Hello Everyone!
This week is going to have to be a short one! Yesterday everything was closed so today we only have an hour and a half to email and go shopping for the week! I'm really sorry if I don't get to email some of the family back, know that I love you and truly appreciate your emails!
This week we had our concert in Croatia! I felt the spirit even more strongly during this concert than the last time we sang even though my voice didn't make it through the last song! It was very powerful:)
For easter we had a fun little activity with Lucija and the Taylors. We had dinner and then dyed easter eggs and guess what I found out!? Brown Eggs dye really cool-- or the dye in Slovenia is way darker than the stuff in America! The were pretty cool looking! I'll attach a picture if I have time! After that we had a really neat thought with Lucija about Christ's atonement and resurrection. She is really struggling and is starting to have a lot of health problems because of her problem with alcohol. It really makes me nervous and we pray for her every day to be able to pull out of this rut. She is such a sweet woman and we want her to be O.K!
Yesterday for P-day we went to a lake here called Lake Bohinj. It was really pretty but it rained on us pretty hard and I didn't even have my rain jacket! Joj. But that was a big part of the fun! Guess what!? This is the last week of my 1st transfer! We don't know what is going to happen yet but i hope we will find out wednesday. I have already learned so much and it is amazing to me how the Lord has helped me along in this first 2 months. I know that He hears and answers my prayers and that He loves all of us very much.
I Love you all! Thank you for everything!
Love,
Sestra Powell
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
4-18-11 sorry its a week late
Zivijo!!
Another week gone! A lot of good things have happened this week! Last Monday for Družinski Večer we watched the Joseph Smith movie at the church. It was really neat for Sister Oakley and me because we actually had a girl come who we met on the bus!! Her name is Kaja and she is a really neat girl but I don't think she is very interested. She is not very religious but thought the movie was interesting. We have tried a couple of times to get together with her to teach her more but she always has an excuse...whether they are real or not we don 't know....We will keep trying! We had another 1st lesson and have a new investigator!! Her name is Andreja and she is great! We met her on the street a couple of days ago and she talked to us for a good half an hour or more about her life and we got some good things in about the gospel as well:) her boyfriend is somewhere for 2 years and told her that God has told him that he should probably stay.(We say yeah, you stay away so she doesn't have anything to hold her back from being baptized!!) She has been waiting for him but now that he is saying he might not come back she is devastated and is really struggling. She is not sure if she believes in God but is interested in learning about religions. Our first lesson with her was pretty good. She didn't say much but afterward there was a relief society activity and she stayed...and then she stayed and talked to us after that as well....and then she lingered a little more! We have great hopes for her!
We are helping one of our member's friends with English. She is going to America in about a week and wants to improve her speaking skills. Her name is Violeta and she is the sweetest woman! We are really trying to bring gospel topics into our English conversations and find out how much she already knows. She came to Sacrament meeting to meet us so I think she is pretty familiar with the church already. We really want to teach her!
So Pres. Majc called us this week and he set up for a primary school class to come and take a tour of the church and wanted some missionaries to be there. It was amazing to see him at work and also the Elders. They are all such good conversationalists and share the doctrine so well and so boldly. Sister Oakley and I were asked to give the first lesson in about 5 minutes and it was a little bit of a struggle...but we did alright. the Elders came in and patched up a couple of important parts that we missed....but overall it was a really good experience. Growth doesn't come without struggle! Well more next week! Thank you for all the prayers and support!
Love,
Sestra Powell
This is part of my letter to president Hill and I just wanted to share some of my thoughts with you as well!
This week I have been noticing a theme in my studies and experiences. Most good things don't come without sacrifice and growth doesn't come without struggle. It is a gradual process and a lot of the time we don't realize that we are making progress! I have been thinking a lot about Joseph Smith and his life and sacrifices and how he was persecuted and then killed because of his work to build the Lord's kingdom on the earth. He had to suffer so much but brought so much good into the world! Because of him we have the restored gospel on the earth again!
