I KNOW God Loves Me

 

Hello hello... kia ora!

I really got to get into the habit of saying kia ora... I still haven't and I want to bring it home.

So sister holmes is gone... :( its so sad! I really miss her and I can tell that sister Finau does too. But it was a good week. We were able to find 2 new investigators. Dane. and magnolia.

Dane is 30 years old and is a solo dad. It's really fun teaching him though because he enjoys learning and is open to the concept of God but he's never really known for himself. He has had many opportunities to explore it but we are lucky because now he's chosen to. Just by a single invitation to learn more. This week we taught him more about prayer and how to pray. Its something that is really foreign to him, but we also focussed on the desire he needs to have in order to receive an answer and get something out of meeting with us. So please pray for him this week that he will hold onto the desire that he does have and be able to receive and answer as his desire grows. he also needs help recognizing the answers that he receives. he is great!!

The next one is magnolia. she is 15 and is a daughter of a recent convert of about a year. Magnolia is very humble and obedient. She has come to believe in God through coming to church. So this week we invited her to pray daily for herself so that she can come to know God for herself. she seems excited about it:) She also wants to be baptized... she decided her birthday the 23 January. I am kind of hoping that it will move up, I would love to be here for her baptism.:) She is lovely. Pray for her that she will remember to keep her commitments and recognize her answers please:)

Molly is doing alright. She is lovely. I just love molly. I wish I could be here for her baptism too but I think it might take longer.

I really am trying hard to give my last month and a half my best. its so incredibly hard to stay focusses but I am trying the best I can.

We had a really neat experience this week that confirmed to me the reality of God and his love for us. ok so you all know how hard I am on myself in trying to improve myself.. so sister holmes wanted a blessing and so we called the elders over. They gave her a blessing and they said exactly what she needed with answers to personal things that she had been worrying about. it was amazing. Then sister Finau decided to get one. The same thing happened for her but with different circumstances. I then decided that I would have a blessing although I felt fine at the time and didn't feel I needed one. I sat down and elder Gutke pronounced the most beautiful blessing of council that I have ever received. He had no idea what I was facing inside but at that moment I knew that God was hearing my prayers, I knew without a doubt that he was real. 

Wow, 3 different people with three completely different yet so personal blessings. Heavenly father told me through that blessing that he was proud of my progress but changing was going to take longer than what I had hoped. He told me not to worry about anything here or back home because he had prepared everything for me and it was ready for me. it was the coolest blessing. I am so thoroughly convinced even more of the power of God and his reality and love not only for me but for all of his children.

I know He lives. I KNOW he loves me! He really does hear me. I am so grateful that I have this knowledge and that I know my heavenly father personally and that he knows me and loves me even with my imperfections.

I am so filled with love and gratitude:)

have a GREAT week!

love you

sister Bird

p.s. 

oh ya and our car got hit this week. We were parked walking around and we come back and it had been hit in the back wheel. The other car was thrashed. They veered off the road when checking their phone. (don't text or call and drive).

so this is the elders that came to help

crazy day!

 

I Love Being a Missionary

Kia Ora!

Molly paki is doing great. She really enjoyed church this Sunday! and after our class she said that she felt hopeful about being able to quite smoking and get baptized! so that is great! she has her ups and down days as we all do!

This week we set expectations with a lot of people. Our investigators weren't progressing so we sat down with them and told them our purpose and if they want to continue learning then this is where we saw it going etc.

We did this with an investigator, we told him why we were there and if he wanted us to keep coming then this is what we needed him to do.  The spirit was really strong and it was great to feel him soften and accept it. such a neat experience.

I love being a missionary and working hard. It brings so much joy and satisfaction. Man what a great opportunity and blessing I've been given to participate in such work.

love you all!

Have a great week:)

love sister BIrd

Halloween in NZ

Kia Ora whanau! (Whanau is pronounced fonoe and means family in maori)

Well well well, What a week I have to tell you about. It really has been great!

first off I will tell you of the funny things that have happened. So sacrament meeting this week was crazy. Fast and testimony meeting. We had an area fast where everyone fasted for 3 purposes. 1. to increase our personal faith in Jesus Christ 2.  to be guided to identify a new opportunity to hasten the work. 3. for someone that we could invite to a special sacrament meeting at the end of the month. It really was a great spiritual experience to be united in fasting for a great cause. However, fast and testimony meeting was interesting. It started off with a man who always shares his testimony of fast Sunday. He is very bold, loud and passionate about the gospel and especially the importance of keeping the commandments. Then he was followed by an older lady who is roughly the same as him. However, she spouts off memorized scripture with it! then she is followed by a recent convert from last year. 

Molly is doing great, she really enjoyed church and is progressing well. I received a prompting from the spirit that if we involve her with members as much as we can and have them give her support that she will be baptized sooner. that was cool! so we are trying really hard. she has a smoking problem. please pray for her. She is wonderful!

Another fun experience that we had this week was on Halloween. NZ is just embracing Halloween, so they don't really celebrate it and most don't like it. But the ward had a trunk and treat activity. My companions and I wanted to go so we were trying to think of something that we could do all well. One of the members invited us over for a picnic lunch and she gave us a bunch of random stuff in which helped us out heaps. About and hour and a half before it started we ran to sister prestons to find an appropriate costume. We came out with cowboy hats! This sparked all the ideas. We ended up making signs that said " I mustache you a question" and "WANTED for your eternal salvation" and then we made mustaches and put them on what we had, paint brushes to hold in front of our mouths. Whenever people would come over they had to answer a question about the gospel in which if they didn't know the answer would have to find it in a pamphlet. We turned this into a fun finding activity. handing out pamphlets!! Hopefully the parents read it!! ha It was great! What a fun night!

also last Monday we hiked the Mount. Its like a 'mountain' about 15 minute drive from where we live. So beautiful!

So this morning I studied about the millennium. Man I am so glad that I did because now I  understand it so much better. It is definitely a time to look forward too. Satan wont be on the earth and we will still have an opportunity to have children. It will be way easier to raise them in righteousness. what a beautiful experience that would be.

heavenly father certainly loves his children. I am so grateful to be apart of His gospel and to know him. He is amazing! I am so grateful that I have this short time to be a missionary, I have never done anything so amazing and rewarding in my life.

I love you all!

love sister BIrd