Seafood and Bikes!

Recently I have been praying for faith-building experiences.  I think I learned my lesson...that's like praying for patience.  Haha!  No, it was a really good week, but between my card being hacked at Target (it's all worked out now), and a few other trials,  it was definitely a trying week. I so admire Elder Eyring in one of his talks, I believe it was called "Mountains to Climb", where he talks about having the faith to pray and ask for mountains to climb or give me challenges.  What faith to be able to ask Heavenly Father to test your faithfulness and courage by proving yourself valiant in trials!  I hope that I, too, can do that.  I definitely want to be numbered among those of Heavenly Father's valiant and faithful servants.

We truly had a great week.  Our investigator Judy, who told us she did not want to be "taught" but would let us share messages from the Book of Mormon, actually let us teach her this week.  She has just been burned with too many churches in the past and doesn't want to feel "committed" to a church and get burned again, so she just keeps her guard up. This week though, I wouldn't use the word "trick her" into teaching but we were basically like, 'Judy, you always let us share messages from our book, so we were thinking we could just give you a little more information about this book we always read from.'

So we taught the Book of Mormon as Brother Donaldson taught in the special training and she loved it!  By the end of it she was like " I need to read this book!"  What a blessing and a miracle.  Then we invited her to church and she said yes!  She told us before that she would never set foot in another church, but here she is saying that she would come.  Then...she came!  She came to church yesterday, and she stayed all 3 hours.  She said the closing prayer in Sunday School and in her prayer, through choked back tears she said "this is the best day of my life, this is the happiest I have ever felt.  Thank you for providing these wonderful people that just love me and have made me feel so welcome.  This is what has been missing from my life."  It was a miracle.  We are finally beginning to have the fruits of our labors harvested!  That was an exciting day, I am feeling so happy and blessed.

I had exchanges with Sister Tuttle this week and I loved it!  I loved being on a bike, it was such a great day.  We taught 3 investigator lessons, 2 less-active lessons, contacted everyone we saw, and even taught a pamphlet lesson on the street.  It was such a great day.  I left feeling so refreshed an energized to work hard this week again and again, to build up our area so it can be as my experience was on exchanges.

I love the drive and desire I have to learn the gospel, and read the scriptures and talks from our church leaders, from Apostles and Prophets, and just soak up all the knowledge that I can.  This has been a blessing on my mission - I have never felt this way before, but I just want to know all the things that I can.  I love it.  I love this gospel.  It helps us in EVERY aspect of our life.  I love my mission because I have become more converted to the gospel than ever.  As I become more converted, I can deepen others' conversion because I know that we cannot convert beyond our own conversion.  I love this gospel, and I love my mission.  It is hard, but it isn't called "missionary work" for nothing, it takes work.  It takes changing as the Lord molds us into our fullest potential, into what He knows we can become.

This is the best video on the scriptures, definitely a MUST watch!  (Click the link)

Honoring Scriptures

I'm singing in two weeks in another ward with Sister Arave who lives with us.  She wants to do a duet.  I feel like I'm singing every week somewhere.  Ha ha!

Love,
Sister Carina Wawro

PICTURES:

This is what someone made us for dinner one night.  SO DELICIOUS!  It was like being home and having crawfish cook-outs at the Barnetts'.  Ha ha!  But this was like...Sister Adams worst nightmare.  Lol!  I have come to love seafood more and more the longer I've been out.

 

Cotton from cottonwood trees everywhere.  Looks like snow!  It's crazy!

We went on exchanges this week with Sister Tuttle, the same one I went with last time, and I LOVE HER!  She is amazing.  We had so much fun and I LOVE THE BIKE. Hopefully I get on one soon.  Lol!  It's so much easier to talk to people on a bike than in a car; its refreshing to bike all over town all day; it just feels good and it's not really hard if you have the right skirt.  If I ever do go on a bike during my mission, I'll have to get bike shorts, but I just wore tights for exchanges.  It's just wonderful - I love it.  So fun!

From Sunday, May 25th:  The one in black is Judy, our investigator, and the other is Mary, a sweet less-active lady with dimentia that we have been working with.  She just walked up and joined our picture.  Lol!  It was hilarious. 

Here is my sweet Judy.
I love her.

