The trouble making in Pace continues...

05/29/2017

Hey Y'all!

It has been a crazy busy past week. We received a few referrals and taught a lot of our investigators. 

On tuesday, we went and taught Shy, he is a really nice man with 2 kids in his 40s. We took the Bishop's wife with us to teach him. Usually he just sits and asks questions, but this time, he was just kind of quiet. We started teaching him the restoration, and we testified of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. When talking about dispensation, I said, " that dispensation is like teaching your kid certain things at different stages of their life. You know like walking at the infant stage, riding a bike at toddler stage, etc. That is like how God gave us prophets in each age of time. Then when your kids get older, and have their own families, they will often look to you for guidance. That is why God gave us a prophet. The prophets guide us as we go through our life and help us to keep asking God for help." This analogy really hit home for Shy because his niece that lives with him was graduating this past week. The cool thing about this lesson was, we were supposed to meet with Shy 2 weeks ago, except we had to cancel due to other concerns. However, i think that God wanted to prepare him during the week we had cancelled to be able to be ready for the Spiritual lesson we were able to have.

That same day, we got a referral for a man named Jerry. It turns out, we had knocked on his door before, only he wasn't home, some other lady was. Well we had sent a referral to the lady's house for the missionaries in that area to go talk with her. Well those missionaries were able to talk with Jerry while talking with the lady, and they referred him back to us. 

Well, this past week, I ate a bite of Swordfish, and even though i tried it, i probably will not try it again. 

Thursday, my companion and I had the police called on us. We had driven to a neighborhood to go tracting, but had flipped around a few times to try to find a good spot to park, and then when we were finally parked, we got a bunch of texts and phone calls. As my companion was responding to a text, this elderly couple drove up next to us, rolled their window  down, so i rolled my window down. They asked us if we were waiting for someone. We said no, we were just pulled over to answer some texts, and then we would be leaving. Well then, after they left, we decided we would leave the spot we were in and park some where else. So then we parked in front of someones house on the side of the street. We went and walked towards someones door, when we were about there, i noticed a cop car by our car. So i told my companion, and we decided to go talk to the police man. Luckily he was really nice, and told us that someone had called them stating there was a car driving around with 2 suspicious women in it. We told him that we were missionaries and we were just knocking on doors, sharing messages about Jesus Christ. He told us okay then we are fine. But just to move our car because it was sticking out a little bit and could obstruct traffic. So we ended up just leaving the neighborhood all together since the old people there love to call the cops.

Well, this week i have gone tracting many times in the hot and super humid weather.

One of the times we went tracting, we were able to save 3 golden retrievers who were in the middle of the road, and were causing traffic to slam on their breaks. 

Other than that, if any of you have ideas on how to stay cool in the humidity while tracting, send them to me.

Love you all!

Sister Lewis

My 11th week of being in the field (last week)

How are you all doing? Email me your experiences of showing acts of kindness this past week!

Car Report: We had to give our Chevy Malibu to the elders because they were too big for their car which is a 2013 Chevy. We now have their 2013 Chevy and I am driving it. I do not like how different it is compared to the 2017 Chevy, but I guess I was spoiled for the week and a half that I got to drive it.

Food Report for what Sister Lewis has been able

to bake this week: No bake cookies, brownies from scratch,Chicken Nacho Dip

Weather Report for Pace,Florida: Hot and humid;thunder and lightning showers;hot;humid (I made this up based on what it has been like this past week).

We have had to do a lot of tracting this week because our teaching pool is really small. We have also had

an investigator call us to say he can't meet with us right now. So therefore, we need new investigators. Tracting

has been hard because we have not been able to tolerate the 83 degree weather with 100% humidity for long periods of time. So we do it in 30 minute spans, to an hour. We have been able to get better at teaching a 2-3 minute long restoration message at the door though.

This week, we have committed another investigator to baptism, her name is Alissa. She is a really nice girl,

and wants to come closer to Jesus Christ. We met her in the end of March when we were trying to visit a less active part member family. We just opened our mouth and asked her if we could share a message about Jesus Christ. It's amazing how the Lord prepares people for us as we work hard.

