Things that I Have Learned from Sister Hansen

With the transfer nearing on Thursday here are some things that I have learned from Sister Hansen:

1.       Missionary work is work but you can have fun while you’re doing it! She loves to laugh and it just helps so much.  I have been trying to incorporate that into my work mostly when tracting. As you know we get a lot of rejection so I try not to think that they are rejecting me as a person but the message.

2.       I have learned how important members are. It has been great. This week Sister Hansen came up with the bright idea to text members’ email addresses and it worked. It led us to getting 17 member visits! We have yet to get referrals but it is wonderful to know that you have 17 families praying for us to help them in some way.

3.       I learned from her ALL rules are important. She struggled with that at first; however, she would ask me questions regarding them. I would then look them up and study them more and it helped me to get a renewed desire to follow all of them. Some of the rules are super difficult; however, I learned some of the why’s of doing them and others I just do to be obedient. It has really helped me.

4.       I have learned that the Spirit is ALWAYS the teacher not just sometimes. She is so great at following the Spirit and it has taught me the importance of following. It helps me to always be looking for the promptings of the Spirit and many wonderful things have happened as a result.

5.       I have learned how to lead when I need to and how to follow when I need to. Sister Hansen is a natural dominant personality so it has been great to watch her bloom and it has led to many spiritual lessons. It has also taught me how to truly lead. She looks to me for help and KNOWS that I will always have her back no matter what. That really means a lot to me. I have always wanted to be the person that everyone can count on and it has been great to see her ask me for help when she doesn’t know what to do.

6.       I have learned from her the art of calling when I am running behind, even if it is just a few minutes. No one ever does that in my family. It is always: “I will get there when I get there.” So with her it was a change and it really has been great because many people have told us how they love it when we call and say that we are running behind even if we get there at 3:02 instead of 3:00. I love it and will take that with me.

Crazy Lesson, Big Numbers, Crazy People, and the Temple!

On Tuesday we invited the Cannon’s to come for a lesson with Ficrat (an Investigator from Syria) because they have many middle-eastern friends. Well, it turned out kind of crazy. Ficrat had gotten into some Anti-Mormon literature and wanted to ask us some of the questions that he has found. It was so sad to see; however, we bore our testimonies and invited him to begin reading the Book of Mormon and told him that this book will answer every question that he has.

This week Sister Hansen and I have not been feeling very well; however, we are still working hard and are talking to EVERYONE that we see. We had 60 A.R.’s (accepts or rejects of our message). It has made a world of difference and has continued to build my faith.

This week is Transfers, Sister Hansen got the call that she is training! I am so happy for her. I know that she will do an amazing job. She is such a great missionary. She has changed a lot this transfer and it has been so great to see her become a better missionary and begin focusing her mind on the work of The Lord. I am not sure what that means for me. There will be 5 new sister areas opening so I may stay here and Sister Hansen open and train or I may open a new area with another sister. This transfer we also find out what is happening with the new mission being formed and if and how it will affect us in July. I am sure that we will be losing missionaries (we will lose Fredericksburg and Woodbridge) but we are not sure if we will lose anything else. So basically this transfer meeting is going to be BIG.

This week we had two crazy people try and ‘teach us’ the gospel.

1.       One woman use to be a member of our church but now has found Sikhism. She says that she believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he translated the Book of Mormon but that the religion is formed for people who live in fear. She said that needed a prophet today is absurd yet she literally believes in being possessed by spirits and being taken away into visions. We bore our testimonies and then left.

2.       Another not all-there person should be a minister. He speaks well and really would make a great Institute teacher at BYU-Idaho or BYU-Provo. He said that he had been Jewish but one day he came across some guys who told him to ‘come, find Christ.’ He then literally had a vision and saw Christ and for the past 35 years has come and ‘Mastered’ the Bible. He in many round about ways told us that we are ‘damned’ because we do not believe in the Trinity and that we are following Satan. He said that it is because: “Satan teaches us not to Master the Bible but to Master other books.” He said that Satan has taught us to follow man and not to follow Christ. He then told us that he can help us in being ‘un-brainwashed.’ I bore my testimony and we left.

