Week 24 Cat Tongues!


FRIENDS AND FAMILY, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, CHILDREN OF GOD

Welcome back to life in West Wackkyyyyy....I love it here. I truly truly do. The people are amazing. Especially the members. Every last one of them has my heart. Thanksgiving this week was lovely, we ate SO much food and even got to take home to-go baggies. It was the best. Sister Riplies daughter even made Pumpkin cheesecake pie....I was in heaven. 

It started raining this week! I got to finally bust out the rainboots and the umbrella. Very exciting stuff. On Tuesday we had exchanges with the Hermanas from Winters. Hermana Weber came here and I ADORE HER. She is a convert of about 5 years and she has the sweetest testimony. She also didn't think it was gonna be raining that bad so she brought an umbrella, regular shoes, and a cloth jacket....That night it was a straight storm. She couldn't even use her umbrella it was so windy. By the end of finding people told us that they DID NOT like that we were out in that weather. We tried to assure them that we were out by choice, which mainly just resulted in them looking at us like we were crazy. Hermana Weber couldn't see out of her glasses and she was completely soaked. Luckily our next appointment was close by and they had the heat turned ALL the way up. BLESSED. Lets just say that we definitely had 2 cups of hot chocolate that night in order to warm up. It was quite the adventure.

We go and eat dinner at this part member families house named the Wrights at least once a month. We got to eat there yesterday and last Sunday and I just LOVE THEM. They fight all the time, constant banter. Me and Sister Schmutz pretty much just laugh with them the whole time. Brother Wright is not a member but he is gonna be soon. The other West Sac Sisters just started teaching him again and I am so excited to see him progress. He told us that he thinks us 4 girls are gonna save the world. It was so sweet. He is a sweet guy, we are doing a musical number in church next week and he said he would come. Which makes me so so happy. 

God is consistently guiding us in this work. We were blessed to find more new people to teach this week and have some good lessons with some of those that we have found the last few weeks. We are back to square one with most of the people but God is blessing us with those that have a sincere desire. He has even led us to 2 families that I am really excited about. God has a plan, a perfect one. I love Him a lot. 

I have learned SO much this week about what it really means to be a consecrated missionary. President David O. McKay once said:

"The greatest battles you will ever fight will be within the silent chambers of your heart" That is the battleground between what you want and what the Lord wants. If you surrender, if the Lord wins, you win also. If you win, if your will prevails, you and the Lord both lose. The only way to win is to lose. Lose yourself in the Lord's work, and you will win beyond your wildest imaginations, for "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (I Cor 2:9).

As we submit our will to Gods He makes more out of us then we can ever imagine. Where we would have made a smudge, He will make a masterpiece. Sacrificing our time, or effort, or will may seem like too much But God promises that "...he will consecrate thy performance.. for the welfare of thy soul (2 Nephi 32:9). " I know that as we dedicate more of our lives to God He will pour his blessings upon us. It may be little by little, but He will be there guiding our lives. 

I feel so very grateful for the incredible blessings God has given me. To be able to be on a mission doing Gods work is so incredibly humbling. It is the best decision I have ever made. I am grateful for the support I have gotten, for the love that is showered upon me constantly, and for all of you incredible people who have shaped me into who I am today. More than anything else, I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. For his example, his love, his sacrifice, and his redeeming grace. To be a representative of Him is the single greatest privilege I have ever had. 

If you have not watched "A Christ Child: A Nativity Story" DROP EVERYTHING AND GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW! It is about 20 minutes long and it is the nativity in the Aramaic language. You cannot understand what is being said but you can feel it. The spirit is so so strong everytime I have watched it and showed it to others. It can be found at LightTheWorld.org and I can promise you that you will have NO regrets in watching it. 

Mucho Love,
Sister Tams

Other/Funny Stuff:
-We played volleyball last Monday and I was sore ALL week. Worth it though. 
-In case you didn't know I just have a LOT of love for my sweet companion Sister Schmutz. She is amazing
.-Brother Wright went to LA for a couple days last week and he brought Sister Wright back chocolate cat tongues, he thought it was soooo funny. She did not, I almost cried I was laughing so hard. 






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 72 Trick-or-treat, swollen feet, 155 pieces of candy to eat

Image
  FRIENDS AND FAMILY, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, CHILDREN OF GOD,  Wow wow wow HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! I hope you all had the best and most festive Holiday, ours was definitely eventful.  We continue to teach our good friend Ray, we talked about the Restoration this week and he said that so far everything that he has heard lines up with his beliefs and the bible. He is superrrrr cool.  We got to see and talk to lots of amazing people this week which as always I loved!!! I don't have a ton of details for you, but just know that I have felt extremely grateful and humbled for the opportunity to have been able to serve in this area around such amazing people. A quote I loved from my studies said:  "Weakness and humility lead to hopefulness, not helplessness." -Scott Swofford I LOVE THIS!! As y'all know I have been studying a lot about humility and I know that as we turn things over to the Lord and recognize our own shortcomings He makes things into so much more than...
Read more

Week 68 Baptism, Conference and Transfers

Image
  FRIENDS AND FAMILY, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, CHILDREN OF GOD, EVERYTHING happened this week. ALL of it. Here is a highlight reel: -BOB GOT BAPTIZED YESTERDAY!!!! It was an amazing poolside service and lots of great people came to support him. He was glowing and said he felt goosebumps the whole time. I love him so so much and am so so so happy that I got to be apart of it all.  -SISTER BUNKER IS LEAVING. Transfers are today and we found out we will be losing her to Novato. She is a rockstar and will be an STL her ENTIRE MISSION!!! I still cannot believe our dreams came true and that we got to be companions, I read a note that I wrote to her right after the MTC and I addressed it to my future companion. God is good and knew that I needed a comp like her, forever grateful.  -We are getting a cutie named Sis Hancock, she came in with Sister Soultz so I will be ending my last transfer with 2 newish missionaries!!! It should be lots of fun.  -LAST BUT CERTAINTLY NOT LEAST ...
Read more

Week 67 #itstheendoftheworld #highwatermark #whydideveryonestopusinghashtags

Image
Friends and family, brothers and sisters, children of God,  We are on fire again, literally and figuratively! Last night we got a call that the Hermanas would be coming to stay the night because they were evacuated!! It has been a fun little slumber party and honestly none of us know how long it will last. The ash is worse than it ever has been before, the floor is coated with it. It is the end of the world, but that's okay because the work moves forward!! My zone has been continuing to kill it and we OFFICIALLY hit our high water mark, with 3 baptisms to go!! These Elders and Sisters are incredible and they have been working SO hard! I am SO glad I got to be apart of it all.  Bob is doing really really good and is making his way back to California! Which is THE BEST because his baptism will be on Sunday!!! We are ALL so excited!! SO PLS PRAY THAT THE FIRES DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING.  I have been teaching Sis Soultz the story of the Book of Mormon, because as a recent convert...
Read more