Early Pday, Sept. 9, 2017
Because of transfers on Monday, Sister Freeman emailed on Saturday this week.
I am so excited for Cole to get back out to Detroit! He's gonna help a lot of people!!
I shared the Bode vs gravel road story with Summer. This is her response
Sis F: I may or may not have felt the Spirit really strong while reading that. I have been praying for Bode every morning and night to read his scriptures and to pray so hearing that he said his personal prayer that morning was a real answer to my prayers. I am so glad that he is learning to rely on the Lord because that is where true strength comes from. I'm also glad that he was alright and that nothing really serious happened. Besides, isn't it sometimes in the oddest of ways that Heavenly Father helps you to gain a testimony and to trust Him? Make sure that Bode writes that experience down in a journal so that he remembers it. Also, ask him if he said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for keeping him safe.
Me:As we discussed it that night, I reminded him to thank Heavenly Father for the protection he enjoyed and he told Brek to remember to say his prayers also. I'm sure seminary is helping. Your testimony can grow so much from seminary. Also I put it on your blog. So it will be in your mission book. Also he asked me which way the wind need to blow to get the game changed to Connell on Monday. He really wants a home game. I have no idea which way the wind needs to blow but his faith is renewed right now in the power of prayer.
You know that scripture that says all things will come to your remembrance. Well I asked him why he didn't push on his brakes. He remembered that I've told him don't push on your brakes and he also remembered that I told him if you're going to go off the road, let it happen. Don't try to stop it or you will roll. So those things were brought back to his remembrance. The Lord loves us.
Sis F: I definitely remember that scripture. Can't remember where it is at the moment but I have definitely had those same experiences. Bode's testimony is definitely going to grow so much. Tell him that the only way your testimony can grow is when you open your mouth (D&C 33: 8-10) and share experiences that you have had or of things that you have learned at church, from others, scriptures, etc. Having him bear his testimony about that experience will change his life and help others to grow their testimonies and to work on personal prayers more, too. That is awesome. Brek looks up to him so much so it's good that Bode is helping Brek to remember to say his prayers. Bode is going to be a great missionary one day. For seminary what are they studying?
Me: They are studying the b of m.
Sis F: That is awesome. Tell him that if he reads 20 pages a day he can finish in about 2 weeks or less ;) haha but I definitely hope that he is reading and pondering. Something that he should do before he reads is to pray and ask Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon is true and then get up and start reading. After he is done, pray and ask again if the Book of Mormon is true. This process will help to increase his faith. Even yours! Even if you already know that it is true, asking to know will help it get planted so deeply into your heart that you will never have to question it again even in some of the hardest trials.
Me: I haven't prayed about the b of m for a long time. That's a great idea. I will do that. And encourage everyone else to do that also.
Sis F: It's one of the things that I pray a lot because when you get bashed by those who don't like the church at all, the only way to know that this church is true is by praying to know if the Book of Mormon is true. It's helped me to continue going out and talking to people and to not fear what they think or say to me.
I am so excited for Cole to get back out to Detroit! He's gonna help a lot of people!!
I shared the Bode vs gravel road story with Summer. This is her response
Sis F: I may or may not have felt the Spirit really strong while reading that. I have been praying for Bode every morning and night to read his scriptures and to pray so hearing that he said his personal prayer that morning was a real answer to my prayers. I am so glad that he is learning to rely on the Lord because that is where true strength comes from. I'm also glad that he was alright and that nothing really serious happened. Besides, isn't it sometimes in the oddest of ways that Heavenly Father helps you to gain a testimony and to trust Him? Make sure that Bode writes that experience down in a journal so that he remembers it. Also, ask him if he said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for keeping him safe.
Me:As we discussed it that night, I reminded him to thank Heavenly Father for the protection he enjoyed and he told Brek to remember to say his prayers also. I'm sure seminary is helping. Your testimony can grow so much from seminary. Also I put it on your blog. So it will be in your mission book. Also he asked me which way the wind need to blow to get the game changed to Connell on Monday. He really wants a home game. I have no idea which way the wind needs to blow but his faith is renewed right now in the power of prayer.
