9/16/13

It has been a good week though! The Padillas, the cuban family that the other sisters were working with before, just moved into MY area so I get to teach them! I'm excited about that, I love them! And my companion, sis. trussel, can use her portugeause! the languages are so similar. We got a new investigator this week, Bonnie! She seems great. I'm really excited to start working with her.
The Rohrers took us out to dinner this week. It's so hard not getting to see them as often as we used to. But they are doing good. Rick finally bought some dress pants and a white shirt and tie! He looked great on Sunday! Brandon and Sam are good - I want them to try going to Singles Ward! I think they would like it a lot more than the family ward, they would relate more to the lessons taught there.

 

I don't think I have told you guys about the Shannon family here... CRAZY! So the kids are all middle-aged and have grown kids and they are all members. So Brother Shannon, the one that is in our area is insane. His sister is in prison for killing her husband  - burned the house down with him in it. The whole family has anger issues. So we were over there the other day and his 17 year old daughter and him were telling us about the time some 16 year old girl backed up into his car. Apparently she didn't leave a mark or anything but Bro. Shannon got out and started calling her foul names and then told us what he called her... he thinks everyone is white trash, I think he has some pseudo-racism going on. He also told us about the time he saw his daughter watching a movie with a guy friend in the dark and called her a prostitute. He also told Sis. Trussel that if she called him white trash he would kill her (we knew he wasn't serious, don't worry, my companion is completely safe!). He told us about how there was a kid in high school that called him that and he goes,"did I kill him? no. did I beat the crap out of him? yes." He says the craziest things. the other night he told Lazero, one of the cubans, that because they had to take all of the tests to become citizens, "you are more smarter than us." and he was being completely serious when he said it, he wasn't trying to be funny... Ah, the Shannon family. Seriously, there is a magnet underneath Massillon that attracts all of the crazy people.

 

We also had a general authority come and speak to us on Tuesday. Elder Bowen from the 70. It was really good! He talked a lot about the Abrahamic Covenant and the House of Israel and who we really are and how when we know that we act differently. I really enjoyed it. at the begining we all walked by him and got to shake his hand and Pres. and Sis. Vellinga's. It was definitley a spiritual experience. Pres. adn Sis. Vellinga cried the whole time. I love them. They are both incredible and have helped me in so many ways. Elder Bowen talked about how they were pre-ordained to be our mission president before the foundation of the earth. SO COOL! I know they were supposed to be here for me.

 

We are trying to get busy and meet every less active member that will let us. It's something we're working on with the ward missionaries. We are also trying to start a Preach My gospel class on Wed. nights so people can learn more about how to do member missionary work. I'm really excited. Yesterday in church we helped teach the RS lesson on that! It was awesome. there was such a strong spirit already there. I really hope the sisters took it home and start applying it!

 

This week I have felt so much gratitude for my family and everyone that is supporting me. I feel your prayers, and they are what keep me going. this is the hardest thing I have ever done, but I know that with all of you behind me I can go forward with faith.

 

I love all of you!

Sis. Chapman

9/9/13

It has been one great week! The week started out a little slow, not much was happening. We were trying to visit a ton of less actives and see where we could get with any of them - not much success, they didn't really want to talk to us. Then on Friday we went over to a member's house, Brenda Baxter, who has a neighbor that she has been talking with about the church. So we went over and talked with Sis. Baxter for a while, and then her neighbor's son dropped by and Baxter told him to tell his mom to come over. So we got to meet Linda and talked to her for a while. She asked us what seperated us from everyone else. WHAT A GREAT QUESTION! We talked to her about priesthood authority and how it is only found in our church and about our prophet and latter day revelation. She asked why she needed to be baptized again and we talked about priesthood again and pretty much told her that her baptism was invalid, of course in a nice way!, and then invited her to be baptized in our church by someone holding that proper priesthood authority. SHE SAID YES!!!!!!!!!!! She came to church yesterday and had a great time. She is really excited to start learning more about the church. it's great.

 

We also started talking to an investigator that we were working with some this summer, Rachael Bennett. She decided to come to church yesterday, which was HUGE! she hasn't been at all in the past year and has met with 5 different sets of missionaries. hopefully something is different this time!

We also went contacting downtown and my awesome companion thought we should go back and talk to some people we passed who were waiting for the bus. We got 2 of their phone numbers and they said they were looking for a new church to go to! We have an appointment set up with one of them, Johnnetta, this week! So exciting!

 

We also started meeting with this family, kindof, they are looking for a church. they are great people and I really hope to get to work with them a lot. I really like them!

So it has been an exciting week!

 

Leilani is doing a lot better with the Young Women - thank goodness! Her dad is still in the hospital. He should be getting out today. I really hope that he starts getting better or atleast can hang on till January when they can all be sealed together.