I have also been thinking about the Savior and how so many people didn't listen to Him even though her was the perfect teacher. He gave his life and suffered for the benefit of all mankind who have and will ever live on this earth. And then there are the struggles and trials of all the rest of us as mortal beings. I think of my struggles now in missionary work and they seem miniscule in comparison although they feel very real to me now. They are probably the basic struggles of a missionary I am sure. Struggling with the language and homesickness, Learning to work with a new companion, dealing with rejection and working hard daily with little or nothing to show for it.
But it is such a comfort to know that with struggle growth does come. I was looking back through my conference notes and I was amazed to see how many talks touched on this subject- or at least how much the Holy Ghost taught me on the subject while listening to conference:)
Some examples:
"Slow small accumulation of Gold flecks will give us nuggets" M. Russel Ballard
"All things will work together for our good if we keep our covenants" Walter F Gonzalez
" Pain teaches us patience and brings you to humility to ponder." Kent F Richards
"Those who seek to know Christ will come to know him but most often it comes as a puzzle, one piece at a time." Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Paul V. Johnson's entire talk was amazing! about trials that make us stronger
David A. Bednar's talk about gradual discernment of light.
I don't know if this makes sense at all...but because of my mindset when I watched conference it all connected in my mind:) It is truly amazing to recognize how the Holy Ghost works! Anyway I hope my rambling all makes sense!
Love,
Sestra Powell
Another week gone! A lot of good things have happened this week! Last Monday for Družinski Večer we watched the Joseph Smith movie at the church. It was really neat for Sister Oakley and me because we actually had a girl come who we met on the bus!! Her name is Kaja and she is a really neat girl but I don't think she is very interested. She is not very religious but thought the movie was interesting. We have tried a couple of times to get together with her to teach her more but she always has an excuse...whether they are real or not we don 't know....We will keep trying! We had another 1st lesson and have a new investigator!! Her name is Andreja and she is great! We met her on the street a couple of days ago and she talked to us for a good half an hour or more about her life and we got some good things in about the gospel as well:) her boyfriend is somewhere for 2 years and told her that God has told him that he should probably stay.(We say yeah, you stay away so she doesn't have anything to hold her back from being baptized!!) She has been waiting for him but now that he is saying he might not come back she is devastated and is really struggling. She is not sure if she believes in God but is interested in learning about religions. Our first lesson with her was pretty good. She didn't say much but afterward there was a relief society activity and she stayed...and then she stayed and talked to us after that as well....and then she lingered a little more! We have great hopes for her!
We are helping one of our member's friends with English. She is going to America in about a week and wants to improve her speaking skills. Her name is Violeta and she is the sweetest woman! We are really trying to bring gospel topics into our English conversations and find out how much she already knows. She came to Sacrament meeting to meet us so I think she is pretty familiar with the church already. We really want to teach her!
So Pres. Majc called us this week and he set up for a primary school class to come and take a tour of the church and wanted some missionaries to be there. It was amazing to see him at work and also the Elders. They are all such good conversationalists and share the doctrine so well and so boldly. Sister Oakley and I were asked to give the first lesson in about 5 minutes and it was a little bit of a struggle...but we did alright. the Elders came in and patched up a couple of important parts that we missed....but overall it was a really good experience. Growth doesn't come without struggle! Well more next week! Thank you for all the prayers and support!
Love,
Sestra Powell
This is part of my letter to president Hill and I just wanted to share some of my thoughts with you as well!
This week I have been noticing a theme in my studies and experiences. Most good things don't come without sacrifice and growth doesn't come without struggle. It is a gradual process and a lot of the time we don't realize that we are making progress! I have been thinking a lot about Joseph Smith and his life and sacrifices and how he was persecuted and then killed because of his work to build the Lord's kingdom on the earth. He had to suffer so much but brought so much good into the world! Because of him we have the restored gospel on the earth again!