On Saturday, we had 30 minutes before our dinner appointment, so we decided to go tracting. The first door we

knocked on, a lady in her 40's answered. I started to tell her a 2 minute restoration, and she sat and listened.

When I was done, she said "thanks, but we go to a Baptist church in Pensacola." So I said, " that is

awesome, we also really love to sit down and read the bible with people." She said, "It's okay." She

then began to ask us where we were from and how old we were. When I told her I was from Utah, she started asking us questions about the "big giant church" that is in Salt Lake City, referring to the temple.  We talked to her

a bit about that and then she had a question about something she saw there that involved Abraham. We weren't sure what she was talking about, but we were able to talk to her about Joseph Smith and from there transition into an introduction about the Book of Mormon. She had lots of questions. We gave her a pass along card, and a flyer for the Joseph Smith Fireside on June 25. We also offered her a Book of Mormon, but she said no thanks. She was just interested in learning what we believe because she is going to school to study religion. Even though she was not interested, you could tell, that she knew the truth behind what we told her, and if she accepted a Book of Mormon, she would know that this is the true church. I truly believe that we had planted a seed in her, but that now is not thetime for her to be taught the fullness of the gospel.Heavenly Father just needed us to plant a seed in her heart. She was a very sweet lady. She even gave me and Sister Fox, a pair of sandals each because she could not wear them. Theyare brand new. 

This week, I studied in Helaman 5 about the type of missionaries that Nephi and Lehi were. I love how this

chapter talks about how they taught the Lamanites with power and authority, as well as they tried to teach "the word of God among all the people". This chapter talks about how much desire they had to preach the gospel, and how much more faith they had then fear; especially when they were in the prison, and people were trying to persecute them. I think that these missionaries are the perfect example of a "Preach My Gospel Missionary". They had so much courage, faith, and strong testimonies. I love this chapter.

Will you all study Helaman 5, and share the gospel with someone you know this week? I know that as you

do this, Heavenly Father will help you to be able to do it and He will bless you beyond measures as you help His lost sheep return to Him.

Love you!

Love, Sister Lewis

P.S. Yall know how I love to take pictures so here is some more! One is of a bug we found on a porch.

One is of me and these 2 sweet ladies who took me and my companion out for ice cream.

 One of them is a member and one of them is not ( the nonmember accepted a Book of Mormon).

One is of a trailer with a ghetto "Keep Out" Sign.

Two are of a library that they have in all of the parks here. We love to put Book of Mormons in the libraries and pass along cards and then go back and check on them a few days later. One of  the libraries that is in Floridatown park, we have found that somebody has been taking the Book of Mormons out and then reading through them, sometimes keeping them, but marking them. However, we have not had any calls requesting that they want to be baptized haha.

The Flood came down

5/15/2017

Hi Yall! 

So on Friday, my companion and I went to see a potential investigator, and it was starting to rain. Well when the potential investigator, Andrea, answered the door, she told us to come back in 20 minutes because she was on a business call. So we thought,no big deal we will just go tracting for 20 minutes in the rain. Well we got to one house with it lightly raining, then as we continue down the road, it starts pouring even more. The last door we knocked, she was not interested, but she felt bad for us so she gave us an umbrella to use because it was pouring. I was literally soak from head to toe,and my shoes were soaked. So Sister Fox and i booked it back to our car and sat for a few minutes drying off. Then we went back to Andrea's house and were able to teach her about the Book of Mormon.

On Saturday,the ward was doing an auction and enchilada baking contest for their Girls camp fundraiser. We went and when we got there, a member (who owns a hotel) gave us missionaries each $20 to spend in the auction. Now there was the other ward's 4 missionaries there as well because they were invited by this member. When the auction came, sister fox and i bid on this gift basket with 2 beach towels that have something about Pensacola embroidered on it. The other missionaries bid on food. At the end of the fundraiser, Sister Fox and i got handed a family size pecan pie, plate of Carrot Cake cookies, 1/4 of a Texas Sheet cake, and leftover of the beans and rice they had for a side for the enchiladas. The members had all bid on these desserts to help donate to the girls camp fundraiser, but they did not want the desserts. Sister Fox and i are trying to eat healthy, so we decided we would bring everything to our district meeting on Tuesday and have our district eat it all. 

