it's perfect weather to do missionary work!

So if you have been paying attention to the weather, you'll notice that it's almost like Antarctica over here, or Russia.... It's really cold and so it's perfect weather to do missionary work! It motivates us to get into people's houses. 

We got to see a couple really awesome people this week and we had a lot of them come to church this Sunday!!!! Ah! 

We are working with a lot of less actives in this ward. What I love about it, is they already know the basics, they know what the Book of Mormon is and now we just have to teach, bring it back in and the spirit was already once there in there lives where it testified to them. They just need a reminder course! 

We went to a lady she is so cute, she is from Africa and when we came in she kept saying thank you, thank you haha and even like ten minutes later, "thank you" haha. She really wants her kids to come to church and experience the blessing as we were talking to her, her son came home from school. She kept talking about them and so when it came time to share our message with her we invited her son to join. And it was great! He has a super strong testimony of Christ and the atonement, we gave them a Book of Mormon to begin reading as a family and invited them to church they both her excited and ready to begin. Later that week we ran into her and she was just thanking us for sharing the message with her son, and how excited she is that he wants to start coming to church and going to the activities. Then she said, "now you just need to meet my other children!" Haha I love these people in Chicago 1st ward. 

We got to see Nina as well. She is just on fire, doing better and better. When went over this time she had a sheet of paper with what she read and the questions! Then she asked us what we are giving her next and when we told her she was like, "that's all?" Haha she then asked if we could start meeting twice a week! Whoo hoo!! She is just so great. She even came to church, she dragged her brother along, Gordon. And brought her cute baby. I am so excited to see the change in her. She has such a great gift of feeling the spirit, and also allowing the spirit to teach her truth, she also has a good gift of asking questions. I think the soul that questions is often the one that has more knowledge given to them. 

After church we stopped by a less active, her little boy let us in and we got to talk to her. As we sat down we talked and got to know her, and then we just asked honestly what is keeping her from coming to church and if she reads the Book of Mormon. She was honest with us, very sweet spirit. She told us she hasn't in a while and that she needs to, she continued to talk about experiences she has had in work and her conversion story that has lead her to the close relationship she does have with Her Father in Heaven. What I loved about this is that is was a good experience to remind me that, we are just there to bring the spirit in some cases and that they are the ones that need to talk, they need to remind them selves and relive their testimony. At the end she realized that this is what she needs in her family, she was dedicated to come back to church and begin reading the Book of Mormon. She told us her son has been saying how he wants to be baptized, so we said we can teach him the lessons. Now we have a set appointment every week to teach him! How awesome, is the spirit that leads others to choose Christ in their life. 

Every day is a good day though, full of hilarious moments and sometimes dark ones, like walking in dark cold Wind. 

Something pretty funny We were appt an appointment and there was a little baby there, when it was time to do the lesson I pull out my iPad to show the video, and sis. Goff is letting the baby play with hers to distract him while we are doing the lesson... Well on our iPads if you mess up the password more than four times then it shuts off and resets, so... That's what happened.. So now you can't use it anymore. So yeah that's what happened! So she can't use it, they had to send it back to SLC and she won't be getting a new one, because SLC isn't sending us anymore. Hahahaha!! So now, we just have one iPad, and soon no car. I don't know what goin on over here haha

I hope your week is a good one and that you continue to look for the joy in every moment! 

I love you. 

Keep on, keepin on

Sis. Tincher :)

It's been good.

Hello friends and family!! 

Wow! This week. It's been good, it's been one of those weeks where you just need to sit back, ponder, take things slowly and wait for a little something something to bring you back to grips. 

We had zone training so we focused on diligence and obedience. I don't know if I told you that our mission is reading the Book of Mormon and highlighting all the Christ-like attributes. It's good! The prophets in the Book of Mormon are very wonderful leaders, and you begin to see what it takes to be a true disciple of Christ.

This week we got to see the Lorbes family. We are working with them to reactivate them, the bishop said they haven't been sealed as a family so they wanted to work on it, but as we were there talking to them they brought out their family pictures of them while they were at the temple and they were talking about when they were sealed and all this stuff. We kept asking, sealed? So you and your family were sealed? Oh nice! When were you sealed? 

