God's Hand is Truly in My Life

I am so grateful for this week. God's hand is truly in my life. I can see the blessing that come from being obedient. I don’t even know where to begin. Well first last Monday our week was completely blank. We had no idea what we were going to do, our days were literally blank. So I am just going to go day by day, and tell you all the blessing that have happened cause I don’t want to forget anything.

Monday night: We had dinner at the Herrada's well she called us and told us that she was inviting their best friends who are not member. So they came over for dinner, and we were able to have a family home evening with them. Their family was so amazing and all of them were answering the questions. We were able to give the mother Lisa a book of Mormon. She was so excited about getting it. Sister Herrada told us that when two sets of missionaries came in the ward, she knew that she needs to get to work to find people for us to teach. It was great!

Tuesday: We went to the Palacios and were able to do some service for her. IT wasn’t a lot we just set up some lawn furniture. After that we were able to go to dinner at the Merrill's. They have 3 children out on missions right now. So we shared with them Chapter 50 of Alma. How they can help others to have the same protection for others families as we have in the gospel. We gave them a Book of Mormon and pass along card to teach their friends. We then just went tracting, and so many people opened their doors. You know that they want something, they are willing to listen, they are willing to take a card or a pamphlet. Because they could just not answer the door. They have softened their hearts.

Wednesday: We did some more service. The first service we did was at an older woman's home. We just weeded her garden, because she gets sick being in the sun. She fed us an authentic Mexican lunch, and she was just so appreciative of us coming over to help her. Then we met with a few members. Then we went back to finish the Palacios backyard. While we were there, she told us that she and her husband do not get along that they don’t spend any time together. Their 9 year old daughter told us that she just wants her parents to get along. It was heartbreaking.  We are going to try and start family home evening with them. We met another family. They are so great both of them are teachers, and they are teachers because they want to help these kids who don’t have any support at home. They want to show the kids that someone loves them, that someone cares about them. I love that. It is so important that we truly share with others how much we appreciate them.

Thursday: We had interview with the President. He told me how important it is that I am here. Someone here needs my help. I know that. We were able to get into a less active recent converts house. She was baptized almost a year ago, and the missionaries haven’t been able to get in for almost 6 months. She let us in. We talked about the temple about the same feeling that she got at baptism she can feel in the temple. She told us of her family problems. She was crying in front of us telling us that she just wants to have that closeness with her family. So we were able to set up a time to come each week to come and see her.  We were able to see our investigator Cherri. She was the born again Christian. We were able to teach the Restoration. She agreed with everything up until we started talking about Joseph Smith. I had her read Moroni 10:3-5. She then said that she doesn’t believe in the Mormon Bible. She then told us to be careful of what doctrine we believe in. Because in the bible it says that there is supposed to be a lot of false prophets and doctrine in the last days. I know that this lesson doesn’t sound like a success, but it was. She kept the Book of Mormon the Spirit was felt, and we planted a seed.

Friday: We had to go and get our oil changed so we did our weekly planning while we were waiting. While we were there a less active that doesn’t ever answer our phone calls or us knocking on her door called us, and asked us to come and help her in her house. She is losing her house. She and her husband got a divorce, and she is just blaming God that He isn’t there for her at all. That she can never be happy again. So we really wanted to get in her house. So we said yes. So we went home got our clothes and headed over. We ended up staying there for 5 hours. Cleaning her chandelier, all her blinds, and began painting shudders outside. The only reason that we were able to leave is when we told her we had to go to dinner before our appointment. We had an appointment with Ana and Jacob. It was so great. We taught the Plan of Salvation. Ana sat in this time, and the Spirit was so strong! Chase and 18 year old who has his mission papers in, was able to come with us, He had a wonderful explanation about the Atonement and about the Priesthood. Sister Hughes, who has been coming with us each lesson, just shared her testimony about the plan of Salvation. We were able to ask Ana is she would prepare herself to be baptized. She said YES! But one hold up. She thinks that July 19th is too soon. She said she would try to be ready, but she didn’t know.

