Hey everyone!!!
What a great week it has been! It was definitely very humbling and I
learned soo much!! The work is going great we have some awesome
investigators... they are just all leaving at the end of August which is
a bummer haha but we are still just trying to find some new
investigators! The students are starting to slowly trickle back in and I
know the work is really going to pick up once school starts again and
there will be YSA's all over the place.
We taught Chris Brady a couple times this week and he is doing so
awesome!! We had a really neat lesson with him this week where the
spirit was just so powerful! We invited a recent convert named Harriet
to come with us... she joined the church at the end of april and she
seriously is so amazing.... we invited her to come and she really didn't
have time cuz she had something going on but she felt like she should
come at least for a little bit and I am soo glad that she did!! She is
just a spiritual powerhouse and could relate so well to Chris. It helped
him so much to hear her conversion story and to have someone there who
knows how he feels and knows what he is going through. It really put
things into perspective for Chris.. he was able to understand better
that he doesn't have to know everything before he gets baptized... that
is what is so amazing about the church is that we don't \need to know
everything. We are continually learning... we are constantly being
taught the same things in church on sundays but yet we are able to take
different insights each time we are taught something because of the
different points that we are in in our lives. It is a continual learning
process and our testimonies are continually being strengthened and we
all get to do it together which is amazing! I love it! We actually
assigned Chris to read alma 32 which is all about faith... it is a great
chapter I would suggest reading it haha but what is crazy is that
Harriet read that exact same chapter before she came to the lesson cuz
she felt like she just needed to! She had no idea that we had assigned
that chapter to him... it was so cool and we just had a great discussion
about it and harriet could be involved cuz she had just read it! Ah,
and to top it all off.... we decided to kneel down with Chris and pray
about the book of Mormon. We told him that we would kneel down to pray
and that he needed to ask just a really specific question... like "is
the book of Mormon true?" So we knelt down and chris gave the most
sincere and heartfelt prayer I have ever heard ..... it was amazing!!!
he said it perfectly and after we said amen we all just sat there
forever... just listening. You could tell that he was listening and
paying attention to the spirit so hard... he really really wants to
know!! He finally sat up and kinda had tears in his eyes... and he just
kept saying thank you over and over.... we asked him how he felt and he
said he had a warm feeling in his heart, so we made sure that he
recognized that it was the holy ghost and that is how we receive answers
to our prayers.... he serioiusly was glowing afterward cuz I know he
felt it.... he knows what he felt.... he felt a witness that the book of
Mormon is true and he felt his heavenly fathers love towards him cuz of
the amazing feeling of the holy ghost. I know that not only did he
receive a witness of the truthfulness of the book of Mormon but I did as
well..... his prayer and his real intent and the spirit just testified
to me again that this church really is true and that heavenly father
truly answers all of our prayers. he is aware of us.... he is aware of
our concerns and our needs and he is willing to pour down those
blessings upon us as long as we are humble enough to turn to him and to
ask with sincerity. Like I said, Chris was just glowing after that
lesson and I have never seen him so happy. I am sooo excited for him. I
just have to say that there is honestly no better work out there than
missionary work! Being able to help chris on this journey and help him
seek for the truth and helping him find something that will bless his
life for eternity... gah.... it is the biggest blessing to be out here
helping people get on the path that will lead them back to their
heavenly father! Like Elder Holland has said all we need in this gospel
is a simple belief... if we can just believe and build on that belief
that we have then we can come to KNOW. I know that everyone through
prayer and the power of the holy ghost can come to know of the
truthfulness of this gospel and can be able to feel of heavenly fathers
love toward you. I know that I have definitely felt strength and comfort
from my father in heaven this week especially as I have knelt in humble
prayer asking him for things. He loves us. He knows us. and he is
waiting for us to turn to him. I can testify of the truthfulness of that
and the power that it can have in our lives. He will never turn our
backs on us.... no matter how many times we turn our back on him... he
will always be there waiting.
So funny story for ya'll..... hope ya don't think i'm crazy after
this. haha so about a month ago we... meaning I lost the church keys. We
had them to play ball at the church on a pday and that is the last
place they were seen. Well it has been pretty difficult not having keys
cuz we have lessons at the church and stuff and we just use the building
a lot so it has been a huge pain.... I have searched EVERYWHERE for
them and called everyone and they have just been nowhere to be found....
so I was just at a loss and didn't even know what to do anymore and so I
finally decided to pray about it.... finally meaning that I should have
prayed about it a month ago when I lost them. haha but lesson
learned.... we ran inside the apartment the day after I had prayed about
it.... we grabbed some stuff, ran out the door and all the sudden we
hear this big cling of something falling on the ground.... I turned
around cuz there was someone walking behind us and I was just super
confused cuz I didn't know what it was..... I looked at the ground and
there were some keys..... so I asked the girl if they were hers or if
they saw where they came from.... giving me a weird look she replied
"no" so I slowly walked over and peeked to see what keys they were....
freaking out knowing there was no way they could be the church keys....
BUT.... it was the church keys!!! I have nooooooooo idea where they came
from.... they seriously just fell out of nowhere. it was the craziest
thing... and I promise i'm not crazy cuz sister walker witnessed the
whole thing. haha. THE CHURCH IS TRUUUE.
We had another sweet experience this week.... we were going to go
to this place to play basketball cuz there are a lot of ysa's there and
we were just going to go play with them and just get to know them and
talk to them about the church and what not. Welll.... we attempted to go
this last week and there was only one person out playing and we just
didn't feel good about going.... so we went somewhere else and then I
just had a pit in my stomach and felt like we needed to go back.... so
patient sister walker let us go back and there were more people
playing... so we changed real quick and walked over and without even
saying anything they asked us to play with them.... huge, tall, black,
tattooed guys. Scariest thing ever. Haha but they were super nice to us
and we kept trying to talk to them about the church but it wasn't really
working so I just kept praying that we would be able to fulfill our
purpose while we were there.... so this kid came over and was just
standing by the court... I went and introduced myself and asked him to
play but he couldn't play cuz he was hurt.... PERFECT.... so I stood
there and talked to him about the church and it was probably one of the
best conversations I have had with someone on my mission cuz he just
straight up asked what we believe and I was able to tell him and testify
to him but it was so different cuz I was really trying to be real with
him instead of just giving him a pitch..... and it was just an
incredible difference trying to be more real with him cuz it allowed him
to be more comfortable and open up more.... I know that there are so
many ways we can share our testimonies with people but the best way is
by example and to relate to them, to care about them, and their concerns
and their interests. I learned a lot from that night.... I learned how
enjoyable sharing the gospel and how comfortable it can be as long as we
are real with people and act like real people too. He said he was
interested in learning more... i'm not sure what will happened but I
definitely know we planted some seeds and we were able to fulfill our
purpose which was even better.
This week has been very humbling for me. I've learned a lot about
the power that this gospel has and how truly blessed we are to have it
in our lives. I don't even know how people go through the things that
they do in their lives without this gospel. it is so important and so
powerful. Heavenly father loves us. we are all his children and he is
just waiting to help us. I know that to be true. I know this gospel is
true and I truly am soo grateful for it and i'm so happy to be here
serving and helping the people of Virginia! I know this is where I am
supposed to be :) I love you all!! have a good week! The church is true
:) XOXO
Sister Roosendaal
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