So here are some descriptions of the pictures. I don't know which order they are placed on the blog until they are posted so you can try to match them up to the pictures:
Sister Winfield was at the bottom of the stairs when Sister B's garbage bag broke all down the stairs.
Hermana Dr* and her family
Ar* has a huge collection of shoes. Here are a few.
Door decorated by the Hermanas
Richmond Hill District
The Sisters...
Tim Tams!!The best cookie ever!
Hello family!
Week 1 of transfer...8. Wow! What a great week to be a missionary! This week we saw a lot of ups and downs. Before I begin I hope everyone will look on Hna Winfields blog and get her updates as well. She does a great job at explaining events and things that I usually do not. We had a lot of laughs and tears shed this week as well. I hardly even know where to begin. Well, last Tuesday the other sisters that use to live with us moved out. Now it is just Hna Winfield and I in our pad, apartment. It is really nice however we had to spend 6 to 7 hours one night just getting our place to square one. We have 4 huge bags of clothes to donate and through out tons of junk and things that other sister have left behind. Needless to say, our apt feels so much nicer.
Lately we have really been working on getting more people to attend the English classes that we teach in the church. We have had a lot of success finding people to teach about the gospel that way. We have been putting up fliers everywhere! Last week we had 11 people in class. It was great. Our first English class last transfer we only had 1. There are some really neat people we are going to try and start teaching, a family. We starting teaching a man named Al*. He has a lot of great questions about the the church of Christ. We were able to teach him after English class on Friday and it went really well. He's come to church once and we are excited to begin teaching him more. He needs a lot of prayers to help him to progress more.
Ro*, also from English class is doing really well. I know all of you from home have been praying for her. Thank you so much. We have seen miracles with her this last week. We were able to teach her on Wed, Sat, Sunday, and we are going to teach her again tonight. She is still progressing and really fast. She came to church on Sunday and loved it. We also showed her the baptismal fount and talked more about wearing white when you are baptized. She loved it. She is so excited to get baptized and has a lot of great questions about it. We went over on Sat with a member, Ke*. It was a struggle but ended up being really good. It was hard because not all of us, the missionaries and the member, were on the same page about what we should teach Ro*. It ended up being good, I am so grateful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost, that is for sure. Ro* talked about feeling a change in her life. She no longer has the desire to go out and buy things that she really doesn't need. Before she was seeking to fill a void. She knows this is what she was lacking in her life. She is only 23 but acts so much older. She has a 16 mo old boy, Di*. Yesterday night we talked about the plan of salvation. She read the pamphlet we had left with her and she soaked it up. She ended up teaching up about the plan and we testified of the truthfulness of it. Once we got to earth life we taught about the Law of Chastity and the Word of wisdom. Hna Winfield went over briefly the Law of Chastity. We then asked her if she was legally married to her husband. She answered, "No, I am not." Whew! What a heart sinking moment of my mission but I thought, don't worry it is all OK, it will work out. I kept thinking, what is going to happen with Ro*, everything is going so well teaching her, her coming to church and her desire to learn and soak the gospel up. What a blessing the guidance of the Holy Ghost is. Before we had planned to teach Ro* about the law of chastity I was being prepared for that very moment. Do you remember Ce* from Brooklyn? She was in a similar situation however she stopped progressing soon after we told her about the law of chastity. I knew that whatever happened in that moment with Ro* that we needed to stay positive and not be so disappointed that Rosa felt it and stopped progressing. We continued to teach a little more after I said, "its OK, we will have to move your baptismal date but it will all work out." We couldn't sit there and brush over that she wasn't married. After talking a little more we stopped, we asked her how she felt. She was really sad that she couldn't be baptized this coming Sunday but she has hope. She is incredible. She has hope that her husband will see the change that is taking place in her and either change or be receptive to our message. As of right now her husband doesn't want to get married. We talking about miracles and how they are real. It ended up being a really good lesson and completely lead by the spirit. Ro* is still in need of many prayers. She will be baptized someday, I just don't know when that day will be.
The law of Chastity-What a blessing the law of chastity is in our lives and at the same time what a curse it can be for missionaries. Right now we have two people who are MORE than ready to be baptized and want to be really badly but the law of chastity is stopping their progression. It is hard because they are families. People that have been acting as husband and wife for 15+ years or have a little boy together but either can not be married because their spouse is married legally so someone else, they don't want to get married, or they can not get married due to legal papers. As much as I know God lives I know that satin is real. This work is so important. If anything I know that the work we are doing is right just by the fight we have daily for the souls of men. We are continually in a war, a battle for souls. Every morning I wake up and it is even a battle for my own soul, how I will feel, fighting to have the spirit with me daily. Even though it is a battle, a spiritual war, we know who the winning team is, we know that God will prevail and that the servants of the Lord will be blessed. We have our weapons, our shields, and armour, it is the work of God, the scriptures, it is prayer, the Holy Ghost, and acts of service. We will win the fight, a battle and struggle it will be but we will win.
Speaking about a battle, on Saturday I woke up exhausted! Friday night I didn't feel very well. I fought to get out of bed, work out, shower and then begin my personal study. I did it! It only happened with a lot of prayer. While we were having companionship study I just started crying because I was so tired, then laughing at the stress and situation we were in. Everyone wanted to meet with us at the same time. What a moment. Everything ended up working out exactly how it needed to. We saw the Mi* family early in the morning before they left for NJ, then met with Ke* and took her to teach with us to Ro*, then we stopped home for lunch. We were suppose to meet with a new member at 4 but it was going to be difficult. We were excited about meeting with her. at 2:45, 15 min before we needed to leave to meet with her she called and said she was called into work. Sigh, OK, now what? Not even two min later an investigator called us who we have been trying to meet with and said, "Hermanas I have time at 4 could you come over then?" YES we can! :) The Lord blesses us in so many ways. I know we were suppose to meet with her, Hna Pa* I felt so much love for her. She is in a really tough situation right now and...it is incredible how much love I feel for these people. I am nearly a messenger of Gods love for His children. I love these people so much. It hurts just thinking about never seeing some of them again.
Last night we were able to meet with Hna Pa* and her son Ar*. They are doing so well. Hna Pa* is a tough cookie but has so much love. She has so much depth inside of her self. Ar* received his temple recommend and his recommend to get his Patriarichal Blessing! He is progressing so much and fast.
Things are going great here. This week was hard but there was so much good that came from it. I could go on for a long time but time is up. I love working here. Hna Winfield and I are doing great. We have really gotten a lot closer and have had so many great times together. We have learned so much, pushed our selves, cried together and...what a journey. I can not even think about this time ending. Good thing we have 5 more weeks together at least.
I love all of you so much. I know this is the work of the Lord and not my own. I have seen miracle upon miracle here and in my own life. That has been the greatest miracle of all, the change and love that is occurring with in me. Thank you so much for all of your love and support.
Much Love,
Hermana Banaszewski
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