Hello everyone!
So this week has been one of the biggest up and down weeks of my mission! We had the best 2 days at the beginning of the week and then some of the slowest and hardest days for me at the end of the week. Weird how that happens huh? I won't talk too much about the last couple of days...there isn't too much to write about. but Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday were great!! We got 2 new investigators this week! And we had a lesson with Elena (remember her?) who said she wants to be baptized! She has several concerns but I don't doubt that we will be able to overcome them! Do you remember Nataša our English class student who doesn't believe in God? Listen to this. So when transfers were coming up we told her that one of us might be leaving...she didn't like that. ( I probably already told the basic story but here are some more details)
I said " Hey can we take a picture just in case one of us leaves next week?"
Nataša: "No"
Sister staheli: " yeah just it case?"
Me: Please just in case?
Nataša: " I don't like this 'case'!!"
It made us laugh:)
the next week we told her we would both be staying and she said that she had prayed that we would stay. (thank you inspired mission president!)We said "We thought you didn't believe in God" she said "Well you believe in God and I thought if I prayed to your God he would probably listen". yeah God hears all of our prayers! Last week we asked her to read Alma 32. This week she came back and said she really connected to that chapter. She said that she doesn't believe in God...but she is willing to take the challenge in Alma 32 and make a place in her heart to plant a seed to see if it grows. To find out if God exists and if she is his daughter. Sister Staheli and I were so excited we were practically jumping out of our chairs!! nataša just laughed. I love her so much and I really hope we can be in tune with the spirit to teach her to her needs. She is amazing!
Our other new investigator is the friend of a less active...I may have written about her last week. Marjanca ( her daughter has epilepsy). We asked her if she wanted to learn more this week and she said " Well I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to find out what this was!" She is a very blunt woman but has a great desire to know Christ better. I am so excited for her!
So this week I had a talk in Sacrament meeting...and as those things always go for missionaries here I had about 2 hours to prepare, 1 the evening before and 1 hour the morning of. I can't tell you how many times I have been grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and that was definitely one of those times!¨ Scriptures kept coming to mind and quotes that I wanted to use and it was amazing. Last time I gave a talk I had it all written out, exactly what I wanted to say and then I had Monika correct it for me. This time....just a couple of notes, no Monika, just me and the Holy Ghost and God's word. It was a neat experience for me if for no one else. But sister Staheli said that she got an answer to a prayer during it so I know it was inspired. I love it when that happens! I am so grateful for how much the Lord loves his missionaries and blesses us!
Ok enough for now I love you all!
Love,
Sestra Powell
Monday, November 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
11-7-11
Whew!! Hey everyone!
This week has been a whirlwind! So many good things happened and I went through so many different emotions that I am not sure quite what to think! Sister Black was here in Ljubljana all this week and we are switching back companions today. I am really excited to switch back, but I am sad to see her go. I have learned so much from her! She is a newby... only 2 months in country. So it was really interesting for me because I have always had someone to rely on to help me when I didn't understand something...not this week. It was a HUGE gowing experience for me. But the Lord truly blessed me! I can honestly say that this entire week I had the gift of tongues. I have improved a ton this transfer and understand basically everything and can finally feel confident in expressing the things that I want to in Slovene....but this week was miraculous. I found phrases coming to mind and found myself speaking more confidently and by the Spirit more and more. Wow the Holy Ghost is amazing! At the same time I failed at being a good leader and giving Sister Black adequate opportunities to teach and take the lead. She was truly amazing though. I was so inspired with her vision of missionary work and will use a lot of the things that she taught me in this upcoming transfer!
Speaking of which guess what!? Ljubljana just can't let me go! Or I have a lesson that I have to learn here and I am just to stubborn to learn it....I'm hoping it is the former. Nothing is going to change for this upcoming transfer! I am really excited. This last transfer I have grown so much and been so impacted by the people I have been working with and am excited for it to continue! We have so many good things going on and I would have been really sad to leave in the middle of such great progress! I still have a lot to learn though!
