Houston says hello, again. I've come through another week, and this one was just as good as the last one. It culminated in two wonderful baptisms on Saturday for Brother Allen Taylor and his wife, Sister Brigette Taylor. What a week leading up to it! There is a rule in the mission that no one can be baptized unless they have attended several sacrament meetings. Brigette and Allen had a baptism date for Saturday, the 25th, but because of work, Brigette had only been able to come to church once, but she had already taken off work planning to be baptized on Saturday. She had been diligently studying her Gospel Principles manual while at work, answering all the questions in a little notebook. She truly has a testimony of the gospel and had a deep desire to be baptized with her husband. After counseling with President Hansen, we determined that she could be baptized on Saturday as long as she could find a way to always be at church after that, at least for sacrament meeting. We held a special fast on Tuesday that the Lord would provide a way for her to get off work on Sundays. When we went over for the lesson on Tuesday, we asked her if she had talked to her boss about it. The only thing she needed to do was call a co-worker and ask if she would take Brigette's Sunday shift. She did, while we were there, and the co-worker readily agreed! It was a miracle. Everyone recognized it. However, this would still be a test of faith since Brigette was the only one working and they depend on her income to provide for their family. We were very worried about it through the week, at varying degrees. I somehow felt calm about it by Wednesday evening, but Brigette was worried up until Friday, when she told us she felt this calm come over her that everything would be all right. That day, again while we were at their houe for a lesson, Allen got a call about a temporary job. Which starts today! I am so amazed at how the Lord's hand has been in this, and at their intense unwavering faith. It was certainly a trial of faith, or even a leap of faith, but they are now members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with the gift of the Holy Ghost. I know they will only continue to be blessed as they grow and learn in the gospel. I feel blessed to have met them and seen them take these steps on the path to eternal life.
In the midst of all this, we had a special sisters' training conference on Thursday this week. President Hansen shared some very good wisdom and counsel. Every one of us has a special purpose and journey that the Lord intends for us as a missionary, and He had a plan for that mission before we even arrived in Houston. I can think of countless ways in which that has been true for me, even though at times I have struggled against the lessons He's been trying to teach me. President Hansen also shared special wisom about how we measure our success as a missionary, even saying directly that it is never about the numbers, and if someone tries to tell you it is, that person doesn't understand it yet. It is such a relief to have that to ponder on when the numbers become a weight of worry. In those times, I try to picture the faces of those I have grown to love, people who the Lord saw fit to make a part of my mission experience. Sometimes those people don't fit into "key indicator" categories, but they themselves and the memories I have with them are blessings the Lord has given me as part of my mission.
Saturday was wonderful in every way. The Relief Society president in one of our wards took us to dinner with Brigette to a great little Tex-Mex restaurant. Remind me when I get home to have some "green sauce" salsa with y'all. It is GOOD. And from there we went to the general Relief Society broadcast. I was anticipating hearing from President Monson, and Brigette was hoping to as well. She had been worried that he was a very serious, sad man, but now she has seen the true President Monson in all his wit and wisdom. I am deeply excited to study the history of Relief Society. What a prophetic blessing that will be! And I, too, am striving to be non-judgmental of others. I want to treat everyone as my equal and see us all as children of God.
As to my birthday coming up, I know one thing I want for certain. There is a beautiful book about the building of the Houston Texas Temple and you can buy it at the little LDS bookstore by, what else, the temple. It costs about $30, so if someone could put that money in my account, I can buy it. Missionaries get a discount at the store, so I will buy it here and bring it home for all to enjoy, since you all can't physically be in the temple with me. As far as anything else, I will need a new pair of jeans when I get home, and I guess I would like a little more money to buy souvenirs and stuff here. Maybe a Texas t-shirt or something like that. I don't know. What do people need anyway? Maybe a gift certificate to Deseret Book so I can do some shopping when I get home... Just birthday cards in the mail would be nice, I guess. I'm simple. I'm easy. Just send love. Speaking of the Houston temple, yes, I did see that beautiful picture of it in the new Temples magazine, Cassidy. It is even more beautiful in person. It's hard to tell by the picture, but there are such tall trees all around it, and somehow it fits perfectly into that setting. I'm glad to hear you are sticking with your school work. I know what you mean about not having a long enough break between semesters. Winter semester is very long because it only has two holidays in it, and they come right at the beginning. March is a seriously long month sometimes, but I always love learning. I just wish I had more time to do it in sometimes. Hope all is well with you!
