This Week Has Been a Good One

This week has been a good one. It was really long thinking back on it! We did so many things that seemed days apart but really were only a day apart and by the end of the week the things we did on thursday felt like last week. I got a bit homesick this week because for transfers we had to take a sister to the airport. It was time for her to go home. She stayed with us and worked with us for two days before she left. Her name is sister Pea and she is from tahiti. She is an amazing sister and i learned so much from her. the main things i learned is to teach with the spirit. Seriously this sister was filled with the spirit. It was amazing. Ever since being  around her i want to be like that. i want people to see the spirit in me when they look at me. so that has been my goal this week. it started with actually teaching with the spirit. i haven't been so good at that but i have definitely seen the progress since i've been focused on it. As i was studying another sister's preach my gospel this week it said "how can i know if the investigator felt the spirit in the lesson... ? did i feel inspired and uplifted from the lesson?" i have been using this question in every lesson i go into. it truly makes a difference when the spirit is there. Before i would say things because no one was talking but now i wait until the spirit helps me know what to say and it has made all the difference. i am not perfect at it, nor will i probably ever be but i love feeling the way i do when the spirit was in the lesson because it motivates the person to want to change and repent on their own.

Something i actually studied this morning was the temple. There was a talk in the october 2013 ensign called 'making time for the temple'. it really opened my eyes of how much i miss going so frequently. My desire to go to the temple increased and also my desire to share with others the blessings of the temple. Please go to the temple. it is there for a reason, the Lord has it to bless us and the lives of others. I come closer to the Savior as i attend the temple and we all need that bond with him. i'm  not saying that it's the only way to bond with him but it's a great way. The prophets have instructed us to attend to please "make time for the temple" in your lives. 

Our investigators are progressing, slowly, but they are progressing. Something that we are going to strive to do this week is daily contact with our investigators. As we do this then they will progress faster because we are seeing them more and they are remembering the commitments that we asked them to do. And as they keep their commitments they will come closer to heavenly father and desire to repent. Please pray that this will work or that i can think of something else that will work. 

John and Gina wanted to stick with their moari religion that the moari kings started. We taught John yesterday on his porch because he kept blowing us off. We asked him if he would rather follow his moari king or Jesus Christ. We taught him the restoration right there and he said Jesus Christ. We invited him to pray about it. i hope he does! i hope he sincerely wants to know and follow Jesus Christ because it will make all the difference in his life. 

This week we had to prepare ourselves for a cyclone, or tornado, that his vanuatu and came to New Zealand. It didn't hit us directly but we got the edges of the storm. It wasn't bad for us at all but it was kind of scary thinking that it was close or could get us. We were out in the rainy weather getting soaked. we came for lunch and i through my clothes and coat in the dryer, finished lunch and put them back on. it was kind of exciting!!!:) 

ok so for transfers, i am still in Tuakau with sister samamtaua! But the best news is that sister prince and her trainee replaced the other sisters in our WARD! my best friend is in the same ward as me and i am so excited!!!! :) i couldn't be more happy than to have her so close. i learn so much from her still. she is such a good example of hard work and obedience. love her! so blessed. i feel that president made a mistake in putting us so close! it's amazing! :) not a mistake as in it will be a bad thing, i actually think it'll make me work harder.

Well, i'm not sure what else to say...

we had a great lesson with kaitz this week. He's coming around. Kaitz is like 26 i think and he is moari. this is where i started practicing teaching with the spirit, so much that i didn't really let my companion speak because i was so excited at how it felt.... :( i feel bad for that. But a cool part of the lesson happened when we pulled out the cards and did a card trick. He lost the deal and agreed to taking lessons and praying about what we taught him. He was actually excited and keen to try it. He said everything we said  we made sound so good and he wants a change in his life. He excited yet nervous for the change. but i am so excited to teach him! 

anyway. great things are happening! i am always happy:)

this week we are studying the atonement, join us:)

The little bit i've already studied my testimony of Jesus Christ has grown so much. I love Jesus Christ, i know he is my savior. I know he made it possible for me to receive a forgiveness of my sins, for me to be free of guilt from my mistakes and for me to live again. What a glorious blessing. Truly Jesus Christ has given us all. i am so thankful! What is your testimony of Jesus Christ? please share it!:)

love ya 

sister Bird

Trasnfers are This Week.

My goal this week is to be more consistent with people, to show them that i love them and build there testimony so that they have the desire to be baptized and ask us to be baptized because they love God rather than us asking them and dragging them to the font. Any ideas?

Although those are the negative things going through my mind, i want you to know that God still shows  his love for us by putting little miracles in our every day life. Just to have to opportunity to talk with someone and have a good conversation is a blessing or rather tender mercy of the Lord. Meeting someone else that lives in a house that someone on the street told you that that is where they lived. I'm trying to always think in my head that there are no coincidences. God places each person in our lives for a reason. 