I have also been thinking about the Savior and how so many people didn't listen to Him even though her was the perfect teacher. He gave his life and suffered for the benefit of all mankind who have and will ever live on this earth. And then there are the struggles and trials of all the rest of us as mortal beings. I think of my struggles now in missionary work and they seem miniscule in comparison although they feel very real to me now. They are probably the basic struggles of a missionary I am sure. Struggling with the language and homesickness, Learning to work with a new companion, dealing with rejection and working hard daily with little or nothing to show for it.
But it is such a comfort to know that with struggle growth does come. I was looking back through my conference notes and I was amazed to see how many talks touched on this subject- or at least how much the Holy Ghost taught me on the subject while listening to conference:)
Some examples:
"Slow small accumulation of Gold flecks will give us nuggets" M. Russel Ballard
"All things will work together for our good if we keep our covenants" Walter F Gonzalez
" Pain teaches us patience and brings you to humility to ponder." Kent F Richards
"Those who seek to know Christ will come to know him but most often it comes as a puzzle, one piece at a time." Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Paul V. Johnson's entire talk was amazing! about trials that make us stronger
David A. Bednar's talk about gradual discernment of light.
I don't know if this makes sense at all...but because of my mindset when I watched conference it all connected in my mind:) It is truly amazing to recognize how the Holy Ghost works! Anyway I hope my rambling all makes sense!
Love,
Sestra Powell
Monday, April 4, 2011
April 4 Letter
Zivijo Družina in Prijatelje!
This week has been amazing! We had our Easter Concert on Saturday and it went really well! We were all fasting for our mission because we Pres. Hill set a goal for the mission to double the number of baptisms for this year. We had 28 last year so we are shooting for 56 this year. That means we need to have 28 by June 1st! It is a big goal but I know the Lord will provide a way! We already have 8 for the mission but we need to pick up the speed if we are going to reach it. anyway. The concert was a neat experience for me because as I sang I truly wanted everyone in the room to understand the words of each song and to realize how important the Atonement of Jesus Christ is and what it can do for them. I felt the spirit so strongly and my desire to share the gospel with these people grew. We also had some of the members and missionaries bear their testimonies which was also very neat. We had one of our English class students come. her name is Urša, she is in a wheelchair and doesn't have a lot of control over her body but she speaks well. She is beautiful and has such a sweet spirit! I really would love to teach her the gospel. For English class we teach English for about 50 min and then we close with a spiritual thought. This past week our spiritual thought was on the great apostasy and the need for a restoration. It went really well and all of our students took an Obnova Pamphlet! I really hope we can get some investigators from the class because they are all soooo cool and I want them to have the gospel in their lives! Not to mention the fact that because of their personalities they would help the church grow so much! anyway I'm thinking way ahead here... but that is a good thing right? Anyway we had a lesson with Tadeja this week and she told us that her dad had asked her if she would still get married in the Catholic church (her boyfriend is a member of the church) and she said no, becaue of the truths she has found she is going to marry Andrej in the temple!!!!! She said she and her parents had a good discussion about the church and they weren't thrilled but they weren't furious either! So basically Tadeja will get baptized...at this point it is just when. She hasn't talked any more to them about the baptism though so we will see!
Pops I think I may have miscommunicated about the lessons we had last week. the 12 lessons we had were a combination of member lessons and lessons we had on the street. We also count our spiritual thought in English class as a lesson. We still have only taught 1 actual 1st lesson out of preach my gospel to a potential investigator (Gospa Mili) and she is not interested. Tadeja (as our only investigator at this point) has had all of the lessons out of preach my gospel and so we have been reviewing some and doing spiritual thoughts with her. Anyway We hope that with our fast and determination to work harder we will get some more 1st lessons and some new progressing investigators soon!
We tried a new tactic this week while contacting. We contacted everyone we saw who looked 30 or younger in English! We had a ton of success!... Well more than we have had before:) We got 3 phone numbers and an e-mail address and taught some principles from the 1st lesson to several people. unfortunately 2 of those 3 numbers were fake... but we are making progress! Everyone here younger than 30 knows atleast a little bit of English. It isn't great way for me to learn the language but it is a great way to get their attention!
