Tuesday, February 24, 2015

 Zone Conference
 Splits
 Spanish Discussion!

February 23, 2015

Hello!
Well this week it looks like it will be the last stretch of my mission. We had a really good week this past week. Last week after emailing we were heading to our church building to have a lesson with a member who was from Brazil and on our way we were smashed in the metro as usual and started up a conversation with the person next to us. He said he was from Brazil and he had only been here for a couple of days. He just so happened to be getting of the same stop as us and so we invited him to see our church and he agreed. We were able to give him a tour, introduce him to lots of members that were there for family home evening and give him a lesson. It was a really cool to be able to do that. This week we had our big zone conference that we gave a training on. It was a bit stressful to get everything organized and give our training but it was such a great training. I really think everyone enjoyed it and it’s going to help this zone and stake out a lot! That was eight hours and then we had an hour meeting with all the district leaders then a 30-minute dinner break and finished our night off with a meeting with our stake and mission president. I thought I was going to become one with the chair. I was very spiritually tired. I sadly had to bare my leaving testimony at the zone conference. I have seen 4 of my going home companions do it, but I never thought I would have to do it!
We only had one split this week and it was a really great split full of really great contacts on the bus and metro! Our best day this week though was Saturday. We had this lesson with this guy who a couple of weeks ago contacted us while we were teaching a lesson at a McDonalds. It was probably the coolest lesson I have had so far on my mission. He told us that he saw us at McDonalds walked out and then a voice told him to go back and talk to us. He walked all the way back into the McDonalds and asked us if we were preaching the gospel and that he was Christian. The whole time we had the lesson the spirit was really strong. He agreed to everything that we taught about and said he had always wondered why there were so many churches on the earth and that it would make so much since that Jesus Christ and god the father would have to appear to restore the gospel. You could imagine the excitement my companion and me had after that lesson. We have been here for about 4 months and after many days of contacting people we haven't found anyone that was really interested or who would be able to stay in our branch because of age or language. There was an activity that night at the church and we walked in just floating to find out that there were four less actives who we have never seen at our branch party and two members had brought a non member friend. I it was so cool to be able to talk to all of them and be able to set lesson up with them. 
The next day was Sunday and we decided we wanted to fast so that this guy who we had an amazing lesson with would enjoy church and feel the spirit. I wish I could tell you that he liked it or that he even came, but unfortunately he didn't come but went to another church. It was hard to hear but if I learned one thing on my mission is that there will always be so rough patches on the way. I’m so thankful I was able to fast though the spirit was so strong through out all of church. Every one of the talks on Sunday were so inspiring and talked about missionary work and how we need to be constant. It gave us the perfect push we needed! I’m so thankful for missionary work and for the opportunity to do it and continue to do it! I love you all tons xoxox bisous


-Soeur Dick

Monday, February 16, 2015

 Our large conference last week
Great way to end a long day!

February 16, 2015

Hello! <3 family 

This week went by to fast as they all do. I had come to realize though that you have to move fast here because if you don't you will loose fingers.

It’s so cold here you can't sit still for a second so we are constantly jogging to our next place so we are not to cold!! Last time I checked I still have all my toes but that just depends on the second! This week we had two crazy exchanges that really wore us out. I feel like I have learned a lot on my mission but what I have come to learn the most is to be obedient. No its not always the easiest rout at the beginning but in the long run its so much easier. I just want to be able to show the sisters that and to have them learn it from the beginning! I got to go to the biggest Spanish area this week with a sister and it was really cool to see that area with all the loving Spanish families I have heard about.  This week at sports night we had a friend of a member come up to us and ask for a Book of Mormon because of our spiritual thought at the begging of it. That was really cool to see fun activities help missionary work. We also got two new investigators this week one from Urania and one for the Ivory Coast.  On Valentines Day we spread the love by going to visit less actives. It went really well and we ended up meeting two less actives we have never met before! I’m so happy to be able to continue to see little miracles in this area plus I get to do it with an amazing companion! 
I really love this video we shared with a less active this week I hope you enjoy it!
I Love you
-Sister Dick


Monday, February 9, 2015

 Staying warm
Splits with the sisters
 what happens when the Metro breaks down an hour after your bed time!
Beautiful Montreal winter night