That is another thing that happened this week. I got spiritually slapped several times this week and severely chastened by the Spirit...mainly during district meeting. Once again hooray for an amazing district leader! (even if it did hurt my pride a little...or a lot). I realized a lot of things that I need to be doing better and realized that a lot of times my motivation for doing missionary work is not what it should be. I need to love the people more and focus so much more on looking outside of my self and relying on the Lord! It is so stinking easy to lose track of what is really important and focus on yourself!!! whew. I have a long way to go....but the first step to repentance is recognition right? now i just have to find the courage to do it. That is one of the talents that Pres. Topham said would be uncovered on my mission...and I bet it has to do with me being willing to change for that to actually happen. Darn that agency! except not really. It truly is a blessing and the only way we can grow!
So a quick little story and then I should go. So we are teaching an absolutely amazing woman named Tončka. I am so excited for her! She asks amazing questions and truly has a desire to understand. We were talking about faith and reading through parts of Alma 32 this week. She said that she has a hard time reading the book of mormon and she says she thinks one of the reasons is she doesn't have enough faith. As we were closing the lesson I committed her to read 2 Nephi 31 (we are going to commit her to baptism this week!) and when she said she would I started to promise her blessings because of it...as i started I got a prompting to promise her something a little more specific than what I was planning on. I promised her that as she read the Book of Mormon her faith would grow. Really simple right? but different from what I was planning on saying. but as soon as I said it I felt the Spirit testify that this simple promise was exactly what she needed to hear. Once again I love revelation and the Holy Ghost!
I love you all and I love this gospel. I am learning so much and am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord and the People in Slovenia! More next week!
Love,
Sestra Powell
This week has been a whirlwind! So many good things happened and I went through so many different emotions that I am not sure quite what to think! Sister Black was here in Ljubljana all this week and we are switching back companions today. I am really excited to switch back, but I am sad to see her go. I have learned so much from her! She is a newby... only 2 months in country. So it was really interesting for me because I have always had someone to rely on to help me when I didn't understand something...not this week. It was a HUGE gowing experience for me. But the Lord truly blessed me! I can honestly say that this entire week I had the gift of tongues. I have improved a ton this transfer and understand basically everything and can finally feel confident in expressing the things that I want to in Slovene....but this week was miraculous. I found phrases coming to mind and found myself speaking more confidently and by the Spirit more and more. Wow the Holy Ghost is amazing! At the same time I failed at being a good leader and giving Sister Black adequate opportunities to teach and take the lead. She was truly amazing though. I was so inspired with her vision of missionary work and will use a lot of the things that she taught me in this upcoming transfer!
Speaking of which guess what!? Ljubljana just can't let me go! Or I have a lesson that I have to learn here and I am just to stubborn to learn it....I'm hoping it is the former. Nothing is going to change for this upcoming transfer! I am really excited. This last transfer I have grown so much and been so impacted by the people I have been working with and am excited for it to continue! We have so many good things going on and I would have been really sad to leave in the middle of such great progress! I still have a lot to learn though!
That is another thing that happened this week. I got spiritually slapped several times this week and severely chastened by the Spirit...mainly during district meeting. Once again hooray for an amazing district leader! (even if it did hurt my pride a little...or a lot). I realized a lot of things that I need to be doing better and realized that a lot of times my motivation for doing missionary work is not what it should be. I need to love the people more and focus so much more on looking outside of my self and relying on the Lord! It is so stinking easy to lose track of what is really important and focus on yourself!!! whew. I have a long way to go....but the first step to repentance is recognition right? now i just have to find the courage to do it. That is one of the talents that Pres. Topham said would be uncovered on my mission...and I bet it has to do with me being willing to change for that to actually happen. Darn that agency! except not really. It truly is a blessing and the only way we can grow!
So a quick little story and then I should go. So we are teaching an absolutely amazing woman named Tončka. I am so excited for her! She asks amazing questions and truly has a desire to understand. We were talking about faith and reading through parts of Alma 32 this week. She said that she has a hard time reading the book of mormon and she says she thinks one of the reasons is she doesn't have enough faith. As we were closing the lesson I committed her to read 2 Nephi 31 (we are going to commit her to baptism this week!) and when she said she would I started to promise her blessings because of it...as i started I got a prompting to promise her something a little more specific than what I was planning on. I promised her that as she read the Book of Mormon her faith would grow. Really simple right? but different from what I was planning on saying. but as soon as I said it I felt the Spirit testify that this simple promise was exactly what she needed to hear. Once again I love revelation and the Holy Ghost!
I love you all and I love this gospel. I am learning so much and am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord and the People in Slovenia! More next week!
Love,
Sestra Powell
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