A really neat experience that i want to share this week is with Turia Thompson. We met her when we were just leaving a house and we saw her getting in her car in the back car park ( parking lot) of a shop (store). i wasn't going to go talk to her because of fear and inconvenience but i decided to anyway. She said that her uncle was a member and had been talking to her about it and that we could come around and teach her more about the book of mormon and meet her uncle. so we did! All of our appointments with her would always fall through or get cancelled and it was disappointing. But when we did catch her a few times we would share a scripture and we have had one official lesson with her about the book of mormon. The other day we stopped by and she said that she's been reading it here and there. i invited to her to pray to know if it's true and shared my testimony of how the spirit can speak to us and that she will receive her answer. she called us that night around 10 pm and she was so excited. She said that she received an answer when she prayed. She had this overwhelming feeling of joy come over her and with out a doubt she knew that the book of mormon was true. Ever since that moment she hasn't let the book out of her sight. she is always reading it and actually this week her faith in it and in God was put to the test. She got a call from her landlord saying that her rent hadn't been paid for 3 weeks and that if they didn't pay that day that they would be kicked out of the house by 5. she read that book, prayed and called people all morning. She had faith that God would help her through it. In the end she was able to get the  money and everything worked out. I know that her faith is so strong. She maintained a positive attitude through it all . she is now struggling with her partner... hope things go well. she has a lo of faith. please pray for her, i see this going somewhere.:)

John and Gina have back away a bit. We need to have more daily contact with them so we don't lose them. There uncle told them to go to a moari church and be baptized in their roots. That's the direction they are going but i'm hoping that you putting their name in the temple helps, i have faith that it will, it already had.

Transfers is this week. We should find out today or tomorrow if we get moved. not sure what will happen. i feel a change coming, sadly.. i really love my area and i love my companion! But i will always do whatever the Lord asks.

I am so grateful that i decided to serve a mission. It is definitely the best choice i've ever made. I am not perfect and still have heaps to learn but i feel that i've come a long way.

 i love you all:)

I love this gospel! Share it! Everyone needs it!

So things have been going alright. The sad part i've noticed is that i am declining in my expectations of myself and that the Lord expects of me especially as a leader. But thank goodness there is repentance and always improvement opportunities. I am grateful i can recognize, reevaluate and change. 

This week was actually a very fun week! I'm going to point out some fun things that happened...

so there is this guy that we've been trying to find time to teach. The other day we got a random call of someone who found his wallet and found our card and number in it. They called us because it said sister on it with out number! ha so we got it from that man and were able to give it to zion, the guy we are trying to teach! He was so excited he hugged us, i was not okay with that! ha But it was cool to see someone so happy! 

Another cool thing that happened this week is that we found a family who wants to be baptized! They want a change in their lives and they are so keen to learn! We invited them to be baptized and they agreed but then we talked to them this morning and their uncle convinced them of going back to their roots and getting baptized in that church, a mauri church. they are still keen to learn. Please pray for them and pray that they will be able to feel the spirit when we teach and that they will be able to give up their addictions. They want to but it's so hard! this is john and gina and their daughter callais (callay). I love them so much! They are great!

this week we also taught the youth boys again! i love stopping by when they are in the streets training and teaching them randomly. We did an object lesson on prayer and had them try to tie a knot without letting go of the rope. One knew how to do it but everyone else tried and they couldn't. The way to do it is to fold your arms, hold onto the rope with each hand and unfold your arms and then it ties it. It was cool. We related it to how we all go through struggles but the way to do it is through prayer. the only way you could tie this rope was in the prayer stance! ha it was cool! i love those boys! 

Arohaina is doing well. We've invited her to be baptized many times now and she is so nervous. She came to a baptism the other day with us to see what it was like and it calmed a lot of her fears but i think there is still something deep down thats bothering her and i think she doesn't know how to put it into words. she wants to be baptized but not soon. 

Exchanges with the sisters have been really great! i've been learning how to be a better leader and such and i've also been learning good skills from them. 

this sunday i bore my testimony...i didn't say much but this is what i had been thinking about.

I am so grateful that i chose to get baptized in this church. It was probably the best decision i've ever made. and the second best decision i've ever made is to go on a mission. I am so grateful that i chose to serve a mission. i love it! i love my savior Jesus Christ, i know he lives! i love to follow him:)

This is my testimony! i also know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and i'm so grateful to have this knowledge. I know the true teachings of Jesus christ have been restored to the earth through Joseph Smith under the direction of Jesus Christ. i love this gospel!

share it! everyone needs it!

love you all!

Sister Bird