lead me, guide me, walk beside me

Hi all, Here is her latest post. She seems a little fired up this week!  Dawn

 

February 11, 2013 

Hello Hello!

Where to begin?  Sister Barney and I have been working so hard. We have met with so many members this week and have been doing a 20 minute referral activity with them and are leaving simple assignments for them. "An invitation makes a successful member missionary." All we can do is invite and testify. If we open our mouths, the spirit will fill it. I have such a strong belief that is no accident where we are at specific times in our lives. Heavenly Father is in the details. The people we associate with, we associate with for a reason. We must open our mouths!

 I have decided that locked apartment complexes (where you have to buzz in to even get in the building?) come from Satan. J Our entire area is like that. It makes it hard to contact less actives or referrals/potentials because you have to call first. People are much more likely to open their door if someone is standing there, than to return a call. I don't understand why people set up appointments with us and then don't show up. Or why they don't just say they aren't interested from the get-go, but I'm already getting used to it. :) I hate wasting time.... I'm working on patience, haha.

 I realized I passed my 1st month mark already! The time has flown, yet I feel like I have been a missionary for months. I have learned so much about this gospel and myself in such a short amount of time.

 

Oh, Oh, Oh! CONGRATS CAROLINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU AND SKYE!!! Engaged!!!!! My mom saw it on facebook  I guess. Someone please tell that girl to write me a letter with details, in all of her free time (which is none, I'm sure, haha). I can't wait to hear all about it!

 

The Satre family, who used to be in our Chas 1^st Ward at church and are now in the Clarksburg Stake? One of their sons is in my zone. John-Mark knows him from WVU. Haha, small world!

 

I loved in my Valentine's package from mom (thanks again mom--you're the best!) the stuff she sent about putting on the armor of God. Thanks for the Joan of Arc pic, Dad and for the Captain Moroni picture, mom. I just read about Captain Moroni a couple of weeks ago. I started the Book of Mormon over again a few days into the MTC and am now at the end of 3rd Nephi. It has been such a power in my life the past month. In the MTC we talked a lot about revelation through the Book of Mormon. Before I read now, I ask a question whether it be "how can I become a better missionary?" or something more specific. I start and end the reading with a prayer. We can't read scriptures like they are novels. The Book of Mormon, especially, is so much more than a story. It's the word of God. It was written for our day. It is another Testament of Jesus Christ. It PROMISES that if we read it and then pray to know if it's true with an open heart, with faith, with sincerity, with real intent to follow what the Holy Ghost directs, then WE WILL get a witness that it is true, that is comes from God. There is nothing more frustrating than people who won't just TRY IT. You'll never know if it's all true, or all a lie, until you read and pray about it with that attitude. MERCY PEOPLE. TRY IT. IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. I have received that witness. I cannot deny it. I don't blindly or naively follow a man, but I have asked God and He has told me in my mind and in my heart. That's why I'm wearing skirts all day, everyday, walking around the streets of Los Angeles. Because I cannot deny the truthfulness of this message. Sorry to preach, but it's so sad that people won't just try it. And we as members, must not take it for granted. I have learned and grown so much as I have changed my way of reading the scriptures. :)

 

I wish I could give you more details of all the work we are trying to do! I have 6 mInutes left, so let’s see what I can come up with, haha.

-street contacting is harder for me than I thought it would be. Sister Barney is very bold and I admire the way she talks to anybody and everybody on the street or in the store. I'm praying for confidence on that one. One thing I love that we have been doing on campus (to people sitting down outside eating lunch so they can't run away, haha) is we say "Hey do you have 2 minutes to take a survey for some candy?" What college kid doesn't want to eat candy? The questions are about their views on family, God, scriptures, prophets, prayer, where did we come from, what's our purpose, where are we going, stuff like that. UCLA students are so open with their opinions, so it's really fun to listen to people. It's effective because it at least gets their thoughts turned toward God and we gain a better understanding of what their needs are and how we can effectively give a 1 minute spiritual thought.

-we had a young woman come to serve a ‘mini-mission’ with us last weekend. She is 16 and painfully shy, but I think she loved it and learned a lot. Sis. Barney and I are a bit nuts and outgoing. Oh,   and Sis. Barney is 5' 9". Hallelujah! She spent Friday night-Sunday afternoon with us. Bless her heart. It was a crazy day Saturday. I wish I could give you more details but I will say we started out the day by teaching a Jamaican who is trying to make it in LA doing Rastafarian music.  I meet the coolest people in LA and it's so nice to actually sit down with the people you meet on the street and hear their stories.

-Ashley (I talked about her last week) is progressing well! We are teaching her about the atonement this week hoping she will gain confidence and get rid of her need for perfection. Allan is a new investigator we met on campus when we were at a booth with some members. He was at the Christian booth next to ours. A member started talking to him and by the time we showed up he had a Book of Mormon in his hands! He converted to Christianity when he came to school. He is very nice and very open. We're worried he won't actually read and pray about it. Hopefully he'll rely on God's witness, not man’s. He wouldn't come to church with us this weekend and went to his. That's okay. Baby steps, haha.

 

Welp, time's up! All is well!!! Thanks for all the love and prayers! Ask me questions and I can maybe answer more effectively!    Love to all, Sister Atkinson