Saturday: We were able to go see Gabrielle a recent convert that is just great! She is so busy with school and her daughter. Then we went to see Rinku, it was a potential that we ran into 21 weeks ago, and she just kept cancelling our appointments. SHE DIDN’T CANCEL THIS ONE!!! We were there and we were able to teach about the Plan of Salvation as well. We got on the topic about sealing your families together forever in the temple. She told us that, that is what she wants for her family! She wants to take all the steps necessary to do that. She accepted a baptismal date of August 2! She told us that 5 years ago she had a friend that was Mormon that just shared with her about our church and read a little of the Book of Mormon with her. She heard that in a time of need, and she looked it up online, but never really did anything else until we showed up on her doorstep then she realized that this is exactly what she is looking for. She wants to fill the empty feeling that she has inside, and she thinks that this is the solution. :) We gave her an assignment to read 2 Nephi 2. Well Sunday she texted us to tell us that she has already read it. That her husband Vikram wants to learn about this too, and that they all want to be baptized. She couldn’t come to church because her doctor told her that she couldn’t come outside because she had an allergic reaction this week. And the medicine she is using reacts very strongly with the sunlight. So next week they are going to come to Church and we are seeing them on Wednesday and Friday. :) Then Saturday night was the adult session of Stake conference ANA CAME!!!!! Also there was a young men's activity and Jacob went! So it was just a great end to the day. :)

Sunday: Stake Conference was Awesome. There was a great talk on preparing our families to go into the world. I loved it. Then we were able to just finish weekly planning, and seeing less actives. It was great we actually got in with Patricia. A less active we met on the first week here in this area. 

Well I hope everyone has a great week. :) I love you all.

Love,
Sister Bell

It is great being a missionary!

So I was able to have a ward council with a member of the Seventy. His name is Elder Hiam. It was great. You can feel the Spirit so strongly from them. He just wanted to help us to continue to have an effective ward council, so that we know how to better help this area. He told us that we need to not ask people to come to church, but we need to ask "Will you prepare yourself to take the sacrament?" That is so true.  The sacrament is why we go to church. I love the Sacrament. It is the time each week that we can renew our covanents that we make with our Savior Jesus Christ and with Heavenly Father. It is our willingness and our desire to follow what God has commanded us to do. Each week, if we are repenting and doing the things necessary to prepare for the sacrament, it is like we are getting dunked again each week. Each week we have our slates wiped clean again. 

 

Not only did he tell us that, but he said the Savior wants to come, but He is waiting until we complete the work that we have to do. What if we are the ones that are holding the Savior back from coming? What do we need to do so that we can prepare for His coming? Are we doing everything that we can? Are we working hard enough? I know for me, that I feel like I need to be working harder, pushing forward, and never have any regrets.

The Lord has given us all of these guides in our life that all we have to do is listen and follow the promptings. One of the greatest guides is patriarchal blessings. I have been reading mine a lot more lately, and in it I know that I am doing what I am supposed to, more things are making sense to me. The same with reading the scriptures. This transfer I am reading the New testament, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants. By reading all of them at the same time, I am gaining a greater knowlegde of the Savior. How amazing is He? Think of all the things that He has done for us or what he is still doing for us.

Well we had a ward BBQ this week, and it was fun. We were able to meet a lot more members in the ward. It was a great turn out. There were so many non members there as well. The ward had a goal of how many invitations that they need to extend each month to make to their friends to either come to church or come over to dinner when we are there, or just to start talking about the gospel. So how do you think that you can do that? Who can you talk to? Who can you invite? We always need help. We are only two people, and we can only talk to so many people. Just think how many people you know, though, that you can talk to.

Well we had a lesson with Jacob this week. HE ACCEPTED THE INVITATION TO BE BAPTIZED!!! We had a lesson on the Restoration of the gospel. Afterwards the member that we brought bore her testimony. Then we asked him what he thought. He said that he felt like it was true. That he felt peaceful when we were there. I told him that it was the Holy Ghost!! Then we asked him to pray to know if it is true. He told us that he was excited to come to church then he ended up having to go to San Diego so he wasn't able to come. I know  that if he does come, he will know that it is true!

