Questions and Answers from 24 Sep

Hey there!

The week was pretty good. I mean, I don't think I have any super huge news for the week. I'm glad you just sent me a list of questions dad. I was worried I wasn't going to have any question to answer. :)

1) Do you ever have webcasts in the mission? Meaning, the mission home streams a training or transfer meeting via the Internet. Missionaries can then watch by going to a URL like http://streaming.lds.org.

Nope. Our mission really isn't that big. I think the farthest area from the mission home is probably about 2 hours. Whenever there is a big event we travel to the stake center in Moore, OK (which is also were the mission home is). From Norman we are only about 15 minutes away.

2) If you do watch streamed events, do you have the URL?

see question 1

3) When do you have your next event?

We have transfers on Wednesday, so that is a "big" event I guess. I will get to meet my new missionary on Wednesday. I'm pretty excited. :)

4) What do you hope to accomplish in the next two months?

Oh boy... that is a loaded question. I have so much I want to accomplish and I feel like my time on the mission is so short. Okay... in the next two months.... I really want to work harder than I ever have on my mission up to this point. I want to become better at using and applying the principles of gospel leadership. Like I said, I have a lot of things I want to accomplish. I really like what Elder Callister said (see below in italics).

5) What is something new you learned this week?

Saturday we had the chance to hear from Elder Tad R. Callister and Elder Johnathan C. Roberts of the Seventy. I learned a lot from them. Some of the things that stood out to me was when Elder Callister spoke about becoming a consecrated missionary. He talked about how important it is to put all your heart and strength into the work. There is one thing that has really stuck with me from Elder Callister. It was one of the last things he said. He said, "The Lord doesn't expect perfection tomorrow, but He does expect progression." That is my favorite quote right now. It was exactly what I needed to hear.

Elder Roberts talked about obedience. He used the story of Nephi and Laman and Lemuel. His question was this. "Were Laman and Lemuel obedient?" At first a lot of people said no. Then Elder Callister pointed out that they were obedient. Laman and Lemuel went back to Jerusalem to get the brass plates, they went back to get the daughters of Ishmael, they stayed with their father in the wilderness. The key difference between Nephi and Laman & Lemuel was a willing heart. It isn't enough to simply obey to obey. It is crucial to have a willingness to serve the Lord. Obedience should come from a sincere love of God.

One thing he said that really sunk in deep for me was in reference to Doctrine & Covenants 130:19 "And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come."

Elder Roberts connected the words Knowledge & Intelligence to Diligence and Obedient. As we are obedient to the Lord and diligently do what he asks us to do our understanding of things is increased. That really hit me. There are so many things I don't understand and sometimes it is frustrating. However, the more I am obedient and diligent I will be able to have a better understanding of things. He also promised the whole mission that increased joy and understanding will come through obedience.

6) Is it beginning to feel like Fall yet at all? Still looks like 100 degree weather there.

A few weeks ago it got pretty cool. It dropped down to the 60's and 70's. That felt wonderful. We are definitely back up in the 90's and low 100's. To be honest though, it doesn't feel that hot. Fall should be coming soon though. I am so excited! Fall has always my favorite time of the year.

7) What is your favorite day of the week and why?

Ummm..... I don't know if I have a favorite day of the week or not. I like them all and they are all fairly the same. The only day that is somewhat different is Monday.

8) Are you still in a threesome, or did Sister Nelson leave already?

Yup. Sister Nelson leaves on Wednesday, but we will get a new Sister and will still be in a trio.

Thanks for all you love and prayers! :) I love y'all very much! Talk to you next week.

Love, Sister Record

Baptism and Trainer Next Transfer

Hey Hey Hey!

It has been quite the week. We were dropped by a few of our investigators and we have somebody we think may drop us soon. Saturday we had five lessons with investigators and all but one canceled. The one who didn't cancel we came to a mutual agreement to stop meeting. He is a super nice guy, but not really willing to investigate, just curious. Anyway, none of the disappointment from all that happened mattered by Sunday night because HUNTER GOT BAPTIZED!!! :D

Jeff, Sister Record, Sister Freire, Sister Nelson and Hunter

Hunter was baptized yesterday and it was a wonderful experience. :) Hunter's parents were both there. His dad is not a member and his mom is an inactive member. I loved being able to meet them. They were so nice! It was also great to see Jeff baptize Hunter. Jeff has come so far in the last three months. It is amazing! At the beginning of the week Hunter was so happy and excited to be baptized. He has faced a whole lot of opposition this week as he made the decision to be baptized. It made us sad Hunter stayed strong though and made it to Sunday. :) After Hunter was baptized and confirmed we could tell he felt great! :) He even told us later that he was at peace with the things that had been happening throughout the week, something he hasn't felt before. We told him it was because of the Spirit. :)

Jeff and Hunter

Bishop Ellis welcomed Hunter into the ward and told him that from the very first day he met him He knew that Hunter was a great young man. Bishop Ellis said he could see Hunter being like Captain Moroni one day. He assured Hunter that it wouldn't be something that happened today or tomorrow, but something that would take time.