Like asking all these questions in a discreet way haha. But we showed them the video your potential, your privileges and them talked about patriarchal blessings, and committed them to talk to the bishop about getting one, so that was good! 

It was just funny to have our plans thrown out the window for a quick sec. 

we got to visit Lita a less active/recent convert she is a sweet heart, she has been struggling with coming to church because of depression and feeling like no ones likes her at church, but a cool thing is we showed her the "hope of Gods light" and she began to tell us when she was depressed and feeling hopeless she started to pray and then she said that went away. We got to just praise her for her righteous decision to turn to God in times where it seemed like Satan was over powering her. 

I think it's so amazing when we see these people in our lives and they struggle with life and the temptations that Satan puts in front of the,, but the use all their energy to choose God. That's where the hope comes, the faith lights the way and the despair is dispersed. I feel like that is where you have passed "the trial of faith" he wants us to choose him. 

Really I love this gospel, isn't it something else? Haha i am thankful for the gift of the spirit to be with us. It's truly a great gift I could be for thankful for that power that leads to do right, to choose God in all things and to appreciate the good in everyday live. 

God lives, he is there. He will always be, he always has and always is. 

I hope your week is one to remember, that you valentines was full of love and that you said I love you to more than the usually amount;) 

Have a good one! 

Love, sister Tincher 

This week

This week has been really hard with sis. B leaving. I got in a car crash... So I have been down lately, but trying really really hard to lift myself up. It's all in a state of mind! Right? I got a blessing on Sunday so that is good. 

One quote that has saved me this week is. Philippians 4:13 " I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." In the book it said to say this your self every morning you wake up and every evening. 

When we rely on Christ, he can heal us. He can strengthen our weaknesses. 

Love, Sister Tincher

We had a Blizzard!

Oh my!!! 

We had a blizzard!! There is so much snow up in this joint! Church was cancelled and we had an adventure trying to get around. We did however go to catholic mass! My first ever, man it was interesting :) 

A recent converts daughter is the singer there, she sings for the whole time and stuff it interesting, BUT WOW her voice was impeccable. Really I was stunned, I like that the most. 

Then we traveled on our way back home through treacherous streets. But we made it! 

We got the referral from a member...well it wasn't exactly a referral they just talked about her to us and talked about giving her a Book of Mormon. We actually met her when I first got to his area, we were riding around giving members banana muffins and we saw them and gave them some too and the member invited her to a ward party a couple months ago. So we finally were like we want to meet this girl! So we went over and she was so excited to see us! She said she was just praying to God about help and then we knocked on the door. She even said! "Oh I remember you! You're the one that brought those tasty treats over, and I met you at the party that one time!" 

 She was willing to learn and wanted to come to church and meet with us. A very cool experience and exciting! 

Transfers have arrived and we are staying... Sis. Goff and I, and Sis. B is going back to Italy :( it's hard saying see you later. But it will be all right, I love my companions.   I really want to find people to teach this transfer, I want to get the members more involved in inviting and excited about sharing the gospel. Everyone thinks it's our job to find, but it's really our job to teach. 

I was reading this talk called, "Joseph Smith" by Elder. Neil L. Anderson. He said something I really loved. 

"Why does the Lord allow the evil speaking to chase after the good? One reason is that opposition against the things of God sends seekers of truth to their knees for answers."

There is so much bad in the world, that sometimes it may seem to drown out the good, or sometimes we notice with people on the path of salvation are falling off to and fro! 

Sometimes I ask myself why, this should be easier! But God wants us to be free and to use our choice  how that happens. The more opposition a situation receives the more we knock the worth or truth behind it. 

The church is true, and the Book of Mormon is a powerful tool that proves the divinity of God as our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ as our advocate and Savior. I am thankful for the truth. 

I hope your week is one of a kind, and that good things come your way.:) 

Love, Sister. Tincher 

Chicago blizzard 2015