January 26th, 2014

Dear All,

It has been a good week because I haven't beaten myself quite as much as usual :P I read a wonderful CES Devotional President Faust gave in 2007(The Value of Self Esteem) which has helped, along with combating negative thoughts with my, now 6 things. I added I know the scriptures pretty well thanks to attending seminary(Bible, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants studies we have every morning, unless you live where they have it as part of your school classes, for all four years of High School.) 

We taught a new investigator this week who ended up being a Sister that Sister Hedley and I had testified to about the beginning of my mission. At the time she took the Restoration pamphlet and our card with apprehension and when we would stop by she wasn't home. We eventually didn't stop by unfortunately. Now she is interested in taking the discussions because of a co worker whom has been a good example and answered any questions she has had. We invited her to baptism and she accepted with the comment  that she wants to pray about it also. Of course, we told her! We wouldn't want it any other way! My favorite part of the people I meet are the preparation that has happened, gradually and almost imperceptible which leads them to be prepared.Truly Alma 13:24 is true!  I like this scripture because everyone that is sharing the gospel are 'angels' or are  'coming in his glory'! We have his name upon us, we have his image in our countenances! This is God's work, no doubt!

We also went with a Sister to visit a friend of hers whom is less active. This dear less active Sister's 8 year old daughter wants to be baptized. We promised to come teach her with the hopes we can help the whole family back. If it is their time, it will happen accordingly as they have been prepared and will be prepared by the Spirit. All things are possible through Christ Philippians 4:13

Thank you for all you do. Remember, we are yoked to Christ!

With love from a fellow servant of the vineyard,

Sister Meldrom 

January 20th, 2014

Hello All,

Trying to think of what to say besides this was a good week. The weeks are always good. Exchanges(where we exchange companions for 24 hours) were good, it gave me a good time to cry :P Sister Nielsen is a superb Sister Training Leader(a sister missionary that is called to help and guide all the other sisters). She had me make a list of 5 of my strength and to repeat them whenever I feel like beating myself up. 

1.I have been able to look back and see how the things that have been hard for me were just times God was strengthening and teaching me. 

2. I am very patient with others and don't hold a grudge 

3.I LOVE to serve 

4. I have the Spirit of Elijah ( I personalized my phone number card by adding "Ask us about Family History") 

5. I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His church restored on the earth.

I need to remember that I really need to not beat myself up because it gets me stuck in muck and no progress is made. At least if I am not doing so good, and I don't beat myself up, I don't get stuck. :)

Well, we have had simple miracles this week. We learned that an excommunicated(where they are released from the promises they made at baptism and their name is taken off the church record till they are ready to come back) member we have been working with will be baptized in February! 

We were able to finally get up with and teach the first lesson to an investigator who has been in Colorado for the past 2 to 3 weeks. She asks a lot of good questions and we can see she has a real desire to learn and follow the best that she is able. 

We had dinner with a family whose three teenagers ended up being friends with two teenagers we are trying to work with. So of course we invited them to help us teach. They were thrilled! 

We have had pretty good practice with knocking and testifying (sharing our testimonies) this week, there was no one that was interested and it was a bit sad to see the less actives that were hardened against the church but we resolved to work through the auxiliaries (which of course we should do anyway :)) like if the daughter goes to Young Women or such we will serve and try to help that way.

I am grateful that I get to stay here in Vernal for at least another 6 weeks! All that I have learned in the past 6 weeks will help me propel and and excel! All glory to God! I am grateful for my ever patient Savior.

Thank you for all you do,

Sister Sarah Meldrom

January 13th, 2014

Dear All,

I have learned this week that if you are diligent about receiving a list of less actives, part member and unbaptized members over 9 from wards it will be given you. We have enough people to testify to for quite a while.

This week we were able to meet two amazing women that live in the Jensen area. 

The first is married to a less active member, and they have two daughters. This wonderful lady welcomed us in after we began to testified at her door. We were able to share the first two points of the Restoration but mostly ended up listening to what this sister had to say to us. I believe we establish trust from listening and finding similarities in our experiences. She was open to us teaching her and her daughters. We set up our next appointment for Wednesday.

