Why am I serving the Lord?

Why am I serving the Lord?

Monday, May 18, 2015

Hello, its good to be back and updating you on this week! It has been a great and exciting one.
 Sister Hunt is taking wonderful care of me, she packs my open wound morning and night! What a stinkin' trooper.
Dr. Kirk took such awesome care of me.  He cut it open and showed Sister Hunt how to take care of it.  I have some funny videos of Sister Hunt packing my open wound.  It's just a little flesh wound, but it is so sore and tender.  It should heal in about 2-3 weeks.
Investigator wise, Kris is preparing for his baptism this Saturday at 11:00! He is so excited and so are we. He is one of the most prepared investigators I have taught on my mission thus far, he is a miracle and will be a strong and faithful member of the church. We took him to the Historic Liberty Jail last night and he LOVED it, one of his concerns was he wanted to know more about the Prophet Joseph, and can I just say how eternally grateful I am for the church history here in Missouri and to be serving in Zion, I will forever be more grateful for the early saints and the sacrifices made here in Missouri.
Since Anthony, Kris, and Luis all got baptized, we are in the finding stage of the work right now. We are trying to find new people to teach and bring unto Jesus Christ, the Lord truly has prepared souls all around us. We must be diligent, we must be worthy of the spirit, and we must following the promptings so we can find those precious sons and daughters of Heavenly Father. What an exciting work it is!
 
We went on Exchanges with the Sedalia Sisters, and I spent the day in Sedalia with Sister Pita, she is wonderful. I was back in a boonie area, oh the days of country life!

 (Bear with me this next part will be lengthy)
 
 This week we took a trip out to Harrisonville to look for inactive YSA's and I had an experience that touched me and impacted me and has continued to be on my mind since. I will try my best to put it into words. We had been there for 2 hours and hadn't been able to talk to anyone. We decided to try one last person on the list and we met a young guy and he was so excited to see us. He walked out and said, "Hi Sisters! Good to see you!" and we just looked at each other and thought... "there's gotta be a story behind this." He was so happy to see us, had a special light about him, yet.. we had never seen him or heard of him ever before. As we talked to him, we got his story. He is a convert, he served an honorable full time mission and is a Returned Missionary of about 2 years, and he is inactive and attending another church. When I heard this, I guess he could see the heartache in my eyes because he said, "I know. I am one of those sad statistics Sisters, and I served a mission, I know why you're here. I love the church, but you might be wasting your time." and as I talked to him I had an overwhelming and burning feeling that I knew he still had a testimony. I knew he knew what was right, but I also knew that he had no desire at this time to make the gospel a part of his life. It reminded me of someone very special in my personal life and as we talked with him, I told him about my favorite talk by Jeffery R. Holland called, 'Cast not away therefore your confidence.' and recited my favorite quote that came into my mind as clear as day, "beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. Certainly don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. Face your doubts. Master your fears. “Cast not away therefore your confidence.” Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you." Brothers and Sisters, I cried as I testified that there was time when he wore that badge and he LIVED for it, blood, sweat, and tears everyday. There is no possible way he is too far gone. I testified of the truthfulness of the gospel and left him with the commitment to read that talk and his book of Mormon. As we left, my heart just hurt. I cried with my companion knowing every soul is great in the eyes of god, and that God wanted him back. He texted us 25 minutes later and said he read the talk, and thanked us, and asked us to come back and have lunch this coming Tuesday. I don't know if anything will happen, but I do know how I felt and it was one of the strongest feelings of "I have to help him." that I have ever felt. And the personal experience I took from it all was communing with my Father in Heaven that night, I cried to him, I told him to make me strong and immovable so I would never be that returned missionary. I promised him I would be faithful in my callings, in my scripture study and prayer, in my church attendance, in all that he asks me to do, no matter the cost. After all, we need not count the cost. There is none, but pure happiness and joy. That prayer is marked in my heart, to Endure to the End, and live for it, because it IS true, and that will never change.
 
I am grateful for a Savior who loves us infinitely, I am grateful for his gospel that perfects us into the saints we are meant to become. I am grateful for the Atonement and the chance to start over, for "There are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings." Dieter F. Uchtdorf
With all that as been going on with me these past two weeks, guess who came to check on me and make sure I was doing OK!  MOODERS and Cheryl!!  Yay!
 
Stayton Gray, Emily Peterson, Hannah Weatherly, and Sister Hunt!  Great times with the YSA ward!
Picture #1. Funeral for Elder Oronoz, he goes home this week. Hilarious huh?
We love you so! 
I love you all, have a great week.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Hello to those I love!
 I will try my best to explain what has happened this week. To sum it up, lots of meetings, lots of doctors, an ER visit, and... A BAPTISM to top it all off! Things are exciting.
 
