Jenessa Mission Letter #7

Quite the News!!

Well this is the best letter and part of my week EVERRRRR!!!! 

So I don't have tons of time but I do have some stories for you that I think you will love.  I LOVE Sister Taylor, have I told you that?? She is a boss.  It's her birthday today so we had German pancakes and are going to play Risk in the park if it stops raining with the other Elders and Sisters in our district!! ANYWAYS

Remember Don?? Well let me tell you the best miracle in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!! Sister Taylor has been teaching Don now for 12 weeks... and we were pretty sure that he was going to end up being an eternal investigator which is the saddest thing ever.  Well I think it was two weeks ago we weren't sure why but we felt like we should stop by his trailer and chat.. not really sure about what, but we did.  So we had a chat about why we were there and what he was getting out of it and I had the feeling to teach him to set goals.  We taught that if he doesn't know where he wants this to go then there really is nothing he is going to get out of it.  So he set the goals of being able to feel peace when he read the scriptures and to feel loved when he went to church and to feel God when he prayed.  Seems simple right?? So then we had a member come out with us the next day and give him a Student manual for the BoM.  Don told us over and over again that there is NO way the Book of Mormon could be true and there is NO way that Joseph Smith is a prophet.  Usually he would start yelling at us about these things and then we would bear our testimonies and leave.  That brings me to last week.  Last week we had another feeling to just stop by Don and see how he was doing.  It was probably 5 in the afternoon and He was still in the pajamas and didn't look that happy to see us.  So I just killed him with all the kindness I could find.  Then we asked him how reading the scriptures and praying was going (He has been praying about the Book of Mormon for 12 weeks mind you) and he says well... I got my answer... It's true.

WHAT??? I have to see me face when I watch this clip in Heaven.  

So we say "Don like what happened how did you come to find this out??" and he says "Well they both say the same thing, the Bible and the Book of Mormon so it has to be true"

.....

We have not been saying that for 12 weeks or anything ?!?!?! Of course we have but this is the part that kills me.

"So Don, now that you know the Book of Mormon is true, what are you going to do to act on that knowledge??" And Don says... well I don't know.  Don will you be baptized... (commitment pattern)

NO. Because I don't believe in Joseph Smith.

So we set a goal for him to know if he should be baptized sept like 21 or something and he says he will think about it.

Crying inside.  So we leave and commit him to pray about being baptized Joseph Smith etc etc etc

WE WERE DYING SO SO SO SAD!!!!

So then the next day we had this "I'm a Mormon Fireside" to go to that Don wanted to come to and so did Taia and a friend of hers.  The member that was going to take them totally bails on us and says she can't have any extra weight in her car and we call EVERYONE in the ward list... not really but everyone we can think of and no one will help us out.  So we are eating lunch and then I have the thought... "Why don't you have your own I'm a Mormon Fireside?" and I'm thinking ya but Don's not a mormon and he will yell at anyone who bears their testimony of Joseph Smith.  and then the thought comes "Just take everyone on a church tour..." So Sister Taylor and I talk about it and plan it all out and so the hour arrives.  Taia a new convert who is 16 brings her friend Kat and Don is there and another member are there.  So we take them around and bear our testimony in different places (Having a member there was key!!! She really brought it home because she also is a convert) We take them to the Baptismal Font and Taia bears this beautiful testimony about baptism and our member does too and it was incredible.  So we end in the chapel like Jason suggested and bear our testimonies and tell the Joseph Smith story right? And this thing TURNS into an "I'm a Mormon" fireside.  Taia bears her testimony I bear mine Sister Taylor and Sister Delarosa and then we ask Don to tell us how He know the Book of Mormon is true.  So he bears his testimony on how he came to know and it was just powerful.

So the day after that we run over to Don's with another member because our appointment fell through and we ask Don about these scriptures he read that helped him know the truthfullness of the Book of Mormon.  And he starts rattling off all these really obscure scriptures about the "isles of the sea" and cross references it over to like Ezekial and Isaiah and Sister Taylor and Sister Ferrill and I are all just looking at eachother like... what on earth?? Then Don looks at us and says... THIS IS AMERICA!!!! It was crazy he just went nuts and it was such a testimony to me that God knows HOW to talk to his children when they are ready.  Don told us that he was so grateful for Sister Norris giving him the manual so he could find all these scriptures and THENNNNNNNNNNNNN

He says- I know I need to be baptized....

we are floored no joke WHAT??  He says last night I looked at that baptismal font and I remembered what it felt like to be clean like a little kid.  I want to feel that again.  And so we say well when do you want to be baptized? And he looks at us with tears in his eyes and says "I want to be baptized as soon as possible"

The spirit was so strong.  I cried- I felt so much love for Don this man with long hair and  only 5 teeth.  So Don is going to be baptized this Saturday along with Nick.

