Crikey!: Hastening of the Work

Dear family and friends,

Wow this week has been a great week. The work in the Green Valley area is really picking up and I'm enjoying it so much. We have SO much work to do and I love it! The ward is really stepping up and doing there part as well to help us to do the missionary work more effectively. I have such a strong testimony in member missionary work. When Elder Nelson came to Australia he talked a lot about the importance of working with the ward council and working with the members. We are starting to really strive to include the members in the work and we are finding the work has been so much lighter than before. We are able to get so much more work done as well. So I encourage all of you to strive to help your missionaries in your area. Work side by side with them and you will see that many more will be able to come into the church. There is always work to be done.

We are really starting to love the members and they are loving us as well. We are starting to have so many great ideas of how we can get to know them more and know them at a personal level. This past week we had our interviews with President Lew this week and he was impressed by how well we were working with the ward. We have started doing work outs in the morning with the relief society women. We take cookies around to ward members/ investigators to let them know we are thinking of them. And Sister Woodford and I have a competition as to how many stickers we can hand out to the kids...its pretty fun. Lets just say the kids love us and are always running up to get a sticker. We are really starting to gain the trust of the members. We get so many referrals that half the time we are struggling to contact all of them within the week. Which is a very good problem to have.

I also have a strong testimony about the importance of attending to the needs of those that we are teaching. This past week we had an experience with our investigator, Michelle. We were thinking of doing a lesson on the Plan of Salvation and we were role playing it a lot for one particular day we were going to see her but she called last minute to cancel. A few days later we were able to make an appointment with her. At first we planned for the same lesson but things weren't going very smoothly. Our role plays weren't going well and we didn't feel right about that lesson for her. We took forever to figure out what exactly she needed personally. She hasn't been keeping her commitments and so we decided to do a lesson on faith and how important it is to act upon that faith. We can say all that we want to say but what it really comes down to is the investigator to do their part. The lesson went so well and the spirit was so strong! That taught me such a big lesson on making sure we aren't just doing a lesson to get it over with but to really figure out what that individual needs at that time.

We were able to go to Michelle's daughter Taneisha's softball game. It was such a great experience. We were able to sit with her and talk to her and get to know her even more. I can see her heart softening little by little and that desire growing within her.

Each and every day we are able to do our studies in the morning before we go out proselyting. I have found that to be my favorite part of the day. I learn so much during that time. For the first time in my life the scriptures are really starting to come alive. My testimony of the Book of Mormon has grown so much and I'm finding myself realy anxious to read more and more. I now start to read before I go to bed as well because I love it so much. I have a strong testimony that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Whenever you are struggling I know that you can find great strength in reading it. That is truly how the Lord is able to speak to you. I have also been starting to study the Bible. I have always taught people that the Bible and the Book of Mormon go hand in hand but yet in the end I haven't really even read the Bible. So my new challenge is to read the Bible and to be able to really know those stories in there as well so that I can really gain that personal testimony that they do go hand in hand.

I encourage all of you to read the scriptures daily. They are so important and will help you so much in your daily life. I can promise you that you will find the answers to your questions as you read and prayfully ponder its words. I want to thank you all for all the love and support that you give me. I couldn't do my work here if it wasn't for all of you back home helping me along the way. Love you all!

Love,

Sista Heidi Sorensen