Hi all!
I promised a short run down of this past week and it's been a very good one! It's been a little out of the ordinary because we had different meetings, as well as a day long training (called Metro), a day long exchange and also a baptism! It's been a very busy week!
Monday
Preparation day! We exercise and study like usual, but we also get our apartment clean and tidy! They we go email, wash the car, shop for groceries, etc. We also went to Bok Tower! It's a historic landmark and they plan music every half hour or so from the bell tower. It's really close to our apartment and we wanted to check it out. One of our investigators also gave us free passes because she works there!
In the evening we had a lesson with Pat. Keep her in your prayers! We also had a great lesson with Celia! Do you remember Yolanda? She was just baptized two months ago and she came to this lesson also. They are both Puerto Rican and they really hit it off! It's amazing to see the growth in Yolanda, even just after two months.
Tuesday
Today we had Zone Training Meeting with the Lakeland Zone. We learned from our Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders and each other! The focus was on teaching repentance and what repentance really is. In preparation we read this great talk called "The Divine Gift of Repentance" by D. Todd Christofferson in October 2011 General Conference. If you get a chance, read it! Change is real. We don't have to be stuck where we're at. We can always change because of the gift of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Wednesday
We had a day long training (Metro) this day! We woke up early (a little earlier than the usual early) because we drove all the way over to Tampa (about an hour and a half) to do some training with the Assistants and other Sister Training Leaders. We did some contacting role plays and then went on the USF campus for 2.5 hours or so and talked to as many people as we could about the gospel! There are always such neat experiences on campus. We also switched companions for a bit and I was with Sister Anderson! We met a girl from Thailand! We also ate lunch with a girl studying marine biology (I thought of you Kat :) haha). There was other training on being a better missionary in the afternoon. It was great! We drove back home to Lake Wales that night.
Thursday
We had a great lesson with a lady named Rebecca. We gave her a Book of Mormon the week before and she had read the chapters we gave her! She's still not sure about it, but she didn't get an answer that she needs to stop, just that she should keep learning and seeking for herself. We are meeting with her again soon! Also, today we went back to see a young Haitian girl named Monica! She wasn't there, but we met her mom Dieumila and had a short lesson with her. While we were there it started pouring rain! Of course we'd left our umbrella in the car. Dieumila insisted that we stay until the rain was gone or that she'd give us her umbrella. She saw that the end of her driveway was inches deep in water and told us that she would drive us to our car even though it wasn't far away because she didn't want our shoes to get ruined. She was so kind! She said in the car "I may not have much, but I can give you a ride." It wasn't quite those words, but that was the essence of the message. There is still so much good in the world! We see rejection and misunderstanding everyday, but we also see so much goodness and faith!
Friday
We had an exchange with the Sister Training Leaders! I was with Sister Briggs and Sister Zinck went with Sister Whitlock! It is so fun to learn from another person about how they do missionary work. We did a lot of finding in new areas we haven't been to before. We also had a lesson with Jacob and he had his interview with the district leader!
Saturday
Jacob's baptism! It was a great day! Things are always a little chaotic trying to coordinate everything right before, but it was a beautiful experience. Jacob has experienced a lot of trials and hardship in his life, but he's starting new! He's 17 and has one year left of high school. He's the boyfriend of a member and it's been a faith building experience for their whole family. He was so prepared for the gospel!
Sunday
Fast Sunday! A family that we've been teaching almost all came to church! The mom and youngest child wasn't able to come because they'd left the carseat somewhere, but Jay, James, and Krista were able to come to church! Also, another Haitian young man named Lucny came for the third time! He's a friend of Jimmy's. I love fasting! There is so much power that comes from it.
Wow, that's a lot of stuff. I hope it gives you a little glimpse of missionary work and how things go. Miracles happen every day, but you've got to look for them. Look for the good. Try each day to change a little bit. Don't get stuck in a rut. When you recognize the need to change, take it! Don't let it slip by. I pray that I will be able to take advantage of this time and step up my game.
Thank you all for your love and support. If you haven't studied your scriptures yet today, take a bit of time and do it! I promise you your day will be better. Even if you just sit and ponder one verse. :)
Hope you have a great week!
Love you all!
Sister Gessel
P.S. There's also a blog with my emails if someone hasn't been getting the emails and would like to know what's going on. i believe it's sistergesselflorida.blogspot.com :)
Pictures
Washing the car on preparation day! Putting away groceries. Also we went to Bok Tower! They have carillon bells just like the tower on campus at BYU.
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