly, because she has such a believing heart. I really admire her courageous faith. She has deformed fingers and body and had cancer and two heart surgeries, but she assures us that God has always watched over her, even while homeless for a bit. Wow, so humble!! She is awesome and so sweet.

The B family is really struggling. Gary has totally relapsed and only seems to care about drugs and girls again. Its super hard on the family, especially Jerry (the brother who holds everything together). They love having us over though, and are always uplifted by our message. I can tell that Jerry is really gaining new hope and feeling  better when we come over. Sister B is about to give up though, and her cancer is getting worse. I really love this family. Please pray for them. Please pray that they will stop being angry at God so that he can comfort their wounded hearts. 

I'm realizing that church attendance is sooooooo important. The ward is EVERYTHING. We don't go to church just to take the sacrament. That's what I always thought and everything else was just fluff. But now I know that a ward is a family. We keep tabs on each other. We support and serve each other. A calling gives us purpose and more opportunity to grow. If we want to bring more into the fold, we must have the ward involved, because friendship and fellowship must exist within the ward family. God wants us all to be missionaries. Remember: "feed my sheep". Try to find ways to serve one another, both within the church and outside of it. I'm realizing that everyone's purpose in life is to take care of one another and be somebody's somebody, not romantically, just in general.

Okay gotta run. I love yall sooooooo much. Write Me!!...if you want.....but do....okay :)

Sister Huntington