9/16/13 Be Happy!

Mga Pamilya at Kaibigan ko! Namimiss ko kayo!

So this week was Mission Tour! The Area President and his wife (President and Sister Neilson) came and spoke to all of us missionaries! It was so amazing and just made me excited to be a missionary. I realized what short time I have to take this opportunity to learn and grow and help the people here. So first, Sister Neilson spoke to the Sisters about how much our mission will bless the rest of our life and our families. She cried as she told us what powerful women we would be. It made me so thankful to be a Sister missionary. She then focused on holiness, something I hadn't really thought a lot about before. She said we should make our lives a pursuit of holiness. We are trying to become like our Heavenly Father, or become holy. He appreciates beauty and knowledge and happiness. She said we should do things that make us happy, learn all we can and she said we should make the things around us beautiful (I loved this because of Interior Design). I finally felt like my passion for design was important. She shared D&C 123: 16-17 with us and said we just need to make small adjustments each day. She said missions are hard so just do your best and don't ever feel bad about what you can't do! President Neilson talked mostly about the Atonement. He focused on the enabling and strengthening power of the Atonement. He said there is NO WAY missionaries could do what they do- be away from everything that is familiar, learn a language, learn a new culture, live in hard conditions, deal with the heat, eat weird food, be with a companion 24/7 that is completely different from them, walk all day, teach all day, and get so little sleep without the enabling power of the atonement. We have to rely on the Atonement to strengthen us each day and help us change into who we need to be. I have for sure felt this each day on my mission. It is hard and sometimes I'm not sure I can do it, but I just keep going and somehow I am always okay. It is because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This is not something I could do on my own. I am so thankful for the words of President and Sister Neilson. They really lifted my spirits and made me just happy to be a missionary.

Last Monday I watched the Mormon message "Our Daily Bread." Watch it! It is so good! But it really helped me this week. I had a few rough days, but I just kept remembering the video and how it talked about during hard times just wake up and pray to Heavenly Father to give you what you need for that day- whatever you need to get you through and be happy for just that day. The next day you do the same and day by day things get better. I have done this each morning. Prayer is so powerful and I can feel the influence of Heavenly Father giving me strength for each day. 

So on Tuesday the Neilsons spoke at a devotional for the members and investigators in our stake and the missionaries were able to go. The devotional was all about families. It was so good! After the devotional our Bishop comes up to me and Sister Feinga and said the Malacad Family was there! We ran out to find them! They had come to the devotional! I was soo happy! We introduced them to a bunch of the members and they were so happy to be there! Pero, they didn't come to church which is a bummer. Hopefully next week! 

We did have 2 of our investigators come to church this week that we were about to drop because they have been investigators for so long and have never come to church. It is a grandma and her son. They are really shy and we were worried they would be overwhelmed by the people greeting them and especially when they split for priesthood and relief society, but they texted us after and said thank you so much and that they had a really good experience! I realized we don't need to be so worried about our investigators experience at church, we just have to trust that they will feel the spirit.

On Tuesday we visited the Alanis family (I have talked about them before- part member). So Omar is a less active member and his wife is an investigator. We went to visit them and are talking to Omar and he starts talking about Stake Conference and what he learned there. We were like...wait..you were at Stake Conference??? Him and his wife came!! She is a very mahirap investigator. This time we visited them though she was super friendly to us and they were talking about Stake Conference and how good it was! I was so happy! I love their family!

Then the 4 investigator sisters told us that they tried to go to the primary activity we invited them to with all their kids, but the tricey driver didn't know where the LDS chapel was and he drove them to another church. So that sucks, but at least they tried to come!!

So basically miracles are happening! It has been our biggest struggle to get people to come to church and church activities! Now that is changing!

I miss you all so much, but am so thankful to have this time to give my all to serving the Lord! It is such a blessing to be a missionary and bring people true happiness! LOVE YOU ALL!

Got to go and make the stairs in our apartment into a mattress slide before p-day is over (me and 

 Sister Mataele's genius idea).

Mahal Mahal Kita! -Sister Gardner