Transfer 7 Week 1 - December 16, 2013

Well things here are good. We saw some pretty good miracles this last week. It for sure feels slow sometimes though because of the finals people are taking and just the holiday season and people leaving but we have been looking for a lot of new investigators!

 

We ended up having a really awesome lesson with a guy we found at our temple booth. I don't remeber if I told you about the booth, but we do it about once a week for about an hour right near the temple site where we talk to people and hand out goodies etc. Well so we had met a guy a couple of weeks ago and finally had a lesson with him this last week!

 

He said he was so shocked we called him back, cuz he didn't think that we would take him serious that he was interested and really searching because of his friends that were with him at the time and were trying to ask arrogant questions about polygamy. So anyways when he came to the temple site for a lesson we taught him the restoration and committed him to baptism for Jan 5th. He said he will definitely hav ethe book of mormon read by then and is eager to learn more. 

 

Some other miracles this week were that we were able to to get a new investigator with the security gaurd at the temple that we see a couple times a week and we will teach him this week! We also finally made it into a less actives home we have been trying for months now it feels like. This man, brother mendez had a super cool conversion story from when he was younger but has kind of gone through a roller coaster with being active->non active. And I think he stopped coming to church only within a couple of months of me coming to this area. Well, we had a super powerful lesson on the restoration and also taught his wife who is a non member! They are both eager to learn more, and especially the wife to try and figure out if the Book of Mormon really is true! She was really curious what would happen if the book is not true but we just bore powerful testimony to her that it was and that we know that it can bless us. So pray that all goes well with them! :)

 

Things other than that are good. Diana a girl that we taught was confirmed this Sunday and so were are excited to see her make friends and to continue to gain her own testimony!

We also were able to help the Carr's, the couple that oversee's the temple construction site, fill out cards to the construction workers thanking them for the work they do, bearing testimony and letting them know how much the temple means to us. We will help hand those out this Wednesday when the workers are getting off work. I hope that when they read their individual cards that they can feel the spirit from our simple testimonies and be eager to learn more about the temple and the gospel!

 

Well family hope all is well. Stay warm this season! It is cold here. I played football in the snow this last Saturday! Worst idea ever, but at the same time it was probably the best thing ever!

Enjoy life and look to serve others this season. 

Love you all! 

Transfer 6 Week 6 - December 9, 2013

Hey family,

 

It's been a pretty good week. Me and Sister Reyes set some pretty high goals this week to try and achieve and work with a lot of people but I don't know if it is the holidays but most of it fell through :(. Oh well though. We still had some good lessons and were able to get in contact with a couple less actives and hopefully we can see some progression from them now. Transfers are this next week. I will be staying here in Philly so my address will stay the same. Me and s. reyes are already looking for ways we can work even harder this next transfer or how to work with more people. We really want to find some more investigators and set some baptismal dates so definitely keep us in your prayers!

 

Fun story, last tuesday I think it was we were at a members home for lunch and we discovered they had bed bugs. Elder Toilolo, my zone leader was sitting next to me when all of a sudden I realize he is grabbing things off my back. I did my best not to panick as I realized what he was doing. Let's just say we went straight home and did some very thorough cleaning and spraying down everything (mamma would be so proud)! Eww. I hate bed bugs. They are so creepy and gross, but the good Lord has blessed us that I haven't seen any more of them so far. But keep me in your prayers cuz I'm going over there again today.

 

This week we also had the opportunity to participate in a flash mob. It was my zone, so there was about 20 of us missionaries. We ended up riding the subway at rush hour when everyone was heading home from work. We sang a couple different christmas songs as well as I am a Child of God and Childs prayer! There were a lot of people that enjoyed the spirit of it and accepted cards. One of the sisters even got 3 baptismal dates out of it, but then there were those that were completely uninterested. Hopefully we can just continue to soften the hearts of the people here in Philly!

 

Finally, we ended the week with a baptism of our investigator Diana. She is 13 and her dad is a member. She is super awesome and I'm excited to see her grow in the church and to continue developing her testimony!

 

I am sad to hear about Grandpa and his passing. At least we know he is in a better place and that hopefully he can feel welcomed home and taught the gospel. I'll keep you all in my prayers, and let me know how the funeral goes.