You know that scripture that says all things will come to your remembrance. Well I asked him why he didn't push on his brakes. He remembered that I've told him don't push on your brakes and he also remembered that I told him if you're going to go off the road, let it happen. Don't try to stop it or you will roll. So those things were brought back to his remembrance. The Lord loves us.
Sis F: I definitely remember that scripture. Can't remember where it is at the moment but I have definitely had those same experiences. Bode's testimony is definitely going to grow so much. Tell him that the only way your testimony can grow is when you open your mouth (D&C 33: 8-10) and share experiences that you have had or of things that you have learned at church, from others, scriptures, etc. Having him bear his testimony about that experience will change his life and help others to grow their testimonies and to work on personal prayers more, too. That is awesome. Brek looks up to him so much so it's good that Bode is helping Brek to remember to say his prayers. Bode is going to be a great missionary one day. For seminary what are they studying?
Me: They are studying the b of m.
Sis F: That is awesome. Tell him that if he reads 20 pages a day he can finish in about 2 weeks or less ;) haha but I definitely hope that he is reading and pondering. Something that he should do before he reads is to pray and ask Heavenly Father if the Book of Mormon is true and then get up and start reading. After he is done, pray and ask again if the Book of Mormon is true. This process will help to increase his faith. Even yours! Even if you already know that it is true, asking to know will help it get planted so deeply into your heart that you will never have to question it again even in some of the hardest trials.
Me: I haven't prayed about the b of m for a long time. That's a great idea. I will do that. And encourage everyone else to do that also.
Sis F: It's one of the things that I pray a lot because when you get bashed by those who don't like the church at all, the only way to know that this church is true is by praying to know if the Book of Mormon is true. It's helped me to continue going out and talking to people and to not fear what they think or say to me.
I've also been able to see the power that a testimony has on someone who is against the church or doesn't believe in God at all. It was an amazing experience. As soon as the words "I know..." start to come out of your mouth it's as if the world stands still and even the person who is trying to bash with us has a hard time after that trying to continue to tell us that the church wasn't true. You can't persuade someone to not believe in the church if they have a testimony of it.
Me: Believe it or not but this helps also as a mother. When your kid says it's hard to follow the commandments etc and as a parent it would be so much easier to let them have their way. But "knowing" makes all that hard work worth it and bearable and doable. So I don't quite understand your exact situation as being rejected as a missionary but I do as a mother.
Sis F: I've honestly been having a really hard time this last week believing that God answers prayers so hearing Bode's experience has really strengthened my testimony of how important prayers are in our everyday lives. Let him know that he is a huge example to me and also to the family.
Me: I hope that he will share it but he was still embarrassed that he drove off the road. Hopefully that pain will dissipate so he can share with his friends.
Sis F: Well people definitely would've known if he had ended up at school the next day with cuts and bruises. To have that big of a miracle is something that he doesn't need to be ashamed of because he knows for himself that God is there and is willing to listen and watch over us. He can help so many people by sharing that experience. I hope it's okay if I share his experience with investigators, members, less actives, etc.?
Me: Yes absolutely share. He will get over his embarrassment and share I'm sure. He had to do spiritual thought for seminary that day and he didn't share that experience because it was too raw and we hadn't got to talk about it.
Sis F: Well, he definitely knows that God is there and that He listens to us. That's what matters. Soon he will be sharing this experience all the time on his mission that his companions may get sick of hearing about it. But that experience will be what changes someone's life one day. Here's a talk that I found that you all could read and study about together for FHE!
It's called: "What Is Pure Testimony?" by Elyse Alexandria Holmes
PICTURES THIS WEEK!!
Back row: Sis Newby, Elder Boyack (he's going to be training this transfer!) and Elder Peterson
Front Row: Sister Freeman, Elder Williamson and Elder Call
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