Hello Family!
That is so fun that Brittany came down! What a fun surprise.
Thanks for making it safe Birts! And little Archie is gorgeous!! Hahaha
Garrett, Gavin is a little spitting image of you it is the cutest thing in the
world! That picture of the two little tykes killed me! Jared is famous? I will
have to see that video if it is allowed! Jason and Taryn HAPPY
ANNIVERSARY!!! That is so fun that you got to go skydiving! I will never do
that.....
Sister Gillins and I just got in trouble in the library for
proselyting - the man we talked to complained that we were trying to convert
him. Hahaha woops. We just love talking to people alright?!?! Funny thing is
the conversation was pretty much started by him and his friend. Silly people :)
So this week was pretty darn amazing. Sister Gillins hit
standards this week which made us so happy since this is our second week
together. Heavenly Father truly is blessing His children.
Greatest thing that happened this week is that on Friday
night, Sister Gillins and I drove to Toronto to stay the night at some other
sisters' apartment. Saturday morning, we got up, got dressed, drove to the
Brampton Stake Center to spend 3 straight hours with Elder Bednar, and a member
of the presiding Bishopric, and two members of the seventy (I know it's
horrible I totally forgot their names). All I can say is OH MY GOODNESS. I have
been diagnosed with a sickness since I've been on my mission called "Spiritual
Headache". It usually happens at zone conferences and trainings - when the
spirit is so strong and I cry so much that it just drains me. Well it was bad
this time. Elder Bednar is the most magnificent teacher I have ever listened to
in person (besides my daddy of course hehe). The thing that was so great about
it, was it wasn't a three hour lecture of Elder Bednar talking and us
sitting there listening. The whole purpose was to teach us how to teach by
observing, listening, learning, and knowing. He engaged us the whole time. We
were asked to study three of his talks in preparation for the past month, and
so he would ask people in the congregation to stand up and say what they
learned in their studies. He would then take that comment and focus his
comments on that. It was amazing. The only regret I have is at the beginning,
he told us to write on our "small plates" not our "large
plates" and I took that to heart so much that I barely wrote a thing haha.
My eyes hurt at the end of it all because I was just fixed on him and
everything he was saying. It was miraculous. The ENTIRE mission was able to
come (which is unreal here because of how big our mission is). We had lunch
after and reminisced. We got a four generation picture with Sister Gillins, me,
Sister Mendenhall, and Sister Raymer. It was great! That will be an experience
that I will never forget. And it really opened my eyes to a new way of
teaching. Now we just need to APPLY it!!
So G.... is getting baptized this Saturday :) We are SO
EXCITED FOR HIM! As of last week, he wasn't doing well at all. He was
depressed, unable and unwilling to keep commitments, not coming to church,
complaining about things, doubts galore. Sister Gillins and I were working so
hard on knowing what to do for him. On Monday night we met with him and based
our lesson on some pieces in Elder Bednar's "Converted unto the Lord"
talk. It was pretty much a throw down, intervention lesson. We told him
straight up what the problem was, what he needed to do, what the outcome would
be. There was no fluff in the conversation. The spirit was SO STRONG. Easily
one of the most amazing lessons I have experienced on my mission. It really
seemed to click in G...'s mind what he needed to do. He hasn't smoked or
drank coffee since Tuesday, he has read from the Book of Mormon and prayed
every day, and he came to church for the full block. At church he introduced
himself and told everyone that he was being baptized on Saturday!! Woohoo!!!
Please please please keep him in your prayers. He is doing so amazing right now
and we can just SEE the happiness and the change taking place in him. It is
amazing.
Sad news. K... lost his job unexpectedly. They layed him
off on Tuesday night, he lost his phone because it was supplied by the company.
So Wedensday he had to leave for Toronto by noon to go find another
job. He bused over to the A...' and the P....' houses to say
goodbye and called us to say goodbye, but we were studying and didn't answer
it. He loves this gospel and it has brought him so much happiness in ways
he never would have guessed. I know God will continue to be there for him.
We have been teaching K... and P... right now. K... is
golden. Let me tell you briefly about P.... From what we know about him, he
hasn't had a Christmas outside of jail for 18 years, he has frozen almost to
death on the ground in the winter, shot several times, beaten to the point
that his heart has stopped beating. Ripped apart by dogs, stabbed multiple
times, and mine and Sister Gillins favorite..... he can stare in the sun for
five minutes without burning his eyes, and he can snort up pepper without
sneezing. We came to know all this while teaching the first three lessons. How?
It will always remain a mystery... haha and from what we can tell, it is all
true because he has a nasty scar for every story. Why did we ask him to show us
his scars? We didn't.. It was completely against our will.. Oh P... :)
Well that's all I have time for but miracles are happening
here! I LOVE my companion so much. I LOVE this area. We WILL see miracles here.
And we will keep working as hard as we can. Make it a great week and I love
you!!!!!
Sister Bodine
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