Tampa Bay!

Sister Gafa and Sister Gessel
Tampa 4-B

Here's also a couple other pictures. We had a ward Easter Egg Hunt at Upper Tampa Bay Park and we got there a little early. We had a couple minutes to explore and were able to see out in Tampa Bay! :) So pretty! 

Easter Week!

Sister Gafa and Sister Gessel
Tampa 4-B

Hi all!

Happy Easter! And happy General Conference!

First off, for the women out there, wasn't the General Women's Meeting of conference this past Saturday awesome? I loved the emphasis on serving others! They testified that as we serve others that we are truly serving our Savior. I'm so grateful to be reminded of that! I know that it's true! There is so much strength in the women of the church. Seeing their examples and their spirituality makes me want to be a better person! I know that as both men and women we can be great examples and lights to this world! I know you're making a difference!

Sister Gafa and I had the chance to go to a training called 'Metro' this past week. The mission office is right across from the University of South Florida (USF). So we drove over for about 24 hours of training with the assistants to the president, the Sister Training Leaders and about 7 other companionships. We spent the afternoon practicing street contacting approaches, getting to briefly know the other missionaries, talk about our strengths individually and as companionships, see how church tours can be conducted and counsel together on ways we can improve our missionary work. We spent that evening with the other sisters at an apartment nearby and talked about dress and grooming, cleaning the apartment, etc. Then the next day after an intense workout (not as intense as the elders I'm sure) we went over on campus and talked to as many people as we could! It was cool! We met some great people. We were able to share the whole restoration with a man we found reading his bible. There's a lot of people who say they have no beliefs in God, but as we talk to them we see that often that's not really the case. Overall it was a good learning experience! 

Going out on Easter afternoon was also really cool. It was a little bit hard at first because we were both missing home and family, but I set it as a personal goal to testify to as many people as we could. If there's something I want people to know even if I only meet them for a minute, it's that I have a testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He lives and that He loves us personally and individually. I know that because of Him we will one day be resurrected. I want to be qualified to also have eternal life - to live with Him forever. I'll never forget one thing my uncle prayed for last summer. He said "please help us to choose to qualify for eternal life." So many of us know what the steps are, but I pray also that we will CHOOSE to qualify. It's ultimately through our decision, our actions, our agency that will lead us to live again with Him. 

I'm grateful to be here on a mission. I know that there's so many tweaks I can make to my life to make it even more in line with His will. I know that He will help me to be able to do so. 

I love you all. I know the Savior lives. I know He loves us and will help us every step of the way. He wants us to get to know Him. He is there. 

Go light up someone's week! It doesn't take much. :) 

Love you, praying for you!

Sister Gessel 

P.S. The first three pictures are from Metro! Then sister Gafa and I ran into a peacock on the road the other day. The last one is from the Relief Society Birthday Party that we had right before the General Women's Meeting. We had an investigator named Sarah come! She's so cute! She loved it!

Also, thanks to those who wrote to Sister Gafa, it made her day! (Thanks mom and Laura! :) 

Service is the best!

Sent from my iPad

Hey all!

How are you doing? I hope you've been able to have some missionary experiences this week! 

As you can see from the picture we found some kind of animal this week. Haha, we were going down to unlock our bikes and heard some scurrying. Is it a raccoon? Possum? I have no clue. 

We had some neat experiences on Friday this week! A less active, Charlotte, has a neighbor who has a bunch of health problems and isn't able to wash his car, so she offered to have all three of us help him. When we went to go get the car we found out he still needed to run to the bank to get change, so Charlotte went with him and we waited by the car wash at the apartment complex. We were in jeans and t-shirts so we couldn't go out knocking doors, but soon a car drove up and we offered to wash the man's car! He was shocked! Haha, his name was Kenny and he thought we were joking. We washed his car and then were able to share an Easter pass along card with him. He said he was new to the area and was looking for a church to go to. We explained where it was and testified that Jesus Christ's resurrection is the true meaning of Easter. While washing Kenny's car another car pulled up and he vacuumed. Afterwards we offered to wash his car also. He spoke mostly spanish and with my poor spanish we understood that it was ok. We washed his car and afterwards he (his name was Orlando) asked us how much we were charging! haha, when we said nothing, again he was shocked! He shared a card with him and offered to bring to water to show his gratitude. I don't know if anything will come from these experiences, but I know that service truly softens people's hearts. When we serve our Heavenly Father's children we are showing Him that we love Him. 

We were able to meet a lot of members and less active members this past week also! With a member family last night we were able to talk about preparing for General Conference. I'm pretty sure I talked about this a little last week, but I want to invite you all to pray about and write down questions that you would like to have answered at General Conference. Whether they are answered in a talk or through the spirit that is there when we listen, I know they will be answered. 

