What a marvelous time to be a missionary!!! I'm so grateful to be serving here in the wonderful Salem ward! I finished another Study Journal yesterday and as I was reflecting back on the last 5 months. How blessed am I to have been able to serve a mission?! I have been so blessed to serve where I have been called! One of my favorite songs and one that has had a lot of significance to me personally is Hymn #270. In it, it talks about serving over mountain or plain or sea...I laughed because that is exactly what has happened on my mission! I started in the mountains of Harrisonburg, went to the plains of North Carolina, and now I am in the Sea of Virginia Beach. I love being a missionary! I love the VRM! I am grateful that the Lord has restored His church back to the earth so that I can enjoy these great blessings!
Last night, we set Nassin Day (Maddy Milanak's son) for baptism on December 27! It is going to be a white Christmas!!! I love this work! The Spirit was so strong! As Sis. Phillips taught about the Atonement, the Spirit just filled the room. And no matter what Satan wanted to throw at us, we knew that he needed to set a date! The whole Milanak family is really coming around. As we teach them now, all the kids come into the room. I love it!
In Relief Society on Sunday we had a lesson on Pres. Monson's talk from Conference. They asked us to use only 25 words to write and tell our family what we wanted them to know if we didn't know if we would see them again. I wanted to share with you my response:
REMEMBER what matters: Christ lives, Prayer brings strength, Follow Spirit, God cares, follow Spirit, Family, Say I love you, Listening, read scriptures, COVENANTS, value education!
I do love you all!!! We are spending Thanksgiving with the Schoppaul's, the Arney's and the Saldivars!!! I'm excited!
Love,
Sister Abbott
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
It's SNOWING!!!!!!
So Yesterday, I was walking out to our car, and I saw this little white stuff falling from the sky!!! Yeah, that's right...SNOW!!! I think I was a little more excited about the flurries than anyone else, but that's ok. Nothing stuck, in fact, nothing even stayed frozen once it touched ground.
We have been on exchanges again this week. It was fun. I was with Sis. Halliday in Cape Henry and Sis. James went with Sis. Phillips in Salem. I love exchanges, but I'm glad to be back. We were planning on doing a sister's p-day at the church, but I think Sis. Phillips and I might ditch it to take a nap.
We went yesterday to teach a former investigator couple. As we sat down and started talking, they mentioned their grandson who lives with them who has CP. I started talking to them about it and mentioned Jayne's botox. Jamar had also done that, and was getting ready for another treatment. They really loosened up as we spoke. As we left, Sis. Halliday said how grateful she was that I was there for that. It is always good to have the confirmation to know that you are where the Lord needs you to be. Oh, and we met Jamar, and taught him too. They will be going back in a couple days to teach them all together! I was grateful to know that just because he had braces on his legs, he was still accountable. He is really bright and pretty excited about reading the Book of Mormon. So thank you Jayne for helping me to understand Jamar better so that he can come closer to Christ!
We had a lot of really great experiences while we were on exchanges, but sadly, my e-mail time is coming to a close! I love being a missionary! I love serving the Lord! I am so grateful for the experiences He grants us in order to mold us into the person He needs us to be! It can be painful, but it is necessary. And sometimes, just sometimes, he lets us see just a foretaste of what it will be like when we finally get there! I love my Savior! I am grateful for the Atoning sacrifice that provides the way for me to return to His presence to be with my family forever!
Love,
Sister Abbott
We have been on exchanges again this week. It was fun. I was with Sis. Halliday in Cape Henry and Sis. James went with Sis. Phillips in Salem. I love exchanges, but I'm glad to be back. We were planning on doing a sister's p-day at the church, but I think Sis. Phillips and I might ditch it to take a nap.
We went yesterday to teach a former investigator couple. As we sat down and started talking, they mentioned their grandson who lives with them who has CP. I started talking to them about it and mentioned Jayne's botox. Jamar had also done that, and was getting ready for another treatment. They really loosened up as we spoke. As we left, Sis. Halliday said how grateful she was that I was there for that. It is always good to have the confirmation to know that you are where the Lord needs you to be. Oh, and we met Jamar, and taught him too. They will be going back in a couple days to teach them all together! I was grateful to know that just because he had braces on his legs, he was still accountable. He is really bright and pretty excited about reading the Book of Mormon. So thank you Jayne for helping me to understand Jamar better so that he can come closer to Christ!
We had a lot of really great experiences while we were on exchanges, but sadly, my e-mail time is coming to a close! I love being a missionary! I love serving the Lord! I am so grateful for the experiences He grants us in order to mold us into the person He needs us to be! It can be painful, but it is necessary. And sometimes, just sometimes, he lets us see just a foretaste of what it will be like when we finally get there! I love my Savior! I am grateful for the Atoning sacrifice that provides the way for me to return to His presence to be with my family forever!
Love,
Sister Abbott
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Great week in the field!!!
Sorry I forgot to talk about Halloween last week. I totally spaced it even though ya'll asked me about it. It was really great! We celebrated Sis. Phillip's Birthday since she apparently hates her birthday. I can't even fathom that! My birthday is amazing and I'm pretty sure it should be a national holliday! Anyway, so I conspired with some ward members and the family that we live with. We had a nice birthday breakfast with waffles! And then Brother Stephens who owns a pizza place gave us a pizza and even got Sis. Phillips a birthday cake! Hopefully it made this birthday a little better. I didn't find out until the next day that she thought that I was kidding when I said that we were going to celebrate her birthday on Halloween. If there are two things I don't kid about it is birthdays and halloween! Anyway, so we spent Halloween night planning for the next week. It was fun! A little weird to hear the doorbell all night with trick or treaters, but fun!
