Hey everyone!
How ya'll doin? We had a great week here in Virginia, i'm not sure where to even begin. But things are going really well it has been interesting to learn this week how the Lord has his hand in everything and that we must trust in his timing. This week I learned a lot about what it means to have true success as a missionary. This work is so hard. Ha if I would have known truly how hard beforehand I probably wouldn't be here right now! Haha just messin. Not true. But I just know that true success as a missionary doesn't lie in the numbers... how many investigators at church, how many lessons taught, and especially how many baptisms. True success as a missionary is how hard you are trying to align your will with Gods will and what you are willing to do to lay everything on the altar of sacrifice to give everything you possibly can to him and do what he has asked by being obedient and working hard all day every day talking to as many people as you can. Maddie wrote me something this week that got me thinking haha she told me that I better be representing our family out here in a good way. (No pressure) But that is something I think about often. I want to do everything I can to make my family and friends proud out here in the mission... but not only that.... more importantly to make the Lord proud of me as a missionary and to be representing him in a good way to those people that I come in contact with. Our Heavenly Father has given us so much. He sent his son here to sacrifice for us so we can not only be forgiven of our sins but so we can also overcome anything in our lives... any addictions, temptations, opposition, and trial. He came so that we can find peace and comfort through the power of the atonement. I know that to be true. I know the atonement has so much power and i'm only beginning to truly understand how powerful it really is. I know it can help us through anything as long as we put forth the effort to access it fully.
Remember Crissy I was tellin ya'll about last week? Well, she completely tore our hearts in half. She texted us a big long text telling us that she couldn't meet anymore cuz her husband isn't in agreement with having to live the word of wisdom and doesn't want crissy living it either and giving up those things. I think it was the biggest heartbreaker for us because she knows it is true and she wants to meet with us and be baptized but her husband is just holding her back. Dont worry it gets better... i wouldn't tell ya'll about this if it didn't :) haha so we haven't been too sure what to do or how to approach the situation and this morning she was just on my mind constantly. I couldn't focus on anything and we actually had a lesson fall through so we decided that we should go and see her not even knowing if she would be home or not. When we got there, she answered the door and was more than happy to see us. I was so surprised. She is amazing! I cant even believe it. She recorded all sessions of general conference and has been watching them. She is still reading the book of Mormon and yeah it gets better... she leaves the book of Mormon in places where she knows her husband will see it and she has caught him reading it more than once. Talk about being a missionary without even being a member of the church yet. She just told us that right now her husband has a lot of anger cuz his mom just died and he is going to need time and she is planning on working on him and teaching him the plan of salvation and slowly softening his heart to where they can both meet with us again. Gah. She still wants to be baptized and she still knows it is true. We are just trusting in the Lords timing on this one and whether or not the time is for when we are here or someone else I know that they both, especially Crissy will make it!
We are still teaching Tom and Chris and they are progressing more than ever. They are sooo great! It is just amazing how the Lord has had a hand in us teaching them and how He has been preparing them over the years. They are the ones who are older and have a one year old baby and Chris has actually had 4 still borns before and then had a son who got in a motorcycle accident when he was 20 years old. She has been through a lot and their new baby, Tommy is just the biggest miracle for them. They are meeting with us because of him cuz they want him to have the best life possible and they don't want him to have to grow up around his parents smoking and everything. They have mainly just been meeting with us cuz they want the best for him but I can see them converting. They know that its true and know its the right path and just this last week was when I noticed that cuz they are willing to do anything that they need to so they can be baptized. They are willing to stop smoking, drinking, and coffee. They are willing to come to church and to read the book of Mormon. It has finally gotten to the point where they want to come to church not because we are telling them they need to come. They are reading and praying because they want to and they recognize the blessings that are coming from it and it is not because we have been asking them to. You can tell they are doing it because it is what the Lord has asked them to do and needs them to do. They know getting baptized is what needs to happen and they are set to be baptized in november. I have more faith than ever in them that they will make it and that one day they will be able to go to the temple and be sealed forever. I can see that potential in them every time i see them. I can see them dressed all in white entering the waters of baptism and eventually going to the temple. They are the best and i'm so grateful they are a part of my life. I wouldn't trade not meeting them or any of the other people I have met for anything in this world. I am so grateful to be here and I am grateful for the experiences I have had. I know that this is the true church and that I am here for a reason and we all are where we are at this time in our lives for a reason. The lord has a plan for each of us and is sooo aware of us all. I know that to be true!
