Happy thanksgiving week

Buenos Dias to my Amazing Family!!

Hello From Bellevue!!

 

I am loving bellevue!! Of course its never easy to leave a place, and you of all people know how I am with that kind of stuff. I loved Hermana Heywood, and I know me and her will continue to be friends even after the mission. Its all part of the process I guess, and the people are really the ones who make it all worth it. I truly have been blessed by not only having amazing companions, leaders, but branches, and people I serve. There is just other things I have to learn maybe one day I will be able to look back, and tell you what that is but as of now Here we go!!

This week has been great. Of course since we are in a new area and taking over what the elders have been doing we are still trying to figure out what has been going on in the branch, and how the work has been progressing here. We spend tons of time planning, and really trying to figure out what is the path the lord wants us to take. I can't say planning is my favorite thing I dont mind it lets just say it will be one thing i wont miss.

The branch has been so welcoming, and they keep telling us how they are so excited to have sisters. They really are so sweet in saying that we all bring such a special spirit, and that there is work here for us to do that the elders couldn't. Not that I dont love elders they are great. In this particular branch this is the first time they ever have had sisters, and they are so excited!! The second we met them you could just feel there love for us. I know that they expect great things from us, and its not going to be an easy task. We have to work hard, and we are digging through are area book to find formers or potential investigators. Lets just say the elders didn't really leave us with much so we have to work on building up the teaching pool with solid investigators. Bellevue is such a great area, and it has so much work that needs to get done. I am here to help get it rolling, and the branch is more than willing to help. They are so excited to have some new faces.So stay tuned!! 

 I have amazing companions, and we all get along so well. Which is huge!! You all now how much I love Hermana Stout, and Hermana Baek is a work horse, and does anything to get the job done. At first I was super nervous about having a three some, but we dont have any problems. Of course it is much easier to teach with only two people, but its been great!!! We are all still learning together so I will keep you posted.

Last week we found Angelica who the elders referred her to us. Anyway she is amazing, and we had such a spiritual lesson with her. She is Catholic, but that really doesn't scare me because when they say they are catholic that means maybe they attend church once or twice a year if that!! She so cute, and I felt such a strong bond with her. She is super funny, and just so sweet. She even told me that I looked like I was rich, and worked at a high end business office which was nice. The whole night she kept saying how pretty all of us were. Which who doesn't love complements?!  Anyway she just gets it so keep her in your prayers. We tried committing her to baptism, but she wants to learn more which is totally understandable. 

Now as for Saturday we has such an amazing meeting with Dallin H. Oaks as well as two others in the quorm of the 70. Dallin H. Oaks is so cute, and when he laughs his soulders shrug up and down. Well and being sisters we always have to sit in the front rows of meetings, and I was on the very front row, he was sitting right in front of me. It was an amazing experience to have an apostol of the lord visit our mission. Each of us had the opprotunity to shake his hand!! As he shook our hand he said each of us by name which is amazing that he would take the time to shake 250ish missionaries hands. So Below are a few of my notes!!

 

 Elder Phillip K. Bussey
challenged us as missionaries to do three things:
Learn the language of the Spirit.
Understand the Plan of Salvation
Understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband
quoted from page 156 of Preach My Gospel:
"Nothing happens in missionary work until you find someone to teach." He challenged us to be constantly searching for the elect or nothing else will happen:
"And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts." (D&C 29:7)
He promised us that there were tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of the elect in our mission just searching for the truth but not knowing where to find it
Elder Rasband challenged all of us to get out of our caves and to leave depression, despair, and hopelessness behind so that we can go and find the elect who are waiting for us.

Sister Oaks

Talked about eliminating selfisness in our lives, and loving where we serve. This time is not about us, its what our heavenly father wants us to be. We are on his time.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks
He explained how the more important part of his talk was not about what was said, but what we heard.
He talked about how difficult it is to travel the world and to go into every meeting and hear the person conducting say something like, "This is a Servant of the Lord and he has a message for you." Each time he knows that expectations are high and that everyone who came that day is looking to hear something powerful and profound that will change their lives forever. The thought always occurs to him in those moments, "What can you say?" Missionaries often feel the same way each time they begin a lesson. He explained that no one is adequate to this challenge without the Spirit.

He also talked about the importance of partaking of the sacrament each week. Its the one covenant we can do for ourselves every week. Your only baptized for yourself once, or taking on the covenants of the temple or marriage. He explained how important is us for us to make sure we are taking of the sacrament each week as well as our investigators. Teaching the investigators about that very important ordiance. He also talked about the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost being seperate beings, but one in purpose. He also talked about how we live in a time of Anti. Where we have opposition in all things which is how it is supposed to be. Be we have equal forces of good. We are the strong generation to combat the evil. He said "The greater visablity the stronger the oppostion." We are threats to the adversary. He talked about the role of other christian religions, and how they opened the door for others to want to hear about christ, and believe in him. We are here to give the fulness of the gospel.

 

Well sorry this is long, but hopefully its worth it. It was a great amazing experience. I cant believe its Thanksgiving!!! It sounds like you all have some fun plans. Steven have fun in St. George!! I love that place. Everyone else have fun with the Walkers, and please send my love. I was super worried we werent going to have plans but the branch has taken care of us so well, and so of course they wouldnt leave us hanging. So yes I am having so kind of thanksgiving with a few members in the ward!! Its going to be a blast they are great. Who knows if it is going to be the traditional thanksgiving, but it will be one to remember for sure. Also that morning we have a mission activity so that will be fun. Its sad because the mission is divided in two groups and of course my kent peeps are in a different group. Oh well!!

I Love you all have a great week!!! I am sending pictures soon so maybe with the holiday you should have them by this weeked. Please pray I get some Pie!! Thats my favorite part. Also I am going to hurry and write some christmas ideas becasue Friday is a great day to get some awesome deals.

1. GPS- Garmin Nuvi ( so something like that) hopefully its not super expensive, but you can pick out something great. This is something that would be so practical, and I would get tons of use out of it.

2. Slippers- there are ones like Linnea and Rebecca but at  KOHLS and not target. The ones at kohls are just so much softer. Hopefully they know what ones i am talking about.
LOVE YOU!!!! I will be thinking of you especially Thursday!!! I am sad I cant be with you it will be different for sure, but dont worry I am being taken care of!!!

 

Love Hermana Grimes