Choose Peace

Hello wonderful people! 

How is life treating you? What has been keeping you going? I miss you all so very much! 

Another week in lockdown for us in Trenton/Belleville and God is still miraculous :) Not kidding we had some really really beautiful things happen this week! Here are just a few:) 

·       A lesson fell through, so we started calling some people in area-book and after a few missed calls a sweet lady answered and told us she appreciated our random calls and said we always call at the right time, when she needs it most so we got her availability and now we get to read the scriptures with her twice a week

·       Another lesson fell through the next day, so we started calling formers again and another kind lady answered and was so open to coming to church. Apparently, her daughter is a member and is going to BYUI right now?? So cool!

·       We called another former in our area-book and WOW she is prepared. She told us she has been praying for religious friends to talk with about God. When she found out we were missionaries from the same church as previous Elders she had met years ago she was ecstatic… and so were we!!! 

·       Ok also after 12 weeks of reading the Book of Mormon with our sweet friend Rha over the phone she finally asked if she could have her own copy which was huge because she denied it at first!!! She is experiencing a change of heart.

I loved this week though because of my studies. In Matthew 5, Christ teaches us to "agree with [our] adversary quickly" meaning to resolve differences early on! This of course is a choice. It is the harder choice, that cannot be done without the help of the Savior and His Atonement. 

Satan would have us be stirred up in anger. He would have us DWELL in our anger. He would ensure that our pride take over, but this is just not a happy way to live. No one likes being upset. **Humility is the answer. It is a sign of strength. When we CHOOSE to let it go and when we CHOOSE to forgive, we free ourselves and peace is able to enter our hearts again. It is the only intelligent thing to do. 

Elder Holland said, "whether we have caused that pain or been the recipient of the pain, those wounds need to be healed so that life can be as rewarding as God intended it to be." 

So I'm inviting all of you to choose forgiveness. Choose peace. Choose joy. Choose to believe that Christ can help you, because He can! He has helped me choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong. I know it is possible through Him:)

I love you all with my whole heart! I know that Jesus is the Living Christ and our Prince of Peace! Have a wonderful week.

Listening With Love

 

Friends and family!

My heart was softened this week because of so so many experiences! 

As most of you probably know Ontario went into a state of emergency lockdown again and it is taking a toll on too many! It breaks my heart to see and hear from so many people who are suffering. I even felt a degree of loneliness/isolation and separation within myself this week! So much so that it brought me to knees over and over again. I think this can be hard to admit as a missionary at times because it honestly feels like we are supposed to have it all together, managing just well, BUT oh me oh my it's tough!!! 

In a mental health devotional yesterday, I learned that statistics showed that 82.1% of people indicated connecting socially with friends or family was a key coping strategy... and we don't have that right now! We are being forced to learn new ways to cope.  

I was blessed to talk with my mission President this week and the love he gave taught me an important life skill. I've often been told that listening to others sincerely and with genuine interest is essential. I have been blessed with opportunities to listen to others, but I don't think I've ever been the best listener. This week when I felt pretty desperate for relief from these negative feelings President Ensign was there. He listened. He was sincere. He was genuine. He did all he could to ensure I was happier than when he had first spoke with me. Having been listened to and being on the receiver end of it really really opened my eyes! Listening with love, especially now is one of the best things we can do for each other. 

This week was also Grandpa Dean's birthday and so we celebrated his life with a croissant and hot chocolate! (His favorite) I felt so close to him as I found some photos of him in Kingston, ON back in 2017 a few months before he passed away. I know our loved ones who have passed are so close to us always.

I hope you all are managing well! With everything going on and with what seems like never ending sad news I'm learning a lot about myself and about my relationship with Christ. He continues to be the solution for every broken heart, every lonely feeling, and every plead for help. He is the best listener, and He never stops listening! Turn to Him next time you're not feeling so good, and I promise you will feel your burdens lift! 

LOVE YOU ALL 

Sunsets

Everyoneeee 

How are you all? I pray you're finding some peace while getting into the routine of things again! 

Sister Kozlow and I are still making the best of it out here in Trenton! The faithful people I get to meet out here make every harder moment worth it. My life is centered around this simple statement: focus on the good and the good gets better! IT'S TRUE! 

Our miracle this week was with our new friend Jonathan!!!!! You guys!!! He is the coolest. Him and His wife just moved here to Canada a month ago from Columbia and are wanting to strengthen their faith in Christ! The other day we were driving and we get a phone call from our members and they're like " sisters are you busy right now? I'm with my friend Jonathan and we want to video call right now!" So we quickly parked and called. It went insanely well. Then the next day we set up a lesson with him and our members again and taught the restoration! While he read Moroni's promise he looked up with tears in his eyes not knowing how to express the feelings he felt when he read "you may know the truth of all things." These moments are the kind of moments we all wish to be a part of! Jonathan is so prepared, and we just know the messages we are going to share with him are going to "fill the gap" he says he's missing and fill him so so much joy.

We had the most beautiful sunsets this week and I've got to say, I'm a sucker for a good sunset. They are my favorite part of the day! When I look at them, I'm reminded of how perfect our Creator is!!!! If he can make something that beautiful every day, we can trust that He will make something beautiful out of us! 

In my studies this week I was reading "Come what may and love it." It said, "Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others." I'm learning that everything we go through has purpose. Gaining an eternal perspective is one of the greatest things we can do in this life! So if life is a bit harder right now or things just feel bland, know that God knows. He always knows best, and He IS in the details! 

I love you all HEAPS! 

 

Heyoo

 

Happy New Year!!!!!! 

I hope you all celebrated with some corn bread :-) I had some last night and it was delicious! 

I'm very very happy with life right now! Ontario is in lockdown again but since Sister Kozlow and I are in the middle of nowhere we don't really see much of a difference anyways! We are just making the best of it! Sometimes we feel isolated and lonely, but we have Christ and video calls! It honestly has just given me a greater glimpse and more sympathy towards those who do feel lonely too often. If you ever need some love or a pick me up, you can reach out to me. 

Despite the feelings of being in the middle of nowhere there are so many blessings. One of them being that the members are so missionary focused. Also, the beautiful location, but mostly that our friends that are here are so prepared. God needed missionaries for these precious souls and I'm glad I get to be one of them. We had the best lesson with the two we have on date! Grace & Adam will be getting baptized on January 16th and we are SO excited for them. We also have seen our friend Peter's heart soften after a great Bible study. He wants to start meeting with us again:) 

This is the coolest miracle though from this week! So we were contacting members and literally no one replied and we were so sad about all these wrong numbers and missed calls BUT THEN we get a phone call from a private number... turns out it is one of the members we had called but missed!! She talks to us for a solid 30 minutes about her new neighbors and how they are interested in the gospel. A few days later we followed up to see how their dinner went with their neighbors annnnd they said they spoke about the church, bore their testimonies, taught them how to pray and invited them to church. Those are some solid members right there! 

LOVE YOU ALL so much! Have a wonderful week! 

2020