The next lady is a less active Sister that lost their 2 hour old baby back in the spring. I felt strongly that we should visit her after the ward Mission Leader gave us her name. We ended up coming to her home just as she came home from work. She invited us in and we shared that God was our loving Heavenly Father. She cut us off with saying, "I don't know about that." We were silent for a bit and then I don't remember what we said. We just listened and looked at pictures of her infant son. She had a lot of questions and shared some personal experiences she had had recently. She is struggling to receive an answer to a prayer she has had and she felt like we were part of the answer. We asked her to talk to her less active husband about us coming over to teach the whole family.

I learned about the importance of listening to people and the Spirit. 

I stressed a bit over the two talks we had on the 12th. I felt negative and I felt I hadn't prepared them well. Long story short, we ended up missing out on a couple hours of time we could have been visiting the many people we have responsibility for on Saturday. I learned something from this experience and I hope that I can show God that I am sorry for the not-so-good use of his time by doing better this week. I learned that I had partially prepared my talks wrong. I was asking myself, "What should I say?" when I really should have asked, "What do they need to hear?" I am a bit irritated with myself it took me so long to figure that out. Next Saturday will not be like the 11th. Several people have come up to us and expressed with deep sincerity that they need both of our talks. I felt the Spirit as I talked, I felt it was good, I just make everything I do 100% harder because I have such high expectations for myself.

Something else I have learned this week is to delegate better; let Sister Christiansen call some people :P

I know God loves me! I just need to find my balance between humility and pride. I feel like if I beat myself up I am being humble but that isn't being humble and it doesn't help anything so it isn't good but I don't want to be prideful...it is a vicious circle. :P Every week I get little clues how I can manage this better and number one is to move on from mistakes with a determination to do better and not let myself wallow.

Remember that God love you!

God bless you,

Sister Meldrom

January 6th, 2014

Dear All,

I have a negative feeling that keeps nagging at me today. I don't feel like emailing and I don't know why. So I will try to shake off this feeling as I push through emails. 

We had a good week. The crowning event was the baptism of our 17 year old investigator. Her conversion started about a year ago with a couple of her good friends giving her a nice copy of the Book of Mormon with all of their individual testimonies for her birthday. At the time Kaylynn's mother was completely against her taking the discussions and being baptized, so Kaylynn waited and prayed patiently. About November one of her friends texted us and asked us to come to his house to teach her. We began the discussions and asked her to invite her mother to our appointments. When her mother didn't come we invited her by phone and by face to every lesson but she still didn't come. It was a bit concerning because we didn't know if her mother was truly open to it as Kaylynn had told us. We tried our best though to include her mom in everything. Before the baptism, we gave her the baptismal form to sign and she did. I internally breathed a sign of relief because I wasn't sure what her mothers take on it is and I don't want to do anything against her will. Kaylynn glowed the whole baptism. The room was filled with supportive members, as well as her mother and younger sister. The service was very spiritual and Sister Christiansen and I bore our testimony of the Restoration as Kaylynn changed after her baptism. The inspired part of the baptism, to bear testimony of the Restoration, is brilliant and we always have comments about it later. I love it because it does bring the Spirit all the more and everyone can feel it. Kaylynn's confirmation and testimony the next day was very spiritual. We did not have the opportunity to talk to Kaylynn's mom after but we will definitely keep including her and hopefully someday she will have the desire like her daughter. 

Also at church with us was another one of our investigators. I believe she felt the spirit much throughout the whole three hours and I know I gained a testimony of the importance of helping the investigators to church and helping them feel comfortable. Her attendance at church was a team effort of our invitations and members she knew invitations.

We have been more actively meeting up with ward leaders to try to receive referrals and other peoples names to visit. I have seen God blessing us, though our efforts are not perfect. It reminds me of Alma 32:27 "yeah if you no more then desire [to do better], let this desire work in you(action),even until ye believe in a manner that ye can.." I desired to do better, felt the weight of not-so-good use of the Lord's time in the past but through God's grace was able to just put one foot in front of the other this week. Now we are in no ways done with our labors(and I am thankful because Sister Christiansen and I both don't like to idle) but I pause for just a brief moment and express my sincere gratitude. I can do nothing of myself.

I feel a little better. Reflecting back on my week, I have realized that I have plenty of desire in the right direction. I just need to put a little more umph by proceeding with actions and remind myself that beating myself up is a step in the wrong directions .So thus I will try to combat my negative feeling. 

I look forward to what we can accomplish this week, one step at a time, and a whole lot of thrust and help from God's hands.

God bless you,

Sister Meldrom