But If Not

Dear all, 

I know this is late... But you've got to let me explain! Missionary work is the greatest! We were sitting at the library and I had this email about 1/4 of the way finished, when the woman sitting across from me peeked around her screen and asked "Are you from Ancestry?" to which I enthusiastically replied "YES! I can help you if you need it!" ... Long story short, I just spent an hour helping her figure out how to use Family Search, find a couple names on her tree, and fix a couple mistakes. I also referred her to the near-by family history center because they know so much more than I do! She was so excited! I was so excited! It was all just so exciting! 

... But in the mean time... The computer logged me out and I lost all that I had typed. But never fear! Missionary work is still the greatest! 

I am happy to report that all is well in Zion... and by that I mean in the great Merrilltown/Heritage Trail area of the mighty Texas San Antonio Mission! 

The Lord blessed us this last week with so many prepared people who were eager to hear the message of the Restoration! The Lord is definitely pouring out his blessings in this area! We found a family! I'm excited to help them receive the gospel and continually invite them to come unto Christ! 

These wards are amazing. Most (if not all) of the members have caught a vision of missionary work that is a wonder to behold. We receive referrals left and right. They accept our invitation to invite their friends to partake of the gospel. They are eager to fellowship those whom we are finding through our own efforts and truly welcome them in. They are excited when a lost sheep returns to the fold and welcome them in with open arms. They make an effort to do their family history work and attend the temple regularly. Now, by no means are they perfect in these things, but they are trying, and that's the only thing that we can truly be perfect in. Watching them is helping me set goals and make plans for a year from now when I am again one of "them". Truly great examples! 

Something neat happened yesterday: We were sitting reverently in the Merrilltown sacrament meeting when I heard some chaos happening behind us (which is not uncommon in a ward with so many children). Pretty soon it quieted down, and I heard the restless girl's father say "Look at the sister missionaries. How are they sitting?" He waited for her response and then said "Yes, very reverently. Do you want to be a sister missionary?" It was then that I realized just how much we are watched. Missionaries set such an example. And not just missionaries! Everyone! All members of the church are lights for the rest of the world! But do we act like it all the time?

This week I have been repeatedly humbled. It hasn't been easy, but I have definitely recognized things that I need to improve on. And I can't complain because I asked for it! The Lord is good! And I know that as I continue to recognize my weakened and fallen state, I will be opening the door to receive strength from God to overcome. Change is not comfortable, but you know what they say: "There's no growth in a comfort zone, and no comfort in a growth zone!" 

There's something that President Slaughter said on my first day in the field that has stuck with me and I think about it often: "You can't just be consistent. You have to be steady." But what does it mean to be steady? So I studied. And then I studied it some more. If President says that I need to be steady, then I'm going to do all I can to be so! 

Sister Cheryl C. Lant said: "We learn that our conversion to the “true faith” precedes our ability to remain firm, steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments."

So I knew that I needed faith if I wanted to be steady. So every morning I would say to myself: "Today is going to be the greatest day in the history of missionary work. I have faith that Heavenly Father will lead us to those He has prepared. He will fill our mouths with the right words. We will be on time all day and preach by the way to every person we see. I have faith."

But is that true faith? 

The answer? No.

True faith was demonstrated by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in Daniel 3. King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw them into a fiery furnace if they would not worship the idol that he had built. This was their response: 

"17: If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

18: But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

That is a statement of true faith. Elder Dennis E. Simmons said:

 "They knew that they could trust God--even if things didn’t turn out the way they hoped. They knew that faith is more than mental assent, more than an acknowledgment that God lives. Faith is total trust in Him...

We must have the same faith as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

Our God will deliver us from ridicule and persecution, but if not. … Our God will deliver us from sickness and disease, but if not … . He will deliver us from loneliness, depression, or fear, but if not. … Our God will deliver us from threats, accusations, and insecurity, but if not. … He will deliver us from death or impairment of loved ones, but if not, … we will trust in the Lord."

True faith comes when we can say "I have faith that Heavenly Father will help, but if not, I still have faith."

"Our discipleship need not be dried out by discouragement..." -Elder Neal A. Maxwell

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

May we all exercise true faith and become truly steady! 

Love,

Sister Waite 

No Breaks

Hey y'all!

This week has been going well. We are learning many great and important things in this wonderful area. I am so happy! I love it here! We haven't seen the slightest decrease in miracles! Our commitment is still strong and we are ready to preach the gospel to all who will receive us! 

We 'heart-attacked' a member's door to thank her for being so great!

We had terrifying experience this week that turned out to be really funny and not terrifying at all. We received word that a woman in our area had requested a Bible, so we drove out to her home and parked out on the street. There was a big 'keep out' sign on the fence, but she had ordered the book, and we were supposed to deliver it, so I just walked right on in. I took about two steps and then heard a loud bark and Sister Risenmay scream and yell her first name (Yeah, I don't know why that was the first thing on her tongue... Haha!) at the top of her lungs. There was a dog chained to the fence, and it had come running at us, growling and looking really mean. But the chain was only long enough for the dog to give us a good scare. We knocked on the door anyway, and we saw the woman look at us through the window and then heard her lock the door. It was actually pretty funny. I mean, we had a good laugh about it. Good thing we have a phone number! Haha! 

