Hello my lovely Family! I so enjoyed the email this week!! It was so funny! I laughed out loud at the story about Noah and the buck! It sounds like you all are having so much fun at soccer camp, scout camp, going on hikes, camping, canoeing, kyaking, rafting etc. It sounds like you all are just having a most wonderful summer vacation. :)
Well this week was great! We have been meeting with 2 sisters named Brenda and Janette who are investigating the church. Brenda has been to church 2 weeks in a row now and is eager to learn more. Her sister who has previously investigated the church is also interested in learning more. And when we stopped by to see them this week, both were not home but their roommate was home. We asked her if she would be interested in learning more and she said she would! And we found out that Janette's husband is interested in learning more as well. There is so much potential in that apartment and so that has been really exciting for us. We will meet with them tomorrow. We take the Senior Missionaries with us to help us teach their three little boys. We hope that they continue to progress!
We also finally had our first lesson with a referral that was given to us. Her name is Channel and she is solid! She is maybe 24 years old or so. We taught her the Restoration. She is already religious and she really related to Joesph Smith and the confusion that he felt. We told her that she could come to know truth if she read the Book of Mormon and prayed about it. She said that she would. At the end we asked her "Channel will you be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority?" She said "Yes! I would be honored to be baptized!" So she is preparing to be baptized on August 17th!! We are so excited for her. She is so positive and happy!! we hope to meet with her at least 2 times a week to help her to be ready to make the covenant of baptism. So that was way exciting!!
I didn't have much time to email this week because we had to fill out a survey so I'm out of time. But real quick--we had an awesome Zone conference. We learned about what it means to be a consecrated missionary and President asked if we would all commit to being. consecrated. He also said as a mission he thought it was possible for all of us to have one baptism in the month of September. He asked us to reply in our email if we were willing to take on this goal. Here is my letter to him:
When I was asked to be a trainer I was truly humbled. I recognized my great need and dependence on my Savior and His divine help. Your scripture D&C 123:17 was my motivator. I truly believed that if I put forth my best efforts and tried daily to be exactly obedient that I would not need to worry and I could have confidence that God would take care of the rest and we would see miracles. And I felt like we have seen miracles these last few weeks. But as I got more comfortable with training I asked less for God's help. Now after Zone Conference I have once again been humbled by the great task ahead of me--to become a consecrated missionary.
In response to your question to us all--Yes, I will be a consecrated missionary! I know this is what the Lord sees as the next step for our mission. And you heave felt that we should set the goal to be consecrated and to have one baptism in September. I will join you and the rest of the mission in this goal. And I believe I can achieve this goal not due to my own ability but only through the Lord. There is a quote on my planner that says "when the Lord asks you to do something, He prepares a way for you to do it. So, respond to His call. Do not depend upon your own strength but on the strength and might of the gospel" This has helped me with training and now I hope to respond to this call with the same unwavering faith--not trusting in my strength but in the strength of the Almighty God who has all power in heaven and earth. I'm striving to have this kind of faith--the kind of faith that is so powerful that it brings about miracles that otherwise would not happen. I felt the Spirit very strongly as you talked about being a consecrated missionary, particularly as you taught us that to be a consecrated missionary, we must overcome fear of opening our mouths. You asked each of us "Do you believe in God, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost? Do you have a testimony of the Savior of the world who atoned for your sins and weakness? If you truly believe, then you believe that he can put words into your mouth. Exercise your faith to let it happen. Let fear be pushed out by faith. Stand tall and he will help you." I reflected on my own faith and I knew that I needed to exercise more faith.
I thought of our investigators and how we invite them to read the Book of Mormon, pray and come to church. We give them a mighty promise that they can and will receive and answer by the power of the Holy Ghost to know if the Book of Mormon is true and that Joesph Smith really did restore the fullness of the gospel on the earth again. Many feel that receiving an answer from God is impossible or too miraculous to happen for them. We urge and encourage them to exercise their faith and to pray so that they can come to know truth for themselves! Now I find myself in a similar position. I have been asked to become a consecrated missionary. I have been asked to lay aside everything on the alter of sacrifice and to hold nothing back. I've been asked to give every ounce of energy, every conscious thought, and every drop of passion to this work--to submit my will to God's will, whatever it may be. I've been asked to let go of all fear, pride, laziness, weakness, doubts and disobedience. I've been asked to hold nothing back and to "offer [my] whole soul as an offering unto Him" (Omni 1:26)
Honestly my first response to this call was "is this really possible? This seems like too giant and miraculous of a task to achieve." But I know that it is possible. God promises that weak things can be made strong. I loved this quote from the talk you gave us: "I do not believe there us one missionary whose weaknesses are greater than the potential strengths within [her]. Why? --because each of us is a son and daughter of God, with his divine nature and divine potential woven in the very fabric of our souls." I have so frequently urged my investigators to exercise their faith in God's promises--and now I get to exercise my faith in God's promise that I can become a consecrated missionary.
One scripture I have heard several times this week and in zone conference is D&C 6:36 "[Sister Lounsbury], look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" I think that is an amazing scripture. With every obstacle, with every challenge, with every trial, with every difficulty, with every thought of doubt or fear--I can either look unto Christ with a perfect and abiding faith or I can let doubt and fear overcome me. I will strive more and more each day to develop a powerful faith in Jesus Christ and in his Atoning sacrifice that he performed on my behalf. I know that coming to understand Christ's Atonement and love for me is what will drive and motivate me to do my all and be my all. I will strive each and every day to put God's will above my own and to allow Him to shape me into the person I need to become. I will strive evermore to be a consecrated missionary and a consecrated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Thanks for all you do President. This Zone Conference has motivated me to strive for even higher goals for myself. I pray God will give me the strength to accomplish it.
~Love Sister Lounsbury
Welp family, I love you all so much! I miss you dearly! And I can't wait to hear from you again! I love you lots!
Love Sister Lounsbury
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