It is great being a missionary! I know that the gospel is TRUE! I know that  Jesus Christ came to earth for us! He established His church and brought the gift of the Priesthood. He knew that by coming to earth He was going to have to die and suffer, but He did it. He knew that it was for ALL of us. He wanted us to have the opportunity to come back and live with our Heavenly Father again. I love being able to remember what He did for us each Sunday when I partake of the Sacrament.

Well I hope everyone is having a great summer, and a great week. Take a moment this week to think of all the things that the Lord has given you, and share that with someone else. Well I love all of you.

Love,

Sister Bell

Father's Day

Father’s Day

FIRST, EVERYONE MUST SEE THIS!!! Because it makes me cry every time and it is about Fathers.

 

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-002-earthly-father-heavenly-father?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2013&lang=eng&cid=HPTU061014222

 

How was everyone's Father's Day??? Mine was fantastic. I gave the lesson in the gospel essentials class. It was on Priesthood. I never knew how hard it would be to give a lesson on Priesthood. We always have it around us, but it is hard to explain it. That, and I prepared to teach during sacrament meeting when I found out that the teacher who usually teaches it was out of town. I am so glad that I was able to teach it though. It gave me more of an appreciation of the Priesthood, and how it blesses me in my life. I am so glad that I have priesthood-age men all around me who I can turn to if I need to to give me a blessing. Or to just be there to protect me. I read a conference talk from Elder Eyring that says that once you take upon yourself the priesthood, you are the light.  "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." It is so true. We have to be the example to everyone around us. To everyone around us especially if you hold the keys of the Priesthood. That is such a magnificent gift from Heavenly Father. I felt the Spirit so strongly as I taught about the Priesthood. I even cried. :)

Well this week has just been so great! Even though we have had a lot of people shut the door, and not want to know more about the gospel, we have a lot open up the door, and soften their hearts to want to learn more about the gospel. By small and simple things does the Lord work. THAT IS SO TRUE! This week we have been working our hardest, and the blessings are coming. We have gotten three new investigators!

 

One of them is a lady named Cherri. She is a born again Christian. She is a really great lady, and I hope that she will be willing to listen to all of our lessons. The other two are a mother and son. Ana is a cop here in Rancho, and her 17 year old son, Jacob, is deaf. They are so great. They would have come to church if they had known what time it was at before this week. She had gotten tickets for her father to go to the Dodgers game.

 

Then, today, we have a lesson with someone we tracted into this week. Her name is Rinku and she has a 5 year old son named Richard. When we met them, she was so excited. Before we even got into the car she texted us and told us how excited she was for us to come back. How the Lord has blessed her, by sending us to her when she needed it the most. I have just seen the hand of the Lord guiding us to those that need us. Those that are ready and willing to hear. I feel so blessed, and can't even describe all the gratitude I have to my Heavenly Father. I know that I can help people in this area, that I am meant to be here.

This week I have just been reading in the New Testament and the Doctrine and Covenants. It has really got me thinking, how do I get to know my Savior? How can I have more effective prayers? Am I becoming who I want to become? We need to set goals now, and know who we want to be before so we are always working towards that goal. So I'm asking you all now. Who do you want to become? Are you living in such a way now to become that person? How can you become better?

 

This time is so critical here on earth. We are only here for a limited amount of time compared to the time we are with our Heavenly Father. Yes, we have the gift of the Atonement, but we can't just rely on that and completely go against the commandments that God has set in place for us here. We need to continually be living in such a way that we will be able to receive all the blessings that God is willing to give us. If we do make a mistake, then we have the Atonement to fall back on. I love that. I love that we have the infinite mercy of the Lord with us, and we will make a mistake, and then we are able to be forgiven for those things. I love that. I love this gospel. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me. He loves each of you, and all he wants is to see each of us living in such a way that we can come back and live with Him again. I know that each of us want that too.