At first I was pretty angry… really super angry. How dare these people tell me that I am living in fear by believing in a prophet and how can someone tell me that I am being brainwashed and that I a damned for believing that God, Christ, and the Spirit are separate. I tried to let it go, then yesterday we went to the temple and while there I sat and pondered on these things and WHAM it hit me. How dare I let it get to me? I have the truth; I know what is right, I have prayed for myself and received the revelation that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is The Lord’s church! I did what I was supposed to do… reintroduce them to the church and bear my testimony. I repented of my anger and again went back to work better and stronger than ever before. I am so grateful for Heavenly Father teaching me. I love this work. I am grateful that I can go to the temple with questions in my heart and have them answered. I love how peaceful and calm the temple is. I am excited to get all of my investigators there! I want them to feel what I felt.

Love,

Alma 26:5

Sister Evans

Eventful Week and Miracles

This week has been super busy. On Wednesday Elder and Sister Ritchie came again to teach our zone and Elder Ritchie invited us to make a missionary constitution so I have been working on that. I finally decided the values that I want to possess (work hard on accomplishing) by the end of my mission and now I have to write them in paragraph form.

On Friday we had a half mission conference. Elder Larry Echo Hawk, a general authority from the church who is Aponi Indian, came and spoke to us. He told us his conversion story and it was so amazing. It really boosted my confidence. It was so amazing. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father allows for us to have trials in life so that we can learn from them and become stronger.

We got four new investigators this week! We finally had a set down lesson with a family that we have been checking on for months. They are friends of a family in the ward who just moved out. The wife Barbara wants this for her family but her husband, Randy, does not believe in organized religion but wants to learn more.

On Saturday we met a former investigator named Linda. She is from China and recently became Christian. She is so wonderful but also wants her family to learn as well but her husband is not very interested either (trial of this area getting both spouses to want to meet with us). Later on we met the best person ever! His name is Ravi and he is from India. He moved her seven years ago and converted to Christianity from Hinduism. He asked us some thought provoking questions that just was so great. He asked about the significance of baptism when Christ already died for our sins. He asked about the similarities between Hinduism and the Bible. We answered his questions and he said that he wants to continue to meet with us and he wants to know more about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Unfortunately he is in his twenties and single so we have to pass him to the single’s ward. But he will be a great addition to the ward.

This week we have been praying a lot about how to get into members’ homes. We have been trying to set up appointments with members so that we can teach them and see if they have received revelation on how we can help but at that time we had only met with 3 members. Saturday we had to finish weekly planning in the car outside of Walgreens because our house was too far away and we had an appointment by where we were.  We said a prayer to get help from the ward. And the next day, Sunday, at church our Stake President called us up to the stand and then he said that he was going into Walgreens the other day to pick up prescriptions and parked next to a car and saw us with our heads bowed in prayer. He waited and then decided to go into the store. He knew by the power of God what we were asking Heavenly Father to help us with. He invited us to bear our testimonies. He then bore his testimony of missionary work and invited the congregation to allow for us to enter into their homes and also to entrust us with their friends. It was awesome! After that we got 10 appointments set-up from members and four members told us to come to their house that day!

Heavenly Father puts us into places for a reason. Had we not decided to weekly plan in the Walgreens’ parking lot and had President decided not to go to Walgreen’s we would not have met. Had we not prayed about member work he would not have discerned our needs. Heavenly Father gives leaders the ability to discern needs. We did not tell him what we were praying for but our hearts were drawn out in prayer for this area and for our members and He allowed President to know that. This is the Lord’s work!

Sincerely, 
Sister Diamond Evans

Alma 18:18

Training and Reflections

We had zone training on Tuesday and learned the art of being bold. It was great. At first I was nervous; however, as Sister Hansen and I went out and did what President Riggs asked we received miracles! We got four potential investigators over this week as we have been doing power hours (spending one hour each day finding new investigators through tracting/ street contacting) and doing more than just giving someone a pass-along card when they say that they are not interested. In February I made a determination to follow all of President Rigg’s counsel (I know, super late) and it really has helped. I have seen so many miracles by just doing what he says.

On Friday and Saturday I was trained by Sister Berg. She is one of the missionaries who train the sisters. We went on a 24-hour exchange together. She is so wonderful. She taught me so much. I am so grateful that she came here and helped me find out ways to make this area better. We came up with a plan to rebuild the Great Falls Ward and it is working!

