7 Months!!! News from The Colony, TX (Week 29)

My mission has just seem to flown by so far. I can't believe I'm already almost halfway done. And I love every second of it!

It has been a very good transfer and it's ending this week.. We'll see what the Lord has in store for me next week! Change- it's not fun, but it's necessary and it is actually pretty exciting. I will never be ready to leave The Colony, but I do realize I'm going to have to leave sometime!

Mon- Top Golf was so much fun! If they have one in Oregon, it's totally worth it. It's like a bowling alley for golfing. That night we also had a really good lesson. We are teaching 7 year olds and 15 year olds in the ward the discussions. We taught The Restoration to this one family who has a 15 year old son. It's amazing to me that no matter how many times I teach this lesson, I never cease to be overcome with the Spirit especially as Joseph's First Vision is recited. The mother commented after the lesson that that had been the most spiritual lesson her family has ever experienced in their home- and they are a super spiritual family to begin with! So that meant a lot.

Wed- We found a new investigator through service! We were driving down a street and saw a lady raking leaves in her yard. We pulled over and started helping her pile leaves in bags even though she said we didn't have to. Because of that, she invited us in to listen to our message. We have taught her three times now! She is wonderful. Her son works with a couple of boys in the ward, too, at Chikfila. Later that night we had a lesson with a less active couple. We met them New Year's Eve actually. They are really nice. The father struggles a lot because he thinks too much about everything. It's not that he doesn't have faith, I'm convinced he does. He just mixes up absolute, sure knowledge because of evidence with faith, therefore he thinks he doesn't have faith in anything. But we know faith is something hoped for and not seen, the evidence is faith. I absolutely love them and I just want to help him realize there is so much to hope for and have faith in! He is in a few bands and they both live on a little farm they built. They make their own cheese and eat mostly organic, he plays guitar and sings, so yes we get along quite well! He got baptized 10 years ago, but sadly it seems he only did it for his wife. It's never too late to find faith though!! So we challenged him to study the scriptures and come to church and focus on things that he can hope are true, since he has a problem with soo many basic principles of the gospel. Faith can start with the smallest of desires.

Thurs- We taught a 7 year old a discussion. We came up with a really fun way of teaching it and afterward he said "Wow, I had no idea learning about the gospel could be so fun!". I LOVE teaching people, not lessons. Meaning, teaching to their understanding and using the inspiration we receive for our lessons. It's amazing.

Saturday- We are teaching this one family and they are good friends with several families in the ward. I tracted into them way back on Thanksgiving and discovered all their friends quickly after. The mother has 5 kids and they have such a great family! They are super strong Christians, amazing family. They would make absolutely great Mormons! She is super skeptical of Joseph Smith though. It's really hard to explain to her that there is more we can add to her faith. She is having the hardest time with The Restoration. It's taking us a lot of study time with the Bible, history, and Joseph Smith. It's exhausting, and I wish I had more resources, but it will so be worth it when it finally clicks with her!

Sunday- We taught an Indian man that we met a few weeks back while tracting. He even invited his friend from work to come over as well. He has a Hindu backround, but seems very open to Christianity. It's really strange starting from square 1, God. He doesn't even know much of anything about the Bible, but he's really close to the Spirit and I know he felt it as we taught him about God and Christ, our Savior.

I am going to have the hardest time leaving this area. This is my home right now. I practically know the whole ward, which is quite a feat. I love everyone so much. I will need a lot of prayers. Especially because of John and Shirlene, I know I'll be able to see everyone else again, but I'm not sure how much longer those two are going to last. Their health is declining quickly. I feel John isn't telling me something about his health. It's heartbreaking thinking about leaving him. Especially because I know he needs my love, he gets so lonely! I'm going to need all the prayers y'all can muster. Luckily, I'm going to the temple on Wednesday, I'm sure that will help a lot.

Now is my time to exercise my faith and trust in the Lord.

Grace has really been on my mind this past week. I read a talk by Brad Wilcox that was excellent. It's titled "His Grace is Sufficient".

"Grace is not about filling gaps. It is about filling us."