It has been alot of fun this week. We were able to teach our investigator Chelsea, 2 times this week. She has a baptism date and is excited to get baptized. She has such a strong faith and even though Satan keeps throwing things at her, she has stayed strong. She loves the Book of Mormon and knows this church is true. I love how Heavenly Father has prepared the people in Pace, and as we work hard, we will be able to find His elect.

"Behold this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do." 

- 2 Nephi 32:6

Of Him the Prophet also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).

The Living Christ

Love you all!!! My commitment for you this week is to study The Living Christ and learn more about the Savior in the scriptures.

Love,

Sister Lewis

P.S. here are pictures from when we were soaking, when we built a house, the time this week that we broke a book shelf trying to redecorate our apartment, and the fun of missionary work.

The Wise man built his house upon a rock

05/08/2017

Hi!

So this past Wednesday, we went to Pensacola to help build a house with the Habitat for Humanity group. It was alot of fun! I am a bit scared of heights so i didn't climb any ladders to put nails in the siding of the house but i held the ladder down while my companion climbed the ladder. You see, holding a ladder is a very important job because it helps the person who is on the ladder to not fall. Also, you can give them the moral support they need. HAHAHA.  Any who, and then we all wrote scriptures on the wood inside the house. It was so much fun! They fed us lunch afterwards and we got a free tshirt. But all of this is besides the point. It was so much fun to do service and to help those in need.

" And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God." Mosiah 2:17.

I invite you all to serve somebody, whether it be a neighbor, or a friend or a stranger. Do a random act of kindness.

Also, this past week, I started driving so that I could become more familiar with the area. The first day I drove, I had to drive clear to Gulf Breeze (1 hour away across a very large bridge) while it was pouring rain. It was a bit scary because the roads get slightly flooded and there are lots of puddles everywhere, but i made it safe.

For that, I have a testimony of prayer. We had said a prayer right before we left because i haven't driven since January and it was pouring rain. After we said the prayer i felt more comforted and not as nervous as i first was. But i know that as we pray and have the faith that our prayers will be answered and study the scriptures, We will receive the blessings and answers we are looking for.

Another thing I did, and i cannot believe i made this deal. But i promised an investigator that i would give up sweets (i.e. brownies, cookies, pie, ice cream, candy,etc.) if she would give up smoking. So now i have to actually give up the sweets i have been saying i would give up because i gave a promise and i want to keep that promise.

Finally, on Saturday, we went to this Less Active member's house, and had dinner with them. They made us grits, ham, eggs, and biscuits. It was such cool experience, because we had been meeting with just Sister Marmont, and her husband would either hide in his room, or go outside and do yardwork. And whenever we did see him, he would just nod and give half a wave. But when we arrived, he answered the door and was cooking the dinner for us. He then began to tell us all of these stories and different things and was real talkative with us. And he even stayed to listen to our spiritual thought. We had gone into their house thinking that we would teach them about the Restoration, but when we went to share the message, we both felt prompted to share a verse  from Alma 37 about prayer. When we shared the message, i was watching Brother Marmont to see what his reaction would be, and i could tell that the Spirit was speaking to him. I could also tell that the topic of prayer was something he really needed to hear.

I know that as we go into something fully prepared, the Holy Ghost will fill in the missing pieces and sometimes we end up doing something completely different then what we had originally planned. I know that as we listen to those promptings from the Holy Ghost, we will be able to come closer to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

I also know, that we can all live with our Heavenly Father again and that Families are together forever. I know that as we Become as He Is, we can have the joy of the fulness of the gospel. I also know that while on this earth we will be put through trials and hardships, but as we "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ" we can be relieved of our burdens. I have seen this happen in my own life. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is so true and that He loves each and every one of us. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are waiting for us to come closer to them with their arms open wide. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet who leads and guides the church and receives revelation from God. I know that because Jesus Christ atoned for us, we can make the changes in our lives that are necessary for us to return to live with our Father in Heaven.

