Remembering and Becoming

I literally can't remember anything that just happened this week. Umm... transfers happened! Sister Hokafonu is now home! That's crazy. I've now officially started "My Plan," a program/training thing put on by the church for missionaries in their last transfer to help them create a plan for their future. It's kinda terrifying, but really it's just extra homework ha-ha. It's been good to reflect on my mission thus far, but I honestly just feel like I have so much more to do and just not enough time to do it! #TheStruggleIsReal.

Not a lot of people answered their doors this week, but we were able to see a few of our investigators! Latear and her family have been progressing really well! Latear will ask us questions about some gospel topic, we'd answer them and teach and learn with her, then she'll go and teach her two kids everything we taught her and in our next visit, the kids will teach us what they've learned! IT'S SO GOOD! Latear is amazing :) And Tykira, her daughter, came to church for the first time ever yesterday! 

Sandra, our recent convert, finished the Book of Mormon last week. #RecentConvertGoals. Teresa is also already in Alma in the Book of Mormon. I love my friends :) 

Funny story: Sister Hokafonu lost her camera after Lily took us to dinner last week (thanks Lily!) and we were looking everywhere for it! It was her last day on her mission and she didn't have her camera which held all of her mission pictures. You could imagine how desperate she was to find it. Lily suggested we look outside because it was nowhere in our apartment, so we did! And we found it on top of the mail box! Someone must've found it on the ground and put it there. The funny story is that Sister Hokafonu then remembered dropping something while getting out of Lily's car. So we check the camera.... and it had totally been ran over! It didn't really work anymore, but she still had all of her pictures, so that's all that really mattered. We think we might've even heard it get ran over the night before... but we're not sure lol. Prayers work! 

I got my new companion on Wednesday! Her name is Sister Hale, she's from Arizona, and let's just say I'm super sad that we'll only be with each other for one transfer! She's the best. Totally love her already and she tolerates my kitty obsession. We even workout together after we finish planning because working out is just more effective in the evenings ha-ha (that doesn't mean we don't work out in the mornings, too, though.) So I'll be attaching a total tool pic of us after our 2 hour workout lol. 

We've been seeing the Blue Angels flying around Baltimore all week too, so that's been fun! We also finally got back in contact with Nikita from a couple of months ago! She had gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but she was scared to repent and change because she knew that Book would allow her to progress, but she didn't feel worthy enough to do it yet. When we came by, we addressed her concerns and she said the Spirit knew she needed to read it and had been prompting her to do so. Now she's reading the Book of Mormon again! She'd told us of multiple stories throughout the Book of Mormon that she's already read and she loves it! She's coming along great! 

We also saw Monica and gave her a church tour with an amazing member who bore solid testimony! At the end of the tour Monica said she didn't want to be baptized on December 10th anymore.... instead she wanted to be baptized earlier! So, we start naming days in November she could get baptized and she stopped us on November 20th and said, "That’s my day! I'm getting baptized on November 20th!" I about cried.... That's the day we'd been praying for her to be baptized on and that's my last Sunday as a missionary. She chose that day and now it's happening! She still has a lot of things to overcome, but she's progressing and already seeing the joys of the gospel! I LOVE THE SPIRIT! THE CHURCH IS TRUE! Such a miracle :) 

Another funny story: a former investigator was showing us her cute sleeping baby and she had asked us to pray for her. Then she comes to me and tells me to bless her. Then tells me to bless her with angels. And more angels. I was just sitting there like, "uhh... I don't have the priesthood..." ha-ha. It was super awkward and really funny. Sister Hale couldn't stop laughing! 

So, that was basically my week. I just want you all to know how much I love this work. I love it I love it I love it! It's the best thing to do because it's truly His work and this is His mission. Every mission is different, but we're all on the Lord's errand with the same purpose, whether you're a full-time missionary or a member-missionary. Our purposes are the same: to invite others to come unto Christ. And the Gospel of Jesus Christ is how we do that. I just love teaching people this stuff! My favorite part of missionary work is teaching His gospel and seeing the Atonement actually take effect in someone's life. It's the best thing I could be doing right now, and you all can do it, too! 