Well, I love all of all of you and hope you all have a great week.

Love,

Sister Jessica Bell

Knock, Knock! Who's There?

This week has been a lot of knocking doors, and when I say a lot, I mean every single day this past week for at least 2 to 6 hours. We are really trying our hardest to move the work forward in this area. All the missionaries who serve here say that it is the hardest, and that no one is willing to listen or wants to change their ways. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. That is what change is for, that is what working hard is for, and that is why we have the Lord. We have to be willing to always turn to the Lord, and we have to be willing to change. I am going to make the best out of my area, and I am going to help those in this area come closer to Christ, even if that means that all I am doing is planting seeds.

I read one of the conference talks this past week from the Priesthood session. It was talking about how we cant say That's just the way I am. We have to come to realize that we are always changing, always needing to improve. If we were to stay the same then we would never be progressing. Would we just want to always eat the same thing every single day? Would we want to have the same conversations? NO! Then why would you want to stay the same? I definitely don't want to have the same testimony I had before I came out on my mission. Not to say that my testimony was bad, but if it was the same then what would be the point of going on a mission? We can only teach to our own conversion point. I wouldn't be able to teach at all if I wasn't continually growing, repenting, and improving. So I am not going to listen to the people that say this is a hard area, I am going to make it the best area, the best mission, and the best transfer for right here right now.

Well back to my ward, now that I have gone on a tangent. The ward is amazing!!! They are all so friendly and willing to get out and be great missionaries. This week alone we went out with the Relief Society presidency twice to find the lost sheep on the ward list. We have had dinners every night with great members, and we are getting to know everyone.

We have found a few people who were willing to listen to our message on their doorsteps, and some who wouldn't answer, but we left a card anyway. We have had appointments scheduled and appointments cancelled. We have worked so hard that when our heads hit the pillows we are out. The one thing that never changes though is that we always have a smile on our faces.

This Sunday was a farewell for one of the young men in the ward. He is headed to Russia on his mission, so we had a surprise guest of the Mission President and his wife because they know the family. That is one thing that I am not sure if I am looking forward to having the Mission President so close. His ward actually meets in our church building too. He went to Sunday School with us, and guess what next week we have a family home evening over at his house with one of the recent converts in our ward because he interviewed her for baptism.

Sister Broderick and I are doing great.  We are laughing and learning a lot from one another. We are both amazed at the houses in this area. I don't know how people afford these houses out here. Apparently everyone in our ward is either an insurance salesman or a lawyer. I will have to send pictures next week of the mansions I have to go knock on.

Well I hope everyone has an amazing week and that everyone has an awesome Father's day! I love all of you so much.

Love,     

Sister Bell

Did I Stay or Did I Go???

I GOT TRANSFERRED!! I am now in actual Rancho Cucamonga instead of the desert. It is going to be a huge change. I am opening an area.... So we are starting from scratch. We literally have one number in our phone, and that is our ward mates number (the elders in our area). So instead of desert, I see trees, and there is humidity here too.

It was so weird to have to say goodbye to everything I am used to, and now Im with someone completely new, in a new apartment, with a new ward, and a new area. It is so strange to think that this morning I woke up in the desert with Sister Hopkins and tonight I am going to bed in the city with Sister Broderick. Sister Broderick is from Orem, Utah. She has been out 15 months.... I have 15 months to go.. Crazy!

So yesterday I had to say bye to my ward and it was the hardest thing ever. There are some really amazing people there, and I am going to miss teaching them, and just seeing them all the time. One of our less actives actually gave me a little going away present. A mini german dictionary, since I spoke German. I got a ton of pictures, and a farewell dinner from my favorite family in the ward. The LaTommes.

This morning I got all packed up and we got to go down the hill to Rancho. I got my new companion, and now we are just trying to find everything. Tomorrow we are gonna get to work and hit the ground running. It is definitely gonna be an adventure. Well I love all of you, and hope all of you have a great week. Hopefully I wont get too stressed out opening an area.

Love,

Sister Bell