Hello Again!

Hello again!

I can't believe it is Monday again... time flies so fast. On Friday as I was sitting in a meeting and the thought, "don't idle away your time, you have eternities to prepare for." came to mind. I know a lot of missionaries getting ready to come home say they realize they spent a lot of time before their mission doing things that were not important.

Well... it is true for me as well. I wasted so much precious time that could have been used for much better things.

This week has been amazing! We had somebody we've been teaching get baptized this week! She went to girls camp in June and felt the spirit there. She came to us and told us she wanted to get baptized. We've been teaching her for the last month or so. It was a beautiful baptism and the spirit there was strong!! All the young women sang I Know That My Redeemer Lives. Wow! It was powerful! :D

Its been a great week! We have temple conference tomorrow and then right after temple conference I'm going on exchanges on of the campus's in our region. I'm excited! Its going to be a busy day! I'm excited to go to the temple, it's been nearly 9 months since I went last. So this will be good.

I'm really going to miss serving in this area! I never thought I would spend half my mission in one area, but I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity. I don't think a lot of missionaries get the chance to see an area grow and develop like I have.

I was here when we only had 3 sets of full-time missionaries and one senior couple. Now we have one senior couple and 5 sets of full-time missionaries.

I have seen people's hearts softened by the truth of the gospel. I have seen more miracles than I could possibly tell.

I have seen the Lord's work hasten in each of the wards here. What a blessing! God is good! I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to serve a mission in the great state of Oklahoma! I love this place!

I know the Book of Mormon is a new and additional witness that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know this book is true. I know the message in this book CHANGES hearts. I have seen it a countless number of times, not only in my life, but in the life of others.

If you haven't read the Book of Mormon recently I would invite you to do so. If you have never read it before, I would invite you to do so. If you read it daily, I would invite you to study it even more. This is the best book! I love the message about my Savior, Jesus Christ, in it.

I love y'all so much!!!

Love Sister Record

Picture Post

I'm just sending pictures this week :D  I love you all! I love being a missionary! It has been the biggest blessing of my life up to this point.

 

Hermana Loveland and I

The OU/OSU blanket Sister Pfister and Sister Allen made for me. (Sister Record and Sister Allen)

Sister Zaleski and I

 

 

I love you!

Love, Sister Record

Miracles Abound!

It's been a pretty amazing week! Sister Loveland and I wanted to start doing this thing we call "power hour". We got the idea from President Walkenhorst. We weren't able to start it until Sister Zaleski came to Stillwater though. So what is power hour? We go to a member's home and teach them about faith and miracles. We then ask them to pray for and with us for the people we will be talking to for the next hour. We ask them to expect miracles to happen in the next hour.

Then my companion and I go out and talk to everybody we see. We are bold in testifying of the restored gospel. After power hour is over, we go back to the member's home and share with them the miracle that happened.

On Saturday we had 3 hours of tracting time. We decided to go do our power hour for the first time. We chose to go to one family that we eat a lot with and who come out with us a lot. I just felt strongly that we needed to go over there.

Anyway, we introduced them to "power hour" and both of them were awesome! As we left we started walking one way. Sister Zaleski felt she should grab another Book of Mormon from the car. After that I saw a woman on the other end of the street watering her yard. We went to talk to her..... and she completely rejected us. She wouldn't even accept a pass along card. So we turned around and walked the way we came.

Both Sister Zaleski and I felt prompted to knock on a door on this street. We did and the woman we talked to had just talked to her husband the day before saying that they needed to find a church. They wanted to have a strong family with Christ at the center of their family. It was amazing! We are going back on Tuesday to teach them more! MIRACLE! We had other miracles but that was the biggest one.

After the hour was up, we went back to Brother and Sister K to tell them about the miracles. They were so excited to hear about their neighbor who is interested in learning more. It was a faith building experience for them as well as for us. It was POWERFUL! I feel so blessed that God used Sister Zaleski and I to do his work. The Spirit was so strong as we knelt with brother and sister K in their living room before we left.

The Spirit of God is what changes hearts. When we open our mouths and act in faith, God provides miracles. He allows us to be a part of His great work! It is incredible!

