Week 65 - Broken bones and baptisms!

Today we have to email early because...my companion is getting surgery at 9:30!!!

Here is a breakdown of the crazy events that have transpired over the passed three days...

Friday morning exercise; 6:55 am: While doing our circuit workout by our apartments, we decided to do a race. Sister Tui was the only one on her bike so you can imagine how fast she was going (She's fast!). She didn't have time to stop and was about to run into the curb and a parked car so she slammed on both breaks. The bike swerved out of control, she hit the curb, and fell. As she reached out to grab herself she broke her left arm. We stood around her for a while while she lay on the asphalt, letting her catch her breath before walking her back to the apartment. The Zone Leaders came and gave her a priesthood blessing and then I took her to the urgent care where she got x-rayed. Her bone was indeed broken...(I attached a picture of the x-ray). 

Saturday and Sunday: Lot's of pain, sleeping in the living room, tears, wake up calls to get an ice-pack or adjust her arm on the pillow, dressing her like a baby. Good times. You could say we're close now. HA

I'm so grateful for the protection of angels. I know that the brake could've been a lot worse, but Sister Tui was blessed to have it only be her left arm. I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to serve her by helping her with everything! She will be getting a plate in her arm and a cast. I'll let you know how it goes next week. 

This week was quite eventful. Our investigator, Kyle, was not too sure about attending church this last week. He wanted to take the lessons really slow and not rush into going to church. We told him to pray about it. We had a lesson scheduled with him for Friday evening, but with the event of Sister Tui breaking her arm, we had to cancel. We called him and invited him to church instead, explaining what he could expect when he attended. He didn't seem to sure on the phone, but Saturday night we got a text from him letting us know that he would be there. After church he said it was the most comfortable he's ever felt at a church before and he planned on coming again. 

Our investigator Sharon got BAPTIZED! We were pleasantly surprised by the member attendance. So many people came to support her and help us out  (since we were one hand short....hehe). On Sunday she was confirmed and Kyle, along with his mother, were there to see it. 

This week I studied about the parable of the 10 virgins. I compared it to the preparation we bring to church when we partake of the sacrament. If we do not prepare ourselves, then we will not be ready for the bridegroom (or the sacrament). The speaker actually talked about that on Sunday as well. 

Love you! Pray for Sister Tui's arm to heal. 

Sincerely, Sister Matheson

pictures from last week...

The hand puppet a little girl made me in our ward.

At the Family History Center to email last week.

Pictures from this week:

We biked 30+ miles this week and it was poring rain for a good chunk of the day. 

We went on a Fire-Exchange with our Sister Training Leaders so that we could knock in our area. 

A man gave us water AND coke. 

Sister Tuiolemotu at the urgent care. 

Don't let that smile deceive you, she was in a lot of pain. 

Sharon's baptism!

Week 64

God blessed us SO MUCH this week. We got a referral for a boy named Kyle who requested a Book of Mormon. He ended up having a mom and sister who we started teaching as well. His grandmother became a member of the church before passing which sparked his interest. We're going to continue working with him. He's already read 15 chapters of the Book of Mormon. 

We also have been getting Sharon ready for her BAPTISM this next Saturday, the 27th. She has been taught everything and just needs to be interviewed. Because we need to continue teaching her regularly before her baptism we asked her if there is anything specific that she wanted us to teach her. Her reply was, "just teach me more ways I can serve in the Church after I'm baptized". Her desire is to be with her family forever. She is going to be a very solid member. I'm excited for the progress she's been making. 

Last night we knew we needed to find at least one more new investigator. While knocking doors we found a family of FOUR! They invited us right in and felt the Spirit very strongly. They accepted church with excitement and recognized the need to be baptized. We are going back this week with members to help them prepare for that. 

A member gave a talk yesterday and mentioned something that I have been pondering a lot about. He talked about the difference between Laman and Lemuel and Nephi and Sam. They both were obedient in leaving Jeruselem, going back and getting the Brass Plates, going back to get Ishmael and his daughters, and building a boat. What they did not have in common, however, was their attitude and purpose behind being obedient. Nephi and Sam always did it out of love for their father and for God whereas Laman and Lemuel did it out of obligation. Eventually the Book of Mormon conveys the consiquences of their choices. In the talk "The Fourth Missionary" it says,

" This way, the Lord's way, is in the end, easier. It is easier to give yourself to him to surrender your will to His than it is to fight the fight within. It is easier to give yourself to Him, than it is to wrestle in your heart and soul between what you want and what the Lord wants, between the natural man and your divine nature.". 