 

Well family, that's all for now. Hope you guys are well and are having fun preparing for the holidays. Did you any of you have a chance to watch the Christmas devotional? If not I suggest you try and hit that up! Keep Christ in your Christmas!

 

Loves,

 

Sister Beames

Transfer 6 Week 5 - December 2, 2013

Well hope everyone had a good thanksgiving!

 

This week was pretty good. Nothing to different about it. But always super good for the holiday season to reflect back on things you are grateful for. I was trying to think three things this past year I am especially grateful for.

 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission (and to be out here twice) and I am so grateful for the priesthood and prayers! Did you guys ever consider the fact that I was sent home because I was bleeding too much in my trachea and lungs that when they did the biopsy they couldn't even get a sample. But out of all the time that I spent at home, even though I still had surgery on my thyroid, they still didn't have a reason for why that bleeding was happening. It just magically stopped! Miracle? I think yes!

I am grateful for my family! I love alll of you guys so much and talk about how much you mean to me all the time. Life would just be so pointless if I didn't have the relationships that I did (friends included). Thanks for eveything you do!

And I am just ever so grateful for this gospel. There are so many blessings that come from the restoration of the gospel and what we have here on the earth today. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of the Plan of Salvation, which so many people are lacking. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for the wonderful blessings that we have.

 

Thanksgiving day we ended up playing football in the morning with a couple of different zones in the mish, and our president and his wife provided doughnuts and hot chocolate! We had a couple other dinners throughout the day and was pretty basic. It was all good except no one had any mashed potatoes (what is this world coming to?). Jk, the food was all really good.

 

A lot of people went out of town this week though! This location has people from everywhere and especailly with all the different colleges so many people were gone. The city actually felt a little more dead. Hope fully things will pick up some more this week though.

 

One of my favorite things though this week was when I called a lady in the ward to confirm that we would be having dinner with her. I reached her voice mail on two different phones, but each had the same message "Hi, this is _____ from the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. Leave me a..." That just super pumped me up haha. I love to see how members can participate in missionary work and even through a voice mail. I asked her about it when we met with her and she said that she does get people to ask her questions because of it. Anyways, hope that you all are still looking for ways to do missionary work in your individual ways! Love you all.

 

Sister Beames

Transfer 6 Week 4 - November 25, 2013

How are things going?

Things here have been so aweome! Can I tell you how much I love zone conferences?! We had another one this last week.There is just such a wonderful spirit with so many missionaries being in one room. And the spiritual boost is just so amazing that I look forward to those meetings. They are always so helpful in learning new ideas and how to be a more productive missionary!

This zone conference they focused on using pamphlets and their pictures more for the lessons to teach a good lesson in under 10 min but having such a powerful dose of the spirt by taking out all the fluff that most missionaries use while teaching that can be important, but in most cases isn't needed. Mainly because most people are learning on an 8 yr old level anyways. But using the pamphlet with the pictures was something I always had done with my trainer but it was good to refresh and think about how I could rely more on the spirit in asking different things.

So me and sister Reyes put it into effect immediately using it after the zone conference. We had some really good lessons. And last night especailly when we went to see a referral from head quarters.

This lady was named Tia. She had been searching for a church for quite some time, she is in her late 20's we think, but she was super solid. She has had a lot of questions about baptism, and for example she was baptized when she was younger but always felt like she was supposed to be baptized again. But when she asked different preachers they would tell her there was no need so she kept searching. Anyways the pamphlet was just right in the lesson and the way we were using the pictures worked out so perfectly that when we got to Joseph Smith receiving the priesthood we asked her right there if she would be baptized and she said yes!

It was such a powerful lesson and the spirit was strong! I love being to find people and this has been such a great area to do so. There are just so many people that are ready to hear the gospel and we just need to contact them!

 

So how are you guys telling your friends or looking for ways to share the gospel. Something I encourage is that this week each of you just take the challenge and make a new friend. A lot of us just only have friends that are lDS. So make a new friend and invite someone to church or an activity! Good Luck! :)

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Count your blessings!

 

Love Sister Chalet Beames