So I sang in church yesterday, and when I was done this cute little boy, "J", was like "That was so beautiful!  Can I go give her a hug?"  Everyone in the congregation laughs, and as I'm walking down to go back to my seat, he comes running up the aisle and hugs me.  So cute!  We happened to eat dinner with them that night so I HAD to take a picture with him.  He is so cute!!!!

Birthday Week!

It was my birthday!  So fun to have a birthday on a mission.  We ate lunch with one of our investigators and she had a birthday cake, and then at dinner with the Wright's, she had a really cute cake as well.  I loved the packages I got from home and the few gifts I received from people in the ward - it was SO nice.  Overall it was a good day.  Feels weird that I'm 20 though?  Haha I still feel 16 (but do not wish to go back to being 16) haha!

This week I get to sing in a trio at zone conference, and then next Sunday I get to sing a solo in church so that will be fun.   :)

Well this has again been a very humbling week.  The work has just been very dry.  No one seems to be interested, but we are effortlessly trying to tract.  I have really come to feel and understand the atonement on a new level.  I was reading a talk by Elder Holland called "Missionary Work and The Atonement" and this quote really touched me:

"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn't it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren't there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn't the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?

You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.

I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price...For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy."

This really stuck out to me, to understand the Atonement even a little more in depth, to have a deeper testimony and understanding, we have to experience some sort of trial, some sort of hardship, some sort of "hard times" just as The Savior did.  I was also fasting this Sunday for an added measure of strength, desire and determination to work hard.  I want to be the best missionary I know I can be, to fulfill my fullest potential.  While pondering this during sacrament I felt  a whispering that "it's the little things."  What an answer to prayer.  We don't just wake up one day a rock star missionary.  I must do those little things that matter, like focus on the spirit daily, grow and test my faith daily, exercising exact obedience daily.  It's the little things that make up the bigger picture...that mold and form you into that person that God designed you to become.  Just as Mosiah 21:16 the people of Limhi "And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees."  I just feel truly refreshed after this weekend, ready to finish out the next 4 weeks of the transfer strong.

I got the following letter from someone I worked with previously and was baptized, and thought I'd share it here.

"Dear Sister Wawro!

The blog that your sweet mum posts is wonderful.  I’m almost done reading the entire thing, but what caught my eye was your temporary discouragement in your new ward, Lake Stevens. You were concerned that you knock on doors, you work very hard but you didn’t seem to be getting through to many people.

But my more optimistic view, as your grateful newbie, is this: every single “lapsed” or newly baptized Mormon whom you’ve counseled and prayed with, then they attend Sacrament and Sunday School with you, will then go on to baptize their deceased relatives, and when the person you’ve contacted then moves to the next life -- that work will continue also. So it’s like a pebble tossed into a quiet lake – the ripples move out and that is what makes the difference. Just one convert can baptize many relatives from long ago! You’re the pebble! (Although I’ve never seen Lake Stevens.)

So now you see how just one person – you – can make a huge difference with even just one convert, who can then work for the glory of our Heavenly Father, forever. The thought of that makes me so happy for you, for the church, for our Father in Heaven.

Lots of love to you and happy birthday"


Love you all,
Sister Wawro

PICTURES

The other sisters in our apt are the BEST!  So nice - Arave and Yeager - decorated the apt. the bathroom and the car!

Sweet "J" - one lady we met tracting and have given service too.  She doesn't like to be "taught" but she lets us come over and do service and share a message. She's so sweet! She made me a cake and fed me birthday lunch

 Dinner with the Wrights' - beautiful birthday cake!

My wall now, with quotes from (cousin) Ashley's birthday gift  :)

 

Happy 20th Birthday!

So, I don't have any news to share about Carina since our Monday email time, BUT it's important to note that today, May 16th, this gorgeous girl turns 20.  What a crazy thing to have a child no longer in their 'teens'.  I'm so proud of her and all she does to serve and share her kind heart.  I hope her birthday in Lake Stevens, Washington is a great one.  We sent a package that should have arrived yesterday, so she'll have some cute things to open today, along with cake mix, frosting and candles!  I thought I'd also share the photo collage I put on Facebook today.  Love this girl!  (click the photo to see it larger)

Humbling Week

This has been a good week, very humbling.  I have been so fervently praying for the gift of discernment, charity and peace.  I have felt discouraged lately from all our tracting, and not finding anyone to teach. But my prayers were answered, as they always are. This whole week I felt so close to the spirit. I was teary all day, little things people said, reading my scriptures and becoming overwhelmed with happiness.  It was such a blessings and an answer to prayer - this is exactly what I needed. I feel rejuvenated and know the Lord will bless us. Also zone conference this week was amazing.  The last AP was released and called to be our zone leader and he is a true powerhouse missionary.  I felt the spirit so strong and just was so excited to get out and go to work and to try my hardest to hit standards.

