Hello Fearless Turkeys!
My gratitude towards you all has grown exponentially these past 17 months! Gratitude for everything has grown these past few months actually!!! When you get older, you just get more sensitive to the spirit, and I have probably cried in every lesson lately! And whenever someone asks to give a spiritual thought, I just know I better grab my tissues. 😉 Some really amazing lessons happened! We had this really strong feeling we needed to talk about prayer with a member family and it turned out that they invited someone who used to be really active in the church, but hasn’t prayed in a year. He started crying and said some really profound things about how Heavenly Father goes to our level in our prayers. So if we don’t do them perfectly, He still hears and anwers them. Then He said, “I’ve never realized that before.” And We were like, “Well, we didn’t teach you that! The spirit just did!” AH! THen we taught Fern and Jesse. Jesse met with the Bishop and thier relationship is already AMAZINGLY more strong. He’s helping Fern do the dishes, they’re going to church together, and they both said, “After we went to church and heard so-and-so- take a stand about this issue we KNOW that this is the true church. No other churches are taking a stand aobut that right now!” It was pretty neat! We had a church tour with Akon and her 3 sons. Her sons were totally excited to come to church, but Akon said she likes her bible studies and doesn’t want to leave….AH! So we’re gonna get the boys signed up for scouts and see what happens! 🙂 We walked around in -2degree weather because we’re in a car share now when we don’t have exchanges. (We’re over 7 areas). We’ll be busy but so happy for my last transfer!!!! WE had Dinner at the Spendloves again and Emily told us she really wants to get a testimony this weekend! So we know that her prayer can get answered with faith and her desire. 🙂 YAY!
Oh yeah, and do you remember Romaine?!!! The guy who I talked to last week during email? HE CAME TO CHURCH!! And we taught him 2 lessons and then handed Him to the Elders–who have taught him 2 lessons!! Haha he’s hillarious! Can’t wait to see him progress and change. He’s eating it up!!
HEY!!! We wrote Sister Dixon and Sister England and I made this song up!!! We’re so happy about it! It goes to the Tune of “The Beverly Hillbillies”
THE IOWA MISSION SONG!!!
We were driving down the highway, contemplating the Plan of Salvation…when all we saw was–
Corn, Corn, beans, and corn
A truckload of hogs, and a few longhorn.
Gimme some butter cuz all the morn,
All we’ve seen is beans and corn!
Been in a drought for a couple 3 years.
Grown a lotta stock, but not many ears.
But that’s ok, there’s plenty of ears
thirsty for the Gospel cheers!
Corn, corn, beans, and corn–
Grab your sickle and sound your horn!
Get a white jumpsuit cuz in the morn,
You’ll be baptized and feel reborn!
We can’t sit and wait for the corn to grow.
We’re called to harvest those who know
And listen to the Shepherd’s voice,
then help them to make the right choice!
Church, church, go to church!
Pray everyday, it can’t hurt!
read the Book of Mormon through and through!
Soon you’ll know the church is true!
The field is white, already to Harvest.
As Elders and Sisters we’ll work our Hardest
To bring 550 to the waters
and Save our Father’s Sons and Daughters!
Des MOines, Des Moines, IowaDes Moines.
We’re missionaries in Iowa Des Moines!
Harvesting the Ears who’ll do
All the Father Asks them To!!
But I will simply close with my testimony of the atonement. Jesus Christ can heal ANY heartache or pain that we have! If we can’t forgive ourselves, then it’s almost insulting the spirit by not taking in all that Heavenly Father WANTS to give us!!
NO worries, we’re set for Thanksgiving!! 🙂 Love you all soooo much!
Sister Tobias 🙂 🙂 🙂
Welcome Welcome December Morning!
YES! We are so excited to be misisonaries around Christmas! It literally is the BEST time to be a missionary! That’s why I was really relieved to find out that transfers aren’t until AFTER Christmas. 🙂 Thanksgiving was truly wonderful! 🙂 We had all 6 missionaries over at the Bishops. It was really loud and fun. We had an anonymous donor make me gluten-free rolls, gravy, and pumpkin pie! Awwwww 🙂 The Lord loves his missionaries. 🙂 Sister England and I felt super interesting because the Bishop asked, “Alright, are you ready to play some games?” And the Elders got really excited and we were like, “ARe you serious? No! We’re going out and working!” Haha and we definitely saw some blessings come from that. The Bishop thanked us for working. 😉 We can play games anytime after we’re missionaries, but the time we have to find and serve those who need the gospel cheer is slipping from my fingers! 🙂
By the way… Where do you find the biggest Turkeys in the Book of Mormon?
