Week 22: 4 New Investigators.. Bonners Ferry is on FIRE! :)

January 11, 2016

Well, HELLO darling people and happy happy Monday! Once again I only have like 10-15ish minutes to write, so....... I will try my best to be better sometime in the near future. :) 

Anyway, this week was SO WONDERFUL, and I wish that I had like another hour or so to write a super detailed email so you could all get a better, more accurate, explanation and feel for how awesome missionary work is! But alas, I will try in the limited time that I have left to give you the Reader's Digest version. :)

So, this week we have been focusing a lot about going and talking to people in our ward who have a spouse that is not a member of the Church and going to talk to them and see if they are interested in learned/introducing ourselves to people/just trying to spread Christ's love to everyone that we come in contact with. So.. we were trying to do that this week, and didn't have too much luck, but we were lead to a lot of other people that we needed to see, talk to, and help feel God's love. It's amazing.. as missionaries, we plan our entire days with things to do every 30 minutes and back up plans for if those fall through.. We plan and plan and plan, but a lot of times a lot of those plans don't happen for one reason or another. I used to get really upset about that... If we are planning effectively, we should be able to follow through really well on those plans, but I have come to realize that we plan as much as we can and that planning really shows our Heavenly Father that we are going to try our best to do the most that we can with the time in this life that He has given us, and then we put our trust in Him that He will lead us the way that we need to be, and try to follow our plans the best until He tells us we need to do something else. That's how it is in life too. We need to set goals and make plans to help us achieve those goals, but we can't be too caught up in our plans that we forget to let the Holy Ghost prompt us from our Heavenly Father what His will is. If we ask for His will, He will make it known, and we will be able to accomplish so many more things than we could if we just tried to do it all on our own. I don't know why I just went on that tangent, but there it is. :) 

Anyway.. on Wednesday we went to go visit a member to celebrate my 1/2 Birthday... JUST KIDDING! We went to go see her to see if she knew of anyone around that would be interested in learning more about the gospel. Before we went, so many people were telling us that she was super bold and would probably offend us in some way or another, but to not take it personally. SO... we went expecting one thing, and let me tell you, this lady was seriously the SWEETEST in all the lands. She was so nice and told us like 5 times how cute and sweet we were. It was just another testament to me that we really can't go through this life with preconceived notions about people. We need to see everyone that we meet as a Child of God and try our best to see them the way that our Heavenly Father and Savior see them, and all will work out far better. :)

We have this really amazing investigator named Kymm. She is seriously the BEST and we are going to ask her to be baptized this week, so I will let you know how that goes next week. BUT, basically we met with Kymm a couple of times this week and helped her to recognize more the answers that she is getting and trying to help her to find light and truth. She wants so badly to know the truth and wants to do what Heavenly Father wants her to do and is so concerned with her Eternal Salvation. She is seeking, and I know that if each of us will just seek to know the truth, we will be blessed and our Heavenly Father will let us know all things! :) 

Well, 4 New Investigators, eh? SO AWESOME! :) There were so many spiritual things that happened this week, but the BEST one was how we got 3 of our 4 new investigators!! So.. we had met 2 of them a week or so ago, and they told us we could come by. So, we did, they let us in, and their mom's boyfriend just kept bashing us, for lack of a better term. I think he was doing it out of innocence, really wanting to know, but with a little animosity with preconceived notions as well. Anyway, so he was asking these questions and every time he would ask one, the spirit would leave. It was almost tangible.. so crazy! Then, we would have to wait in silence for a few moments for the spirit to come back before answering his questions. Because we did that, we were able to answer the questions simply and him, his girlfriend, and 

There were so many Spiritual things that happened this week, but the BEST one was how we got 3 or our 4 new investigators!!! So.. we had met 2 of them a week or so ago, and they had told us we could come by. So, we did, they let us in, and their mom's boyfriend just kept bashing us, for lack of a better term. I think he was doing it out of innocence, really wanting to know, but with a little animosity with preconceived notions as well. Anyway, so he was asking these questions and every time he would ask one, the spirit would leave.. it was almost tangible.. so crazy! Then, we would have to wait in silence for a few moments for the spirit to come back before answering his questions. Because we did that, we were able to answer the questions simply and him, his girlfriend, and 1 of their kids (the other 2 were investigators last week) became new investigators and told us to come back this next week! We are so grateful to be able to teach them and know that the Lord has been preparing them for us! YAY! :) So much happiness!