Home!!!!

There was another HQ referral who told us that she hadn't realized that she had ordered a Bible from "the Mormons" and refused to take it from us. We tried to explain to her that we were not offering her a Book of Mormon (although we had planned on doing so after she took the Bible) and that we had the King James Version Bible she had ordered, but she would have none of it! It was actually really sad. But we applied the theory of nearness and knocked on all the doors right around her house. And found the coolest family! I happened to be holding a copy of the Book of Mormon in my hand when the father answered the door and he said "Ah. The Book of Mormon. You must be Mormons," which absolutely terrified me, but I just said "Yes, sir! You've heard of us! What do you know?" and he told us that his best friend is LDS and they talk about it all the time! He brought up eternal families, and we took that and ran. He even asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon before we could offer it! He declined a return appointment, opting instead to talk to his friend about it, but he said that they would definitely come to church if the opportunity arose. It was so neat! We contacted his friend and made sure he knew that his friend was reading the Book of Mormon. And now... we wait. But only for about a week. Then we'll go back by. Haha! :) 

I found out this morning that there is going to be a Sisters' Conference and Temple Trip in September and I am overjoyed!!!!! It's been so long since I've had the opportunity to attend the temple and I am excited to be able to do so! 

You also may or may not have been expecting transfer news today... So were we! But we were told on Saturday that we will be receiving an email tomorrow evening to let us know if we will be staying or going, and that any other assignments (training or leadership) will be received at transfer meeting. I honestly like this new system. It's going to be a lot of fun! :) 

Sunset/Miracle Sky

There is one important principle that I've thought a lot about this week: 

 There are no breaks in the gospel. 

This was reaffirmed to me this week after a visit with a less-active member. He had been active for most of his life, but when we asked why he had stopped coming to church, he proceeded to list off a myriad of excuses ranging from laziness to offense, none of which were valid in anyone's eyes but his own. He quoted scripture to us and said that he'd had an experience in the temple that confirmed the validity of his fall from the gospel, and that "Heavenly Father said it was alright." He said that he wasn't burning any bridges and that he could walk back anytime. So I asked him a simple question, already knowing the answer: "Are you still reading the Book of Mormon?" He guffawed and said "Of course not! Everyone asks that, like it's some kind of magical cure!" ... Which it is. The little things are what build a testimony. He's slowly burning the bridge! I wanted to quote Elder Bednar to him! He's letting people's actions-including his own- keep him away from the ordinance of the sacrament! When our door-step discussion came to a close, he said "I sure hope I didn't hurt anyone's testimony" to which I replied "Brother, if you did anything tonight, you strengthened my testimony. I will never stop doing the little things. There are no breaks in the gospel."

The scriptures back this up: 

"... if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life..." (Mosiah 4:6)

"...ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20)

"...we count them happy which endure..." (James 5:11)

We cannot expect to be able to take a break and be able to slip right back into the gospel. As we stop doing the little things, we stop building on the foundation of Christ, and, to paraphrase scripture, "...when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have [ALL] power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo..."

We have to be careful and ever watchful! 

May you and I never take a break! 

Love,

Sister Waite

The Mailman Preparing to Make a Missionary's Day!

Miracles... and a little faith.

Dear all, 

Miracletown continues to be full of miracles! The Merrilltown ward hadn't had a baptism in over a year, and we've had two in the last two weeks! I wish I could say that I had anything to do with it. It was all the Spirit... and the members! Members play such a huge role in missionary work! Especially in the stories of Lupe and Ryan. They were both active member referrals who had seen the light and example of their member friends and desired it for themselves! 

Did you realize that you can do missionary work by just being a good example? However, the invitation is super important, too! The success is in the invitation! In the commitment you have to living true to the gospel and setting a good example! How wonderful is that? I was always super scared to invite... but there was no reason to be! The success is in the invitation, not in if the person you invite is baptized, or even hears what you have to say. All we're asked to do is open our mouths! 

... Oh no. Have I become preachy?! ... I don't even know who I am anymore. Haha! I'll get off my soap box. 

We tried to take a picture that wasn't a selfie. It didn't work out as planned!

I hope y'all are doing well and noticing all the miracles in your lives! God's hand is everywhere. I feel like we too often look for big things, but the little things are miracles, too!

Ryan was baptized and confirmed this weekend, and it was really neat to see. He's been letting the Atonement change his life! Which is something we all need to do! He's so super great! :) 

Us, Sister Dwight (Ryan's church 'mom'), Ryan, Bishop Aldridge,
and our ward mission leader, Brother Sears, at Ryan's baptism. 

We were able to meet a lot of neat people this week, including a guy who we're pretty sure plays football for UT. He was really jealous that I'd had dinner with Ty Detmer. But, honestly, who wouldn't be? ;) 

I have so many things flying around in my head that I could write about, but I just can't choose and I am running out of time. Just know that I love this area and my companion so much! We are working hard (not hardly working) and seeing the miracles and blessings that come from that. I can hardly believe that it is week 5 of the transfer already! And August! ... I don't remember authorizing that! Oh well, time moves on. I hope to be able to continue growing as it continues running. 