The Gadianton GOBBLERS!!! Because they always ran away!! Teehee 😉
A member took us out to Wendy’s and the worker who took my tray’s name was MELVIN!! I told him I loved his name because that’s what my Grandpa’s name was and he was one of my heroes! And He chuckled and said, “Well, Isn’t Tobias in the Bible?!” And I said, “Yes it is!!! (kind of…)” And that got us talking about the gospel and the Book of Mormon. We handed him over to the Elders and they have already taught him 4 lessons this week. He’s super awesome!!!!!!!!!! The whole district knows and loves Melvin! 🙂 Awww I love little tender mercies like that. 🙂
We officially helped Jesse get reactivated. He’s been to church 4 times in a row and has seen the Bishop! It’s SO fun to watch his progression. His ex-wife has seen a big change in him too. He’s even stopping drinking, and starting to help wash the dishes and clean around the house. 🙂
When it was about 3 degrees outside, Becky B. (our investigator who is the most WONDERFUL person to teach) pulled up next to us when we were walking home and asked “Hey little girls…you want some candy??” Hehe 😉 She’s so funny and is really starting develop charity. We are helping her quit smoking now, and she is planning to be baptised with her son on December 21st or 28th….Eeee.
We also had the priviledge of teaching yet another Sudaneese family!! 🙂 Nyakuoth and Lawnee. Tuna (our former investigator’s cousins). It’s always so awesome to teach them because when we go over there, the mom can’t speak English but we just love her and she loves us. So she gives us a million hugs and pats our face. Then holds our hands and says “Buuuurrrr!” If it’s cold outside. They are hard to teach though because it’s almost as if they have no Christian Background. They ask very deep questions and it makes us feel like HORRIBLE teachers. But Heavenly Father is SO patient with us as we pray our guts out to know how to help them out.
We went on two exchanges this week and saw CRAZY miracles! In Ankeny, we were out in negative 1 degree weather (with the wind chill and humidity) and we hadn’t had supper yet. Sister Geiger (my 3rd cousin) turned to me and said, “Hey, do you want to keep working or do you want to eat supper?” We of course kept working…and found a FAMILY (5 new investigators)!!!!!! It was adorable because we knocked on the door and three teenage girls said, “COME IN!!” And we were like, “Oh, no…this is awkward. They think we’re someone else that they know! so we said, “HI! We’re missionaries!” And they said even louder, “COME IN!!!!!!” So we came in and the dad started saying the F-word like 3 times and stuff! We started laughing and said we were sorry, but we were missionaries and have an important message! And he got so embarrassed and apologized. Then he told us he was a single dad who’s raised his daughter without religion and He’d love it if we could teach her the gospel. WOW! It was one of the most delightful lessons we taught on the spot. He wanted us to stay and eat pizza and cookies with them, but it was already like 9:30! Haha 😉 We also taught a lady in a trailor who got pregnant when she was 16. I don’t think I’ve ever loved someone so much so instantly. It was SO cool to see how much Heavenly Father loved her and wanted her to have access to the atonement in her life. 🙂
Our other exchange was in Perry!!! Guess who was there?! Sister King! My first Trainee! 🙂 She has grown a lot, but it was hard to see her still trying to find joy in the work. But I’m just so thankful to be on exchanges with her again because I could apologize for all of my mistakes I made when I was training her!! We got to street contact at the Christmas Parade downtown. However, there was a riot that broke out at the bar next to their apartment and we got our tires slashed!!
But not to be discouraged!!! While we were waiting for an hour for the cops to arrive, we talked to the cars next to us who’s tires were also slashed and they wanted to be baptized! WE were able to get a new investigator out of slashed tires. 🙂 D&C 35:13 took on a whole new meaning for me!!
” Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned
and despised, to thrash the nations by the power of my Spirit”
We drove home on dirt roads in the middle of corn fields for about 2 hours on a donut spare tire. We had so much fun, Sister England and I. I highly recommend getting lost in the corn fields of Iowa….but only when you have the absolute protection of prayers from your entire district. 😉
Welps, I ensure you all that Heavenly Father loves you and knows where you are. He comes to you in your darkest hours and in the brightest days! He’ll MEET you at your level if you just ask him to. 🙂 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ponder the importance of your baptismal covenant and what the membership of Christ’s church has done for you. Then ask Heavenly Father who you know that you can invite to come closer to those blessings of baptism. You too can take part in the Work of Salvation!
Love you lots!!
Sister Tobias 🙂