That's not even the best part.  He is already converted!!! How do I know?? Well He comes to me on Sunday and says Sister Weber I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and he pulls out a scripture in Moroni about faith and says, I just have to believe it, like I believe the bible.  

The best feeling in the whole world is knowing that someone has taken charge of their own conversion and doesn't need you anymore.  Don never really needed us, but he needed to know how much he needed the Spirit.  He knows that now and I am SO excited for him!!!

Cool miracle huh?? 

This is also something that I learned this week.  I was studying like all day yesterday while sister Taylor was asleep and I was studying Trust and this is a highlight of what I learned.  

We are commanded to trust in God with all our HEART.  So I was looking at a topical guide reference for the word Heart and it is like "conversion, new, and reborn."  So after pondering on it for some time I came to this realization through the spirit.  You cannot depend on yourself to be reborn.  Your conversion cannot come from your own knowledge.  It will come when you, like a baby, are completely depending on the Lord, like a baby depends COMPLETELY on it's mother, before it is born.  Without God or a babies Mother, it would not be able to have life.  

A baby's heart would not beat if it were not for the blood of the mother.  It's very ability to live is dependant upon it's ACCEPTANCE of the blood the Mother has to give.  Trust in God allows us to live life through the blood of the Savior.  Expound on that as you will but I thought it was SWEET!!!

Anyways its safe to say that I am a changed human being right now and I miss and love you all TONS!!!!! i HOPE THAT YOU ARE HAVING A GREAT DAY!!! 

Don't forget to smile and be so FREAKING EXCITED because you are disciples of Jesus Christ!!!!

i love you i love you i love you!!!!!

Jenessa Mission Letter #6

Man I just laughed out loud in the library hearing how amazing of an experience that is!!! I can't wait to read that to my companion, she is going to get a kick out of that!!!! 

We actually just had a training on how to work with members in the wards with member missionary work.  I can't tell you how blessed those missionaries are to have a bishop like you that is taking the reigns and getting everyone excited!!! I know when we came away from that training we felt the weight of the world on our shoulders.  What a tender mercy it is that you have seen the purpose of the gospel and are acting on that purpose with faith.  Bringing everyone the "good news" (gospel) of Jesus Christ!!! That is the best story I have ever heard!!! Man they are lucky because you gave them a referral and a member present lesson and now they have two appointments that week.  Missionary work is as simple as what you did.  It's the bold statement that we love you and that God loves you and we are here to help.  I wish more members understood this.  You guys are so awesome.  Nothing makes me happier than hearing that you are experiencing the same joy that I have ever day out here.  You won't have any greater joy than when you are bringing others closer to Christ!!!! Hahaha I love you guys so much!!!! I miss you like crazy!!!!

I really wish that more people saw with your kind of vision.  I wrote Jason a letter about this topic but with a different twist I'd like to share some thoughts with you as well.  We are so blessed to have friends who need light!!!! I am so grateful you see the need for light in the ward.  You all worked together by the Spirit and were able to bring joy to someone's life.  I was talking with Sister Taylor and we were discussing why when we read the Book of Mormon before our missions we didn't get as much out of it.  I mean we are out here and every word I read I have to stop and study and it's like I'm bathing in scriptures night and day I LOVE IT.  So we were studying the topic of knowledge and there is a promise in the doctrine and covenants that if you are willing to share your knowledge and teach others of the things that you learn- God will share more insights and revelation.  It is good to believe that you will gain revelation.  But to have faith is to ACT on that revelation.  Want to start drawing back the veil and receive revelations like the apostles and prophets get?? Start sharing your knowledge the way the missionaries and apostles do.  Part of their calling is to be missionaries for the church.  God wouldn't give President Monson all this cool knowledge about ways to improve our lives if He weren't willing to stand up in conference and share it.  Or for that matter, maybe talk about how much God loves someone while they are at the store.  The key to receiving revelation is to be constantly serving others.  

We had a panel with about 12 members and half the missionaries in our mission about what stops people from sharing the gospel.  The number one reason was that they are afraid.  Everyone seems to be willing but doesn't know how to do it.  Missionary work is simple.  All you need to do is say hey, we have a spiritual thought and games at my house every monday night, want to come over? Or "I notice that you drink and that helps you take a break from the world, reading my scriptures gives me a permanent peace from the world around me, I've got some friends who can tell you more." or you invite the kids and the missionaries to a big volleyball game and have the kids bring their friends and then the missionaries can talk to them about the church, the members don't have to and it's the missionaries getting rejected not the members.  Trust me, we don't mind.  :)  PLUS there are HUGE blessings that come with sharing the gospel.  You might say well I don't have it in me, I am not a missionary, I can't do it blah blah blah blah BUT

D&C 4:3  Therefore, (insert name) (Annalece, David, Jason, Dad, Mom), IF YE HAVE DESIRES TO SERVE GOD YE ARE CALLED TO THE WORK!