"Grace is not the finishing touch, it is the Finisher's touch."

"Christ is not waiting at the finish line once we have done 'all we can do'. He is with us every step of the way"

I may not have all the answers I'd like to have "but this much I do know, that the Lord God hath power to do all things which are according to His word." Alma 7:8

"I know not by what methods rare, But this I know, God answers prayer. I know that He has given His word, which tells me prayer is always heard, And will be answered soon or late. And so I pray and calmly wait. I know not if the blessing sought will come in just the way I thought; But leave my prayers with Him alone, whose will is wiser than my own, Assured that He will grant my quest, or send some answer far more blest." Eliza Hickok

Love Always,

Sister Dalling

Week 10 The Colony, Texas, "Opposition In All Things"

Hey y'all!

The lesson I have learned most on my mission (over and over again) is that there must be opposition in all things. It seems like everything that could go wrong, does. I have tended to forget all the miracles I see because of the hard things. But I am growing every day, and now I can more clearly recognize all of God's tender mercies He has given me. There's no reason to focus on the bad because at the end of the day, I'm left with SO many blessings!

However, there is one crazy story I have to tell just because it turned about to be quite an event. Last Thursday was our planning day. It was a completely normal day, at the end of planning we went out to knock on doors. It was 105 degrees at 6 o'clock.. However Sis Hansen and I are very good at drinking water and we've been in much worse conditions on bike so we didn't think anything of it. We were out maybe half hour and we knocked on a lady named Norma's door. We had a somewhat lengthy doorstep conversation because she had some different ideas about law versus grace. I was sharing my experience with Christ and following His commandments and all of a sudden Sis Hansen collapses! I turned around, she luckily fell onto some short bushes instead of the cement, but she was pale white and unconscious. Jess and I rolled her onto the cement, and as I dialed 911. I was absolutely terrified at the entire situation. The ambulance came right away. I am quite proud of how I kept it together til they got there. I asked the men in Jess's house to get some damp washcloths and a pillow. Sis Hansen was bleeding on her face and her hands from the fall, so I made sure it was controlled. Then, when the paramedics got there and I stepped away, it all of a sudden became very real and terrifying. Sis Hansen has became the best friend I've needed and it was so scary seeing her like that. When she came to, she was hyperventilating, cramped up, and was not very cognizant of anything. They checked her vitals and got her on a stretcher in the ambulance. I got to ride in the passenger seat up front, so that was kind of fun actually. I made a few calls that were necessary to the mission president and his wife as well as a lady in the ward I knew could handle the rest. She followed the ambulance all the way to the hospital and made sure to call the elders to come give Sis Hansen a blessing. She was a huge blessing. I was too overwhelmed to handle much at the time. Basically the rest of the night was spent at the hospital. A lot of oxygen, IV fluid and a blessing brought my companion back to normal. Overall it was 5 hours at the hospital. The mission president even made an appearance. I was so happy to go home that night, I can't even express it with words! We never really found out what problem, but the important thing is, it's all good now. When you have a companionship like Sis Hansen and I, we are basically called on a mission to the doctor's office ;) It's been quite the transfer.

But. After all that craziness came a shower of blessings. We had so many people at church that we invited! It was such a good Sunday. We are working with so many who are progressing with little effort on our part. I absolutely love the people I've met. It's just been incredible being able to share my feelings about the gospel and Jesus Christ and witnessing the outcome of it. The biggest miracle I've seen- which I fasted for- was with a part-memeber family we are working with. The mom has been less active since high school and has a 15 year old daughter and two sons who are 4 and 5. Her husband isn't interested at this time, but he's very nice. They came to church! But that wasn't even the miracle. Her two boys are THE craziest children I have ever met. I absolutely adore them, but every time we go over they throw things at us, hit, and cause huge distractions. They are also the sweetest boys at times. They were absolute angels at church. They behaved so well! The daughter even is good friends with one of the young women. It turned out to be an incredible experience for them. So thankful for the many miracles and blessings I've been a part of.

Til next week!

Love,

Sis Dalling