Luis got baptized on Saturday, it was wonderful! I am so excited for his journey to begin, because that is the beauty of the baptismal covenant, it IS just the beginning. The spirit filled the room and he now is a member of Jesus Christ's church, what more could you ask for? As he came back from the font he just kept saying, "Sisters, I feel so good. I feel so good." and that was simple enough for anyone to understand the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
 We had Mission Leadership Council this Tuesday where I gave a training on Diligence to all the leaders of the mission, that was intimidating. Friday we had Zone Training where we presented all the trainings again from MLC, and then Saturday we had a Sister Training Leader meeting with just the STL's at the mission home. Filled with much knowledge and huge doses of the spirit, I am grateful for all that I learn and what the Lord teaches me over and over again. He sure knows I need repetition, maybe that's why I'm always giving trainings in scary meetings!
So, this week, I have been in the E.R and in and out of doctors. I got a spider bite that got super infected and after a sketchy Urgent Care place and a few needles and cuts and an E.R visit later, I am doing okay. In some good pain but I got some good pain medicine (makes me loopy) and a companion who FORCES me to rest (I'd rather knock doors) so all is well! I'd send pics but you really don't want to see it. The weirdest things happen on missions, I tell ya what.
What is it?  Spider Bite?  I don't know!
 My testimony was solidified this week of the power of the Priesthood of God. It is real, and it is truly Jesus Christ's authority on the earth today to bless our lives. I received multiple blessings this week and I felt the love of my Heavenly Father through a worthy Priesthood Holder and the blessings promised. I am grateful for the Priesthood men in my life as I know miracles happen because of it. I love this gospel, I'm so very grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and the infinite love he shows me. I have a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon and the power it has to change lives.
 
"How lonely and hard life would be if the only thing religion and faith in Christ could give us was an assurance that everything will be alright 'then', in the future at the judgment, but offered no temporal relief or guidance now. However, because the Atonement is infinite and eternal, it spans past, present, and future. Thus it can help us with our past, present, and future."
 
Have a wonderful week!
Sushi makes everything better!
XOXO   Sister Flink
 
 

Monday, May 4, 2015

"The Lord Calls Us Because We Are Worthy, Not Because We Are Perfect."‏

My friends and those I love!
 
This week has been simply fantastic! Anthony was baptized and confirmed and is now the newest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, what a blessing!
Joshua Mack and Anthony Bell on his baptism day - Saturday May 2, 2015
 In Anthony's baptismal interview when the district leader was asking him the questions. Anthony was dead serious and says, "No i haven't participated in a homosexual relationship, I lovvvveee the ladies way too much." and "No man, I'm just too pretty for Jail." haha! Anthony grew up in a very rough lifestyle, he has never had a family or people he felt like cared about him. After his confirmation he got up and bore his testimony for the first time, he explained how the gospel has changed him and how he finally feels like he has something to live for. How he has a family and people who care, and a Savior who loves him. It was a tender moment!
On our way to celebrate Anthony Big Day!
I guess this is my excited face!  I have no idea!  I get to talk to my MOM on Sunday!  That is what it is!
On Tuesday we blitzed the Warrensburg area, it was a long drive but it was successful! We were able to help them in their area and spend time with the Sisters we are over. 
 
 I was able to spend some time with the Ourth Family on Sat!  I love them!  We got to catch up and they came to the baptism and Marni just sat by me and we cried together. I love that family so much.  Darren, Brother Ourth said, "I want to give you a hug dang it! That's such a stupid rule." hehe!
The Ourth Family!  Abbey, Darren, Garrett, Marni, and ME!
What's up Abbey!
Brother Garrett, Abbey, Sister Hunt and I
Soon to be Elder Garrett!!
The Little Sister I always wanted and now I have one!
Thursday we went to BUFFALO WILD WINGS.. (for all my friends who don't have that in their mission, I enjoyed it for ya) so that was fun.
Last night we took Luis to the Liberty Jail after church, he loved it! He is getting baptized this next Saturday. He loves the gospel, he loves the church, I am excited for him to get started on this journey.
Things are wonderful! So many blessings and tender mercies are getting sent our way, I love this gospel so much. I thought this week about the natural man inside of all of us wanting to be in control, and the thought came to me, "Give up the illusion of control. Cause we are not really in control, we just like to think we are." I have learned so much on my mission that will shape the rest of my life, we have a will, and our will is not our fathers. Loving submission, obedience to the unenforceable, and increased consecration will change our very natures and empower us to give all we have to him. My favorite quote says, “submit to the hand of the Lord, … and acknowledge his hand in all things, … then you will be exactly right; and until you come to that point, you cannot be entirely right. That is what we have to come to”
 
I love you all! Have a beautiful week!  Until next time-
Xoxo Sister Flink

Also, this week is going to be crazy busy, AGAIN!
 
Tuesday- Exchanges with Sedalia Sisters
Wednesday- MLC until 4:00
Friday- Zone Training, I have to give trainings
Saturday- Sister Training Leader meeting and Luis Baptism.
 
Time is flying by, this transfer is going to be over pretty quick. And then I wonder if I will get my last companion and have her for 3 transfers. I wonder if I will end my mission here... I have no idea. I almost think they might send me to the VC my last transfer!  The Lord knows what is best for me and will am excited for all the adventures he blesses me with!

Makes me so happy!  Mooders keeps me in her scriptures!