Think about that.

Sorry, I forgot to bring my memory card adaptor...ok I lost it. The search is on. I will send pictures next week. Lots and lots of pictures. LOVE YOU!!!

Sincerely, Sister Matheson

Week 63

First of all, Happy (early) Father's Day Daddy! I love you so much and I'm so blessed that God gave me you as a Dad.
I am so glad that you were the first person to greet me when I came to earth. :)
Thank you for all that you taught me and the example you've been in living the gospel. Love you!!

My new companion is....SISTER TUIOLEMOTU!!! (Say that five times fast). We just call her Sister Tui.
She is Samoan and lived in Hawaii most of her life. She is awesome and I'm excited to learn from her this transfer. 

This week we really struggled to find new investigators, but the Lord still blessed us for going out and knocking doors every day. We had been praying to find a family of four and God blessed us with something better. While knocking with a member we met a woman named Angel. She let us into her home and brought her son to join us for the prayer. After the prayer she told us that she had been baptized into the Church six years ago along with her son. She had recently moved here and stopped going to church. She also got married and has a daughter who was never baptized. She agreed to have us over for a Family Home Evening this next week. 

We incountered a lot of "Athiests" this week. Their reasonings behind their belief that God doesn't exist was always so vauge. It seemed as though they had not been diligent in their quest to find God and chose the easier path: Not believing in him.
My amazing companion shared this scripture with them and I want to share it with you.

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

Sincerely, Sister Matheson

Pics:

Saying goodbye to Sister Abad

 Transfer Meeting

 Sister Furner (one of my old comps) trained her

We found a baby turtle while biking

We're cute...

 

Week 62 Transfer results......

I'M STAYING!!! Sister Abad is being transferred though. 

Tomorrow is our transfer meeting so I will find out then who my nuevo companero will be!

This week we had an amazing miracle. A woman who is engaged to a less active member had contacted the Elders for a Priesthood blessing when she was in the hospital. After the blessing, the Spirit was so strong that she was in tears and wanted to know more. She then was referred to us. We met her this week and she was SO prepared. She had read from the Plan of Salvation pamphlet three times and was already in 1 Nephi 3. As we met with her and taught her the first three lessons throughout the week she expressed her desire to be baptized. Even though she has a hard time getting around, she came to all three hours of church on Sunday and told everyone that she was hoping to get baptized this month. When God prepares people, he REALLY prepares them. 

I also finished reading the Book of Mormon again. I love the epistle that Mormon wrote to his son Moroni. 

I am so grateful for the sacred truths that Moroni included, especially the Sacrament prayer. 

Our investigator, Sharon, told us that when she partook of the Sacrament she immediately felt peace and comfort. 

In Relief Society we were challenged to spend 24 hours as though the Savior were beside us, hearing our every thought. 

Sister Abad and I attempted to do this yesterday and it was much more difficult than I had previously thought. 

It was a great way to introspect and identify the areas in which I need to improve. 

I challenge you all to do the same. Go longer if you can. It will change your life for the better. 

Sincerely, Sister Matheson

Pics:

Sister Abad and I put together a "funeral" for Sister Ulin because she is going home this week. 

It was her last District Training.

Sister Abad and a crazy squirrel that tried to attack us. Wildlife man...

Week 61

Happy Day all of you!

First of all...Congratulations on graduating, Preston!!!! I'm so proud of you! 

We have been focusing on getting new investigators...it's a process. 

We also helped a member paint the outside of their house on Saturday which was quite a project! 

Oh and Sister Abad has been teaching me the National Anthem for the Philippines. (That's right Hannah)

This week while on an exchange with Sister Ulin we had a lesson with the brother of a Recent Convert. He's been coming to church with his older brother and we had been teaching him off and on, but he "hadn't been receiving an answer" if he should be baptized or not. In our lesson we talked to him about the Book of Mormon and recognizing the Spirit. He told us that he felt good every time he read and prayed about it, but that he hadn't read the whole thing yet. We assured him that he didn't have to read the entire book to know if it's true and that the peace he was feeling was the Holy Ghost. He immediately recognized the answer that God had been giving him. He agreed to be baptized. Now we just need to work on getting his mom's permission.

I read about the brother of Jared this week in the book of Ether. 

It is very applicable to us in these days if we look at the barges as our homes and the stones as our covenants. In Chapter 6 verse 7 it says,

"And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish . . . " 

I know that as we strengthen our homes and help members strengthen their homes that they will not be "water that [can] hurt them". 

