Practice Makes Perfect

Me and Sister K at the new missionary training meeting.  That's President and Sister Foote's home in the background.

Hey Y'all!

This past week has been interesting. We went on exchanges on Monday, then on Friday we had New Missionary Training. That was so helpful. It was way nice to see all of the elders and sister that came out with me. Even in just three weeks, they were WAY different! My amazing companion, Sister Sundwall is learning Spanish with her companion. How crazy is that?! I admire her so much for taking on this hard task at the beginning of her mission. I would not have been able to do that. Everyone else has grown so much, and their testimonies are so much stronger than three weeks ago. It's amazing what a mission can do to you!

The rest of this week has been busy! We ran from appointment to appointment, but those appointments were mostly with active members as we practice teaching them the 5 lessons as President Foote asked us to do. All week, we hardly had a chance to see any of our investigators cause we were so busy practicing. We did manage to drop by and see Mihsah on Wednesday which was both a disappointment and a blessing. she totally forgot about our appointment and was actually leaving the house as we walked up to her door! but we did say a prayer with her and found out that she is reading the book of Mormon we gave her. She likes it too! She also said that she is sharing it with her dad. We were amazed. She told us to come back the next day at 8 pm, so we did with our awesome member Sister Hughes. However, she didn't want to come out and see us. Her kids answered, and told us she wasn't home, but we could hear her in her room. We did have a good discussion with the kids though. One of the boys, Tj, is a teenager and was very interested in what we had to say. We gave him a BOM and he accepted and told us he would read it. Yay! His little brother then excitedly said a prayer with us. It was great! I hope we can continue teaching them.

Saturday was a better day for us. We actually got out and visited investigators. We visited with Miss. May, and read the first chapter of the Book of Mormon with her since she can't read anymore. She loves to hear us read to her, even though she can't remember what we said, but I can tell she appreciates us and loves us too. She gave us some pillowcases when we left, which we found interesting. That wasn't her first time giving us pillowcases too, we have a bag of un-finished ones in the trunk of our car. We love her!

After Miss May, we ran into Steve while attempting to visit a less active. Steve is a body building, blacksmith pilot in his 50's. Hahahaha! That is the only way to describe him. We met him in his garage while he was making a knife from scratch! This man is golden, though. He has met with some biking missionaries before, and is familiar with us. He had never heard of or seen sister missionaries before and was way confused until we explained to him that we are just missionaries too! Haha! He is looking for a church, and agreed to let us come and practice the 5 lessons with him. He did say that he isn't gonna convert to our church, though. We'll see about that Steve. After we set up an appointment with him, he gave us referrals of people to go and pray with, then he even walked us to one of his neighbors houses to pray with them. Oh my goodness, he was being a missionary before he is even a member! We have NEVER had that happen before! I can't wait to start teaching him.

On a more sad note, I would love to have ya'll pray for some families. Last week one of our ward members and an amazing woman Sister Syracuse passed away form cancer. She was a wonderful light in everyones life. Pray for her family at this time. Another older woman, Sister Galli, is in the hospital and will probably die very soon. Please pray for her and her family too. She is like a Grandmother to us here in the Flat Creek area, and we are so sad to see her in this condition. We visited her in the hospital yesterday, and gave her a card. Please keep these wonderful members and their families in your prayers as they go though this tough trial.

I have loved every second here in the mission field. Not a day goes by that I don't have some blessing or testimony builder happen. Yesterday I listened to a talk called "Conversion of A Catholic." It was the conversion story of a young man studying to become a Catholic Priest. His story is amazing, and I wish I could share it all with ya'll, but that would take WAY too long. I will share one moment with you though, form this story. This man, named Bill, was sitting for his first time in church. He came on his own, trying to figure out what "these Mormons were all about." He came during fast and testimony meeting. During the meeting, he felt the spirit so strongly, but he began to think of his family who had invested so much to put him though Seminary. At that moment, he got up and tried to leave, and just as he got to the doors the spirit spoke with an audible voice and said that he had promised that he would follow the spirit, where ever it would take him. He then remembered the promise he had made at 14 when he first felt the spirit. He would follow that spirit and do whatever he could to be where it was. Just as that happened a man who would later turn out to be his bishop, grabbed him by the shoulder and said "you aren't going anywhere."  

Wow, that is an amazing story. A few weeks later Bill was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. I love that story so much, and look forward to seeing something similar happen in the lives of my investigators. That can still happen in our lives as well, as long as we live worthy to keep the gift of the Holy Ghost with us at all times. I hope to one day feel the spirit as strongly as that man felt that day. That is a goal of mine.

Your Southern Bell,

Sister Welch

More pics from the new missionary training at President and Sister Foote's home.