So, this week!
Poor Sister Deuel was sick with the flu for most of the week, so I ended up going on a lot of splits with people from the stake/students. It made this week feel extra long for some reason, but it's all good. For exchanges, I went out with Sister Tapeseira, one of our room mates who covers the other half of BYU-I. I just love her tons! She's actually been out for just a bit longer than me, since she served in the Philippines (her home) for a bit before she came out to Idaho. Since they cover the YSA student stakes, I got to teach some non-member students with her. It is just so neat to teach with all of these return missionaries, who really care and want to help their friends learn how to recognize promptings. It made me thing about what kind of person I want to be when I return home. Missionary work is a responsibility we all have, and I want to be able to continue to share the gospel always.
One thing that I don't believe that I mentioned yet, is that as missionaries over BYU-I, we go twice a week in the mornings, and have a booth. We let the students know about the skype lessons that we teach, and then commit them to invite their friends to learn more, and have a lesson with us over skype. It's seriously really neat, and we can teach anyone around the world! We just teach them the first two discussions, and then if they want to learn more, the missionaries who cover their area will continue to teach them. Over 43 baptisms from just last March to November have resulted in the skype lessons, and those are just the numbers that make it back to us. It's a little bit strange, being a missionary on campus, but the work really goes on! I did booth a few times on exchanges when I first came out, so it's not completely strange to me.
Saturday we were invited to a dinner with all of the ward mission leaders in one of our married student stakes, some of the stake leadership, and President and Sister Nelson. It was really neat just to be able to get to know everyone, and our mission president and his wife . After the dinner was the evening session of Stake Conference, and the whole theme was missionary work. President and Sister Nelson got to talk as well. A few things that stood out to me was just how this work must go forth, and one of the greatest tools we have is technology. I love Elder Oaks talk this last General Conference, and I would just like to invite everyone to prayerfully think about what they can do to use social media as a missionary tool.
D&C 58:64 "For, verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs following them that believe."
(The Scripture that President Nelson used).
One thing I thought I would share in particular this week, is a girl we met named Malak. Malak is a 19-year-old girl from Libya, of the Muslim faith. Her mother, younger sister, and her are living with some of their family members here in one of our Stakes, because it became dangerous for the girls to live back at their home. She's just super sweet, and is decently good at speaking English. Malak said that she would like to learn more, so a member from our mission presidency will come to our next lesson to see if it would be safe for them to take the discussions, because they still have family back at home, and in case they are to return back to Libya. So we will see how that goes!
Also, some of the missionaries in our mission have been invited to attend a Missionary Department Tour Leadership Meeting, which will last pretty much all day (8am-4pm!) this coming Thursday. It will be interesting to see what they're going to talk about!
I hope everyone has a wonderful week! Know that I love each and everyone of you!
-Sister Cottrell
I've been able to learn a lot over the past few weeks, one being just how much Heavenly Father "rebuilds" us to help us be what He needs us to be. This quote made me think a lot about "The Refiner's Fire" video, that can be found on Mormon channel. I may have not have those kinds of trials, but everyone has difficulties that are unique and challenging to them. I've been having my fair share, but at the same time, I have never changed just this fast either. I just want to leave with my testimony that we can each be strengthened through the enabling power of the Atonement through any afflictions that we have! All things truly will work together for our good! Things might not change or get better, but "if we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as
the easiest times in life can be a blessing" (President Eyring).
No comments:
Post a Comment