*Who gives that promise, who called you to the work, who says you only need a desire? GOD DOES!!

also

3 Nephi 11:41

Therefore, (insert name) (Annalece, David, Jason, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Brother Perry, Shar) GO FORTH UNTO THIS PEOPLE, AND DECLARE THE WORDS WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN, UNTO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.

Who tells us to do this?? Who asks us to just share what we know? JESUS CHRIST DOES!!!

The Holy Ghost is promised that in the very time that you need Him, your mouth will be filled with what words to say as long as you obtain the word and then declare it. 

If our desire is to be united with Jesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost, and with God> We will share the gospel.  D&C 6:33 Fear not to do good, my sons and daughters.... Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.  also see Ether 12:4

We cannot do wrong in doing the will of God.

Favorite thing I have learned while we are out here is that God has an intended purpose for us. 

(Can you tell I am really passionate about this?? haha)

In the Doctrine and Covenants that we were made from light and truth.  Well what is the power of God?? LIGHT AND TRUTH.  You are made of God's power!!!! How cool is that??

But just like we make tools with the intended purpose to use them, God has made us with the intention to use us in the way He wants to.  

A screwdriver doesn't have to think about being a screwdriver.  It is a screwdriver.  It always will be.  And it will only every screw and unscrew things.  Sometimes though as mortals we lose sight of who we are and for what purpose we have been created- we say no i think I'm a wrench. Or I am not able to do this.  And you start trying to rip yourself around instead of letting yourself be used by God and you end up reaming out the screw.  The point is that God has created us for the purpose of using us in the way he see's neccessary.  Being a missionary isn't something we need to think about doing.  It is who we were designed to be. 

The field is white and ready to harvest.  When a field is white- it is indicative that the harvest season is almost over.  God intends for us to harvest and to be swift, for the time of the harvest won't last forever.

So that's my soapbox about member missionary work.  hahaha I am so silly right, I just love this work so much and I wish that everyone would understand what an amazing feeling that they could have if they would just have the faith to act!!!!! It makes a huge difference.  We have a Bishop a lot like you Dad, He is prepping someone this week to see us and we will see them next week.  This work isn't hard, it's fun!!!!

This week has been AMAZING!!! SO MANY MIRACLES AND NOT ENOUGH TIME TO TELL YOU THEM ALL.  

To the untrained eye, this week was super hard.  We had a lot of silly things happen like we packed lunches and intended to buy peanut butter and forgot our money so we had 2 dollars and went to the dollar store and the peanut butter was 3 dollars... so we just ate a whole box of granola bars for dinner.  But I have never been so grateful for granola, or the way kids laugh in a park, or the grass, or for my companion.  Men are that they might have JOY!!! Even when you forget the peanut butter at home.  

So one day we were having a really slow day and we had the feeling to go visit a potential named Jan which she's totally not interested but she talked with us about her family and gave us popsicles YUM!!! So we were leaving her house when we saw a boy playing the guitar on his porch.  I just about flipped a lid, I walked up to him so fast and we started talking about the guitar and then about God and He's TOTALLY SOLID He's in highschool but He wants to hear more about our message!!! YAYYAYAYA. 

Yesterday was another awesome day.  In our training we were told that our purpose is to serve like Ammon.  So I went up to the Relief Society President and we asked her how we could help extend her reach and who needed to be seen, then because we need members to come out with us I asked her, "Who would benefit in coming out in teaching with us, I know my testimony is strengthened by sharing it so who could use a boost." (we have the hardest time getting members to come out)  She got the biggest smile and gave us like 20 names to call so that was a miracle.  

Also saturday we saw Christopher Cheethum, he's a less active who is in his early 20's who just got baptized.  So we finally got him at home and he started rattling off all these social issues about the church and I just kept feeling like we needed to go deeper.  So we then talked about the restoration and what he understood and finally he broke down and said, I just want to know if it was true why he wasn't getting an answer.  I told him I was going to be real blunt and explained that if he wanted an answer he'd have to read like Joseph Smith read and pray like he prayed and search like he searched.  Then he said but how do you know God is real. I shared my mountain experience with him and it was amazing, I said "you have been there haven't you Chris, you're falling down that mountain aren't you"  Then he started crying and I bore the strongest testimony that Jesus Christ was there to save Him, that God knew him by his first name. The Spirit totally directed the whole conversation.  And then guess what?? He rode his bike like 10 miles to church the next day because he didn't have a ride.  We are going to help Him and I can't wait.

