Dear All,
Well, the weather.... is improving, I guess. There have been a ton of random blizzards this week (unexpected, since it hasn't snowed in about a month here) but there are also days when the snow melts like crazy. It's hard to tell if it's just melting very fast or if the city night crews are just working more effectively every night to clear the snow piles off the sidewalks.
This week has been a good one for Sister Williams and me. We have now been asking for referrals using the way that President told us to ("Who do you know who would be interested?" instead of "do you know anyone that would be interested?") and that has been remarkable.
We had a lesson and then after, we talked to a less-active lady this last week about her family (all former investigators from 15 years ago). She's less-active because it's just hard and painful to go to church all by herself without her family. Well, we had a wonderful conversation with her, led by the Spirit, about how to help her husband become interested in the church and discover his real concerns under his iceberg of excuses. After we asked the question "Who do you know that would be interested in the church?" she brought up two ladies that she works with that she would be interested in talking to about the Gospel. We worked through ways that she can bring it up, and she's going to talk to them about it this week and give us their telephone numbers! She also knew someone interested in English group. It was a good use of our time as missionaries, and I know that she felt loved as we talked about how to bring her husband into the Church.
We talked about some really great things in zone meeting this week and about how everyone has some kind of obstacle (excuse) in missionary work, but so what? It's your choice to get distracted by things and not live up to your potential as a missionary. It's your choice to be happy about things and open your mouth.
We analyzed what the word consecration really means:
Con= completely
Secrare= to make sacred
Consecration= to make completely sacred
"You must think about it when you don't have to think about it." --President Eyring's dad said this about being a true physicist and it applies to missionary work
We analyzed our dedication to consecration by these questions:
1. How do you use time when there is no time commitment?
2. What do I talk about with my companion (or others) when no third party is listening?
3. What do you think about when you have nothing to think about?
4. How do you dress when no critical observer is watching?
5. How neat and orderly are you with your things when no visitor is expected?
6. What do you say about other people when the other person isn't present?
7. What judgements or conclusions do you reach about others without perfect knowledge of the situation?
8. What level of sin or disobedience do you tolerate not to offend someone else's feelings?
I would invite all of you to take that questionnaire and honestly evaluate yourselves and ask "am I a consecrated member of the church? am I doing all that I can to help share the Gospel, be Christlike, and help others?" Your character is who you are when no one's looking-- if you don't like something about it, change it.
We planned to teach a less-active mom and daughter in Dioma the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Right now, the mom has started to read the Book of Mormon again and is really enjoying it. Well, we opened up 2 Nephi 31 to read the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them, and that was right where she was about to start reading! We all kind of laughed at the "coincidence" but Sister Williams and I knew that it was a sign that they needed that lesson on the Gospel. It was a really good lesson, and they are making some very positive steps in coming back to church again.
Something really cool happened yesterday. Sister Williams and I were contacting because one of our meetings fell through, and we were explaining the Book of Mormon to two men on the street. Even though they really didn't want to listen to us (they just wanted to argue about how it's Satan's church/book and can we help them immigrate to America?), I had a realization as I was explaining all of this to them, "I really know that this Book is true." It was a really cool feeling to have as I'm bearing my testimony on a street in the middle of Russia to two men smoking (and smelled a little like alcohol). I didn't give them the Book of Mormon, but I left them a pamphlet, and I really hope they open their hearts and minds and are willing to read it. God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and I know that's true. I know that He is a God of love, and He is a God of miracles. He only works miracles if we are willing to have faith. The Book of Mormon is part of a divine plan to find those who are prepared for the Gospel, and it really is the keystone of our religion. I am so glad that we are focusing on using it in our mission because my testimony has immensely increased because of that.
President Christensen was in town this week, and I had an interview with him. I really love and respect that man, and I know he's called of God. He always tells me wonderful things about myself, and this time he said some really interesting things about what I will do with my life and my Russian skills. I won't really talk about it, but I felt the Spirit really strongly, and I've been thinking a lot about that interview since Friday. I told him how much I miss Sister Fedas and that was the first time I've cried about her call being changed to Ukraine. I really miss her, and she really changed my life.
I am so glad for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary here in this mission, at this time, and in this city. Sister Williams and I are working miracles, and that is just the beginning. The people of Ufa aren't going to know what hit them.
Helaman 6:5 "Yea, and many did preach with exceedingly great power and authority, unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb'"
All the best,
Sister Brown
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