So family... so much to tell but guess what. I had my first child!!!! Sister Giles from Aylesbury, England (in the London Mission boundaries) It's gonna be great. I am excited and overwhelmed and hoping that i can actually fullfill this huge responsibility. I don't think I am fully ready, but in what situation are you ever... ya know? So it's going to be a great 12 week adventure.. welll maybe 11 week, I think we have a 5 week transfer this time. maybe next... who knows. Anyways, what a week it has been. Sister Brooks and I were able to do alot of work and that was great. I am finding a new love again for this work. Everyday it gets more and more embedded in me and it excites me to the bone. This is such an intense thing we are doing and really if you think about the whole purpose of life it's a pretty intense thing we are doing!! holy cow!! we are lucky God is merciful and loves us super much. we could be out with the dogs!!!

So, on Sunday we went to this DA with the Walker family in our Branch and for the spiritual thought they pick an object and we pick a scripture to go along with it... so uh my mind went blank.. not that i am a real scriptorian anyways, but then the little i do know left me. They gave me a furry white head band thing to keep your head warm. So ya know some people would find this easy.. I made it difficult of course.. but brought it back with humour.. like you could really imagine me doing something spontaneous without a bit of awkwardness thrown in there.. I mean come on!!! So i chose 2 Nephi 1:15 which reads "the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell. I have beheld His glory and am encircled about eternally in the arms of His love." So I said "well the cold is hell for me so this band hath redeemed me from hell and I have beheld it's glory and rejoiced in it and am encircled about comfortably in the Love God gives me by helping the man create this lush piece of clothing!" awkward- I say yes. but enjoyable- totally. We had a good laugh.

Zone conference was on Tuesday and it was incrdible. The Action points we have are all questions about what more can we do and ! thought about how in any walk of life.. what more can we do? that's the whole point. I am grateful for the ability we have to be agents unto ourselves and seek the inspiration of God for myself and at this current moment for those whome I am called to serve.

Well So much to say and sooooooo little time, all I know is that we really do effect those around us and I pray that I effect others in the right way. I just have this goal to learn more from others humbly than I expect them to learn from me and maybe in the end they will then learn something from me... a Nick Johnson approach.

So Justin Halbert and his wifey are prego... psycho.

Heather you are the best!!! Ten Virgins is great!!!

Matt- keep your head up and use this time to become closer to God than you ever have. Many times our trials are to being us to a remembernce of our God 2 Nephi 10:20.

Liz- I am sure you are great!! i love you loads.

Dad- the group sounds like it's all gonig soooo well. I am so glad they tore it up and I know that they are truly wonderful representatives of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I am glad also that work pays for your gas... it's all so expensive. it's even worse here. ps how is refdir doing?

Mum- you are the greatest mum ever. I am so grateful for the love and care you give!!

 I lvoe you all and hope i have a better email next week. Miracles dooooooo happen!! Godbless!

sista Fili

Family, so much is happening at home! Dad I am so proud of you for winning that award and for just being an amazing director,, father, husband, and example. I hope all is well with the kids and that they treat Amber nicely.. if not I can tell them off via letter :) jk. I lvoe that ward and Amberare so involved in things now. So great! Mum your emails always make me smile. I am sooo glad all is well with everyone and that wedding announcements are flying to our home! it's the best. Matt, keep your head up. Just keep holding fast to the Rod of iron!! don't cling every once in a while, but to hold fast is to be diligent and consistent in the way we hold to it. heather and Liz .. I hear your the best mum's ever... totally true. liz thank you thank you for the valentine. I lvoed it!! Zone Conference is tomorrow and i am sooo excited.

So experience of the week ya'll- this woman Angelina, we are teaching her and she is from Africa her first language is Zulu and she is awesome. So crazy, but sooo cool. So the missionaries have been teaching her for ages!! and a few weeks ago when we were on exchange Sis. Brooks and Sis. wheatley went to visit her and find out how "progressable" she is. For a while she had been our 'service' project I guess. She wasn't progressing and we'd see her every fortnight (2 weeks) to 6 weeks because she needed it and would request the missionaries to come by, so we did... anyways, she told them of an experience she had awhile ago in a dream. She had been reading the restoration leaflet and saw the picture of Joseph Smith and told the sisters she had seen this man before in her dream... she explained the way he was dressed- temple clothes basically- and asked why it said he WAS a prophet and not IS a prophet? the next time we went by she spoke to us about what church is and asked if she could come and be baptized. um yes angelina please let our dreams come true. amazing!! the only problem is that our branch 5 years go when she came to chruch and made a scene (a culture difference mishap basically) and through her out and told the missionries and the branch she was never allowed back. When I heard this I was determined to bring her back and allow the branch to become more Christ like. My mind went to 2 nephi 26: 26-28

         "Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues or out of the houses of worship? behold, isay unto you, nay.

          Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you nay but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.

          Behold hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other and none are forbidden.

oh the branch had a hard time and my companion took ti from them (Angelina was with me the whole time) but you know what she didn't say anytyhing out of character. She hs been going to another church for the last 5 years and they took the opportunity to teach her reverance.. shame we didn't. but none the less family as she sat with me and held my hand my body was shaking from nervousness, but she calmed me and allowed me to see her through God's eyes. He loves us ALL and those who truly know Him come unto Him through his children. I am grateful for her example and diligence and for the example of the branch members who acepted her. She went and shook every hand of every erson in there and I know it made an impact on all there, whether they will admitt it or not. God loves us all and the worth of souls is great in the sight of God (D&C 18:10-16) I am grateful for my calling and I am even more grateful for this experience to be about my Father's business and not fear the men around me. We are all not perfect and sometimes we show it more outwardly than other times but repentance, love, charity, diligence, and forgiveness are real and if we have yet to of obtained them we can start today, it's never too late.

I lvoe you all so very much and I am grateful for the examples you are to me and the love you share with me and all around you. your the best!! Talk to you next week, hope you valentine days were the bomb.com... mine was... not for any particular reason, just for the fact that i was missionary and didn't have to worry about a singles club :) it was on purpose this time. joy to the world. I'll be seein you!

 

Love you sooooooooooooo much, God's Speed.

Sista Fili

Hello family, it's been a good week and I feel so blessed to have such an incredible family that prays for me.. I truly can feel your prayers.

matt- I remember kinda feeling like you are right now before I got my call .. I got set back too. It isn't the same as you, but I can sympathize with you. something my mission president's wife said to us this wee struck me and I think you could use it at this time.

 "What is cheaply obtained is lightly esteemed. Heaven knows how to place a price on its goods." Thomas Payne In other words, we place a lot more value on things that we work the hardest for. That is why your work as missionaries becomes increasingly precious to you. That is also why making and keeping commitments helps your investigators place greater value on the principles of the Gospel. This is also why its important for the members to involve themselves in the work. As they labor alongside of you, they will begin to see the joy and happiness that sharing the gospel brings into their lives. It is you job to lead your investigators and the members you serve with to this point...but with gentleness and love unfeigned.

right now it's hard to see the silverling on this specific situation, but the mission will become more sweet to you as you overcome the challenges to get there. it is hard to be with companions 24/7... hardest part of the mission is that I think. it's all about controlling and refining yourself, but you become so much better for it.. I feel it thus far.

So becka Ellingson is gonig to guatemala.. so cool. i read some of your letter mum, and pa I am gonig to read it soon... like right after this. but I printed off the music and listened to it.. brilliant. i was asked to sing something in the branch here soon, i might try to squeeze that in somehow :) we'll see. I need to figure out how to get that song on disc, maybe next week wjhen I am in my regular place and can better work stuff. I am on exchange today and tomorrow with sister baker. I was in the MTC with her, so it's gongi to be fun. I can't wait. but the computer situation is a little different this week. so basically today I may have a short email. Sorry.

This week the work has been good. i lvoe how the spirit works. We were in a teaching appt. with the elders on Wednesday and us 4 hadn't coordinated as well as we should have for it and it was on obedience and the WoW.... so Duncan and Adrienn are the two we were teaching and they got kinda defensive because they are soooo good in soooo many ways, the WOW is their vice, it's their one thing.... but if we love God we will keep His commandments. As we shared johmn 14:15.. that simple verse. 'if ye love me keep my commandments.' it brought the spirit in and we were able to help them become humble and say, ok we'll try. my o my we couldn't do it because we are weak and not good teachers, but the spirit can becsue he is the teacher and it's his job and he testifies of truth unmistakably.. that's it. The Holy Ghost is real and I love the personage of spirit with all my heart. I couldn't do this work without him in my life right now. I pray I never loose Him in my life ever. it's a harsh feeling.

i am so happy for all the joy that is happening and I pray that we all continue to see and feel the joy of life.. of God. i lvoe you!!

love Sista fili