Too many bananas!

Baptism Week

Illinois Chicago Mission July 2014

Another week!! 

Wow! This one has been full of really great things. It always is, but we had a baptism this week, so it was fun to prepare for that and see things come together! 

Her name is Jasmine, she is 19 and really sweet. She had a baptismal interview and on the way home we were talking to her about why she decided learn more about the church and everything, and it was so great. She said she was trying to find a church to go to, but the ones she went were just not her favorite the people there didn't treat her right and she didn't want to be there, so she prayed that night asking God to help her find a new church. Well sooner than later she ran into the missionaries on the street, and it began. She has felt so much love and acceptance from the ward, it's truly a miracle and such a great experience from the short 6 weeks I have known her I have seen a big change in her, not just physically but spiritually. You can feel the happiness radiating off her and her willingness to follow God. 

I love being able to see that God loves all his children, and no matter where you have been or what you have been through he has a plan for you! He wasn't all of us to succeed, and to be happy. That's why he lead Jasmine to the missionaries. That's why she found the gospel. What a miracle! 

I absolutely love this church, because it's real. 

The baptismal service went so good though, and actually we had two at once!! The elders had someone they were teaching that wanted to get baptized. The spirit was so strong and it was so exciting. But on Sunday when they were going to get confirmed, Jasmine didn't show up! She was late... Oh my sis. B and I were stressin! The Elders confirmed Nelson and then.... Well... Jasmine, yoo hoo where are you? The sacrament was passed and later she showed up and somewhere along in the program it got thrown in there. I was perfect! 

Oh transfers happened, and we are both staying! this is sis.b's 5th transfer here. 

Something pretty awesome. We teach English here in this area. And one of the memories who is Mongolian is very great at inviting people she randomly meets to take the classes. So Oyunna is a lady we are helping with English (honestly I don't know why, because she is very good at speaking) but we have been teaching her a couple weeks, and one appointment we had I just had this goal that I was going to insert the gospel somehow. And wow! The Lord lined it right up for me, like a "T" with the ball, I had the bat and bam it flew. 

Really though, she was interested and wanted to come to church, to read the Book of Mormon. She talked to the sister in our Ward later that week and they had a long discussion while their kids were playing at the park, and Oyunna actually said she wanted to quick the English lessons and to start studying about what we believe and come to church!!! Ah!!!! 

So she came to church with her two girls! And she really liked it, haha it was funny she came out of her first class with serious 6 books! Oh my, haha our members. Their gems!

I am excited to see how this goes. :) 

So Saturday was woman's conference, and wasn't it awesome!? 

I loved how it spoke of the temple. I feel like they talk lots about the temple and covenants. But what I really loved was President Utchdorf and how he was speaking of our destiny. Do you know who you are!? 

This is a serious question! 

We must remember. 

What I love is at the temple whether you are in it or outside it can feel closer to God. This is where we will better understand who we are. 

Because our Heavenly Father loves us no matter what, no matter our worldly circumstance, but because he created us. He will always be there. He will always listen to you, when you pray to him. You are never alone, when you are walking towards Christ. 

the church is true, the gospel is pure. 

I love you guys!! Good luck this week :) :) 

Love, sister Tincher 

 Sister's Conference

 The District

Going bananas!

Hello!

 

This week was really awesome! I just always say that I feel, but really! it was so spiritually uplifting. We had a mission conference so a 70 came! His name is Elder James J.  Hamula. We got everyone of the missionaries together and such a good meeting about rededicating ourselves and having faith. It was much needed, and so powerful.

One thing that we spoke of was realizing WHO we are.  You know there are a lot of things out in the world that try and tell us who or what we are. Some are accurate, but a lot of the time it's really missing something.

 

We are divine, we are created by God.

There was a plan created for us before we existed, and wow we are here to live it. If we allow ourselves to follow him.

 

Something pretty cool was that we got to all see each other, and our mission is a pretty seasoned mission now, so everyone there I knew! Which was so fun and so nice. I really love all these missionaries. It's completely a blessing to be here and to go through all of this with these people.

 

So it was pretty funny the beginning of this week we got a call from a member in the ward asking us if we like bananas... Well,  I guess...?  She dropped of a whole crate! There was like 50 bananas in there! So we have been trying to drop them off to others and give them all away, everything... well they got a little brown, and I just don't think that is okay to be giving brown bananas away, ain't nobody wants to be eating those. So we decided to make muffins. We have a lot...  a lot of bananas, and no time to do things with them haha.