Well.. that's all I have for you this week! I know that this Church is true and that we are able to do anything that we set our mind to if we just put our trust in the Lord and His power to help us! :) So.. yeah. Have a wonderful week everyone! :) 

Here are some happy pictures! 

-The Ice cascading off of our little yellow house.. so intense!

-Sister Rogers and I with this Antique Duck Retriever thing that was from the 70s or something... the company never took off, but our member had all of the things from it.. haha, so funny! :)             

-Majestic Bonners Ferry 

-- 

"God be with you 'till we meet again!"

Hurrah for Israel!

Much Love,

Sister Jennifer Griffith

Week 21: Out of a Hallmark Movie

January 4, 2016

SO... I'm officially in Bonners Ferry! This week has gone by so quickly, I can't even believe it! I am so grateful to have gotten here safely, and to be living this wonderful life. It is such an immense blessing, and I am excited to start soaking up all that this new area is. It's going to be an interesting transition, for sure.. Not being in Spokane anymore and not knowing really anyone at all here, but I know that the Lord has called me another way for a reason, and will qualify me to do this work. :) 

Bonners Ferry is wonderful! It is seriously SOOOO beautiful up here, and the people that I have met so far have all been really kind and welcoming... there are a few that live this far north because they don't want to be found.. those are the ones with the "no tresspassing" signs like EVERYWHERE on their property.. so we don't go there. Also, it's been interesting trying to find where people live out in the boonies because a lot of the houses don't have house numbers on them.. haha.. I guess they figure that either everyone knows where everyone else lives, or they just don't want people to come to their house.. or maybe a little bit of both. Either way, new challenges are somewhat amusing. It makes me chuckle that I really am not in Spokane anymore.. and that only 2 hours north is so dirastically different! :) It's really hard adjusting to a new area, but like I said before, I know that I am supposed to be here and am going to work my hardest to forget myself and go to work. It finally really clicked this week (Unfortunately, it took me this long to figure it out) that this really isn't about me at all. I have been focusing a lot, I realized, on how my mission should be changing me and how I need to go home better than I came, but that's not the right idea at all. I really felt strongly this week, that as I begin to focus on others and devote all my time and energy to them and what they need, and give my whole heart to the Lord and His work, I will be changing - when we lose ourselves, we find ourselves. What a tender mercy to FINALLY be able to have that really stick in my brain this week. The way that the Spirit teaches us is such a blessing! 

So, I don't have a lot of time to write.. only like 10 minutes, so I will try to see what I can type out in that time... Anyway.. On Tuesday, we had transfers and all of the missionaries met in East Spokane, picked up their new companions and got luggage and bikes where they needed to be (in members' vans and stuff) and then drove to our new areas. It took an hour and a half to get here from East Spokane, which means my new area is about two hours away from my old one.. quite a leap up the river. :) As I drove in, it was late and dark, but I could totally tell how much this place, this little small town, looks like it came straight out of a Hallmark Movie... it. is. MAJESTIC! Seriously.. it has such a little small town feel, and the people are so sweet and the spirit is so strong. It is such a happy place... and it reminds me of being home in Colorado because there are some nice rolling hills here (not sure if I would call them mountains, but beautiful none-the-less). Bonners Ferry only has a population of 2,515 or something like that, so.. it's such a happy place! 