February 9, 2015

Freezing février =)

We are getting through our splits Like ONE.. TWO.. THREE. Usually one split wears you out but three really wears you out. Our first split this week though was really special. I got the chance to go back to my last area for the last time with my last companion =) it was so special to see some people for the last time. That area continues to grow and my last companion is doing so amazing there. I got to teach Ofelia and Pepe the couple that just got baptized last Saturday there and they told us how they felt after receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. They named of many of wonderful things and couldn't stop smiling as they explained it. It has been such an amazing experience to see them grow in the gospel. They told us that they remember telling their son after he first met the missionaries that it was nice that he liked the church but that they would never join. They are now very thankful that he never gave up on them. 
I also got the chance to go to the highest area in our zone this week. I always love going to that area because it’s so gorgeous and different from the city. I have also seen this area really grow when I first came to the Montréal area. It was part of the area I was in and now they have 4 missionaries up there and its turned into a really successful branch. 
I really feel like our mission has been getting better at working with members lately the stakes have come out with papers we can give to members to have them right out there plan for missionary work and it helps them progress their missionary work. We have also seen a lot of miracles with it in our branch. 
This Sunday was a really powerful Sunday and it was perfect for our two less actives that we have been working with for a little bit and haven’t been to church in years! Our ward mission leader gave a really great talk on the atonement and missionary work. I know he is going to motivate this branch to do wonderful things through his example! I am so thankful to serve in such a wonderful branch. It’s not the easiest one in the mission but its very rewarding to see the progress in it. 

I love you all!
-Soeur Dick


Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Baby it's COLD outside!!
 Baptisms!!!!!



February 2, 2015

Hello!

Woof what a week I didn't think I was going to make it here to right this email. I have never felt so cold and I have almost lived here for 18 months. The wind has not stopped blowing in this -30 degree weather. My eyelashes and hair have a new favorite color of white and my face no longer needs blush because it’s a permanent red now! As I touched the door to open it my hand got stuck to the door it was so cold! This week was amazing though I feel like we had so many miracles and so many of them had to do with following the spirit! For starters we went on splits with my MTC companion so for a day we got the chance to be companions again. IT was so fun to talk about all the amazing times we have had in these months on the mission. During that day we were on FB talking to less actives a photo came up of a less active and I had a spiritual feeling telling me to text him and try to meet with him. I got to text him and actually set up an appointment with him the next day. Well the miracle is that when my companion got home she said she had a spiritual feeling as they visited a member in the sisters member to ask for a referral and they said they had been praying for someone to help there son and well.. it ended up being the same person! Companion unity =) 
The next split we went on this week went super well and again on the metro I had a spiritual feeling to talk to this girl who had paint all over her. She wasn't the closest person to me so I yelled across the metro asking her if she was an artist but instead of answering back to that random question she said I use to be preparing to be a missionary. I went over and sat by her and she is a member from the ward that my current companion served in for 13 months. She is less active now because of different opinions of the church but she was super happy to talk to us and it turns out my companion has been looking for her since she got to Montréal. On this awesome split we went to a Haitians mans house and he gave me the biggest tower of Haitian food the member and the sister I was with was laughing so hard but some how I was able to finish this thing! This was one of my favorite splits I have been on you could just see the difference you made in them they even texted us after the split thanking us for making a difference and that they couldn't stop contacting people and because of that they contacted a less active that we have been looking for but wasn't able to find. He just moved back from Québec and he has been in the hospital with cancer. He had been praying to find the missionaries again. 
Well the biggest miracle of this week was Carlos our mission leaders parents got baptized!!! I taught them in Laval my last area and they are so so special to me. Carlos was able to baptize them and the spirit was so strong to see a family becoming closer to be together forever! That is really my favorite thing on my mission seeing people change. Finding the truth and doing anything to change for it. 
We had our leadership meeting this week with president and he shared this with us. 

41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

He asked us if we were that angel what would you say to Jesus to comfort him. For me I would show him a picture of so many of the people he was atoning for to help him get through this! He did accomplish the atonement and I’m so so thankful for it. I love my Savior and I’m so thankful to represent him =)

Je vous aime!
-Soeur Dick