Hello Family and Loved ones!! :)
It is a very exciting time! Christmas time!! Let me tell you a little about how my wonderful week went!
Monday we decided to drop Harmony as an active investigator at this time :( She is not willing to set a date to be baptized and the rest of her family are less active members. So as a 10 year old that support she doesn't have right now from family is going to really help later when she does decide to get baptized. Monday we also went over to another less actives home and helped her take bags and bags and bags of trash out of her home....I am continually grateful for the lessons I have learned growing up in taking care of my home!
Tuesday we had another amazing lesson with Sharon! I keep asking her to pray about the things we are teaching to know if they are true and I don't know why! Every time I ask her to she tells me she already knows its true! Isn't she the greatest! She still hasn't come to church and that is one of the 3 biggest things investigators must do if they are to have a solid testimony. That is they need to pray, read the scriptures (especially the Book of Mormon) and attend church. Anyone who is doing these three things will always be solidifying their testimony of the restored gospel! Anyways, she needs to get to church! And this week will be the week!
Wednesday we had an amazing lesson with this young, single mother in her 20's, Amy. The Spanish Elders talked to her on the street and we set up Wednesday to go visit her! She loved our lesson. She had grown up around Christianity but no one really took the time to explain much of it to her. So we explained about who the members of the Godhead are and their roles. We talked about repentance, forgiveness, and baptism and she said "oh, I should really do that" So! We invited her to be baptized the day after Christmas! and she accepted! (well unfortunately she did not come to church this past sunday, so that will need to be pushed back, but needless to say she accepted). We are hopeful in going back and teaching her! We had a church tour scheduled but she ended up canceling that too :/. But we will get in contact with her this week and see where this goes! :)
Wednesday we also were asked by Bishop to find a less active in an apartment building. Its building LL but we don't know what door. Well building LL happens to be the only building of those particular apartments that have 48 apartments! 48. All the others have 12 in them. Haha so we have so far eliminated 13 apartments Ms Karen does not live in!
Thursday was THANKSGIVING! We are not allowed to proselyte on this day so we had some fun! We went to the Franco's home and had Thanksgiving meal with their family! The Francos are a wonderful senior missionary couple that help with the Addiction recovery Program! Sis Franco has a daughter living in Hawaii and her husband and I were able to talk about places in Hawaii that we both knew! It was great! After dinner we went to the Donley's home and had dessert! Then we ended the night at the stake center playing ultimate Frisbee and Volleyball with all the missionaries in our zone!
Friday we had EXCHANGES! Exchanges were previously 48 hours but president has changed them back to the original 24 hours! I went to the Hagerstown area with Sister Sirrine and Sister Blanchard stayed and was with Sister Botchway! Sister Botchway led out the area and did a WONDERFUL job! She is such a great missionary. She doesn't always like talking to people but she is always pushing herself! I love it. Oh exchanges we had dinner with this non member family, the Lopez's. I love them! They are a great little Christian family. Two kids currently at home and their music teacher is Sister Hall who is about to leave for a mission with her husband! They came to dinner too! We taught a lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the example Christ set for us as he was on the earth. Then Sister Hall handed sister Sirrine and I sheet music to a primary song we both didn't know well and told us to sing it for everyone! Man I did not think I would be singing this much on my mission! I loved street contacting with Sister Sirrine because every time she talked to someone, I had to ask myself if she knew that person already and was like their best friend. It was incredible! She is such a great missionary! We also got to see this super sweet woman, Joy, who is sharing the gospel with all the people in her building! They all know shes Mormon and shes only lived there like a month or two!
I learned a lot on exchanges, one time while we were walking around Sister Sirrine was just saying "I LOVE this time of the year, everyone is so nice! And I love that we get to walk around and just talk about Christ, that is all we have to worry about. I love talking about Christ! We have the best job every!" It was a very happy attitude and I loved it! Also Friday it was like 70 degrees out and it was great!
Saturday I went back to Braddock Heights. We knocked on a door and the woman asked us if we were out "winning souls" We were very confused, then she explained like and we were like "yes! we are winning souls" It was a really cool way to think of it!
Sunday, we had an awesome dinner with the Bradford family! They live in the coolest cabin looking house that overlooks the whole city of Frederick! How cool!
And here are a few stories I have forgotten to tell about!
One day we were biking and stopped to talk to this man who was grilling outside and he gave us some Steak! It was so good! We were headed to dinner, but if a man offers you steak out of the kindness of your heart, you gotta say yes! It was an awesome experience. unfortunately I took off my glove to eat the steak with my had and I ended up losing one of my mother's leather gloves :( I am still sad about that.
In our first lesson with Sharon, as the trainer I was suppose to let Sister Botchway invite her to be baptized but I totally DIDNT! It was so bad, my invitation was just a mess! But because the spirit was there she still accepted that soft invite! It was just a lesson to me that I just really need to stop talking and stop controlling! Haha I have since let sister Botchway share in the inviting :)
I have also learned a valuable lesson that the reason why we invite people to be baptized and to repent right from the start is because of this: We are here to help prepared, ready people to make and keep sacred covenants, not to prepare people until they are ready! And as I keep that focus it is easier for me to know that there are people out there who are ready to hear about the gospel and join the church now! I can't remember if I mentioned this before but last week we had a Zone Conference with President and he shared with us that the church hired a private origniaztion to question people in our area if they would be interested in learning more about our church and 84,000 people said they would be! 84,000 people with in our mission! Isn't that crazy! I know we can find them!
I love you so much! Sorry this email is rather long! I wouldn't get used to it :) Have a blessed week! And visit Christmas.Mormon.org you wont regret it!
Love,
Sister Nakata
