6 months and transfer news....

January 28, 2019

6 months and transfer news....

Hello Wonderful friends and family!!

This week has been a crazy one! I hit 6 MONTHS this week!! WHAT?!?? 1/3 of the way done with my mission already! Time is flying!!! Coming on a mission has definitely been the best decision I have ever made!!

TRANSFER NEWS

Transfers are on Wednesday! We found out that I will be staying in Chickahominy another transfer but Sister Benson will be leaving:( I'm so sad that she is leaving me! We have gone through a lot together this transfer and she's become one of my best friends! Saying bye is going to be rough! But i'm really excited to be staying in Chickahominy! I absolutely love it here and the work is really starting to progress!

EXCHANGES

We had exchanges with the STLs this week! It was so fun! I was with Sister Kent for the day and she's just the cutest! She served in Chickahominy for 3 transfers a few months ago so it was fun for her to come back for the day! We visited lots of less actives, potentials and members who are struggling. We had so many miracles happen that day, it was incredible! The Lord really is in the details of our lives and leads us to the people we need to meet! Sister Kent is going to be my STL again next transfer! That will make it 3 transfers in a row! I just love her!!

REFERRAL MIRACLES

This whole transfer Sister Benson and I have really been working on asking for referrals from EVERYONE! To help ourselves stay motivated we made a little deal with ourselves. Every person that we forget to ask referrals from = 5 push-ups the next morning! We have been really trying to ask everyone! We hadn't seen very many referral miracles the whole transfer but we knew we had to keep asking everyone! Yesterday we had the Zone Leaders call us and they told us they just found a lady in our area who wants to come to church and start taking the lessons! (miracle #1). Then we were out tracting and we knocked on a lady's door who really wasn't that interested, but we asked her for referrals. She sent us to a big white house across from the Varina library with a family who is really struggling right now. We were able to go right over and meet them! (miracle #2) Then we got a call from some senior missionaries telling us about a family in our area who we need to go visit. The wife isn't a member and they are willing to have us over to teach them! (Miracle #3) All of these miracles happened because we were diligent all transfer and really made an effort to ask everyone for referrals! The Lord sees our efforts!

JEREL

Jerel was a referral from the Downtown Elders! They found him walking home from work and he said he was interested in family history! He is a young dad with a wife and a 4 year old! We went over and helped him set up a family history account! He thought it was the coolest thing ever! We were able to help him get it started and he found his moms obituary super quick! The member that we brought to the lesson with us brought up baptisms for the dead and Jerel loved that! We ended up teaching him the whole restoration and giving him a copy of the Book of Mormon! It was such a cool miracle! He wants up to go back and teach him and his family more!

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

"Did you know that Heavenly Father knows you personally—by name? The scriptures teach us that this is true. When Enos went into the woods to pray, he recorded, “There came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.” Moses not only prayed but also talked to God face-to-face, and God said to Moses, “I have a work for thee, Moses, my son.” The Lord knew Jacob’s name and changed it to Israel to more accurately reflect his mission on the earth. Similarly, He changed the names of Paul and Abraham and Sarah. In Doctrine and Covenants, section 25, Emma Smith is given a blessing for her comfort and guidance in life. The Lord begins this blessing by saying, “Hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, while I speak unto you, Emma Smith, my daughter.” You may not have heard the Lord call you by name, but He knows each one of you and He knows your name. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “I testify to you that God has known you individually … for a long, long time (see D&C 93:23). He has loved you for a long, long time. He not only knows the names of all the stars (see Ps. 147:4; Isa. 40:26); He knows your names and all your heartaches and your joys!” -Elaine S. Dalton. This is so true!! Heavenly Father loves all of his children and he is so aware of each of us!

I love ya'll so much and hope you have a great week!!

❤Sister Stringham❤