October 13, 2013

Well, this week was my birthday. My present to myself was going to not tell anybody that it was my birthday, and be the ONLY PERSON in the ENTIRE COUNTRY that knew it was my birthday. However, on Tuesday, we actually had the car (we just walk, Westport is quite small) and it was literally pouring down rain (nothing new - and you don't know rain until you see Westport rain, seriously). We had a prompting to go see a referral that we hadn't really got a chance to sit down and talk with yet, only met briefly, and so we went to go see her. Lots of people park on the grass next to road here, and we don't drive in westport very often remember, so i followed suit. Then i felt like we should not be there, so we drove back onto the road. And what did we do? we completely  DEMOLISHED their lawn with the tires of the car. I felt so horrible, as i was the one driving (PS i think i'm more privileged as a missionary than i was at home - haven't had a car to drive in forever). We hoped she was home, because it would have been 1000 times worse coming back the next day after she'd seen it. Anyways, we knock on the door, and she opens it and is hardout sobbing. She invites us in immediately and we just give her this massive hug. Turns out she had just had a family emergency and was a total wreck. We finished her cooking for her, sat her down in front of the heat pump (it is cold here, fyi) and began talking with her. He son promptly pulled out a game to play and we all took part in frivolity :) SHe then asked us how old we were and when our birthdays were... NOOOO i didn't wan't anyone to know!!! But I couldn't lie.. So i told her my birthday was in 2 days. She then promptly told us she was going to throw a fondue party and invite all her friends. what?! yes!! (also, she wasn't mad about the grass, thank goodness)

We showed up at her house the night of my birthday and she had balloons and a cake and candles and a happy birthday sign. Remember how we had really only met her once? This woman was made for relief society, seriously. My secret wish on my birthday was to speak spanish with someone. I didn't tell anyone about this, didn't even pray about it. the first guest i met there - from Chile! Wow, tender mercy!! Every person at the party that we met, we got a return appointment with. Can't wait to go see them all this week and get them on the track to eternal life. Who would have thought a birthday party could be a finding opportunity? Not me! 

Well, this week we have seen a bazillion miracles. I love the Lord, and he is aware of us. Life is good, and this is His work. 

love,

Sister Rose

October 9th, 2013

Kia ora! 

I hope all is well for all of you :) For those of you who have been keeping track of our adventures here in Middle Earth, I thought i'd update you. This woman from South India that I wrote about last week - who we met at the rest home - allowed us to come back last week. We sat down with her and started talking. As she began to tell her story, she told us about how she was raised Christian, and her mother was Christian and her father was Hindu (so my comments last week were not 100% accurate, my apologies). The thing that has really bothered her throughout her life was that there are so many denominations. This seriously troubled her and she has been praying to know "the truth" for years. We shared a message about the Restoration with her and left a DVD with her as well. We will visit her this week to follow up and share a more detailed message with her. Can't wait to see where this woman's faith can take her :) 

The family history center here in Westport is alive and booming! We went in this week to get a better idea of how to do family history. Many, many people we talk to have an interest in this, and it's such a blessing that the family history center is at the chapel. 2 weeks ago a woman who we hoped to start teaching soon said she would come to the family history center. For a number of reasons she didn't wind up doing family history, but saw the free display table, and took one of everything - a Book of Mormon, pamphlets, pass-along cards, everything. When we went to go visit her, she said, "Okay, teach me about all of this stuff." WOW! How amazing!!! Anyways, my companion realized we needed to be able to tell people more about family history in order to help people get into the chapel. We went to the family history class and did some research. Sister Woodbury is related to a man in the Doctrine and Covenants named Amasa Lymon (spelling?). We found a rather intimidating photograph of him and promptly printed off two of them. One is on the wall in our flat, and the other is in the refrigerator. When we get home at night, he is greeted with a "hey Amasa!" or "hey, are you getting cold in there?" It's the little things that make life good. I read some about Stillman Pond, a distant relative of mine. He married his third wife after being widowed twice crossing the plains. This woman was the quintessential pioneer woman, giving birth to her first baby in the back of a wagon or something like that. Anyways, her first husband asked her if she wanted to go to California and search for gold instead of build zion in the valley. She replied, "I came here for the sake of the gospel, not for gold." What an inspiration! Her first husband left and she then married Stillman Pond. She's the line I come from; it's an honor to be related to her. 

We are teaching a family from Zambia, and the wife cooked us an African meal yesterday. It was like scrambled eggs with veggies and onion, and then a cereal -type thing that was a lot like solid grits. You take a chunk roll it into a ball in your hand an then grab some eggs too and eat it all up. YUMMMM!! SO good :) It's called sheema or something like that. So good!! She thought it was hysterical seeing me try to stir the pot. (and eat it properly...) She's probably 6'5" and very strong - she even took pictures she thought is was so funny. Hey, it was WAY harder than it looked!  

I could keep going about all the stories, but this is the best time of my life. I know that Gods loves us. I know that he hears our prayers and wants us to feel his love. He sees all of our flaws and loves us anyways. Not only does he loves us, he wants to help us overcome our flaws and become the heir that he knows we are. I love the Lord, I love the gospel, I love Westport, and I want everyone to take a taste of this because it's the sweetest thing I've ever known.

Love you all!

Sister Rose

September 29th, 2013

Hello, hello!!

When my companion and I got here, we didn't have much. Our area book was more of an area folder, and we had 2 investigators total - big difference from Ashburton. As we were riding our bikes to the rest home that we sing at (every friday - SOO FUNN!) the thought came into my mind, "Now you know that I am God." I was thinking what exactly that meant, why that popped into my head. I started thinking about a story my companion and i had been discussing earlier in the week; when the Israelite armies were told to lessen their armies so that they would not think it was them that brought victory, but that they would know that it was God. That way, after they saw success, God could say this to His children - "Now you know that I am God." I thought about our experience thus far in Westport. And that's pretty much us here. Now we know that He is God and that He sends us the people to teach, nothing else. My companion and I were discussing this as we walked into the rest home. We sung with the ladies there, and it was super fun! One of the workers walked up to us and we asked her to sing with us. She was indian and didn't know these christian hymns, but she sang anyways. After she sang one hymn she stopped the activity and asked us where we were from, why were were here, etc. She then asked us if we would come around and visit her at her house that week, and took my planner to write down her contact information. She had to get back to work, and left the room after that. She was probably in the room for a total of 5 minutes, maybe. Wow. "No you know that I am God." this was just another testimony of how this is the Lord's work, and he prepares his children. He is in control.

i love you all! 

SIster Rose