I'd encourage you to look for those unplanned opportunities to serve and teach. These people need to know what we have! I love you all and I love this work. Jesus is on your side and so is your Father in Heaven. Never forget that. So go find them Miracles!

Quote of the Week: "Don't worry about how inexperienced you are or think you are, but think about what, with the Lord's help, you can become." -Henry B. Eyring

Scripture of the Week: Mosiah 24:13-14 (my favorite scripture!)

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

 

Go Big or Go Home!

Guys... it's my last transfer. It's actually here. And I'm staying in Chesapeake for another transfer. I'll be in Baltimore for 6 months! AND my next companion, Sister Hale, is super awesome. 

This will be the best transfer of my mission.

AAAAHHHH!! I just want to scream! 

I don't want to make this email too long, but we had so many miracles this week! The biggest being LATEAR GOT BAPTIZED AND CONFIRMED A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS!! She's officially clean and she can officially access the Atonement :) #BDE. It was a beautiful baptism and she invited so many family members! Many of them came and multiple family members came up to us after the baptism and asked us what they needed to do to be baptized! We're hoping to start teaching them soon! And Tykira and Antonio, her two kids, bore their testimony before Latear at her baptism and they were just crying! It was so cute! Antonio told us that he couldn't wait until they could all be a "baptized family" and Tykira, through her tears, said she couldn't wait to "follow the example of [her mom]" and that she was proud of her mom! It was the cutest thing ever. Not gonna lie, a few tears of my own were shed. It was so great :)

We also had the great privilege of finding 3 new investigators this week! First we met Christie. She was a referral from the Elders. She works on Sunday, but is doing everything she can to get off of work so she can come to church! She has such a desire to learn and build a relationship with Christ. Her life is crazy, but it's been so good to get to know her! SO MUCH POTENTIAL! God just leads us right to the prepared people :) Next we found Angie. Now, that's a funny story. Angie was a referral from other elders and we were driving to contact a HQ referral, Kathy, but I accidentally put Angie's address in my GPS.... so we go up to her on her porch and ask for Kathy and she says she's Angie and we have been trying to get a hold of Angie forever now... so we put the two and two together and figured it out! ha-ha... so, basically the Spirit led us to Angie and we taught her about the Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment, then booked it over to Kathy, our 3rd new investigator, for our actual return appointment! Kathy is this sweet 55 year old who's going through a really hard time. She was describing a church to us that she wanted to find (she's been going to Baptist and catholic churches, but doesn't really like them.) and she literally just described our church ha-ha. So we told her she'd love it, got a return appointment, and gave her a Book of Mormon :) YES!

Aside from that great miracle and our 3 new investigators, here are a few bullet points from my week:

-Sis. Hokafonu got her going home outfit.

- Our District Leader bought us pizza for dinner because we hadn't gotten fed all week.

- I had a little trip to the doctors and Sis. Hokafonu took ridiculous pictures (no worries, I'm fine).

- We saw Tykira all dressed up for homecoming- pictures will be attached.

- A man rolled down his window and started calling me "bae" while we were at a stop light; he asked for my name and I just said, "I'm a SISTER!" and drove away laughing. Super funny.

- We went to B-dubbs (Buffalo Wild Wings) for their 60 cent wings during weekly planning. Why not have fun doing the routine stuff?

- We made the Elders come over to our apartment door and kill a spider that was waiting to kill us...

-A Tongan family in the neighboring ward took us out to Olive Garden because my companion's Tongan... so funny. 

- We had a little "farewell" party for Sis. Hokafonu with cake and everything :) 

And that was my amazing week. I seriously can't wait for all that this next transfer holds in store for us. So many miracles have already come and I know there are more just around the corner! 

I hope you continue to see those miracles and keep the faith! I love you all!

Scripture of the Week: Alma 26:12

Quote of the Week: "My dear brothers and sisters, there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, The Redeemer, is the head of this church. It is His gospel. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose." -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Love, 

Sister Humphrey