Monday, February 17, 2014

February 17, 2014

Week 51

I think that the weeks that are emotionally a bit of a rollercoaster are the weeks that have the most gained out of them!

This week I was reminded once again of the power of the Holy Ghost. In moments that were a little hard to deal with this week, I felt the companionship of the Holy Ghost in the same way I felt it when I first moved high schools a few years ago. I felt sort of alone for the first little bit while I was adjusting to a new shcool and new friends, but I never felt abondoned because I could in a really literal way feel the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I knew I always had a friend by my side even if not physically. I was reminded of that experience this week and The Lord once again strengthened my testimony of the companionship of the Holy Ghost this week and I have my testimony renewed that the Lord is always by our sides if we're trying to do what's right :)

This week I taught more lessons that I have in a few months!!! I am so excited and I'm praising the Lord for blessing us with the opportunity to teach His children in deeper ways than only on the street! The Lord is placing in our path people who need this gospel desperately and people who are prepared to hear it! I'll talk about one day in particular that was just such an answer to all prayers I've been saying lately to the Lord pleading for the hearts of these people to be quickened:

This amazing day was in fact last Pday. Because the proselyting time on Pday is only 3 hours, it's kind of well known that sometimes Pdays don't end up being the most effective days of the week. But last Pday, we had miracles happen! Not only did we get to accomplish all the things that we needed to and wanted to on the Pday part of Pday, but then we went to a woman's house for our first meeting with her! We met her tracting and she said we could come back! She is a young mom who was once close to God and wants to feel the way she once felt again, but this time with a different way...maybe even a different religion! She is so amazing and we set up to meet again! Right after her lesson, we were able to do a little act of service! One of our potential investigators is REALLY sick! I think she might have bronchitis or something... but we were able to run to a chinese restaurant and get her some chicken soup (yes, maybe a little random that we went to a chinese restaurant, but it was the closest thing). She was so grateful when we delivered it to her :) And what do you know, but our very next meeting was in the exact same building as her! So we were right on time to our next meeting with another mom who never really felt like she was satisfied with her religion! She offered us hot chocolate because she doesn't drink coffee (BOOYA!) and we had a really amazing lesson with her and her two sons! I'm telling you, the one who is 11 is future apostle material! They are really amazing! We implimented some of the things that me and the zone leaders were going to teach in zone training the next day about making the meeting only 30 minutes and setting up again for a few a few times in the same week, and what do you know, it worked! Having the shorter meeting left them wanting more, but the flame was kept alive by scheduling a meeting for the very next day to come back...since the son begged the mom to let us come back tomorrow! It was really just such a miracle! The whoe day!

The rest of the week was also amazing and we continued to teach lessons and find more new investigators and had someone commit to meeting with us every day for 30 minutes in the upcoming week! Things are happening here in Łódź and i am SOOOOO grateful to be a part of it! I love it here! I love the members and I think they are growing to love us more and more too as we have been doing that reach out hour to call people and not just set up meetings but strengthen people throughout the week too! I have had members come up to me this week and tell me that they really REALLY want us to call them so they can be on lessons with investigators! That's never happened before and I am so grateful that the Lord is guiding us in this work!! The hearts of all people in Łódź are being quickened to hear the voice of the Shephard, including mine :)

This week we also had a culture night where we went to a showing of the nutcracker except it was like futuristic and I felt like I was watching the hunger games put on the play! Everyone had wigs on and it was not traditional at all, but it was so fun and mom you would've loved it! There's poland for ya! I'm sad that I couldn't take pictures during the play because the costumes were so awesome!

Funny moment of the week: we were trackting on day and we rang on one door bell and suddenly we hear the word being played "HALLELUJIAH!" .... what?!? We rang it again to make sure we heard right and sure enough the door bell sounding was from Handel's Messiah! Unfortunately no one was home, but you know, maybe that bell is a sign that we should go back because maybe the heavens really will sing when we come knocking on their door! :)

Love,
Sister Blake!

PS: So this Saturday I got my wallet pick pocketed out of my pocket, which stinks, but it's okay because it's just material things and nothing that really has lasting importance... shout out to mom and dad for being sports about it and helping me out with it all! But me and my companion were laughing so hard about the reaction of the theif when they open the wallet! "Well well well...let's see what I got this time! ...a picture of Jesus, what are these Articles of Faith?!, her first name can't be "Sister"...another picture of Jesus?! Oh my gosh! ....I pick pocketed a nun!!!!!" Imagine the guilt!! haha... I feel worse for them than I do for myself!

pic#1: If you rub this man's nose, it means you'll be able to come back to Łódź
pic#2: We went to a futuristic version of the Nutcracker with 2 of the Elders here! It was a pretty hilarious night! I wish I could've taken pictures of the play itself!
pic#3: We went to an interesting cafe and tried out their hot chocoloate! It was a pretty cool place, except I think they were trying to make it a little too much like grandma's house...the thousands of porcelain dolls were a little creepy! haha 






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