This week marks 8 months!!! - January 11, 2016

To start off I wanted to say thank you to every one who emailed me this week. I love getting all the encouraging little quotes and messages. They all really helped! I've realized how spoiled and loved I really am. I've started writing quotes in my scriptures and lots of them are ones that y'all send me. I also got a sweet package from Danielle this week! She sent me some chocolates and treats! I have truly felt all of your love this week! Thank you!

My week has been pretty good! I've realized that your week usually depends on what you make of it. So as y'all know last week I was just super bummed and down and basically I was ready to just come home! Well, thankfully, I have a good mother who emailed me the next day with some loving words and good advice. Mom, I took your advice and here is what happened.

So I did as you said and read my patriarchal blessing and then I decided to read Alma 17. I didn't get much out of my patriarchal blessing. I read it like weekly. I'm pretty sure I am going to have it memorized by the time I get home! Haha I guess a few things stood out to me this time but they were nothing that pertained to me feeling better. Haha so after I read my blessing I decided to pray again and as I prayed I asked for help and then also asked to find an answer as to how I can get out of this slump I am in. After praying I decided to do the whole open up to a random page and just start reading. Well I opened to Alma 5. I kinda read over it and nothing really jumped right out at me. Basically, by this point, I am just getting frustrated that I can't find anything. Finally, I'm just so frustrated and I decide that I need to read from Preach My Gospel under how to recognize and understand the spirit because clearly I was struggling with that. So I begin reading and a few things stood out to me. On page 93 it says "you receive the spirit through the prayer of faith.." Well then I started questioning my prayers and my faith. So then I'm trying to figure out how I can strengthen my faith. But I kept on reading in Preach My Gospel. 

On page 94 I read this quote that I love. "Every morning... Missionaries should get on their knees and plead with the Lord to loosen their tongues and speak through them to the blessing of those thy will be teaching. If they will do this, a new light will come into their lives. There will be greater enthusiasm for the work.  They will come to know that in a very real sense, they are servants of the Lord speaking in his behalf. They will find a different response from those they teach. As they do so by the spirit, their investigators will respond and see the influence of the same spirit."- President Gordon B. Hinckley  

That quote was like a slap back into reality for me. Holy cow, I have read that a million times but just then I realized I needed to act upon that. So once again I prayed and asked for those exact things in the quote and to see that new light come into my life. Alright, after my prayer I decided to read Alma 17. Of course moms always know best!  Just like you said in your email to me I have read this chapter recently and I first started it thinking nothing new is going to stand out to me I just read it a few weeks ago.. And then the thought of faith popped back into my head. So then I tell myself that I have faith that I will find something new that will stand out to me that can help me. Well verse 12 said "they took courage to go forth." So I took the things Mom had told me which were, be patient, show forth a good example and then added take courage to go forth. I realized that I need to just rely more on faith and trust Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ more.

So, remember how I had mentioned I read Alma chapter 5 earlier? Well, we were suppose to go see a member who is in the hospital and we were still unsure what to share with him and his wife. We began talking about faith and the member was trying to share with us a scripture he had just read that he liked. He told us it was Moroni 5:15. Well of course there is no Moroni 5:15. But just then I remembered reading Alma 5:15 this morning and it talked about faith. I was able to share it with him and, of course, that was the exact scripture he had been thinking of!  Heavenly Father really does answer our prayers especially in unseen ways. If I hadn't read that chapter I would never have know what this member was trying to get at.

I have continued every day to pray for that light and enthusiasm to come back into my life and for my tongue to be loose. I have seen so many small tender mercies this week that have shown me Heavenly Father is aware of me and that if I just keep pushing on things will continue to get better. A lot of the people we have been visiting have really been struggling lately. All with different things, some financially, some medically, some with addictions, car problems, family problems.  The list goes on and on... It has been so amazing to me that as I have been seeking for my tongue to be loose and that this light will come, I have felt impressed to say things that I would have never thought to say on my own. It is usually really hard for me to relate to people because I've never really had financial problems, medical problems, family problems. But some how I was able to relate in different ways and share things with all of them to help. After that it just kinda gets you pumped to keep going!

I've also been reading a quote every day that has helped as well. I call it the get pumped quote. It is my goal to fully memorize it. It is called Fellowship of the Unshamed 

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast.  I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secured. I'm finished and done with low-living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I now live by faith, lean on his presence, walk with patience, I am lifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is fixed, my gait is fast, and my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is tough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear! I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder in the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I've stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go 'til he comes, give 'til I drop. Preach with all I know and work until he comes and stops me; when he returns for his own, he will have no problem recognizing. My banner will be clear!"

Man, when you read those words it's hard not to be pumped!

Now that I am already at a small novel I will quickly tell you all that is going on with our investigators and members we work with. So we are still working with Sammy and his daughter Sammi Kaliey. He has a baptism date for February 27th but we are hoping to be able to move it up. Him and his daughter came to church this week! Yay! We have been having such a struggle getting people to church. They both loved it though!

We are also still working with Isyss and Jenesyss. We are still working on reading in the Book of Mormon with them. Of course I am in first place and I am at 1 Nephi 6. Then every one else is tied and are at 1 Nephi 4. So we are making some progress with them at reading. We all came up with something we want if we win. I told them if I win they will have to make me a chocolate cake! I'm pretty determined to get this cake! We usually see the girls a few times during the week.  We see them on Wednesday nights at Young Women and Activity Days. Then we see them on Thursday nights for volley ball and then end up teaching them during the week some time. They are such sweet girls and I love seeing them get excited about learning and reading the Book of Mormon.

Tonnie is going through some rough times and we still have not been able to meet with him. It's frustrating but hey, we'll get there. We still need to reset his baptism date but he hasn't come back to church and we haven't seen him in a while.

That's about it with our investigators. We had some crazy lessons this week. One was a referral who requested to meet with missionaries. She was an interesting lady. She told is all about how she use to meet with missionaries back when she lived in California. She then started telling us her whole life story and well, it was pretty crazy. Then she starts to tell us all about every single neighbor who lives on her street who does drugs and who deals them.. Ummm... Why do people tell missionaries things like this? Haha it was just a super awkward lesson and we tried to talk about forgiveness but she does not believe in forgiving people. Just as we were about to leave she asks us when we can come back.. Haha I wanted to say never but of course I just smiled and said we would love to come back next week.. Haha so, stay tune for another crazy story!

So nothing to exciting happened this week! We walked a lot in the cold. We got some ice cream a lot. I'm not sure why I do that. It usually makes me sick afterwards but hey, it's so good! Haha So I do have some sad news to tell y'all. I think I cried a little bit when this happened. So last week my blow dryer died... It was the saddest day ever! So mom, you know how you said you put more money in my account and told me to use it wisely... Well I spent a good chunk of it today on a stupid blow dryer. Haha so, anyone who wants to contribute to my I'm poor fund feel free! Haha 

I'm basically too slack to keep writing this novel. So I hope y'all have a good week! I can't wait to get all the packages y'all said you are sending or have sent! Have a good week! Love you all and miss you!

I hope you enjoy all of the Vidoes and photos we took this week!

Love you all!

Sister Webb

P.S.  I've been out 8 months now!!! Almost half way there!!!! :)