I love you all! Have a great week! XOXO
Sister Roosendaal
our washer just hooks up to the sink.... its fine. at least we have one right? :)
I was trying to jump but failed miserably. thought you might enjoy that. haha
i'll send better pics next week
How ya'll doin? We had a great week here in Virginia, i'm not sure where to even begin. But things are going really well it has been interesting to learn this week how the Lord has his hand in everything and that we must trust in his timing. This week I learned a lot about what it means to have true success as a missionary. This work is so hard. Ha if I would have known truly how hard beforehand I probably wouldn't be here right now! Haha just messin. Not true. But I just know that true success as a missionary doesn't lie in the numbers... how many investigators at church, how many lessons taught, and especially how many baptisms. True success as a missionary is how hard you are trying to align your will with Gods will and what you are willing to do to lay everything on the altar of sacrifice to give everything you possibly can to him and do what he has asked by being obedient and working hard all day every day talking to as many people as you can. Maddie wrote me something this week that got me thinking haha she told me that I better be representing our family out here in a good way. (No pressure) But that is something I think about often. I want to do everything I can to make my family and friends proud out here in the mission... but not only that.... more importantly to make the Lord proud of me as a missionary and to be representing him in a good way to those people that I come in contact with. Our Heavenly Father has given us so much. He sent his son here to sacrifice for us so we can not only be forgiven of our sins but so we can also overcome anything in our lives... any addictions, temptations, opposition, and trial. He came so that we can find peace and comfort through the power of the atonement. I know that to be true. I know the atonement has so much power and i'm only beginning to truly understand how powerful it really is. I know it can help us through anything as long as we put forth the effort to access it fully.
Remember Crissy I was tellin ya'll about last week? Well, she completely tore our hearts in half. She texted us a big long text telling us that she couldn't meet anymore cuz her husband isn't in agreement with having to live the word of wisdom and doesn't want crissy living it either and giving up those things. I think it was the biggest heartbreaker for us because she knows it is true and she wants to meet with us and be baptized but her husband is just holding her back. Dont worry it gets better... i wouldn't tell ya'll about this if it didn't :) haha so we haven't been too sure what to do or how to approach the situation and this morning she was just on my mind constantly. I couldn't focus on anything and we actually had a lesson fall through so we decided that we should go and see her not even knowing if she would be home or not. When we got there, she answered the door and was more than happy to see us. I was so surprised. She is amazing! I cant even believe it. She recorded all sessions of general conference and has been watching them. She is still reading the book of Mormon and yeah it gets better... she leaves the book of Mormon in places where she knows her husband will see it and she has caught him reading it more than once. Talk about being a missionary without even being a member of the church yet. She just told us that right now her husband has a lot of anger cuz his mom just died and he is going to need time and she is planning on working on him and teaching him the plan of salvation and slowly softening his heart to where they can both meet with us again. Gah. She still wants to be baptized and she still knows it is true. We are just trusting in the Lords timing on this one and whether or not the time is for when we are here or someone else I know that they both, especially Crissy will make it!
We are still teaching Tom and Chris and they are progressing more than ever. They are sooo great! It is just amazing how the Lord has had a hand in us teaching them and how He has been preparing them over the years. They are the ones who are older and have a one year old baby and Chris has actually had 4 still borns before and then had a son who got in a motorcycle accident when he was 20 years old. She has been through a lot and their new baby, Tommy is just the biggest miracle for them. They are meeting with us because of him cuz they want him to have the best life possible and they don't want him to have to grow up around his parents smoking and everything. They have mainly just been meeting with us cuz they want the best for him but I can see them converting. They know that its true and know its the right path and just this last week was when I noticed that cuz they are willing to do anything that they need to so they can be baptized. They are willing to stop smoking, drinking, and coffee. They are willing to come to church and to read the book of Mormon. It has finally gotten to the point where they want to come to church not because we are telling them they need to come. They are reading and praying because they want to and they recognize the blessings that are coming from it and it is not because we have been asking them to. You can tell they are doing it because it is what the Lord has asked them to do and needs them to do. They know getting baptized is what needs to happen and they are set to be baptized in november. I have more faith than ever in them that they will make it and that one day they will be able to go to the temple and be sealed forever. I can see that potential in them every time i see them. I can see them dressed all in white entering the waters of baptism and eventually going to the temple. They are the best and i'm so grateful they are a part of my life. I wouldn't trade not meeting them or any of the other people I have met for anything in this world. I am so grateful to be here and I am grateful for the experiences I have had. I know that this is the true church and that I am here for a reason and we all are where we are at this time in our lives for a reason. The lord has a plan for each of us and is sooo aware of us all. I know that to be true!
I love you all! Have a great week! XOXO
Sister Roosendaal
our washer just hooks up to the sink.... its fine. at least we have one right? :)
I was trying to jump but failed miserably. thought you might enjoy that. haha
i'll send better pics next week
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