Find The Good!

Hello!!!

Long time no see!! ha ha!! It was so wonderful seeing all your beautiful faces!!! It felt good to talk with you! 

This week was quite lovely!! Sunday was a pretty tough ending with 1/12 investigators coming to church but we saw a lot of grace and tender mercies throughout the week. 

One of such was with an older couple- the Swindells! The Bishop asked us to stop by and check on them. Due to health they are unable to come to church. It was the coolest experience. Highlight of the week. Their HOME!! my goodness. you would die! I felt like I was in a museum slash Gma Dixie's house slash Gpa's Hotel with a farm house twist! It was so cool! It was way over a hundred years old and has been passed down generation to generation. Brother Swindell (91) was actually born in the home- he gestured to the corner where the piano sat... ha ha! He served in the Navy during World War 2! He was baptized 10 years ago! So anyways- I could go on forever about them but we chatted for a good while and then i felt we needed to sing. Sister Swindell served in the primary most of her life and shared with us how much she missed those little ones. We sang I am a Child of God and Families can be Together Forever. Wow. They just sat and weeped. The spirit was so strong. I could feel how valiant they were- how close they were with Heavenly Father. When we closed with a prayer I was overwhelmed with Heavenly Father's love for them. Sister Dunford and I just cried. It was like being in the temple. It is beautiful how God teaches us through Enduring to the End. That term seems grim to me.. I like to say Endure to Become. God sure wants us to come back home to him- but he already had that in the Pre- Existance. He is much more desirous about our condition, not our presence in Heaven. Through the Doctrine of Christ we are transformed - we become as the Savior is, Perfect. It was a privilege to see that before my face with The Swindells.

We had a lovely Zone Conference on Wednesday! What I remember most about the whole say is the testimony meeting. An assistant opened up for testimonies- about 10 minutes was spent with missionaries bearing testimony and there were some gaps between.. there was a lag and then President  gets up and closes the Testimonies!!!! He said we are representatives of Jesus Christ- we must never hesitate to bear witness of our Savior. BOOM POW! I was so taken back. I was chastised to the core. I was waiting to feel the prompting to go share- Lesson Learned!!! :)

Sister Dunford and I trained on Thursday and Friday at Muncie North and Muncie South Zone Meetings. We trained on different things-- but by far the most powerful was the Four Phases of Missionary Work that President taught us at Leadership Council.

1. Greenie- Characterized= LOTS of grace. inexperienced. Greenie fire. homesick. overwhelmed. 

2. Competant- Starts relying on himself. Gets into the routine. 

3.Leadership- Changes patterns. makes things happen. no excuses. humble.

4.Power- a phase that is the most exciting and elusive. A phase we enter in and out of. Whenever we receive a prompting and act on it- we act with the Power of God. When we do things that are beyond our capabilities.

I looked at these wonderful Elders and Sisters and I felt so strongly that IF they learned this NOW. How to follow each prompting as it comes- even if it is awkward or they do not want to do it- they will know exactly what do when their child is straying/struggling. They will know what to do to strengthen their marriage. To magnify their calling. It was SO cool. I know it is true.

Oh!! I also had another huge lesson this week-- I tend to always look to the future. The next big event or experience. I loose power in today- and HAPPINESS!! SO. Heavenly Father told me to start writing in my Gratitude journal again. I have done that for a couple of days and I have a completely different outlook on my life and my area and myself. Gratitude it the greatest defense against- Trunkiness. Negativity and pretty much anything yucky. Find what is good. Then build on it!

I love you family!! i love serving the Lord. 

Love,

Sister Watts

This is the Muncie South Zone Training:) 

Sister Dunford, Sister Watts and Sister Krupa