 

We had the opportunity to meet with Dixie again though it was pretty fun, she has seven dogs.... they were all laying on me and trying to kiss my face, while I am trying to teach with the spirit! It was a struggle... and every time I looked at this one dog and he'd get mad! I don't know... hopefully... we can be friends and the gospel will change his life as well.  We are planning on meeting with her though still, she seemed to like what was taught. She has been studying with the Jehovah Witnesses for three years... so she is like best friends with those women. They cook for her! I guess I gotta roll up my selves ;) haha. But anyways I brought that up because she doesn't really believe their doctrine, she just likes it because of the friends she has made... it really truly matters if you have friends. Its the same for so many churches. That is why we focus so much on getting members to meet with our investigators. Once they have friends they will stick around, and then their testimony will be strengthened and the power of the spirit will touch their hearts.

As we were teaching her the plan she had many questions that really brought her comfort and peace concerning her questions about where we go after this life. one of my favorite scriptures that describe this is

 

Alma 40:12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

 

I know that after this life we will be able to live in peace, continue to grow and learn. There is a plan, a sure plan.

 

Oh my so you'll never believe this, I hardly was when I was witnessing it! One morning we left our apartment to get Wifi to work with our Ipads the place we normally go every day... didn't work! So we had to leave and go to McDonald's where they have wifi and start working there, well as we are sitting we hear this voice, "Everyone needs a break from time to time, don't they!"  I slowly look up... and it was her! The Jehovah Witness teacher! It was funny to see her, we hugged and wished each other good luck on our proselyting day. It was good to see her, but still way coincidental!

 

So this week was good, lots of funny things, and lots of spiritually uplifting. I am so thankful for the fullness of the Gospel to be here again, and how its brought me closer to God and the friendships I have made through following it. I know its true. God is real, He lives!

 

I love you all so much, good luck this week with everything!!

Keep on, keepin on!

 

Love, Sister. Tincher.

1000 mosquitoes

Hey, Heyyy, heyyyy! 

So this week was good we have had lots of sun and good weather. I am loving it, but it's supposed to cool way down by the end of the week. It's making me nervous just thinking about it. 

We got to meet with an investigator this week a couple times! I haven't got to teach her yet so it was so good to finally. She is a sweetheart for sure. She is nineteen and is going through some crazy stuff in her life at the moment, but is still wanting to get closer to God. I love it! She is on date to be baptized the end of this month and if things keep going the way they are we may be able to move it up!

When we started on of the lessons we asked her how the word of wisdom was going and she was like, "oh, I am not doing good with that. It's hard! I like my coffee and so when all my friends go out I have to get water!" I really think we can all relate to times where we had to stand stead fast for something we believed. But the more we do the stronger we get. I was thinking about a brick wall and applying it to saying no, or standing up for what's right, the first couple layers of brick you lay down are always going to be a little difficult, but every time you stand up for something you put another brick down. Soon it will be so nature and your wall will be strong. 

It's really awesome to see the change in these people that keep the commandments. They see it too! Haha not at the beginning always, but later on.  

Oh my goodness!!! Okay so there is a lady we just started teaching, she is a referral from some other missionaries. We when we went over to meet her we knocked in on a bible study.....with Jehovah Witnesses!! She invited us in, and me and my companion were a little hesitant, but we accepted and was hoping for an opportunity to get to know this referral and maybe even the witnesses. Well the bible study didn't really carry on where they were I could tell because the main teacher started pullin out all her pamphlets and I think honestly start teaching us the first discussion! (Haha it was about prayer.) we sat through it. 

Dixie the referral start to ask us about the Book of Mormon and the restoration pamphlet the other sister gave her right in the middle of the lesson. Oh snap!!!! So we taught them the restoration! It wasn't easy the first thing I said brought up some disagreement, and we were just praying that there wouldn't be any contention. They obviously wanted to argue, or something. But we really tried our hardest to not, (it was hard). But it was cool! The moment we started to teach the first vision and about Joseph smith, the room was quiet and the spirit arrived testifying of the truth. It was powerful. I know that the spirit testified to them. 

So it was pretty awesome, I finally got to meet some JW's! (And taught them).