During the end of the exchange she made a comment that got my brain thinking. She asked something to the effect of how I got to the point where I am now as a missionary. You see I wasn’t always the bubbly and happy missionary that I am now. I told her about Sister Jeppsen and how amazing she is and how I have patterned myself after her. Well last night I got to thinking more about that. I remember that I struggled a lot with who I was at that time. I felt super inadequate in that companionship. Sister Jeppsen is amazing! She is a wonderful missionary so I always felt that I was in the back seat to her. I remember one day in January feeling so unneeded and going to President Riggs in an email and telling him how I felt. He said something like I need to forget myself and get lost in the work. I remember being so upset at him and crying my eyes out that night and wanting to go home. Well, as you know if someone tells me to do something I usually do it even if I don’t like it. It took me a few months but I began to devote ALL of my time in the work. I didn’t think about myself but I thought about my investigators. I thought about how amazing of a missionary Sister Jeppsen is. I thought about the things that made her amazing and began implementing them into my life. Sister Jeppsen taught me how to pray (not just the mode of prayer but how to pour my heart out in prayer). She taught me how to love (not just to say I love you but to be willing to give anything for someone to learn what the things that I know to be true). She taught me how to trust in God (to not just believe in Him but to trust that He knows me and He will direct me). She taught me how to work hard and have fun at the same time. She taught me what real happiness is and how to achieve it. Most importantly she taught me how to repent, or change, for the better. I am grateful for President Riggs’ loving counsel and for the example of Sister Jeppsen. Of course I am not her but I have learned who the real me is and it is due to her that I am achieving the potential that God, and President Riggs, sees in me.

Love,

Sister Diamond Evans

Mosiah 5:7

Sister Bradshaw came to church and a baptism!

To make up for the super long letter last week, here are just two experiences that have happened this week.

On Wednesday we had a lesson with Sister Bradshaw (the less-active) again. It was phenomenal. I was thinking a lot about the training from Elder Ritchie and decided to talk to her about it. We centered the lesson on her being: “The glue that keeps the church together.” We bore our testimonies on how important and loved she is by God. We then recommitted her to coming to church and meeting Bishop Richardson. She came! She brought her mother from the Vienna Ward and the testimonies and lessons were all directed to her. It was just so amazing. After church she met with Bishop (for an hour!) and when she came out of the room her continence was so beautiful. I am so grateful for the prompting that we had to visit her after the dinner with the Robert’s.

Friday night we got a phone call from the Mount Vernon Sisters (where I started my mission a year ago) saying that one of my previous investigators was getting baptized! I met Annette my very first week in the field. I spent my entire five months there getting grey hair because of her. She was so wonderful but she had been through so many trials and tribulations in her life. She was now a grandmother raising two pre-teen grandchildren and in an awful relationship. We did everything to try to help her see her divine worth. We put her on date for baptism twice. She had even been to a baptism and was ready to be baptized the final time and then Satan got a hold of her. Sister Anderson and I spent month after month trying to help her and fasting for her; however, eventually she dropped us. Imagine the tears and the shouts when I got that phone call. On Saturday (the next day) I had the opportunity to go to her baptism and speak. It was so amazing. I am so grateful for all of the ward support that she got. She bore such powerful testimony in the end. She said that she can see who she is and become who God wants her to be. She knows that she can grow and become better. She knows that she is a daughter of God.  I am so happy for her.

I wanted to close this letter by bearing my testimony. I know that Heavenly Father knows us more than we do. He knows when we are ready to hear the gospel, when we are ready to change, and when we need Him the most. In Relief Society the lesson was on “Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart” by President Lorenzo Snow. I got to bear my testimony on how Heavenly Father strengthens us in our weaknesses. One year ago when I entered the mission field I would say that I was less than thrilled. I did not like talking to people; I got easily overwhelmed; I did not like being told what to do; and I definitely did not like change. While I still struggle a little with each, I have seen the Lord work in me. I have grown a lot more than I ever have. Even with my weaknesses I have been used as a vessel of the Lord. How cool is that? Even though we are so imperfect Heavenly Father uses us for good. I am so grateful for the chances that I have to change and to become better. I am grateful that He sees what I lack and He provides. I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who knows exactly how to help me improve.

Love,

Sister Diamond Evans

Mosiah 5:8