On Wednesday we went tracting in these apartments and we had looked at a list of people who may be interested in learning about the church (the apartments here are indoor... so cool! You walk into a building and all of the doors are inside.. so neat! That way we don't freeze when we knock doors.. so neat!) and we go inside and there is this lady and two kids sitting at a table doing a puzzle. To make a long story short, Heavenly Father literally placed these people in our path and we talked to them about the Restoration and asked if they wanted to learn more and they were SOOO excited, it was so surreal... and AWESOME! :) .. then, come to find out that the older lady who was with the two kids was one of the people on our list that we had come to see anyway.. isn't that so cool!? Obviously we were meant to meet her one way or another! :) 

I know that the Lord is so aware of all of us and that He will provide a way for His work to move forward. Being a small town, a lot of people have already heard of the church and developed an opinion of some sort and a lot of the houses in town have already been tracted so many times that it's hard to find new people to teach, but this week I really developed a stronger testimony of how members really can make the work progress so much quicker! Our ward here is so missionary minded and they care about really loving everyone, and that has been such a blessing! I know that we each are called to be missionaries in this life - not just those of us that wear a fancy nametag ;)- and that if we put our trust in Heaven, our Father and our Savior will make up all the difference and provide a way for us to bless the lives of others. :) 

Sorry this is so choppy, hopefully it's at least somewhat coherent though! :)

Anyway... This week was really spiritual and I have felt the Spirit a lot just testifying to me of the truthfullness of the work and of the fact that everything in life will work out if we just put our trust in Him who makes all things possible. I know that there is nothing that we can't overcome (even feeling like a BRAND new missionary in a new area and knowing no one with lots of snow and chilly weather) if we look beyond ourselves and just focus on others. 

I hope that you all had a glorious New Year and are sticking to those new years resolutions. I am personally SO excited for a WHOLE ENTIRE YEAR of missionary work. This is going to be the best one yet, I just know it! Sorry this was so short.. I'll try and do better next week. Have a great one! :) 

-Sister Rogers and I (she's from Kanab, Utah and is such a PRO missionary - so excited for this transfer with her!)

-Majestic Bonners Ferry! x3 :)

-I see like 18ish wild animals a day.. White tailed deer are EVERYWHERE here.. they are SO CUTE! :) 

-- 

"God be with you 'till we meet again!"

Hurrah for Israel!

Much Love,

Sister Jennifer Griffith

Week 20: ..But If By A Still Small Voice He Calls..

December 28, 2015

This week I am reminded of one of my favorite Hymns, "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go." Part of it says,

"But if, by a still, small voice he calls

To paths that I do not know,

I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:

I'll go where you want me to go."

Heavenly Father has spoken through that still, small voice to my Mission President, and has called me, indeed, "to paths that I do not know." So, basically, if you haven't gathered what I'm trying to hint at yet, I'm getting transferred.......... :( But, It's partially a :( and partially a :) because I know that now my job here in Spokane has been finished and that I am supposed to go somewhere else now. I am needed elsewhere, and am excited to try and figure out why. So.. I'm getting transferred from Spokane to Bonners Ferry, Idaho. If you don't know where that is, it's a town at the very tippy-top of the panhandle of Idaho right by Montana and Canada.. so yeah. Should prove to be an interesting change in scenery. Everyone keeps telling me that it's prettier than here, but I'm not sure about that! Spokane has stolen my heart. :) 

Well, anyway, that's the new adventure I will be starting on tomorrow. I'll let you know more next week. My new companion is Sister Rogers, and from what I've heard, she is wonderful. I'm super sad to be leaving Sister Schmidt and all of the amazing people that I have grown to love so dearly here in Spokane, but I know that I'm leaving for a reason, so I'll just have to trust that. 

So, this week was wonderful!!! :) On Monday we went to Riverfront Park and took some pictures in the Big Red Wagon and went to the mall as a District. It was snowing a ton, but it was a lot of fun, none-the-less. I will attach a picture or two so you can all see it. So happy! :) Then, on Monday night, we were stopping by one of the sisters' homes to grab something from them, and we parked at the end of their driveway so that our car wouldn't get stuck, and then we came back, got in the car, started to try and drive, and the nose of our car went hardcore into a ditch.. so much for not getting stuck.. SO... to make a long story a little bit longer, we tried to get unstuck to no avail, and so we decided to say a prayer together, out loud, and then this kind random good Samaritan came out, backed down his driveway, and pulled us out with his truck. It was seriously such an amazing direct answer to prayer! I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who cares about His children so much that He answers our prayers - even the ones that seem so insignificant to Him, He is so grateful for and eager to answer. Of that I am certain. What a blessing! :) 