I love you all. I hope that you all can feel your Savior's love. I hope you have an awesome week!!!

I forgot a story.......

So on saturday, we drove to Century, Florida which is an hour from pace so that we could help the sister missionaries in that area with a booth they were doing. We had a giant Book of Mormon and a Holy Bible set up in front of our canopy and we handed out Book of Mormons and Bibles for free as well as pamphlets. It was an interesting event. It was called the Sawmill festival and car show. Basically, it was to celebrate the history of the area and to show off the classic cars that people had. Anywho, it was a lot of fun. My whole district participated in it and we all got to get to know each other better and see each other's spending habits. Haha. (on our lunch everybody went around the different booths and bought something from a booth for their mom). It was a beautiful, cool day.

Much Love,

Sister Lewis

April Showers Bring May Flowers

May 1 2017

Hi yall!!

" But with some I  am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them. And it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have. And in this place let them lift up their voice and declare my word with loud voices, without wrath or doubting, lifting up holy hands upon them. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you. And let the residue take their journey from St. Louis two by tow, and preach the word, not in haste, among the congregations of the wicked, until they return to the churches from whence they came."

-D&C 60: 2-3; 7-8

My invitation to you this week is to talk to as many people this week as possible about the gospel. Invite them to church or maybe just share a scripture with them. As you do this, you will be blessed!!

While on my mission I have been able to share my talent of piano playing(to my best ability). I didn't think I would ever play the piano on my mission, but I play every so often in district meetings as well as I play for an elderly lady that we visit. I will also start playing at a rest home as a weekly service opportunity my companion and I are doing.

My favorite moment has been this past week. My mom gave me the idea to decorate this family's door with tissue paper flowers. and leave a scripture for them to read. (They have a 2 month old son who is on a trach and just got out of the hospital last week.) My companion and I went this past Thursday and decorated their door as well as another Sister's door who was struggling with Faith. And we left a card, a bag of popcorn, and a bible video of Jesus Christ. We left it anonymously.... So on sunday when we were in relief society, both of the sisters brought it up that they had no idea who did it but they were so grateful. The one struggling with her faith said she came home from a rough day at work and seeing her door decorated made her day brighter. The Sister with the 2 month old baby said that they had come home from a Doctor appointment where they had to walk out because no one would see their baby, and they found their door decorated. The sister said that it had made her day to see that after having a struggle with her baby. It was so cool to see that the Lord had inspired my companion and I to wait until Thursday to decorate these doors when it would be a hard day for the both of them.

This past Friday, My companion and I had to train our zone on talking to everyone. We used Elder Rasband's talk from this past general  conference about "Be a First Responder". It was so fun to teach on. Everyone said we did really good.

So while at zone conference, we played this game called Stinger. It's where if you draw an ace card you are the stinger. There are 2 stingers. So after everybody looks at their card and puts it back in the pile, you go around and shake everyone's hand. If you are the stinger, you tap their wrist with your index finger, and they are supposed to fall down. Then in order to end the game, 2 people have to nominate you as the stinger if they guess right, you die. Well the last round, I was one of the stingers, and so I just walked around and started stinging people. The other sister who was a stinger got caught. and so I just slowly walked around shaking hands with people and stinging them. Nobody guessed it was me until the last second. Mwahahahahaha. So I won the last game and nobody was able to figure it out even though the other stinger only took down 2 people and I took down 3/4 of the group. Everyone was quite impressed. they didn't expect that from me. hahaha.

Love yall!!! Have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Lewis

P.S. The pictures are of the door I decorated, and a sign a member had in their kitchen.

p.p.s ………Please send me some hand written letters of your favorite scripture or conference quote so I have something to read during the week. Also, write me about some of your own missionary moments!

Email me for my address.

Sister Lewis