So we went to teach Oliver....he is special, he is a member referral and we have tried to teach him, but he is one of those individuals who really are probably looking at what people say about Mormons instead of reading the Book of Mormon. We took a member with us and since his house was a wreck he wanted to sit out side.... Welllllll.... There was 1000 Mosquitos flying around!!!! It looks like a have chicken pox, but no, no it's just bugs, lots of mosquito bites. But it's fine. I am loving it. I have never had so many in my life, it's really something to be proud of. 

Anyways we were trying to teach Oliver while I was trying to hold in my anxiety because of all the mosquitoes and Oliver was just talking about all the anti myths I have heard. It's almost like, I have heard it all and I think they must be reading a script... So that didn't go wonderful. We left without teaching the wonderful plan of salvation and mostly because the spirit wasn't able to teach it. Gotttta love it! 

I really love this gospel, like I just can't explain e love I have, but I guess that's really why I came out her. I can't explain my love, so I want to share my love with something that's given me, really, my life. I love my Savior, I know he live, I know god called Joseph Smith to bring this gospel back in it fullness. This is Christ's church. And wow, what a blessing it is! 

I have been reading in 3 Nephi this past week, and every. Single. Time. I am just loving it because the love Jesus has for these people is so pure, it shows through these words.  I know he is he same yesterday to day and forever and that same love he has for these people as they learn the gospel from him is the same love we can feel when we come unto him. 

I love you guys, I hope you have a really very good week! Y'all deserve it!!! :) 

Keep on keeping on

Love, your Sister! 

Sister. Tincher 

This week was a special one!

Hello fammm and friends! 

This week was a special one! 

First off I just wish I was really good at writing and putting together the things and the feelings and the events that happen with missionary work, because it's really quite an adventure. I can't believe the things that happen out here! Words can't really describe it all. 

Aaron, Tammy baptism, Gina, Wallace's, 

We had another lesson with Aaron he is a young guy that invites his friends along with to listen to the discussions, it's so cool. But this time we had the APs come to the lesson because we were going to pass them along to them since they are over the young single adult ward. It was a good lesson, all over the place but good! They have so many questions! A taught them about the apostasy and priesthood to have a more clear view of it. They are all really quite serious about religion and trying to get things in order, it's cool to see this at this age in somebody. They were all interested in learning more by the end of the lesson and get there questions more in line and even come to church! So we will see how things turn out! 

Tammy got baptized too!!! Ah!! I can't even explain how great this was. Sis. B and I drove down south to go to the baptism and it was so good to see her and Sis. Black and everything. She is going really strong with quitting smoking and I pray that she can continue to go strong. She was so so excited! It's just hit me about the power of missionary work, and reaching out to everyone so they can have to happiness of this message. She loves! the church! And if we didn't talk to her, well she wouldn't be blessed with it, with the friendship, with the gospel that is what this gospel is. It's the people. 

One thing that has stuck out to me with week is the power of love, Christ came to the earth to show us and give us an example of love. To 1) love God and 2) love your neighbor as you love yourself. THANK goodness he did. 

But the baptism was really good, the spirit was really strong. Seeing Tammy and her journey from where we started to meet with her and to her baptism was so cool. She has changed so much, and has been able to use the atonement to help with gaining control of her body and mind again, to gain confidence and a powerful testimony of the living Christ. This is what it is all about, the gospel is here in it's fullness to change us into something we are happy with, there are no upset, unhappiness or frustrations with ourselves when we learn to grasp the gospel. 

Something pretty cool this week we have been stopping by some people in our area so that we can give them an invitation to a fireside coming up here soon, and as we stopped by a family in the ward we were like we need to share something with them, so I hurried and just said the first scripture that came to my mind and it was Helaman 5:12. As we went to meet this family they just started to tell us everything that was going on and how hard things are and the darkness that they have been feeling as they are trying so hard to do right. This scripture was perfect! Sis.b and I wee both stunned as we walked out of their house. So cool how the spirit works. 

I love this gospel I love how it helps us become anything we want. It's here for our happiness and success as we turn to him for help, strength and guidance we will receive if we ask! 

I love you guys!!! 

I hope you have a good week, thank you for everything that you do. 

K.e.e.p on k.e.e.p.i.n.g on!!! 

Love your sister. 

Tincher!!