Love and shining,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
9-20-10 "Miracle after Miracle...and some laughter in between"
Howdy, y'all! Texas is treating me just fine. I am flourishing in this new area and my new companion and I are, as Anne Shirley would say it, "kindred spirits." We laugh a lot and have a wonderful time. We are keeping busy and meeting with joy and determination the challenges that confront us. This has been the most amazing week of my mission yet, just because it feels like the Lord's hand has been in the timing and everything is going according to His will. It means learning to walk by faith, but that has become so much less of a frustration and much more of a blessing. Let's get down to details because it won't mean much if I just keep talking in all these vague phrases. Okay. We have a couple that has been being taught for a while, Allen and Brigette. They both have quite a past, but they have two little girls, seven and two, and an amazing story of how they found the gospel. He was driving along a main road in this part of Houston back in April when he realizes that the path he's taking is not going to lead to happiness. So he decides that he's going to walk in and join the next church he sees with lights on and people inside. He stops at one, but the doors are locked. Same thing with the next one. But the third church he finds is ours and they're having institute classes. He's been meeting with missionaries since then, and now he and his wife will either be getting baptized this weekend or in a few weekends. I am ecstatic for them! They are a perfect example of how much the gospel can really change lives and bless families and bring us happiness in life. Plus, I heard from Sister Layton in Katy that another couple we had been teaching is also going to get baptized on General Conference weekend. That's what I call miracle after miracle, just like Elder Kikuchi promised.
And if that weren't enough, we had another few this week. Thursday morning is our planning day. We do our studies like regular and then spend a few hours planning out what we can do to help our investigators and less-actives come closer to Christ and when we should meet with them. We had finished our planning, and we thinking that we still had a lot to accomplish with Brigette and Allen and just thinking we didn't have that many people to teach anyway. We were out meeting a few people, and no one seemed to be home. I had also just been thinking that it had been a while since we'd gotten a church headquarters text referral. They don't come all the time, but they are a good source of people to teach. And then just a little while later we got one for a "Joseph." It gives a few details about him: he wants to be baptized and is engaged. I don't want to call is skeptcism, but it probably is, but I usually reserve my celebrations on such things until we actually meet with the person. We went to the street, but the address is wrong. So something in me (read: the Holy Ghost) tells us we should try a different combination of the same digits. We do, but no one's home. After our last appointment that night, we are heading home and decided to try again. This time someone was home, but it's not the right name. As we're walking back to the car, a different combination of digits flashes in my mind, one that could also be on the street. And when we knock on that door, he answers and says, "I didn't think you were going to come. I'm so glad you did." I NEVER thought I would hear those words on my mission. We set up an appointment for the next night. He used to meet with missionaries when he was in high school, but stopped. And now he is engaged to a member in California and is definitely looking towards baptism. We're seeing him again tonight. Golden.
There was a series of perfect timings yesterday at church. And a great discussion with someone we met at the park. Sister Smith and Sister Taylor stayed with us for a few nights while going to a training conference at the mission office. I wish I had time to tell you about all the little details of how the timing has just been perfect this week. But I'll record it all in my journal to share at a later date. We had dinner at President Hansen's house last night. What a lovely experience. Everything is wonderful. The Spirit is so good to us, and this week looks to be just as good as last week, especially if we have a baptism on Saturday to go along with the General Relief Society broadcast. We will be having a special sister missionaries conference on Thursday. It feels like I am finally understanding my purpose as a missionary and reaping the joys serving. All the perfect timing is finally starting to come together.
Much love and shining,
Sister Whitney Sorensen
PS According to a rumor Sister Schlauder heard, Reba McEntire's daughter is a member in a neighboring ward. I don't actually know if Reba even has a daughter, but I don't really care. It's good enough for me to know that the show, REBA, takes place in Houston, so I kind of found her suburb, and she already sort of has the gospel. Good to know.
PPS Remind me to tell you later about the attack cat at Allen's house. Great story.
