Too Blessed To Be Stressed!

Well, bear with me through this email we have had a full and wonderful week!  First off, thank you to everyone for the Happy Birthdays and the sweet cards in the mail. I love all of you! I am so blessed and have felt so much love this week, especially from my Heavenly Father.

 

I had so many people take good care of me and make my birthday so special! My family sent me a package, Momma Steinle sent me a wonderful package, flowers were delivered from the Senior Sisters and Carolyn and Leon Messner, the Sperry family took me to lunch, I had dinner with the Jones family with cake and ice cream and our investigator, Larry, made me a cake and ice cream as well! 



A little beat up but my Mom's package made it!

Great Sabbath Day! 

FB Post from Sister Connie Hall~  "Sister Flink serving mission in Albany Missouri. She had birthday yesterday. We are taking good care of her - gave her roses and other gifts."

Back at home,even the Whisperwood Ward Relief Society wished me a Happy Birthday!

I got a Valentine/Birthday package from Elder Jardine!!  Love him!

We are all moved into our new GREAT apartment... it is probably the worst I have lived in, but the worst makes for the best memories right? We already have some good things. Blowing a fuze, gas leak, creepy stairways, its all good stuff! I sent my new address in the email last week.

Good-bye clean nice apartment!  Hello new adventure!

We went to the visitors center twice this week, which is rare up here because it is basically an all day thing and takes most of our proselyting time. It is a 2 hour drive there. On Friday we took the Lurten family, they are a part member family and struggling in many aspects of life. They absolutely loved it and the spirit touched their hearts so they can continue on the path of righteousness. They are a family I will be sure to come back and visit.

Sister Davis and I hitting the road to Independence VC!

Thomas is progressing so well. We took him to the visitors center last night. To explain where we are at with him would basically be that he has finished all the lessons, and his baptism date is this coming Saturday. But our hearts are trying to be sensitive to the spirit, Sister Davis and I have spent much time in prayer asking to know if he is truly ready to be baptized, and to be honest we still don't know. Yesterday we taught him tithing and fasting and he panicked a little bit about paying tithing. We have some concerns, yet to the standards, he is ready. We are going through the baptismal interview questions tonight and we will determine! So next week on email you will know for sure if Thomas got baptized on Saturday! Prayers would be greatly appreciated! He is an amazing guy.

 

Kezah and her son Elijah are on date to be baptized for March 7th, Kezah is receiving lots of opposition from her family about meeting with us. She said, "I know its right. And I love Jesus and want to do what it takes. I feel such a connection with you sisters." Hurrah for Israel! We are being so blessed.

I just finished a topic Book of Mormon on the Doctrine of Christ, and have now started topic #2, The Atonement. I broke it up into three parts, 1. The enabling, cleansing, redeeming, and strengthening power of the atonement, 2. Death on the cross and the garden of Gethsemane. 3. Immortality and Resurrection.

 

My favorite part so far is in 1 Nephi 7. When Nephi is being bound with cords from his brothers, it is so interesting how he recognizes the need for the atonement and acts accordingly. He says in verse 17,

 

"And it came to pass that I prayed unto the lord saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren, yea, even GIVE ME THE STRENGTH that I may burst the bands with which I am bound."

 

Here is what Elder Bednar says about it which is must better than what I could say, "It is especially interesting to me that Nephi did not pray to have his circumstances changed. RATHER, he prayed for the strength to change his circumstances. And I believe he prayed in this manner precisely because he knew, understood, and had experienced the enabling power of the atonement." 

 

I have had times on my mission, that I prayed to get out of a situation. A companion, an area.. whatever it may be. Well my prayers changed when I realized how powerful Nephi's example was. The atonement doesn't take it away, it gives us the strength and enables us to do it but do it better. How grateful I am for that. When I changed my mind, he changed my heart.

 

I love all of you, I hope you have a wonderful week.

 

XOXO, Sista Flink

 

PS:  Do you think I have too much jewelry?