I feel like with Jeff and with Hunter I can see the potential each of them have to do great things for the Lord and His kingdom. I know that neither one of them feels the same way. As I have thought about Jeff and Hunter I wonder how the Lord feels about each of us. I know there have been times when I don't feel like I have a whole lot of potential. After working with Jeff and Hunter and being able to see the potential each of them has, I think of Heavenly Father and how he sees each of us. He sees the big picture. He can see the potential we each have long after we pass into the next life.

Sister Nelson with the Gecko. "We found a gecko in the
baptismal font when we went to clean it before
Hunter's baptism!"

The baptism was definitely the highlight of the week. The spirit was so strong and my testimony of the gospel was strengthened. I love being a missionary! I love the change that has come over people I have taught as well as the change that has come over me. I am learning so much! I will forever be thankful for the opportunity I have to serve a mission. It is the best thing ever! :) I was reading Alma 24-26 this morning. I especially love Alma 24:22,26-27.

22 And thus without meeting any resistance, they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed, for they have gone to dwell with their God.

26 And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were saved.

27 And there was not a wicked man slain among them; but there were more than a thousand brought to the knowledge of the truth; thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people.

I love this story. At first it seems sad, and it is. Over 1000 people were slaughtered. However, the Lamanites saw that thy would not fight and their hearts were softened and they were converted to the Lord. Not just 2 or 3 either. It was more than the number of people killed. It is a perfect example of how the Lord's ways are not our ways and that his ways are higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:8)

Yesterday after the baptism we found out about transfers. Sister Nelson is leaving (sad day) and Sister Fraire and I will be training next transfer. It is going to be different, and I am excited, but nervous about it. I have had a gut feeling the last 2 or 3 weeks that I would be training this upcoming transfer. I haven't felt like I would be the best trainer and that other people would be better, but experience has taught me that everything happens for a reason. I am thankful for the trust the Lord has in me. :) I have a new trainers meeting on Wednesday.

I'm excited for Saturday! Elder Tad R Callister of the 70 is coming to speak to our entire mission. This means not only to I get to listen to a member of the 70, but I also get to see all my friends in the mission. Oh it's going to be a good day! :D I can hardly wait!!

I know this church is true and that the church helps us more fully live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the Book of Mormon more than any other book. I can't read books multiple times, but I can read the Book of Mormon over and over again and I always learn something new. :) Because of my testimony of the Book of Mormon, I have a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet and restored Christ's chruch back to the earth. Because the Book of Mormon is true and Joseph Smith was called of God I know this church is true. I love this talk by Elder Callister from the October 2011 conference titled "The Book of Mormon – a Book from God" Elder Callister said,

Years ago my great-great-grandfather picked up a copy of the Book of Mormon for the first time. He opened it to the center and read a few pages. He then declared, “That book was either written by God or the devil, and I am going to find out who wrote it.” He read it through twice in the next 10 days and then declared, “The devil could not have written it—it must be from God.”

Likewise, we must make a simple choice with the Book of Mormon: it is either of God or the devil. There is no other option. For a moment I invite you to take a test that will help you determine the true nature of this book. Ask yourself if the following scriptures from the Book of Mormon draw you closer to God or to the devil:

“Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:3).

Or these words of a loving father to his sons: “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation” (Helaman 5:12).

Or these words of a prophet: “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32).

Could these statements from the Book of Mormon have possibly been authored by the evil one? After the Savior cast out certain devils, the Pharisees claimed that He did so “by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” The Savior responded that such a conclusion was nonsensical: “Every kingdom,” He said, “divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every … house divided against itself shall not stand.” And then His compelling climax: “And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?” (Matthew 12:24–26; emphasis added).

If the foregoing scriptures from the Book of Mormon teach us to worship and love and serve the Savior (which they do), how can they be from the devil? If so, he would be divided against himself and thus be destroying his own kingdom, the very condition the Savior said could not exist. An honest, unbiased reading of the Book of Mormon will bring someone to the same conclusion as my great-great-grandfather, namely: “The devil could not have written it—it must be from God.”