I was reading a quote in an Ensign from a couple years ago and this stuck out to me. Especially as we think about the Atonement and Resurrection as we prepare for Easter! It's from Elder Bednar from a talk called "Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease." 

"There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, 'No one knows what it is like. No one understands.' But the son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and bourne our individual burdens."

I know that is true. I love you all and I'm so grateful for your support! Happy Easter!

Love,

Sister Gessel

P.S. Can I ask you all an big favor?!?!? :) So, my companion as you know is from Samoa. She has a big supportive family in Samoa and New Zealand, but it's hard and expensive for them to send mail. I'm gotten a bunch of mail these past couple weeks (thank you all!) and she's got a couple there here and there. Could you find time this week to send her a quick note? A favorite quote or missionary experience? I would be so grateful! I know it would make her week! Let's flood her mailbox!

Sister Gafa

12025 Citrus Falls Circle #306

Tampa, FL 33625

Y'all are the best! Thank you!!!!!

Fwd:

Sent from my iPad

There's a couple more pictures! It rained last night as we were biking home! haha, it will hilarious. No one missed us in our crazy yellow ponchos. So grateful we had them! The other two sisters are Sister Torres and Sister Slawson! They're the other sisters in our area. Good times. :) 

Here's also the link to the Easter video! https://www.mormon.org/easter?cid=HP_SU_3-13-2016_dMIS_fSPC_xLIDyL1-A_

Love y'all!

Share the gospel!

Hey all! Thank you for all your love and support! 

The pictures are from this past week. There was an awesome sunset the other night when we were biking. We went to a place called Twistee Treat last Preparation Day! It was so yummy! I got chocolate custard/ice cream with oreo and smore's stuff. :) 

There's so much I could share! First off I've got a challenge for you all! Have you seen the Easter Hallelujah video the church released yesterday? It's only two minutes, but it is so powerful! I'm so grateful to know that because of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that we can also be resurrected! I know that the message of the gospel has brought peace to my heart. There are so many people who need that peace in their lives. I invite you to watch it today if you haven't already and pray this week to know one person (or more if you're so inclined!) to share it will. Easter is two less than two weeks away, so let's use this time to bring more people to Christ! I promise you that as you pray for missionary experiences they will happen. You don't need to fear. As you read, pray and study you will know what to say to people and how you can share it with them. 

Will you invite one person to watch it and share your feelings about Christ with them? If you want to email me back a line to let me know you're up to the challenge I'd love that. I know that your influence for good can be far reaching if we're willing to take the chance. 

We had stake conference yesterday and it was so great! I had some questions and concerns that I had written down beforehand and holy cow! Those talks were for me! I needed that counsel and direction so badly. The cool thing is that we don't just learn from the words that are spoken, we can learn from the Holy Ghost as we listen. He will tell us what things we need to do better or what we're doing well or just bring peace to our hearts. 

I want to get better at memorizing scriptures so I started off this morning with 1 Nephi 3:7. I was thinking, "This will be easy, everyone knows 1 Nephi 3:7." But I was amazed as I read it that I'd kind of forgotten the second part. Yes, it says he will go and do the things the Lord commands, but the second part says "for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." Holy cow, how did I forget that? The Lord doesn't just give us commandments and leave us to fend for ourselves, he prepares a way to do what has been asked of us. He will help uplift and strengthen us. I loved that. 

I love you all! I hope your week is going well! Don't forget to start writing down questions for General Conference! It's coming up! 

Sister Gessel 

Fasting

Hi all! 

Love you all! Thanks for your love and support of me. I just have a couple things I want to share. We've been studying faith and there's a scripture we read this morning that I loved. It's Moroni 7:33 "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." I know it's true! When we have faith and we act on what He wants us to do we will be blessed!

This week I've learned a lot about my faults and weaknesses but I've also learned about my testimony. We've been teaching a lady named Linda and as much as she tries to convince us that we're being misled and we need to doubt, if anything it was strengthened my testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ. I know this is His church. Not because of things people have told me throughout my life, but because I've acted for myself. I've studied, I've pondered, I've prayed. Nothing she says will dissuade my testimony because I know for myself. I'm grateful for that experience and for what I've been able to learn. 

Missions, as in life, are full of ups and downs. We aren't perfect. We need our Savior to help and uplift us every day, even when we don't feel like turning to Him. He wants us to come to Him. He loves us unconditionally. 

Fasting is such a powerful thing. When we fast with a purpose we will be given additional strength! I know that because I've felt it in my life! I haven't been feeling very well this past week but this morning I feel so much better! I believe that part of the reason is because of fasting!

I love you all! Don't forget how much the Lord loves you and wants to bless you! He knows every little thing you're going through. 

Love ya,

Sister Gessel

P.S. I'll try to send pictures if they work!