And if that weren't enough, we had another few this week. Thursday morning is our planning day. We do our studies like regular and then spend a few hours planning out what we can do to help our investigators and less-actives come closer to Christ and when we should meet with them. We had finished our planning, and we thinking that we still had a lot to accomplish with Brigette and Allen and just thinking we didn't have that many people to teach anyway. We were out meeting a few people, and no one seemed to be home. I had also just been thinking that it had been a while since we'd gotten a church headquarters text referral. They don't come all the time, but they are a good source of people to teach. And then just a little while later we got one for a "Joseph." It gives a few details about him: he wants to be baptized and is engaged. I don't want to call is skeptcism, but it probably is, but I usually reserve my celebrations on such things until we actually meet with the person. We went to the street, but the address is wrong. So something in me (read: the Holy Ghost) tells us we should try a different combination of the same digits. We do, but no one's home. After our last appointment that night, we are heading home and decided to try again. This time someone was home, but it's not the right name. As we're walking back to the car, a different combination of digits flashes in my mind, one that could also be on the street. And when we knock on that door, he answers and says, "I didn't think you were going to come. I'm so glad you did." I NEVER thought I would hear those words on my mission. We set up an appointment for the next night. He used to meet with missionaries when he was in high school, but stopped. And now he is engaged to a member in California and is definitely looking towards baptism. We're seeing him again tonight. Golden.
There was a series of perfect timings yesterday at church. And a great discussion with someone we met at the park. Sister Smith and Sister Taylor stayed with us for a few nights while going to a training conference at the mission office. I wish I had time to tell you about all the little details of how the timing has just been perfect this week. But I'll record it all in my journal to share at a later date. We had dinner at President Hansen's house last night. What a lovely experience. Everything is wonderful. The Spirit is so good to us, and this week looks to be just as good as last week, especially if we have a baptism on Saturday to go along with the General Relief Society broadcast. We will be having a special sister missionaries conference on Thursday. It feels like I am finally understanding my purpose as a missionary and reaping the joys serving. All the perfect timing is finally starting to come together.
Much love and shining,
Sister Whitney Sorensen
PS According to a rumor Sister Schlauder heard, Reba McEntire's daughter is a member in a neighboring ward. I don't actually know if Reba even has a daughter, but I don't really care. It's good enough for me to know that the show, REBA, takes place in Houston, so I kind of found her suburb, and she already sort of has the gospel. Good to know.
PPS Remind me to tell you later about the attack cat at Allen's house. Great story.
Monday, September 13, 2010
9-13-10 "How Do You Feel About Redheads?"
I have news! I am in a new area with a new companion. Sister Schlauder is from Las Vegas, Nevada, and we are getting along swimmingly well. We actually serve in two wards, which means five hours of church on Sunday, which is actually not as bad as it sounds. Not that anyone would think that church is bad. So now that my foot is in my mouth, let me tell you more about the area. It is right by the temple and actually goes really far north. Part of the area is actually in Tomball and it borders what used to be the Tomball ward but then got split back into the Klein stake. I'm realizing that none of this makes much sense to you all because you have never been here. Seriously, I've realized in the last week that I have this map of northwest Houston permanently engraved on my mind and so I'm not very good anymore at describing it to y'all who don't know the area. Anyway, this area was just switched from elders to sisters about three months ago, so the wards are both still excited to have sisters and are both incredibly friendly and welcoming. We had two wonderful sacrament meetings yesterday. The first was a returned missionary reporting his mission to somewhere in Brazil. He spoke about charity and his love for the people and for the Lord was very evident in every word from his mouth and every expression on his face. In the second sacrament meeting, we had two excellent talks about setting goals and accepting change in your life. I've felt very strongly the past two weeks that one of the strongest opportunities I have to receive revelation is through attendance at church. Last week, our Relief Society lesson was manna from heaven. I felt like it was directly to me. And then during both of those talks yesterday I got some very specific directions and promptings and, yes, comforting feelings from the Spirit. So in addition to being more receptive to the Spirit in the morning, Sundays are a great time to receive revelation.
Before I forget, my reason for that subject line is to tell you that I think the Texas sun is turning my hair red. Not all over, but for a while now I've been thinking that I have some red streaks in my hair, but I cast it aside as wishful thinking, knowing that I've secretly always wanted to be a redhead so I was probably just imagining it. But yesterday Sister Schlauder looked at me and said, "Do you have red streaks in your hair?" At which point I confessed that I had thought my hair was turning red. So, it's official I have about a dozen red hairs. I'm no Anne of Green Gables, but I might some day qualify to be something of a Lucille Ball, since her hair was bottle red anyway.