 

On Tuesday after I found out about TJ we went over to the Hildebrand's. They have a really sweet dog and I just sat with her for a long time. I miss him. He was the best dog. I hope everyone back home is doing okay.

 

Sarah Kay, you need some serious help it sounds like. I am so sorry to hear about all the pain you have been in! You'll be in my prayers babe!

 

I'm excited for you guys having Cory and Steph and the kids at the house! That's going to be so fun! I'm so jealous. There are all these little kids at church that are so stinkin' cute and I can't pick them up or play with them or anything. It's so sad.

 

I love you guys a ton and miss you all so much!

Sis. Chapman

9/3/13

It has been  a long, but great week! Tuesday I was still sick, but we were able to go out for a little bit. Frank Cain is in the hospital again, he has heart failure. So we went with the elders to give him a blessing. It was a great experience for everyone. The spirit was so strong! Wednesday we had a lesson with Leilani. She is doing so well! I am starting to understand the change that has taken place as she has accepted the gospel, but sometimes it's still hard to believe! I love her so much! Thursday we had a relief society activity that we went to and got to know a lot of the sisters in the ward a lot better! There were a few less actives that we got to meet and we hope to see them more! Friday we went to A LOT of less active's homes to try and meet a lot of people that no one knows. We got to meet a few, but most of them weren't home or didn't want to see us. We also helped the Padilla's (the Cuban family who are investigating the church) move. Leticia's ex-husband stopped paying the rent so they had to be out that day. It was really sad, but I'm glad we were able to help them out! THey are so fun! My companion was able to talk to them because she speaks Portuguese, which is really close to spanish. It was fun for them! I love hearing her speak and helping her with her language study. Saturday we did some emergency service for a family that is moving into the ward that are going to become investigators for the other sisters. It was fun! All week we have been doing a ton of tracting and stopping by former and potential investigators just trying to find some new people to teach! We haven't found any yet, but I know that there are people here who need us and are looking for the gospel! There was a great elder that said once, "treat every area like someone prayed you there, and then move mountains to find them." That's what we're trying to do! Sunday was fast Sunday and Rick Rohrer got up to bear his testimony! It was so awesome! I love that family so much! They are incredible! They say they are going to be coming out to St. Louis before the holidays, hopefully that works out and everyone back home gets to meet them! They need some fellowship and lots of encouragement! Rick got called as one of the cub scouts leaders - dad you gotta help him out! And Brandon got called as the YM's Secretary! It's fun. I don't know if they've done anything in their callings yet but I think they're excited about it. Monday was labor day and there was a big county fair going on. the Senior couple in our area got a booth and set up some stuff for the church. So we worked there from 10-3! It was crazy! I have never done contacting like that on my mission and I don't really like it. I felt like a salesman the whole time. That's not the way I want to represent the church. But overall it was a good experience. Rick was there with Sam! She has been helping us out a lot with getting Leilani some fellowship! THey had Leilani spend the night over there this weekend and all went to the fair together. It made me really happy to see Sam being so sweet and helpful to us and to Lei. Love that girl! Last night we had a really great lesson with Leilani's parents Frank is still in the hospital so we went up and sat with them for a while. We read that scriptures in proverbs "lean not unto thine own understanding" and just talked about how we don't know why these things are happening, but the Lord does and He has a plan. Then Frank started baring his testimony about it. It was awesome! The spirit was incredible! He told us about one of the first times he felt the spirit. He was in the navy and was an alcoholic. He had just gotten sober and his buddies wanted to take him to one the shows they were having for the navymen. So Frank went, but they were all trying to get him to drink the whole night and so he wasn't having a good time. One of his friends came up and asked him what was wrong and he told her. the rest of the night she asked him to dance and helped him out  and took his mind off of it. He lost contact with her later on and then found out that a year after that she had died from cancer and then he found out that she had had a husband who had died from alcoholism. So she had made a huge impact on Frank. Then years later when Frank was working as a counselor for AA he met this kid, Troy, who he was helping out and trying to get him sober. He came to find out that Troy was this women's son. He said he felt the spirit confirm that this was not a coincidence. That was the first time in the 6+ months that I have been here that I saw Frank cry. He continued to bear testimony about the Lord's plan for each of us and how He knows us better than we think He does. It was awesome! I love them. They teach me so much everytime I am with them.

Other than that not much has been happening. Just really trying to find people to teach.

We are also trying to get members more excited about sharing the gospel, but aren't coming up with very good ideas of how to do that so if anyone has suggestions or things that worked in their missions send them my way!!!!
love you all!!!

Sis. Rachel Chapman