February 10th, 2014

Dear All,

We were able to witness the baptism of an excommunicated member on Saturday. The Spirit was so strong during the baptism program! This amazing event just started with a prayer offered from his wife, "God, we need something more in our life.." A sequence of amazing events transpired. The Bishop stopped by, we stopped by, their active friends who were at the time also ward missionaries came with us to lessons, they quit smoking, drinking coffee and wine and were reading the scriptures an hour a night together! This experience reminds me of two scriptures:"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelations 3:20 and "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." Alma 32:27 I know God is ever waiting for us, we just need to desire and exercise our faith.

We have an investigator that we had an appointment with this week and we had the Primary President(a Sister who directs the children's portion of church) from the ward she lives in to come also. About part way through our lesson, the Primary President invited our investigator to church.  She did it through a concern our investigator had expressed; that her daughter be able to have a religious choice unlike what she had as a child. Our investigator, who previously was not comfortable at all with the thought of church, turned to us and said, 'Are you guys going?' We couldn't this week due to an already booked day but we promised to go next week. We told her that she didn't have to answer us until our next appointment what she would like to do. She also shared with us that missionaries(we are thinking it was an elderly couple??) went to her daughters school/day care and taught a simple lesson about Jesus. She said her daughter came home with shining eyes and said to her, Mom, did you know Jesus loves me? This touched our investigator.These experiences built my testimony on having ward support and responding to need or righteous desire people already have. Building on their good foundation, not demolishing it. 

I am gradually learning how to balance talk giving though trial and error. I always go over accidentally and yesterday I really hurt Sister Christensen feelings by doing so because I cut into her time and threw her off. I get frustrated with myself with such instances because I can't really show how sorry I am till next week when we have another talk. I just hope God will doubly bless Sister Christiansen for putting up with my learning experiences that annoy her :\ and that I will be able to some day have the right balance :)

 :) God bless you!

Sister Sarah Meldrom

I know that my Redeemer lives.What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

He lives, he lives, who once was dead.He lives, my ever-living Head.

He lives to bless me with his love.He lives to plead for me above.

He lives my hungry soul to feed.He lives to bless in time of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply.He lives to guide me with his eye.

He lives to comfort me when faint.He lives to hear my soul's complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears.He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart.He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives! All glory to his name!He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:"I know that my Redeemer lives!" :' )

LDS Hymn number 136

February 2nd, 2014

It has been a good week beside our phones not working since Tuesday/Wednesday. Sister Christiansen and I found a spot with service on the side of the highway between Vernal and Jensen and we have been going to that spot each day to get our texts, voice mails and to call/text back with a lot of apologies. It definitely helps you appreciate what you have been given. It helps God's work so much by simply having a cell phone for people to tell you they have canceled or opportunities to meet new investigators. Long story short we are trying to patiently wait for the phones to work again.

We had a  potential investigator we had met with once before and taught the Plan of Salvation because she had a lot of questions about life after death. She stopped meeting with us back in December because of her 7th miscarriage and not feeling like God was answering her prayers. This week we brought some information a member had given us about why a lot of women are miscarrying in the area, listened to the events in her life that have concerned or excited her and then we ended up sharing part of the Restoration with her. We scheduled another appointment and as we were ending she said, "It gives me peace to know I have you Sisters to help me and turn to if I need it." I was pretty surprised by this comment. We had only been in her home once before but yet she was expressing complete trust in us. I believe this comments stems from her feeling the Spirit and that we listen to her. We also discovered that she wants to get into her family history work and so we will be going to the family history center with her and probably her sister! I love Family History- I am a bit of a nut about it. I miss exploring familysearch(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints free family history website) and ancestory.com once in a while on my mission but I just tell myself I am doing work for mostly the living at this point in my life AND that i can get others to be as enthused as I and do their own families! :) I know searching out and learning about our ancestors helps us 'to turn [our] hearts to our fathers and the fathers hearts to turn to [us](Malachi 4:5-6).

On Sunday Sister Christiansen bore her testimony then I went up and shared a scripture and then bore my testimony, adding my testimony to Sister Christiansen by saying, "Like my companion, I too have a testimony....." After I sat down a Brother came up and praised us for establishing each others testimony like he learned in the Missionary Training Center. He continued that each person in the congregation should trust us more because we trust and respect each other. We both were rather surprised. Sister Christiansen told me later, "Maybe they WILL trust us more with their friends. I think God has blessed us." I agree.

Remember 'Spiritually Minded Is Life Eternal'(2 Nephi 9:39) and SMILE :)

Sister Sarah Meldrom