Wow! This has been a beautiful week. I have a wonderful new companion and area, prayer is an amazing gift.
My new companion's name is Sister Bell. She is from Ogden Utah. She graduated from Northridge High School in 2014. Someone my age!!! ;) She went to Utah State in the Fall and is going into either Elementary Ed, or Math Education (She is so Smart!). She is the oldest of three and her younger brother is going to be serving in Detroit, he leaves this Fall. And one thing, of the many, that is cool about her is that her families business is Bell Photography. You know like the people who take our pictures for our school yearbook and activities! I thought that was really cool! She is an amazing missionary. She just loves all of the people she is serving and is so kind. Every single time we get out of an appointment she always says, "I love them so much." She loves everyone and I LOVE IT.
St. Catherines!! I love my new area! It is so pretty! The ward is so amazing. Some of the members of the ward have lived here there entire life, and some have been in the ward for their entire life as well. I think of our home ward every time someone tells me they've been here there whole life. :) We are the only missionaries in this ward and the members love Sisters. I think the general comment we get is "The Sisters just have a different spirit about them." or "SISTERS?! It's about time!" We can just feel the love the ward has for missionary work and we are so excited to be able to work in the area.
This last week we visited with a Less Active member from our ward. His name is Chuck. He is such an awesome guy and he has an amazing testimony. He stopped going to church a couple years ago and started drinking and smoking. The lesson we decided to teach him was about enduring to the end. As we opened to the last couple verses in 2nd Nephi 31, he started to tell us about his life. He told us his concerns that he has with the word of wisdom and how he wishes he could stop and how he wants to come to church. We could see the pain that he had in his eyes, he expressed to us how he knows that he is growing farther and farther away from the gospel, but that he didn't want to. The promise came to our mind to tell him that if he would come to church this Sunday he would not only feel loved and welcomed from the ward, but that he would no longer have the desire to smoke. He looked at us and told us that he didn't think he could do it. We asked him if he has ever prayed and asked God to help him overcome his addiction. He told us that he had not. The Sister that we had with us then bore her testimony about praying. The spirit was so strong in the room. We asked him if he would come to at least sacrament meeting with us on Sunday and he said yes. We closed the lesson with him saying a prayer. In his prayer he asked that he would be able to have the strength to come to church and to, in his words, overcome his words of wisdoms problems. Yesterday morning we called Chuck and he told us that he would be coming. Fifteen minutes before the meeting started we saw Chuck come walking into the chapel. He was dressed in nice clothes and he had a big/nervous smile on his face. So many members of the ward rushed over to him and greeted him. After the meeting he decided he would stay for Sunday school and priesthood. About five minutes ago we got a call from him and he told us that the promise we made him came true, and that he would be coming to church this next Sunday. I know that God hears our prayers. And that if we will show faith in him he will bless us and give us strength. I have a testimony that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real. And that through him we can overcome all addiction, heart ache, and disappointment.
I don't have much time to write this week, I have alot of cleaning to do. (We took over an Elder apartment) But I will send letters. I love you. I pray for you.
Our Investigators are awesome! I can't wait to tell you about them all! :)
Sister Chelson
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