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Hey hey everyone,
This week was good. Yesterday we had
District Conference (what you would consider a stake conference, but on a
much smaller scale). We had to travel an hour and a half to Potsdam for
the conference and the "stake center" was the size of a normal west
coast building. The size of our district would be a small-medium ward in
the west. Our branch took up two and a half pews and that was all of us
(all the active at least). The District Presidency got reorganized and
so most of the meeting felt more like a testimony meeting with all the
releases and sustainings. We had an area Seventy speak Elder Eyering.
His talk was pretty good and there were a couple other talks, our
mission president went over on his time, lol, but it was still a good
talk. The choir was pretty good for being in the North Country.
C., Sister W. nephew, who we are teaching came to district
conference with her and he got to meet some of the elders and our
mission president. He said he loved the music and that the conference
was a really spiritual experience. He of his own will without us even
teaching him about the Word of Wisdom has decided to give up alcohol,
then smoking, then coffee. He has been told about it by family so
he basically already knows about it, even though we haven't taught it yet
at this point. C. is really progressing quite well. It is the
best knowing you helped someone change their life for the better. That
is the joy of the gospel and missionary work. We met with C. on
Wednesday and he had read from 1 Nephi 11-17 between visits and took
notes on all of it. He even got most of the symbols in Lehi's dream.
Discussing Lehi's dream led us into talking about the Gospel of Jesus
Christ lesson with him. He asked us "so how do I prepare for baptism" we
told him to keep keeping his commitments we give him and reading and
doing basically everything he is doing now, plus what comes in the next
lessons. He really is so excited about learning, it is wonderful.
Thursday we had a unique district meeting among the missionaries of
Plattsburgh and Lake Placid. The training was on Christlike attributes
mainly focusing on Charity. Elder O (came out with me from the MTC)
gave us the Fourth Missionary talk and incorporated some stuff from
that. But what was most amazing about the training is that he asked the
senior couples who are more experienced in life how they have acquired
charity or what lessons they have learned about it throughout life. Each
of them stood and bore testimonies, advice, and stories about having
charity (Christlike love) and the effects of it and how the younger
missionaries can more effectively have charity towards everyone. It was
really quite a powerful witness of the testimonies of Charity. I love
learning from others' examples and life experiences, so it was a real
treat to have the T's and C's share their testimonies. What
humility they have! I love it!
Friday was a pretty great day. We had the
opportunity of teaching four lessons, 3 of which were with
investigators. One was C. again, and we taught him the Plan of
Salvation. It was funny, in the beginning when we asked him what he read
he said that he was in Mosiah 18. We were like what really?! That is an
awful lot of reading in such a short time especially if someone is
taking notes on what they are reading. We figured out he had moved his
marker in the last lesson because we had talked about parts of Mosiah 18
in the previous lesson we had with him. So he's like man I cheated, now
I gotta repent to the sisters. Haha, it was pretty funny. What a
character, lol. After we met with C, we met up with this kid named
N, who used to work at the nursing home we volunteer at. We ended
up going to the T's to have the lesson and taught him the
Restoration. He seemed to get everything we were saying and was excited
about getting into reading the Book of Mormon. He is 23 and we are
trying to help him get the gospel into his life instead of him just
wanting to "hang" with the sisters. Hopefully we will be able to meet up
with him again this week.
Well other than that, the snow started to
stick to the tree's and bushes a couple days ago. It hasn't stopped
snowing for very long. This morning when we got in our car to go email
the thermometer said it was 28 degrees. No worries though, we know how
to put on the layers so we are all bundled up. I actually am kinda
enjoying the snowy weather up here because it's not humid, it is a dry
cold and I can handle dry, lol. It's only a matter of time till the snow
starts really piling up on the ground, that hasn't happened yet. It's
snowing right now as I type this email. None of the lakes have frozen
over yet though. Perhaps I will get to really experience -15 or so while
I'm here that would be cool, ha, literally :P. Well this area is starting
to boom and it is pretty awesome, we continue to try our best to be
exactly obedient because that is how success is planted. Heavenly Father
is in even the tiniest little details of this work and our lives and if
He cares about the little things it has been amazing to see his hand in
the larger happenings of day to day missionary life. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. This
truly is a marvelous work and a wonder and what a blessing it is to be a
servant-instrument-vessel in the Hands of an Unconditionally loving and
Individually knowing Heavenly Father.
-Sister Gifford
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