My favorite part about missionary work is getting the opportunity to bear my testimony, and making bold commitments.  I love the spirit that I feel when I declare the things I know to be true, and how I came to that knowledge, and then to see them reciprocate those feelings as the spirit witnesses to them that it IS true.  And then I LOVE to be bold and promise blessings.  This week we had a lesson on the Sabbath day where we taught it.  I bore testimony and then boldly declared in the name of Jesus Christ, that if he would keep the Sabbath day, and do all he needs done on Saturday to save Sunday for worship, that his day would be extended, he would be able to get all that he needs done, and then would see insurmountable blessings on Sunday.  We haven't met with him since then, so I don't know if he did follow through, but I just love the spirit that is there to back up when we as missionaries have the power and authority to promise such blessings.

I love how beautiful Washington is.  It is so green everywhere - truly a part of God's masterful creation.  Yes it rains all the time which does get tiring, but all the green needs it to maintain its beauty!

Thank you for all the love and support, I can't believe this week I hit my halfway mark AND my 20th birthday.  It's crazy!

Love you all!
Sister Wawro

PICTURES:

We played volleyball last pday.  SO FUN!  I miss that

The beautiful necklace Julie sent me for my birthday.  I LOVE it!

 

Sister Stillwell.  Love her!

She's writing a book and it' so awesome

 

We helped a lady bake for a Mothers Day gift this week.  So fun!

Trip back to Whidbey Island

Well this week was pretty good!  Not too much happened.  We are still tirelessly and effortlessly tracting all day, every day.  We get to talk to some some neat people and have interesting experiences.  For the most part, everyone is pretty nice.  I haven't been yelled at or chased off or anything so that is a plus.  But we just haven't been able to find anyone that is interested.  I know there are prepared hearts to find, we just have to dig through dirt to get the diamonds, and sometimes that takes a while.  I know every experience I have had with investigators getting baptized, sitting in sacrament watching them receive the Holy Ghost, or witnessing their ordinance of baptism, or just having a strong and spiritual lesson where you know they know what you are saying is true, in that moment, it makes everything worth it.  Every slammed door, every 'no', it makes it ALL worth it.  So I am holding onto those experiences knowing there is a calm after the storm, there is a diamond in the dirt, and there is a soul in Lake Stevens who is wanting to be saved.  Wanting and looking for peace in this life and in The Savior and as a set-apart representative of Jesus Christ, I can find them and bring them that happiness.

We've kept track of all our lessons and stats for this transfer.  And the results are, in the past 6 weeks we taught 63 lessons to recent converts and less actives.  And we taught 81 total lessons: recent convert, less active, investigators etc.  Then we invited 220 people to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  If nothing else, I know Heavenly Father is proud of our diligent efforts.

Oh I almost forgot, I had the wonderful experience of going back to Whidbey Island for a baptism!  It was so wonderful, I had the blessing and opportunity to speak at it on baptism.  The spirit was so strong as I bore my witness and sincere testimony to "I" on how important this ordinance is in opening the door to salvation and exaltation, and preparing herself to be worthy to enter the kingdom of God.  It was so nice to go back and see all my old favorites!  Sister Black and Shelly Mac and the Moss's and others!  And of course my sweet Sister Oswald.  We got to sing in the chapel after together, just like old times.  I was so thankful that we were able to come back.

I am most recently studying the conference talks, printing them off during email/mormon.org time and studying them in the way that we were counseled to study the talks when Elder Bednar was coming. I can't remember who said this quote but I just recently heard this and I loved it. "Hearken unto the words of the prophets as if our salvation depends on it, because it does."  How blessed are we to live in a dispensation where we are lead and guided by a prophet of God!  We should listen to their counsel because it is directly from our Heavenly Father and what HE wants us to hear.

Love you all!

Sister Carina Wawro

PICTURES

Here is my area!

 

The view from someones backyard! 

I've still got my water :)

 

 

Sunburn! FINALLY!?

Traveling on the ferry back to Whidbey for "I"s baptism

 

"I"s baptism!

 

My district in Lake Stevens!