Setting Goals is an Act of Faith - 05/05/14

Tassie Times

Where does the time go? We had a good week this week!

On Monday we got our emails and shopping done and then we spent the rest of the day cleaning the flat and writing letters and stuff. We had dinner that night with the stake president and his family. They have three little girls who are absolutely gorgeous!

Tuesday morning we had district meeting. After that we went tracting for a while. Then we had a lesson with a less-active family. Their son recently turned 8 but because they haven't been overly active lately they don't feel like he can be baptized until he is taught all of the lessons. So we are teaching him every week. Seems like all I do is teach 8-9 year old little boys. But I love it! After that we had dinner with the sweetest older couple in the ward. They are both so sweet. I don't remember how but somehow we got talking about L and her family and how they want to move down to Tasmania so badly. As soon as I said that he told me that the ward, especially the bishopric, has been praying for move-ins to the ward. He asked me to get in contact with L and see if she would let me give them her contact details so that they can communicate with her and help her to get her family moved down here. As he told me this, it felt so right. I felt like maybe that is the reason I needed to come to Tasmania. So that night I got permission from the assistants to call L. She was so surprised when I called. Oh I just love her. As soon as I started explaining the conversation that took place at dinner, she just started to cry. She told me she had been praying just that day that somehow she would have some help getting to Tassie because she didn't feel like she could do it on her own. I am so happy about this. She would love it here and their family would fit so well. And the members here would take good care of them.

Wednesday we had a lesson with an investigator. Basically the lesson was all over the place. He hardly listened to what we said and just kept talking about the things that other religions believe and stuff. We left and decided that we needed to have one more lesson with him and really be bold with him.

Thursday morning we were in the family history center again. I don't know if it's just because it's a small town and word gets around easier or what but the family history center is so busy! It's awesome! After that we had a lesson with an older couple. It was another train wreck. She has pretty bad dementia and she can't remember anything for more than about five minutes. So that makes teaching her pretty much impossible. He is Bahai (not sure how to spell it). I don't know much about it but it seems like a pretty different religion. He basically just argued the whole time. So needless to say, we won't be going back there.

Found this Mapleine in the flat... you better believe I made pancakes with maple syrup!

Me and Sister R after the drive to Hobart

By about 4:30 we had to run home and hurry and pack an overnight bag and then we hopped in the car to drive down to Hobart to stay the night before our Zone Conference with Elder Hamula. It takes about 2.5 hours to drive down to Hobart. Sister R and I and the Launceston Sisters stayed with a member down there. We had to get up really early on Friday morning and leave by 6:45 am to go to our conference with Elder Hamula. Ah, it was so good. He and Sister Hamula both spoke to us and it was so uplifting. I feel like I received so much revelation. Elder Hamula talked a lot about how the Book of Mormon provides a witness and how it increases faith. He also talked a lot about planning and goal setting. He said that our mission needs to improve on this to lift the mission. The things he said really impressed me and I have such a desire to improve. The thing that he said that I loved the most is that whether or not we reach our goals is not what is important--that setting goals is an act of faith and we are successful if we do everything in our power to achieve that goal, not that we actually achieve it. My mind flashed right back to last November-December when I was serving with Sister Stevenson. Every companionship was supposed to baptize before Christmas and Sister Stevenson and I were doing all in our power to be able to do so. And yet it didn't happen. I was devastated and felt like I had failed. But we didn't. We did all in our power and we worked hard. The Lord doesn't judge results, he judges efforts. Satan is the one who wants me to feel like a failure.

After the conference ended, the whole zone went to Pizza Hut for the buffet lunch which was really fun! On the drive down to Hobart our brakes had been acting a little funny so we had to get them checked before we could drive back. We ended up not being able to head back until 4:45. Then it was raining like crazy and everyone was driving slower because of it so it took us ages to finally get back. I have never wanted to be out of a car so badly in my life.

Saturday morning the ward had a Super Service Saturday where everyone goes and deep cleans the chapel which was really good. I love the members here. They are great!

Me and Sister R at the Super Service Saturday!

Church on Sunday was really good! We had 4 investigators come to sacrament meeting which was awesome! After church we grabbed one of the young women and did some tracting and then took her to a lesson with M. We really took control of this lesson and were bold and it went a lot better. We invited him to be baptized on May 24th and he accepted, conditional on his finding that the Book of Mormon was true. I was actually really surprised that he accepted. Unfortunately we got a message from him later last night and he dropped us. Bummer huh?

Overall it's been a good week! We are doing a lot of finding trying to build a solid teaching pool! Hopefully we find some golden investigators soon!

I love y'all heaps and heaps!

Love,

Sister Baker xxx

P.S. The ward boundaries are pretty big. We try to spread out but we've mostly been in Deloraine and Westbury thus far.