Then, we went to contact a Former Investigator, Jeannie. She is a Messianic Jew. She says, "From all that I've read (the Bible and everything), everything points to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." I LOVED THAT! Even coming from someone that doesn't believe in Jesus Christ at all, if they search out the evidences and ask in sincere prayer, Heavenly Father will surely let us each know that Jesus Christ really is His son. :) She says, to everything that we teach, "I think that's true.. OH! I know that's true." It's spectacular. I'm excited to hear how much she begins to progress in the months to come. :)

Haha, I also learned something awesome this week! :) Do you all know what the day before Christmas Eve is!?!?! Christmas Adam!!! Isn't that funny!? Get it?? Because Adam came before Eve! :) I love it! Anyway.. so, on Christmas Adam we went and helped out at a food bank in Cheney, so that was really fun. Then, we were all guessing what would happen to everyone with transfer calls, and our District leader guessed that I would get transferred to Sandpoint. Well, that's funny, because Sandpoint is really close to Bonners Ferry, so He was pretty much right!

On Christmas Eve we ate at a member's home, Sister Cavanaugh. This woman is amazing! She has 17 children - 67 grandchildren - and 126 great-grandchildren.. HOW AMAZING IS THAT!? .. and I thought being the youngest of 10 was intense. I love big families.. so happy! It just warmed my heart to hear this sweet, old lady tell us about her life, about her family that she loves so much, and about how she joined the Church... and we went caroling, so that was super happy!

On Christmas we went to our Stake President's house for Christmas breakfast and their family put together a little skit for all of us missionaries (20 of us total) where they chose a character from the Nativity and then talked about their role in Christ's birth and how that Character related to missionary work. I would invite you all to do that.. It's amazing how much we can learn from the scriptures if we will just apply them to our lives. They truly are for our day, and we are so lucky to have them so easily available to us. What a marvelous blessing! Then, afterward, we got to Skype our families and that was absolutely my favorite experience.. SO FUN! It was the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for. Just being able to see my parents' and a few siblings (missed a lot of you- know that I love you though!) was a dream come true! We also went caroling again on Christmas night, so much fun! :) 

Then, on Saturday, we were contacting a man who had, at one time, said that he was interested in learning more about the church, and he just bashed us the whole time. It makes me sad when people try and say what Latter-day Saints believe without actually having taken time to read The Book of Mormon or listen to the Missionaries at all. How can you know if you haven't put in the effort? That principle is so true over so many phases of our lives - if we want to actually learn something, we need to put in the effort to the proper place to find out - we can't just ask any random person and expect the information will be correct - we need to ask someone that we trust. Who should that person be? Our Heavenly Father. He knows all and will not lie to you. Ask Him in sincere prayer and He will tell you everything you need to know. When you ask with a sincere heart and with real intent (which means you are willing to act on the answer that you receive), He will place into your heart through feelings, to your mind through thoughts, or by some other way, an answer. It may be small - but act on it and He will continue to bless you with more answers. :) 

Well, I have truly adored being able to serve in Spokane for the last 4.5 months. I am so sad to be leaving, but, like that wonderful song, "I'll Go where you want me to go, dear Lord, over mountain, or plain, or sea.. or to the top of the panhandle of Idaho.." :) I have loved being able to get to learn to love the people here and have cherished being able to feel of Heavenly Father's love for them. 

My new address in Bonners Ferry will be:

6526 Monroe St

Bonners Ferry, ID 83805

Love you all! I know this Church is true. That our Heavenly Father sent His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to live a perfect life and to show us the way that we can be happiest if we turn to Him. I hope that you have the best week and the Happiest New Year and make S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-specific) goals to make 2016 the best one yet! 

-Beautiful Spokane! :) Love winter!

-Our District at Riverfront Park

-Sister Schmidt and I in the Big Red Wagon in Riverfront Park! :) 

-- 

"God be with you 'till we meet again!"

Hurrah for Israel!

Much Love,

Sister Jennifer Griffith