Monday, June 2, 2014

Burn, baby BURN! -- it's the spirit!!!

UMMMM so my brother is in Rome?? WHAT??!?! SURPRISE!! Have fun on all your Summer Vaca's, family!!
 
This week has been the best.... SOOO many pictures, I can't even comprehend it! hahah tooooo fun:)
 
So first off, fun facts. Our YSA area boundaries are the LARGEST mission area boundaries in the whole United States. Kearney, where I'm serving, is also smack dab in the MIDDLE of the United States.... So yeah, I have the ultimate USA mission:)
 
So we're emailing later in the day today because, well, we had a lot of cleaning to do in our apartment this morning... hahah Sister Muasau and I were making Poli Popo last night (a sweet bread) and we literally set the oven on fire. Hahah it was fun:) So no worries! We're learning life skills we WILL master this Poly bread!! :)
 
So prayers are always answered! We have been praying so hard lately for our branch to be unified, and it is working!! Everyone is loving everyone now and we have gotten a lot of refurrals to their friends this last week! We even asked the whole branch to join us in a special fast yesterday to feel more unified and to have more people start coming to the branch every week. Next week is the week where all the bishops in all the units in the stake are bringing their YSA age members to our branch, so it will be a crazy fun Sunday next week! We will be doing our best to call all the potential YSA's in our HUGE area to get them to come to game night on Saturday, spend the night with our members here in Kearney and then join us at church on Sunday. I hope it's the best turn out ever!
 
I love Nebraska thunder storms!!! They always happen on Sunday's during our YSA lunch after the block. yesterday it was POURING and as usual, the whole branch goes out to stand in the rain:) It's the best thing ever!! Other than yesterday though, the weather has been super hot and HUMID!!
 
Funny story. So Eliza emailed me last week and said that they were heading to the temple to go through for some of her ancestors, after email, we had to go help a family in the family ward on their farm and we were hauling manure. So while ya'll were in the temple. I was haulin cow poo to the garden! I was giggling inside:) I love farms though!!
 
We taught some great lessons this week! One to our 86 year old investigator, Arlys! We're doing our best to get her to join us on a temple trip!! I have never seen two people as in love as her and her husband STILL are even though he passed away a year ago. He is all she ever talks about. it is the CUTEST thing!! And everytime we are there, we totally feel him there. The spirit of Elijah is REAL!
 
We taught a cute 24 year old new investigator named Janessa! Her and her fiancé are getting married in a year, and we are going to start teaching her the lessons this week!
 
We have an investigator that we were just given from the Grand Island Elders named Anna! She is set for baptism and we get to start teaching her now. She is still overcoming smoking, but we are really excited to start working with her and getting her to the waters of baptism. She came to church for the first time last week and she said she really enjoyed it!! So pray for her!!
 
We met a 21 year old new investigator named Joe this last week. He is really confused about life and about God, but a phycology class that he took last semester has really brought up some questions and we had a good first lesson with him, only talking about how God is our Loving Heavenly Father, but he is excited to start meeting with us now!! He says he has faith, but we are really trying to help him establish a firm faith but helping him to pray and read scriptures. He's a great guy and it's exciting!!
 
So for FHE this last week, to do our best to continually establish unity in the branch, we taught an awesome lesson incorporating my favorite-- the war chapters in the BofM! We had everyone sit in a circle and the spirit was so strong in the lesson, everyone was getting involved and we just discussed how we are all in this battle and war together. All on the same team! And then for the activity, we did a paint war. FUNNEST THING EVER!! Everyone loved it! And those that didn't go, really wish they would have! So ever since then, our turn out to activities has been a lot higher and they are inviting their friends!! It's been a SLOW process, but we are seeing great efforts as we've focused ourselves on strengthening the members.
 
I love my companion. We SO OFTEN are thinking the EXACT same things and it's not too unlikely when we say the same things in harmony with each other. "get outta my brain!" Every time it happens we sing "spirit!!" Haha we love being so in unity!
 
 And I love serving in Kearney. I know that I am learning EXACTLY what I am needing to learn out here. Sister Muasau and the branch members are seriously teaching me how to have fun. How to be myself. And helping me discover who I am. I don't think I have had more fun than I have since I've been out here in Kearney! It's the greatest!! Sister Mausau is teaching me to open up my heart and to be real with people. Allowing myself to have an opinion and as I've focused ALL my heart might mind and strength to making best friends out here and loving them from the bottom of my heart, I feel that I have a greater understanding of with the Lord's charity truly is. NOTHING in this world can satisfy what we all crave-- love -- more than the Lord's charity.
 
We had the privilege to teach Relief Society yesterday and we taught out of PMG chapter 6-- Christlike attribute. I chose to speak on Charity and my favorite thing EVER on the mission is to feel the spirit testify to people through me. To feel the spirit guide my thoughts and words as I teach. It's my FAVORITE and that lesson that we taught yesterday was so clear and true.
 
Please pay attention to your potential and remember who you really are. Because when remember WHO'S we are, that helps us in our daily decisions and attitudes more than we could even realize.

Something we discussed in our companionship study this morning is how so often, bad things happen to good people. I mean, just look in the VERY first verse of the Book of Mormon. Nephi was HIGHLY favored of the Lord, yet he suffered many afflictions in the course of his days. We ALL go through trials and how we handle them in our HEARTS is what matters the most. When we understand Christ's charity and as we pray to have charity ourselves, our attitudes will be more in tune with His.
 
I love my mission. I look back and often times see many places where I have struggled. Where I could have been more diligent. Where I could have done things different, but seeing where I am now, I know I have continuously grown since I first stepped foot out of my parents car. Here in Kearney is where I'm learning true Christ-like Charity. Where I'm choosing and feeling myself loving MORE&MORE. I love it here, and don't want to be anywhere else right now.
 
I love being close to the Savior. Feeling Him with me EVERY day.
Please share your testimony. Share how you have strengthened your faith. That is a way how you can truly determine how strong yours is.
 
Anyway, I must go! We are playing Vball today with the Elders and Sisters. so, as Kelly, in Rome right now says... "Ciao!!"
 
I love you all!! Keep living the gospel and praying every day!!! He hears you. He's your Father. He loves you. You are His. Never forget that.
 
--Stove on fire

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