"Allergies are rampant" -Sister Schouten

May 20, 2019

"Allergies are rampant" -Sister Schouten

Hello wonderful people!

It's been another great week in the beautiful VA! ☀️ I'm convinced that Harrisonburg is the most beautiful place and i'm so happy to be serving here! This week has been hot and allergies are upon us! I think between the two of us, Sister Schouten and I have sneezed about 100 times this week haha!

INTERVIEWS WITH PRESIDENT SMITH

This week we had interviews with President and Sister Smith! Oh how I love them! They will be going home next transfer and i'm really going to miss them! They have taught me so much and have helped me in countless ways! I don't think I could ever thank them enough for everything that they have done for me and the VRM! ❤

ALL DISTRICT COUNCIL

We had all district council this week! Sister Schouten and I did a training about teaching to peoples needs. As I was studying this topic something that just kept coming to mind is LOVE. If we love the people that we teach, the people we serve with and the people around us then this Spirit will let us know how to help them. Keep Loving and the Lord will help you!

BOOK OF MORMON CHALLENGE

This week we did a fun little blitz in downtown Harrisonburg. The YSA sisters printed out a bunch of pages from the Book of Mormon and we asked people to read through the page and highlight every reference to Christ. It was really cool and helped people see that the Book of Mormon really just testifies of Christ. We were able to meet a lot of really cool people! The coolest guy we met was Barry. Barry is deaf but I was able to communicate with him using Sign Language! He gave us his phone number and address and told us he would like us to come by someone. We have been in contact with him the last few days and it turns out that he was baptized years ago. He hasn't been to church in a while and wants to come back! It was such a cool experience! :)

THE BESTS

Okay Ann and Jen Best are the COOLEST people I've ever met! They are members of our ward but usually attend the 2nd ward because of the time. We visited them this week and I think it was one of the most spiritual visits I've had my whole mission. Jen was in a bad car accident when she was 20 and it put her in a coma and damaged her spinal chord which has given her lots of physical trials. She is now wheelchair bound. While she was in her coma she had an out of body experience and she shared that with us this week. She talked about how she saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and they asked her if she wanted to come back to earth. She decided to come back and I'm so grateful for the chance I've had to meet her. You can't be around Jen without smiling. She is the happiest person I've ever met and makes everyone feel so loved and important. And Ann is the strongest woman and i'm grateful for the testimony that she shared with us. Ann actually wrote a book that talks all about Jen's journey and the spiritual experiences they have had along the way. They gave Sister Schouten and I our own copies of the book. They are just the "Best" ;)

"WHAT LACK I YET"

We all have things in our life that can hold us back from reaching our full potential. Those things could be fears, doubts, jealousies, sins, etc. In a talk by Larry R. Lawrence he discusses the importance of asking the Lord, "What lack I yet". What things do I need to stop doing in my life, what things do I need to start doing, how can I reach the potential that the Lord has given me? This week I asked myself these questions. I pondered what things in my life are holding me back from becoming the person the Lord intends me to be. I made a list of these things. A long list of doubt, fears, jealousies and things that I need to let go. Then I took this list to the Lord. I asked for His help in overcoming these things and then I burned the list (Thank you Sister Benson for the inspiration on that;)). It felt good. I re-committed myself to do my best, my very best. To work even harder, to love even deeper and to trust the Lord even more. I'm grateful for the gospel and the chance it gives us to continue to change and become better everyday!

I'm so very grateful for each of you! I have been so blessed with the best friends and family! Thank you for all the love and all the support! Keep smiling! LOVE YOU!

❤Sister Stringham❤