With Y'all I Am Home

Hello hello!

 

So many things to tell! So many wonderful miracles! So much good out here for your favorite (well, hopefully your favorite) southern-bell ginger serving in the Georgia Atlanta North Mission!

Monday ---  So first and foremost let me say how fun it is to have such a fun companion! I have been so blessed with the fact that all of my companions have become my best friends. As we were busy running errands and going out to lunch with some of my favorite people I realized it was almost like a day with my mom and sister, or friends! After P-day is over we headed over to one of my favorite families in the ward and the dinner discussion was all about music. We talked about our favorite bands and found we all had similar taste in music. For our spiritual thought, we ran out to the car and grabbed our favorite CD with some really amazing church songs and listened to that. The Spirit filled the room and it made me realize what an amazing gift it is to have music to express our testimonies.

 

Tuesday--- District Meeting! It was all about love and an truly loving those whom you serve. Everyone added great comments and shared their testimonies of the love our Savior has for us! I love the people here so much. When things get rough out here I remember why I am here, and that is because I love Christ, I love this gospel, and I truly do love the people here enough, that any amount of sacrifice on my part is worth it in order for them to feel closer to the Lord. 

To end our day we stopped by Subway and talked to a member in the ward while he was at work...  he has been sharing the Gospel with his co-woker. I am grateful for the natural effects of the Gospel, this young man lives his faith and becaues of that, his friend has seen that he is happy and that his life is full. That is the key to missionary work! Great news... His friend wants to meet with us now!

 

Wednesday--- Wednesday was one of the most Spiritual days of my entire mission.We met with Trevor, our top investigator, and said goodbye to him! One of the ward members who has helped Trevor more than anyone will ever know joined us. Trevor is one of the smartest people I know and thinks very differenty than most people, watching him learn has been such a blessing and increased my knowledge of the Gospel.
So .. let me try and paint a picture here, we are in Subway, which as most all y'all know, isn't exactly a "spiritual place" and for that hour a half we were there, I have never felt the Spirit quite like that. Donnie, the member, talked to Trevor about how he saw the Plan of Salvation, it was a much deeper and much more scientific way of approaching it, and yet, the same feeling of belonging and being loved by God was felt ... even as handfulls of people rushed right by us to get their five dollar foot longs! I came away from that lesson with a few things... all of which are things I already knew. All of which, are now things that I know even better.

1. God is our Father. He has a body. He knows what it's like to experience what we are experiencing. He loves us and knows our potential..

2. Because we are brothers and sisters, and all came from the same place and our made from the same spiritual makeup, we naturally desire for everyone to make it back.

As logical, and scientific as this lesson was, my heart was pounding just as strongly as the gears in my mind were clicking into place. Moral of the story, God is so good, and so is the smell of subway bread.

Today we also found 2 new investigators. While tracting a darling Catholic family let us right in to teach the Resoration! They want to learn more and even feed us! That's what I'm talking about!

 

Thursday---Let me say, hats off to those of you who went to early morning seminary! Me and Summerhays decided to wake up a little earlier and join the youth of our ward for a lesson on the Apostasy. I love studying about the darkness that was once on the Earth because it makes the light of the restored gospel so much greater. I testify that there wasa need for the Restoration. I know that the Chruch of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints is the original church that our Savior himself established. How wonderful it is to know that we are not lost! The church will stay on the Earth until our Savior comes again, however, that does not mean that Apostasy can't still occur. The word itself means to distance yourself from God. If we each know for ourselves and have a strong testimony of the truths that are found within the teachings, and continue to learn and grow... we will not distance ourselves from God, instead, we become nearer than we can even imagine! That's a lot of doctrine for 6:00 in the morning, eh?

 

Friday--- Exchanges. I am so grateful to NOT be a sister training leader any longer! I loved my time with that calling, but I am so happy to now only go on one exchange per transfer with someone who has it together a little more than me! I went with Sister Paulsen who is an absolute power-house! At the begginning of our time together she said, "I want to see Mircales happen today" So we prayed for them, and then went to work. That day, we found 4 new investigators. 4! Almost all were back to back! The Lord wants us to be successful in this work, he wants to bless us with miracles, we just have to ask... and also be willing to work!

We went to her area, which is a neighbording ward, and is also a little more out in the boonies.. can I just say, I LOVE DIRT ROADS! Turns out, my country side was showing a little more than usual!

 

Saturday--- I got a visit from one of my favorite members, Sister Strasser! It was so good to see her and her cute family. I am so thankful for her visit and friendship! In the evening, we went and saw our investigator who is in the nursing home! As we were looking for her, (she is a social butterfly) we spotted her in a room down the hall, but her back was turned towards us. We said "Sandra" and she responded with, "are those MY sisters?"
Why yes, yes they are! My family grows dailiy out here.

 

Sunday--- In Sacrament meeting the comment was made "There is a difference between being active in the Church and active in the Gospel." Let me say, there is also a difference between being active in missionary work and active in TRULY having a desire to bring people closer to the Lord. Prime example: after church... our appointments fell through ... we were tired, and hungry, and it was about to rain, and it would have been so easy to just go back to the apartment, but we remembered that we are active in missionary work, so with our hearts half in the work, we went and tracted.  The first door we knocked on, the lady let us in, and we were able to teach her. In the hour spent there, I developed Charity and Love for this lady and I had a TRUE desire for her to come closer to our Savior, but as I was walking up her driveway I was simply going through the motions. I am grateful for that important lesson I learned and that moment I had to look to myself and ask "Where is your heart really at."

 

That my friends, is my week in a nutshell. I am so grateful, as always, to be out here. While tracting, there was a sign on a front porch that said, "with you, I am home" I loved it, and jotted in down in my planner. I am home here, because I have each of you with me in my heart, and most importantly, I have my Father in Heaven and Savior near me at all times. Sometimes I get homesick and miss Utah and my family. Sometimes I get real homesick, and miss being in the presense of God and my Savior Jesus Christ.

But, with y'all, I am home... no matter where I am at.

I am grateful for the support and love I have from my celestial family, both here and on Earth, and also in The Royal Couts on High.

 

Love you all the nasty humidity in this lovely land,

-Sister Beasley