I love you all!

Sincerely, Sister Matheson

Pics:

Sleepovers with the Sisters in our house.

This little girl in our ward did my hair while we were doing service....too cute!

Week 60 Happy Memorial Day everyone!!!!

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend. We saw some great miracles on that day...

Yesterday we met an amazing woman named Stacy! She invited us right into her home even though her family was celebrating Memorial Day. She accepted church, a return appointment, and BAPTISM!!! After we invited her she said, "Yes, of course. What do I need to do to prepare for it". We ended up teaching her the restoration and she shared her desire to change her life with us. I am so excited to go back and teach her tomorrow!

While knocking doors this week we knocked into a man who invited us in right away. He introduced us to his wife and we were a bit confused at first. We asked her if she was a member and she said, "yes, that's why I thought you were here". We shared a short message and asked her why she had not been to church over the years. She explained that she was already so blessed by God that she didn't need to go to church; that church was in her heart...? It pained my soul to see someone so blessed forget the source from which those blessings came. 

I read in the book of Mormon when Mormon leads the Nephite army in battle even though they are not repentant. They people are filled with so much pride that they attempt to fight without the help of the Lord. Ultimately they are destroyed and experience many trials because they were not willing to repent. Sometimes we can become just like that when we are too prideful to go back to the basics: "Church, pray, and read". 

We were knocking doors on Wednesday and I noticed, what I thought was, a dog sitting in a cage. I was confused when it didn't bark after knocking the door. Then i realized that it was a giant PIG!!! I pulled Sister Abad over to the window and said, "that is literally a pig. It's LITERALLY a pig!!!" I couldn't believe it. 

I also gave a talk on Sunday. The topic was how we can strengthen our Testimony in the Savior. I shared Nephi's experience when he desired to know for himself what the tree of life meant. Right when I said that he was taken away into a vision by the Holy Ghost when a song from the "Phantom of the Opera" came blaring through the speakers. I didn't know what to do so I just said, "Yeah, just like that.". Everyone was laughing. 

I love you all!!!

Sincerely, Sister Matheson

Pics:

The best Latin food of my life!!!

I ate an oyster...never again!!!

I repeat...never again!

Family from our ward. *They have the cutest little down syndrome girl*.

Meet the weird Sand Hill Cranes that wander around up here.

Week 59

Helloooooooo!!!! It is almost summer time here in Florida (as per usual) because this week I got SUN BURNED!!!! We've been blessed to be able to bike almost every day. Let me just say, I will not forget sunblock ever again. EVER!

Teaching when we find has been something that we've worked on this past week. When the Spirit was strong we made sure to testify of the Restoration and then, if the Spirit directed, we taught a short lesson using the pamphlet. We noticed that people who had been prepared recognized the Spirit as we taught. Consequently we were blessed with quite a lot of New Investigators. It was great to replenish our teaching pool, however, throughout the week these once elect investigators let other things pull their attention away from meeting with us. It is quite interesting to see, as a missionary, the impact it has on peoples lives and the decisions they make when they do not have the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I am forever grateful to my Heavenly Father for that gift that he has given me in my life. 

On Friday we had a few extra minutes at the end of the night. We decided to look at the ward map and pick a family to go visit whom we had never met. We prayed about a name that stuck out to us and went right away. When we arrived we began to talk to the couple that was sitting on the driveway. They explained that the woman we were looking for had gone to Colorado for the summer, but that he (the man) was her son. He was less active and his wife was not a member. They had been looking for a church youth group for their fourteen year old daughter and we bore our testimonies about our experiences in Young Women's. We also shared the video "He Lives" with them and they agreed to come to church. 

Last night we were visiting a Less-Active member and taught about the Book of Mormon. I noticed that every concern he had or problem that he was going through linked back to the lack of scripture reading in his life. It reminded me of this scripture that I read this past week:

"[W]hosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things." (3 Nephi 23:5)

The chapter continues with Jesus expounding the scriptures to the Nephites and explaining the importance of recording the things that the Spirit directs them to record. 

Sorry this email is pretty short....my companion and I got sick this past week at the same time. Comp unity. Don't worry, we're fully recovered. :)

Sincerely, Sister Matheson.

p.s. I love you all so SO much!!!

Pics:

Our re-enactment of this picture...

Our lipgloss is poppin'

The picture doesn't do it justice.

Sometimes she gets hungry...

PRESTON street!

Thanks for the package Miriam!!