The lizard I caught in the bedroom while on exchanges with Sister Facer.
Sister Facer really doesn't like lizards. It was quite the experience! ha ha!

One scripture I absolutely love is Mark 9:23:

"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

All things are possible to him that believeth! Believing, or faith, being the key word there. I have seen the effects of faith in my life, and especially in missionary work. We are taught to find by faith, to teach with the faith that the Spirit will confirm our words, to have faith that those we help bring into the fold will be able to continue onward... To HAVE FAITH. 

I thought I had faith before, but as I have truly learned to study the scriptures, pray meaningfully, and truly obey and believe... my faith has grown! Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said: 

"Our faith is the foundation upon which all our spiritual lives rest. It should be the most important resource of our lives. Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live." 

Brothers and sisters and the like, faith is something that we live! If we live like we believe, our faith will grow, and all things will be possible to us! We will not be left alone. In Elder Wirthlin's words:

"Be of good cheer. Have faith and confidence. The Lord will not forsake you."

I know this to be true, just as I know it was spoken by a chosen servant of the Lord. An Apostle! 

Look for miracles and strengthen your faith! 

Love, 

Sister Waite

Sweater Weather

Dear all, 

It cooled down a little bit this week... I even wore some sweaters! And by that I mean that it was only in the upper-90s and I was freezing. What have I become?! Haha! 

All of my companions and me.

We also celebrated Christmas in July this week... mostly because we found the David Archuleta Christmas CD in our car. (Isn't that always the reason? Haha!) That may or may not still be playing. I admit to nothing. 

A member took us to get pedicures last pday... lots of.. fun!

This week was definitely a busy one. The work is truly rolling forward in Merrilltown/Heritage Trail! We've been teaching so many wonderful people! We're still working on continually finding, but we've already seen the Lord's hand in that, with so many new people falling into our path. We visited a less-active family yesterday, and set their unbaptized son on date! They all had such wonderful questions and insights and were really ready to come back. We're excited to continue working with them! An answer to our prayers and fasts. We're especially excited to continue working with members to find (especially future and new members!)

We also have another baptism on Saturday at 1 o'clock. Ryan is awesome. He's so willing to change and he's already started doing missionary work! :) 

Lupe and us and Kemish and Kemish's family and his mom!

Lupe and Kemish (the friend that shared the gospel with him) and us.

I was able to witness two baptisms on Saturday and I can't tell you how great it was to be able to see two people who I have come to know and love take that step! Especially Geoff, since I've worked with him so much longer. That was such a spiritual strengthening. It also got me thinking about how blessed I have been on my mission to be able to meet so many great children of Heavenly Father! I feel much as Ammon did in Alma 26: How great reason have I to rejoice; for could I have supposed when I started from the land of Arizona that God would have granted unto me such great blessings? Who can glory too much in the Lord? Who can say too much of His great power, and of His mercy, and of His long-suffering towards the children of men? I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. Have I not reason to rejoice?

I wish I had time to tell the entirety of Lupe's story, but you'll have to be content in knowing that it is much like Cesario's. When friends share the gospel, lives are changed! 

The one and only Geoff Murphy.. and us!

We had to leave Geoff's baptism a little early to rush north to Lupe's, so I missed Geoff bearing his testimony. BUT, he did share with me a quote that he was going to use, and I think it's very fitting: 

"I bear my witness that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I testify to you that, thanks to His love, it is possible to change. It is possible to leave our weaknesses behind. It is possible to reject the evil influences in our lives, control our anger, become meek, and develop the attributes of our Savior. He showed us the way. He gave us the perfect example and commanded each one of us to become as He is. His invitation to us is to follow Him, follow His example, and become like Him." 

-Elder Ulisses Soares (Be Meek and Lowly of Heart)

Oh Geoff. I love Geoff. 

Geoff told me a story once. I almost cried (and by that, of course, I mean that I did cry and just didn't want to admit it). He told us that after returning home after church his first Sunday, he got down next to his bed on his self-described "busted and crippled" knees and prayed to know if what he was learning about was true. He was in tears when he told us of his answer: Yes! 

I hope that all of us will follow Geoff's example. His is a story of true change and learning. He learned how to use the Atonement and worked until he got there. His testimony never faltered, even amidst some crazy trials. He has truly tested Moroni's promise, and look at where he is now! :) 

Weekly Planning!

I have done the same! I know with all of my heart that the true gospel of Jesus Christ is once again upon the earth! I know that Heavenly Father used Joseph Smith as an instrument in His hands to restore to the earth the priesthood and the other essential principles and ordinances of the gospel that were lost after the death of Jesus Christ and His apostles. I know that the Book of Mormon is evidence of this and will help us grow closer to Jesus Christ than any other book will. I know that Christ himself leads the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through prophets and apostles, including President Thomas S. Monson. And most importantly, I know that Jesus is the Christ, my Redeemer and faithful Friend. It is through Him that I will be able to return to my loving Father in Heaven. And for that, I am ever grateful. 

Love, 

Sister Waite

Pflugerville skies.