So the pics are mostly from Halloween. The other pics are from the mission council. Elder McMurdie, Sis. Sowards, Sis. Moss and I. And the other pic is of Sis. Phillips with Sazon Goya! A member gave us some and we were adding it into everything! It was pretty funny, and kind of gross, but a good mission story none the less!
The ward had an awesome chili cookoff where we were able to meet a ton of member referrals! In fact one of the women that we met we were able to teach in her friends home on Monday night! It was pretty awesome! The Elders had a great baptism on Saturday that Janine and her fiance came to. He is not as receptive so Janine is backing off. It makes me sad, but I know that it will just take time and the Spirit working with him.
Then on Monday we found this lady who started off by saying that she wasn't interested and was a born again Christian. Long story short... 45 min later we were setting up an appointment for Tuesday. We went back and she invited her roommate. We will be going back on Friday night and they are coming to church on Sunday! I love being a missionary!!!
Well, I'm about to get kicked off! I hope ya'll have an awesome week! I know we will! It is always great in the work of the Lord!! :)
Love,
Sister Abbott
So the pics are mostly from Halloween. The other pics are from the mission council. Elder McMurdie, Sis. Sowards, Sis. Moss and I. And the other pic is of Sis. Phillips with Sazon Goya! A member gave us some and we were adding it into everything! It was pretty funny, and kind of gross, but a good mission story none the less!
The ward had an awesome chili cookoff where we were able to meet a ton of member referrals! In fact one of the women that we met we were able to teach in her friends home on Monday night! It was pretty awesome! The Elders had a great baptism on Saturday that Janine and her fiance came to. He is not as receptive so Janine is backing off. It makes me sad, but I know that it will just take time and the Spirit working with him.
Then on Monday we found this lady who started off by saying that she wasn't interested and was a born again Christian. Long story short... 45 min later we were setting up an appointment for Tuesday. We went back and she invited her roommate. We will be going back on Friday night and they are coming to church on Sunday! I love being a missionary!!!
Well, I'm about to get kicked off! I hope ya'll have an awesome week! I know we will! It is always great in the work of the Lord!! :)
Love,
Sister Abbott
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Staying in Salem!!!!
Woot Woot!!! I am SOOOOOOOO excited to tell ya'll that I am staying in good old Salem!!! That will put me at 7 1/2 months here! Hopefully I'll be able to finish here! I am probably more excited about getting to stay with Sis. Phillips! I just pray she can survive another transfer or two with me...:)
This week was great!! I was so happy to be back to normal after last week! A lot of things are a little crazy, and we have been having trouble setting appointments with our investigators, but it has been good. We have been having a ton of divine rendezvous! I love it! It is like God's way of telling you that you are exactly where he wants you. Just yesterday we met this man named Edward. We were going to visit a new woman in the ward. When I saw her on Sunday, I felt like we needed to schedule an appointment with her. So we set one up for Tuesday. Before the appointment we went finding in her apartment complex. As we were walking around this corner, we saw Edward. He was in a hurry so I asked if I could give him a card for the Book of Mormon. He stopped and we started talking. He had become disillusioned with religion a while ago and was very intrigued that we share that Christ church has been restored today. We are going back to meet with him and his wife on Saturday!!!
There have been so many! I am so grateful for this work and the small part we play in it!!! I love being a missionary! There is nothing better! This morning I realized that this would have been my last transfer. But I still have 3 months left! I am SOOO grateful that I have been granted this time to serve my Father in Heaven! This morning I was studying in Jeremiah. And I read in Chapter 18 about how we are clay in the potter's hands. I realize that sometimes I am not the most maleable. That is something I need to work on. I need to let Him mold me into what HE needs me to be before I come home! I love this gospel! I love this work! I love Salem! I love Virginia! I love my comp! I just love it all!
I hope ya'll have a great week! Happy Birthday Cambo!!!!
Love,
Sister Abbott
PS--They are putting Sisters in Cape Henry, so that is 6 sisters in our district!!!!! I'm pretty stoked!!
This week was great!! I was so happy to be back to normal after last week! A lot of things are a little crazy, and we have been having trouble setting appointments with our investigators, but it has been good. We have been having a ton of divine rendezvous! I love it! It is like God's way of telling you that you are exactly where he wants you. Just yesterday we met this man named Edward. We were going to visit a new woman in the ward. When I saw her on Sunday, I felt like we needed to schedule an appointment with her. So we set one up for Tuesday. Before the appointment we went finding in her apartment complex. As we were walking around this corner, we saw Edward. He was in a hurry so I asked if I could give him a card for the Book of Mormon. He stopped and we started talking. He had become disillusioned with religion a while ago and was very intrigued that we share that Christ church has been restored today. We are going back to meet with him and his wife on Saturday!!!
There have been so many! I am so grateful for this work and the small part we play in it!!! I love being a missionary! There is nothing better! This morning I realized that this would have been my last transfer. But I still have 3 months left! I am SOOO grateful that I have been granted this time to serve my Father in Heaven! This morning I was studying in Jeremiah. And I read in Chapter 18 about how we are clay in the potter's hands. I realize that sometimes I am not the most maleable. That is something I need to work on. I need to let Him mold me into what HE needs me to be before I come home! I love this gospel! I love this work! I love Salem! I love Virginia! I love my comp! I just love it all!
I hope ya'll have a great week! Happy Birthday Cambo!!!!
Love,
Sister Abbott
PS--They are putting Sisters in Cape Henry, so that is 6 sisters in our district!!!!! I'm pretty stoked!!
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