Also before I forget, I think I may have misled you somewhere along the line, Mom. You keep referring to the investigator who got baptized when Elder Kikuchi was here. We were issued a challenge to challenge some investigators to be baptized the next day, but none of our investigators did so. Another companionship in our district did, and I think I mentioned that, but it wasn't "our" investigator. (I hate referring to investigators or baptisms, etc. as "ours" or "mine." You cannot own a person or his or her ordinances of salvation.) But, I did hear from Sister Layton last night that some of our investigators in Katy are very close to setting a baptism date. And we actually have two investigators here who are looking to be baptized sometime in September or October, so pray that all will go well with that. We will be doing a lot of finding this week, but I am feeling inspired by your reminding me what I said about tracting a while back and that great story from your friend. Greetings to them. I know I can do it. And think the hardest part is that at this point I know the kind of effort that is required to bring about the desired results and I let myself focus on how tired I am rather than how good I feel when it actually works well and the Lord blesses someone to take a copy of the Book of Mormon or receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Those are my two favorite things, I've discovered. I love sharing the Book of Mormon. I want to give it to everyone! I get so excited when I think about testifying to people about it. It truly has changed my life. And, I think I've already mentioned this, but my favorite thing about being in an area when someone makes the covenant of baptism is watching his or her countenance change with the gift of the Holy Ghost.
On my first full day here in Kleinwood/Windrose, we did a little tracting. For the first time, I had someone tell me to my face that I was part of a cult. I've heard that others think that about the Church members, but I've never had someone say that. Actually, it was a fairly cordial conversation, and I could actually feel the Spirit, but I suspect that maybe it was more because her heart was hardening to the message the more we invited her to read the Book of Mormon and hear about our message so the Spirit had nowhere to go but back into us. And at the very next house, we left a copy of the Book of Mormon, so you just never know.
Cassidy is quite crazy for running, but also quite brave. I hope everything is well with her at school. Eli is already in PACE. I can hardly believe that, but I'm glad they started out with rockets.
Love,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
p.s. Please. Shine.
Before I forget, my reason for that subject line is to tell you that I think the Texas sun is turning my hair red. Not all over, but for a while now I've been thinking that I have some red streaks in my hair, but I cast it aside as wishful thinking, knowing that I've secretly always wanted to be a redhead so I was probably just imagining it. But yesterday Sister Schlauder looked at me and said, "Do you have red streaks in your hair?" At which point I confessed that I had thought my hair was turning red. So, it's official I have about a dozen red hairs. I'm no Anne of Green Gables, but I might some day qualify to be something of a Lucille Ball, since her hair was bottle red anyway.
Also before I forget, I think I may have misled you somewhere along the line, Mom. You keep referring to the investigator who got baptized when Elder Kikuchi was here. We were issued a challenge to challenge some investigators to be baptized the next day, but none of our investigators did so. Another companionship in our district did, and I think I mentioned that, but it wasn't "our" investigator. (I hate referring to investigators or baptisms, etc. as "ours" or "mine." You cannot own a person or his or her ordinances of salvation.) But, I did hear from Sister Layton last night that some of our investigators in Katy are very close to setting a baptism date. And we actually have two investigators here who are looking to be baptized sometime in September or October, so pray that all will go well with that. We will be doing a lot of finding this week, but I am feeling inspired by your reminding me what I said about tracting a while back and that great story from your friend. Greetings to them. I know I can do it. And think the hardest part is that at this point I know the kind of effort that is required to bring about the desired results and I let myself focus on how tired I am rather than how good I feel when it actually works well and the Lord blesses someone to take a copy of the Book of Mormon or receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Those are my two favorite things, I've discovered. I love sharing the Book of Mormon. I want to give it to everyone! I get so excited when I think about testifying to people about it. It truly has changed my life. And, I think I've already mentioned this, but my favorite thing about being in an area when someone makes the covenant of baptism is watching his or her countenance change with the gift of the Holy Ghost.
On my first full day here in Kleinwood/Windrose, we did a little tracting. For the first time, I had someone tell me to my face that I was part of a cult. I've heard that others think that about the Church members, but I've never had someone say that. Actually, it was a fairly cordial conversation, and I could actually feel the Spirit, but I suspect that maybe it was more because her heart was hardening to the message the more we invited her to read the Book of Mormon and hear about our message so the Spirit had nowhere to go but back into us. And at the very next house, we left a copy of the Book of Mormon, so you just never know.
Cassidy is quite crazy for running, but also quite brave. I hope everything is well with her at school. Eli is already in PACE. I can hardly believe that, but I'm glad they started out with rockets.
Love,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
p.s. Please. Shine.
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