Ok. Now for General Conference! Wasn't it amazing!!! I got to watch 3 sessions which I hear is not common at all. I was so grateful because there were so many things said that I needed to hear. it is truly amazing how the Lord speaks through his servants to help all of his children! it was also really neat for me to watch Conference as a missionary. It gives it a completely different perspective. I kept on thinking of different members who could be helped with a certain talk and how I could apply everything that was said to missionary work. It is pretty cool how a change in your circumstances can change the meaning of conference! Anyway I have to go. I love you all, thank you for your prayers and support!
Love,
Sestra Powell
This week has been amazing! We had our Easter Concert on Saturday and it went really well! We were all fasting for our mission because we Pres. Hill set a goal for the mission to double the number of baptisms for this year. We had 28 last year so we are shooting for 56 this year. That means we need to have 28 by June 1st! It is a big goal but I know the Lord will provide a way! We already have 8 for the mission but we need to pick up the speed if we are going to reach it. anyway. The concert was a neat experience for me because as I sang I truly wanted everyone in the room to understand the words of each song and to realize how important the Atonement of Jesus Christ is and what it can do for them. I felt the spirit so strongly and my desire to share the gospel with these people grew. We also had some of the members and missionaries bear their testimonies which was also very neat. We had one of our English class students come. her name is Urša, she is in a wheelchair and doesn't have a lot of control over her body but she speaks well. She is beautiful and has such a sweet spirit! I really would love to teach her the gospel. For English class we teach English for about 50 min and then we close with a spiritual thought. This past week our spiritual thought was on the great apostasy and the need for a restoration. It went really well and all of our students took an Obnova Pamphlet! I really hope we can get some investigators from the class because they are all soooo cool and I want them to have the gospel in their lives! Not to mention the fact that because of their personalities they would help the church grow so much! anyway I'm thinking way ahead here... but that is a good thing right? Anyway we had a lesson with Tadeja this week and she told us that her dad had asked her if she would still get married in the Catholic church (her boyfriend is a member of the church) and she said no, becaue of the truths she has found she is going to marry Andrej in the temple!!!!! She said she and her parents had a good discussion about the church and they weren't thrilled but they weren't furious either! So basically Tadeja will get baptized...at this point it is just when. She hasn't talked any more to them about the baptism though so we will see!
Pops I think I may have miscommunicated about the lessons we had last week. the 12 lessons we had were a combination of member lessons and lessons we had on the street. We also count our spiritual thought in English class as a lesson. We still have only taught 1 actual 1st lesson out of preach my gospel to a potential investigator (Gospa Mili) and she is not interested. Tadeja (as our only investigator at this point) has had all of the lessons out of preach my gospel and so we have been reviewing some and doing spiritual thoughts with her. Anyway We hope that with our fast and determination to work harder we will get some more 1st lessons and some new progressing investigators soon!
We tried a new tactic this week while contacting. We contacted everyone we saw who looked 30 or younger in English! We had a ton of success!... Well more than we have had before:) We got 3 phone numbers and an e-mail address and taught some principles from the 1st lesson to several people. unfortunately 2 of those 3 numbers were fake... but we are making progress! Everyone here younger than 30 knows atleast a little bit of English. It isn't great way for me to learn the language but it is a great way to get their attention!
Ok. Now for General Conference! Wasn't it amazing!!! I got to watch 3 sessions which I hear is not common at all. I was so grateful because there were so many things said that I needed to hear. it is truly amazing how the Lord speaks through his servants to help all of his children! it was also really neat for me to watch Conference as a missionary. It gives it a completely different perspective. I kept on thinking of different members who could be helped with a certain talk and how I could apply everything that was said to missionary work. It is pretty cool how a change in your circumstances can change the meaning of conference! Anyway I have to go. I love you all, thank you for your prayers and support!
Love,
Sestra Powell
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