We have an amazing person getting baptized this Friday! wooo! I'm so excited! The only thing we have not taught her is tithing. Our Relief Society lesson was on tithing. After the lesson she told us that as she grew up her mom would pay tithing but she was never "sold" on the idea. She told us that now she realizes that she owes God for everything she has. After relief society she went and paid her tithing. :) It was such a tender moment. Her and her daughter had been saving and collecting money for a few weeks so they could pay tithing to the best of their knowledge of what tithing was. The spirit is really working with her. I can't wait for her to get baptized!

I am so thankful for this opportunity I have to represent the Lord, Jesus Christ, in this amazing place! I love Oklahoma! I feel so blessed that I get to serve my mission here. :D I love you all!

I read something that I absolutely love! If you are struggling, I would ask you to remember this: "In the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have help from both sides of the veil, and you must never forget that. When disappointment and discouragement strike... you remember and never forget that if our eyes could be opened we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection." Elder Jeffrey R Holland, Apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Love, Sister Record

New Companion

We got transfer calls this week! I am staying in Stillwater! That is 7.5 months. By the time I come home that will make a grand total of 9 months! I absolutely love this area! I love the people, I love the city, I love the ward and it's members! My new companion is Sister Zaleski. I am really excited to work with her for the next 6 weeks.

I have loved being companions with Sister Loveland! She is an amazing missionary and she has taught me so much! Seriously, she is great! I'm really going to miss her, but it's time for her to go back to a Spanish area. :)

I know the Book of Mormon is true! I have seen it change people's hearts! It has changed my heart. I have a stronger desire to follow Christ. I have seen that those who sincerely read it have an increased desire to follow Christ as well. It is amazing!

I love you all! Check out this talk. It helped me A LOT! http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1022 Have a fabulous week!

Love, Sister Record

Sister Record's Intinerary

We received word from the mission office that Sister Record will arrive at Salt Lake City International on Thursday, 22 Aug 2013 at 7:54am. We are so excited. I have added the count down to the blog.

Sister Record: Roach Slayer!

Hey hey!

So I am a professional roach slayer! Maybe that isn't something to be proud of, but here I am telling you about it. We were at the LDS institute yesterday. I went into the bathroom and there was a cockroach on the ground.... a VERY BIG cockroach. It looked dead... so I got a paper towel to flush him. HE WASN'T DEAD! The second I started to pick him up he freaked out. Anyway.... I finally got him by is antenna and flushed him. It was yucky! Enough of my roach slaying adventures and on to my gospel preaching adventures.

[Name withheld 1] is getting baptized on Saturday!! wooo! Sister Loveland and I and [Name withheld 1] and so many others are so excited! She is so ready and prepared! We are teaching her about fasting today. I have such a testimony of prayer and fasting. The first fast Sunday in May Sister Loveland and I decided we were going to fast and pray that we would find somebody in our area who was ready to accept the gospel and get baptized. Well... two weeks later we met [Name withheld 1]! She has been such an answer to prayers! I have been here in this area for 7 months and all the hard work to finally be able to teach [Name withheld 1] has been worth it! I don't even remember all the sad things that have happened because they are all "swallowed up in the Joy of Christ".

I feel like Heavenly Father has blessed me with a unique experience, being in one area for 7 months. I have been able to see how the area has grown and developed. We have an amazing ward who are all so willing to come out with us.

Sister missionaries in front of the Oklahoma City Temple. Sister Record on the far right.

We have been focusing a lot on the Book of Mormon over the last few weeks. We have been using the Book of Mormon more in our teaching, proselyting, everything! I have such a strong testimony of the converting power of the Book of Mormon. The message in it is all centered on Jesus Christ. Because Christ and his Atonement are central in the Book of Mormon, the Spirit is powerful. I have seen the spiritual power in the Book of Mormon over the last couple weeks! I am seeing it transform lives! Two weeks ago one of our investigators stared reading the Book of Mormon. She is almost half way done. The other day she told us that she has felt so much healing and love over the past couple weeks. I know it is because the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know the word of God "HEALS THE WOUNDED SOUL". -Jacob 2:8

Our theme for a specialized training meeting a couple weeks ago was flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon. I would strongly encourage each of you to flood your own life with the Book of Mormon. As you do so, I promise you'll find healing where healing is needed. You will feel closer to your Savior, Jesus Christ. You will feel a greater desire to follow in Christ and do what he would want you to do. I LOVE the Book of Mormon! I know it is the word of God. I love you all! Have a great week.... and don't forget to flood your life with the Book of Mormon. :)

Love, Sister Record