Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm 20! Haha, okay not yet, but soon I will be! :) Thank you for all of you who wished me a happy birthday! :) I love you! 

We have three new converts our area is over, C, B Jr., and Brother M. Last week President Clayton changed made contacting every new convert every week a Standard of Excellence! This is so wonderful. We have been focusing alot on retention in our mission. A couple years ago this mission baptized a lot of people. Just in the Toronto Stake they had around 500 baptisms? (This is going off of the word of another missionary so if it is not true I am so sorry) Not very many of those recently baptized members stuck around. And that just isn't acceptable! Now the mission has a focus of baptism and retention so we can assure sealed, kingdom building families in Ontario! Brother M is super easy to contact because he is super solid and loves the Gospel. But  the other two have started to fall away! C was baptized nearly a year ago and from what was recorded on his teaching record, he was baptized really fast after attending church three times. Since that time he hasn't come to church and for our first transfer here he never answered the door or phone and seemed to have  fallen of the side of the earth. But! Yes, a BUT! The first week of this transfer we were finally able to meet C! He has a super strong testimony just not a strong desire to act. And by miracle once again we met him this last week! Sister Clark and I were on exchanges and we had just got done teaching Mama S and Brother M. They live in the same apartment building so Brother M decided he would come knock with us to see if he would answer the door, and he did! Sadly, the smell of drugs hit us as he opened the door and C, under the influence, told us that he was not interested in meeting this week. As we walked to the elevator Brother M expressed his sincere sadness for C and told us that he would try and be the best example. That was so sweet. We also were able to contact B Jr! His dad doesn't want to go to church and B Jr. is feeling the same way. They have been going through some emotional turmoil lately and just have decided to shut the door on church right now. But they didn't lock the door! We invited them to pray for help. We testified that the Atonement can and will heal them. I am so grateful for mini miracles like these. As a mission we have been focusing on having the Language of Faith. So, the question is what is the language of faith? I think that Alma and the Sons of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon are a wonderful example of the language of faith. They talk about going and teaching for the possibility of bringing one soul back. And then if you fast forward a couple chapters up you have them rejoicing and praising the Lord their God. It is so wonderful. I am so grateful for the missionary examples their are in the Book of Mormon. I really do know that miracles happen. And when our focus is on Christ, there is no way that we won't see those miracles.

Exchanges this last week were a blast. On Tuesday I spent the day in my own area with Sister Clark. She was born and spent the majority of her life in Nevada but moved to Utah for her high school years. She is such a bold missionary who is so prepared to follow the spirit. We were knocking on some doors after dropping by a less active member and as this cute lady answered the door Sister Clark said, "Can we sing you a song?" The lady and I both looked at Sister Clark a little confused, but she let us sing to her! We asked her if she knew the song "How Great Thou Art" (Classic Christian song), and we sang. After we were done singing for her she told us that it brought her back to her childhood when she would go to camp in the summer. She said she loved the memories of singing and being the happy child that she was. She was not interested in learning more about the Gospel, but I learned a very valuable lesson from Sister Clark. She taught me how important it is to follow the spirit. She didn't hesitate or second guess the thought that was put into her mind. She is a wonderful missionary and I am so grateful for all that she does. Sister Chu and I spent the day in the Bayview south area. She speaks Mandarin Chinese! She is from Hong Kong and will be back in Hong Kong by Friday! I was so happy that I was able to go on exchanges with her. After trying so many new foods, trying to say "Hello how are you?" in Chinese, we were in a Asian food market and as I looked around and was listening to them all speak a different language I turned to Sister Chu and told her that the only English in that entire building was the thoughts in my head. She laughed and laughed and laughed. Just about twenty minutes later we were in a Chinese restaurant with some members for dinner. I was just minding my own business eating my dumplings with my chopsticks when I looked around and had a really funny thought. I am not sure if any of you have seen the Kung Fu Panda 3 posters, but it is a poster of Po holding a dumpling in front of his face. As I looked around at all of the extremely skinny Asian people  the thought crossed my mind, "I am Po." I smiled to myself and ate my dumpling like a happy little cartoon panda. As I got home and told Sister Jensen about dinner she just laughed and laughed and laughed. I am so grateful for Sister Chu, she told me that the best way to have a successful mission is to "Work hard, Play hard." So there you have it folks, don't forget the wise words of Sister Chu. :) 

We had Skills and Interviews this last week! I always love this time when we can sit down and have a one on one conversation with President Clayton and Sister Clayton. I just love them so much. 

While I was with Sister Chu, Sister Dung and Sister Jensen found an amazing investigator. Her name is A and she is from Poland. We taught her the Restoration in a cute little coffee shop. This last week the general authorities thought that they would put on a world wide mission broadcast. One of my favorite things that they talked about was the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion. They  talked about the importance of listening and allowing the spirit to be the teacher. In our lesson with A I tried really hard to just listen and allow the spirit to teach. It was such a wonderful feeling to be able to feel the spirit work through us to teach her. We invited her to be baptized and when she accepted we invited her to be baptized on February 21, and she accepted! We are so excited for her! Remember to keep her in your prayers. :) 

This last week Sister Jensen and I decided to clean out our teaching pool with both our investigators and our returning members. Currently we are working with about four people. :) We are so grateful for this week to go and to find the kingdom builders who are ready to truly repent and be a true convert. That is the focus of the missionaries around the world. To Teach Repentance and Baptize Converts. 

I am so grateful for this wonderful week. It was a really hard week. I cried alot, Sister Jensen helped me alot. Just last night after expressing to her some concerns that I had for the area and for the mission, she gave me beautiful advice that conforted me. It also made me feel really bad for being such a negative nelly. I told her, "You know Sister Jensen, it is a wonderful thing, and a terrible thing to have a Sister Training Leader as a companion. Because sometimes I just want to complain." She laughed at me and I laughed at myself and we happily got on the bus and proclaimed the truth of the Restored Gospel. I am so grateful for Sister Jensen she is such a wonderful companion and best friend. She fearlessly and diligently proclaims the gospel and is such a wonderful example to me. I am also so grateful to be serving in the Canada Toronto Mission. I love it here, I love the Canadian people with all of my heart. I love Jesus Christ with all of my heart and I am so grateful he has provided a way for me to return back to my Heavenly Father. I love my mission president and his wife. They are such wonderful examples of following Christ. I love the city of Toronto, I love that it smells and that every culture and country in the world is represented here. And I just really love being Sister Chelson, I don't think anyone is a better Sister Chelson in the mission. Sister Bell would like to argue that and say that she is, but the knowledge I have gained thus far on my mission about my identity is amazing! I have really come to know that I am a daughter of the Living GOD! Isn't that so cool? Isn't it great to be a missionary? :) 

I love you all and I want to leave an invitation with all of you. Will you, eat a bowl of ice cream on my birthday? :) Thanks Mama and Daddy for letting me be your little girl.