So this week Nick (going to be baptized) told us his mom won't let him get baptized or she will kick him out and never talk to him again.  She apparently had a word with Sister Taylor while I was on exchanges on Tuesday and said she didn't think he was doing it for the right reasons and was giving him all this anti literature to read (which he wouldn't)  I was so sad, she is super catholic and thinks we are a cult essentially and so Saturday night I decided that I was going to fast (This was right after our lesson with Nick where he reaffirmed everything about not being baptized)  So I slept through dinner and at the end an hour later I really wanted to eat, and I didn't because I really wanted to grow and be a better missionary. but come to find out that an hour and a half after we left (When I wanted to eat) Nicks Mom came to Nick and said she didn't care if He was baptized anymore.  How cool is that?? Fasting is legit!!!! It wasn't me but the prayers of all of you and all the missionaries and most importantly of Nick.  We will see what happens but I was really excited.

Then the other day all of our plans fell through and Sister Taylor had the feeling that we should go see this potential and he was out working in his yard He was edging it with a shovel and told us to go knock on his door.  Well the family didn't answer so I started talking to him about life and coming back another time when I just told him that he should give me his shovel ahaha he said no at first and then we kept talking and I asked again if I could take his shovel and help edge.  Skeptically he gave it to me and I started edging while we talked about the restoration (He was hostage because I now had his shovel) and was edging his lawn.  And we had a great talk.  He told me that He was going to go to sleep 5 minutes before we came but he had the feeling to come out and do this.  He said "5 minutes has changed my life.  I will always remember what you girls have done for me. You could have missed me if I went to sleep but now I will remember you forever" His name is Jeehad and He is from Syria.  So we are going to go see him again.  And he told me I did a better job edging than he did hahaha I finished the front of his lawn and it looked pretty sweet.  People in michigan are SO proud of their yards.  But it was really neat to see that God put him in a place where we would be able to talk to him and bring him comfort.  

Finally we had the feeling to go to Universal street and we met a girl 16 named Mayah who wants to learn more about the Book of Mormon and said she would read a few chapters before we saw her again this week and then we met a woman named Philis who investigated 13 years ago and then moved and lost the missionaries.  So we asked if she had a Book of Mormon still and she said no but she wanted to talk with us.  So we set up an appointment and told her we would get her a book of mormon and as she left she yelled BRING ME THAT BOOK!!!! haha so we ran to the car down the street and ran back and gave it to her with an invitation to read which she took. 

Story after story after story like that, day after day after day!!!! I can't believe it.  This is a gospel of strength and of peace and of power.  The people we talk to tell us, "for some reason, this gives me peace, comfort" Or I feel more in control.  Basically I love love love being a missionary.  I love seeing people light up.  I love being a mirror for God's love to get around the dark corners people put themselves in. 

I can't begin to tell you all of the miracles I am seeing and how amazing it is to feel at specific times the strength from prayers I know are coming from you.  I love you all so much.  I miss home like crazy and yet I am so at home in the spirit.  I want you to know that you never have to worry about my safety.  We are always really safe, even though most of where we work is about 10 minutes outside of Detroit, the people are so loving and beautiful.  Did you know that the area where I served has been closed to sisters for years until last transfer and when missionaries have been there it has been super dead?? It goes to show that the field will whiten quickly and in the Lords timing when and where he wants.

I love you all so much, I really do!!!

Challenge, will you all watch the youtube video "Missionary Work and the Atonement" it will change your life! Promise.  And watch the BYUI devotional "Character of Christ" By Elder Bednar?? Let me know what you think!!!

I just love love love love love you!!!!!!! I miss you and I hope that you felt the spirit while you read this and were uplifted and edified.  I always am when I read your letters!!! Thank you for sharing that awesome story with me!!!! Keep me posted on life!!! Who is dating who how the kids are??

GOOD LUCK IN SCHOOL!!! YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE GREAT FRIENDS!!!!! I will pray for you every hour of every day!!!!!

This is so amazing of a work, thank you for supporting me in everything.  I know it would be easier to be at home and I am glad to know there is no place you would rather have me be!!! I wish i could show you the joy I feel every day because of your prayers and support.  I pray for you always!!! Have a great day!!!!!

All My Love -Sister Jenessa Weber

P.S. Trust in the Lord and get fat!!!!! Proverbs 28:25