The only way to know if the church is true and if the Book of Mormon really is the word of God is to test it out. So, if you haven't tested it out, I strongly encourage you to do so. If you already have, I would encourage you to reread the Book of Mormon to strengthen your own testimony of this great work. :) I would not still be on a mission if this wasn't the work of the Lord.

I love y'all! Thanks for all of your support and love! I know I wouldn't be able to do any of this without your prayers.

Love, Sister Record

Another Good Week

Hey family & Friends!

We got special permission to go to the temple this week. :) It was fantastic and was just what I needed. I have really wanted to go to the temple over the last couple weeks. The only reason we got to go was because there was a home football game on Saturday. When there is a home football game there is really no point in going out and knocking on doors because everybody is either at the game or watching in on TV. So President Taylor gave us permission to go to the temple because he thought it would be a better use of our time. After the temple we came back to the institute and handed out free hot dogs, water, cotton candy and snow cones. It was a lot of fun and we even got to talk to a couple people about the gospel, so that was great.

It was kind of crazy to see the difference between the temple and being back in the world. We were handing out all this free stuff and there were so many parties going on all around us. I felt like it was the epitome of the phrase "in the world but not of the world." I am thankful for the chance I had to see the difference between the temple and the ways of the world all in one day.

We are still planning on [Name withheld] getting baptized on Saturday! woohoo!! We are pretty excited for him. :D

Did y'all get to watch the CES devotional last night by Elder Holland? I got to see the last half hour. I love Elder Holland! He is so great! I love how bold he is. :D Well folks... I really don't have a whole lot to write this week. I apologize. I will be sure to have more to write next week! I love y'all so much! Keep being awesome! Thanks for all your support and love. :D

Love, Sister Record

OOOOOKLAHOMA!

Sister Nelson and Sister Record all matching

Hey family and friends!

It has been a fabulous week! We should be having a baptism here in the next two weeks. :) We are pretty excited to see another one of our friends enter the waters of baptism. Ever since Jeff got baptized we refer to those people we are teaching who are really progressing as our friends. To be honest, I feel like I am teaching my friends. So I guess it is pretty fitting to call them our friends. I love the people we are teaching just like I love my friends. I love serving in a student ward!

Last Saturday we got permission from our zone leaders as well as from our mission President to baptize [Name withheld] here in Norman since this is were all his friends are. He has been fasting and praying for the day he needs to get baptized. He has chosen September 15th 2012 to be baptized. :) We are so excited for [Name withheld]! He's had a hard couple weeks, but he is desirous to be baptized. He has even started to tell his friends in Norman that they need to meet with us. haha! He's doing missionary work and he isn't even baptized yet. He even joked about how he is telling people how he knows the church is true and he has not even been baptized yet. On Sunday he went to the ward in Texas that is near his parents home. He told us how he wanted to get up and bear his testimony, but didn't because there were so many people in line to bear their testimonies.

Sister Record's tan line!

Since [Name withheld] is not in Oklahoma right now, we still have lessons with him, but over the phone. We have a lesson with him today and we are going to plan out his baptism as well as talk to him about some other things. We are pretty excited! :) We love [Name withheld] so much and he has changed his life so much in the last 3 months. We are so proud of him and the choices he is making to come closer to Jesus Christ. He called us today to tell us that his job interview went really well and that he is practically hired. (He's been searching for a job for awhile now) [Name withheld] told us that on the way to the interview he prayed that he would be calm and that the Spirit would be with him. He told us that during the interview he was so calm and peaceful and that the words he needed to say in the interview were practically put into his mouth.

We are so grateful that we knocked on [Name withheld]'s door back in June. Like I said, we love him so much and are so proud of him. He is one of those people who has been prepared long before we even showed up to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord was preparing him years before we got there. We were in the right place at the right time and the Lord led us to him. I will send pictures of the baptism in a few weeks. :) Please continue to keep [Name withheld] in your prayers! He is doing great, but I am a firm believer that the prayers of many people on behalf of another works mighty miracles. (James 5:16)

Yes, it was Sister Freire and Sister Nelson that raised the seats on
the Elder's bikes.

I have a goal to read the Book of Mormon every 3 months. I just started Alma the other day. I love the Book of Mormon so much!!! I am learning so much by reading this book of scripture. I feel my testimony of the Book of Mormon growing stronger and stronger each day. I love it so so much! I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon. When I read it I can't put it down. It is so exciting! I know that is the Spirit testifying of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. (Alma 32:28)

Well.... That's about it. :) I will talk to y'all next week. Love you!

Love, Sister Record