Hello family and friends!
The work is moving forward in Fishers. I think I was more tired this week than I have been so far on my mission. I don't know why, but my body was sure feeling it this week. I'm feeling more energized today and we are making volleyball on P-days more of a priority so we can get some good exercise in! And I will probably start asking members to cut back on desserts...cuz they feed us so much and it is SO GOOD!!
Sis. O'Brien is awesome. My favorite part of our companionship is teaching together. She is a great teacher, and I'm excited to get more lessons in each week.
We met with the ward council for our first time this Sunday, and they are wonderful. The bishop's goal is to get us 10 lessons a week, and our ward mission leader is organizing a meeting with us and all the leaders so we're all on the same page. They are so supportive and are really focusing on helping us find people to teach.
It hit me this week that the trust and confidence that I feel from the other missionaries and leaders in this mission is exactly how Heavenly Father feels about his trust in all his missionaries here on earth. I am so humbled to be called to spread the gospel and help others stay on the right path. I have no idea why I am able to have so much faith in God's plan, and I do not know why I have been so lucky, but I am so overwhelmed and just so grateful to be chosen by God to do the things He has asked me to do. He seems more like a Father to me when I think about it that way. I just feel so loved and trusted, and extremely humbled.
On Saturday morning, I shook the hand of an apostle of the Lord. Elder Ballard came to Indianapolis for some meetings, and he had a special meeting with all the missionaries in the mission!! We also heard from Elder Lansing (area 70) and Bishop Stevenson (presiding bishop), and it was amazing. One of the biggest things that hit me was when Elder Lansing said, "You were not called as missionaries to bear a weak testimony." I am finally understanding the significance of my calling. I want to keep this feeling. I need to take more opportunities to bear my testimony. After the meeting on Saturday, I had two opportunities to share my testimony and I felt the spirit working through me so much, and I know that is a direct result of what I heard on Saturday. It was amazing to feel the power of my own testimony, and see how it touched other people's hearts. We stopped by an older woman's home to get some of her family information to help her with family history, and another woman was there helping her cleaned. We told her who we were and what we do, and any other day it would've been a pretty casual conversation. But this time we shared pure doctrine with her about families, and I shared with her that I knew what we teach people is true. We asked her if we could teach her more, and she said she'd think about it. No set appointments with her, but it was a powerful moment. Later in the day we called one of our investigators to follow up with him and see if he has any questions from his reading. He is in his 70s, very intellectual, and has so many questions for us. He loves to learn. I felt like I should tell him that we had just listened to an apostle of the Lord, and I bore my testimony over the phone that I knew this apostle was called of God. This man really appreciated hearing about the experience, and he continues to read and learn and have lots of questions. Really neat experiences.
I also had the opportunity to sing with about ten other missionaries for Elder Ballard! We sang a beautiful arrangement of "How Great Thou Art." I was praying all week that I wouldn't get sick so that I could sing for an apostle. Well, Wednesday or Thursday I started getting a cold. I thought, Heavenly Father, I asked that you wouldn't let me get sick! I had a bit of a sore throat and a cold on Saturday, but I was able to sing just fine, and the musical number went so well. Later on Saturday I lost my voice. God sure has a great sense of humor :) And he definitely answered my prayer.
My desire to share the gospel is sinking in deeper and deeper, and it's exciting :) I love this work!!!
Love you all so much.
Sister Allen
PICTURES:
1. Our special bike rack
2. Celebrating St. Patrick's day early with our special mustaches
3. So this cat got into the church building while Sis. O'Brien and I went in to get some help at the Family History Center. The woman let it stay inside, and then when we left she insisted that we take it to a member's home across the street. So we quickly took it over, but the member couldn't take it, and then the cat wouldn't get out of our car! We said a prayer and couldn't stop laughing...but the cat finally escaped and ran away.
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