The Best Kind of Week: Busy January 8th 2018

Wow this week flew by! So many great things happened.

We haven't taught anyone new in a while, but this past week we met a lot of wonderful people interested, so this coming week should be full of exciting new experiences and challenges.

As for those we continue to teach, we are making slow but steady progress! Bill continues to come to church, read and pray, and this Sunday received a wonderful priesthood blessing. He continues diligently to know if what we are teaching is true, and I know he will in the Lord's time and when he's ready for it! Ed and Darla are a wonderful couple we are getting very close to, they've now attended church twice and watched the Joseph Smith movie with us yesterday! Darla especially is beginning to feel and understand the Spirit better.

LUCY!!! This week was her baptism, which we were so blessed to be a part of! She was excited and nervous the morning of, but after the service was over came up to us crying and saying, "I feel so happy right now." I'll never forget that. :') At church she got up and bore her testimony! I feel so privileged to know her and support her, she's going to do amazing things. Pictures or it didn't happen!

I love this ward and the time I have served here so far, I can't believe 7 weeks have already passed! Sister Lowe is a blessing to me every day as well, I'm not sure what I did to deserve her. I love all of you and can't tell you how much I appreciate your well-wishes, support and encouragement. 

As for President Monson's passing this week, I was sad but mostly glad he can now move on and be free of his earthly ailments. His last words to us were about the power of the Book of Mormon. I can testify of its power myself--as I've experimented and acted on his invitation to prayerfully read and ponder the messages it contains my life has changed. No one can take someone else's word on that, though! Each of us as individuals can only know the truth if we seek it ourselves.

I love you!

Sister Fluegel 

Happy 2018!!!! January 1st 2018

Hello Friends and Fam! No, I have not frozen to death quite yet! But I have not used my email time very efficiently, so here's some pictures.

Love you <3

Sister Fluegel

Picture 1: We stopped by Bill's! My cheeks were about to freeze off!

Picture 2: Bill's dog Jacob, the whole reason we met Bill :)

Picture 3: Trying out some fun Christmas presents

 

 

Light the World Final Week December 27th 2017

This week I saw four wonderful children of God witness and partake of an ordinance, receive welcome and fellowship, and obtain the blessings of sacrament attendance! I always thought having more than one or two investigators at church would be crazy stressful, but every one of them had ward members to sit by and help. Lucy told us she's given away almost all of her baptism invites already! We are going to help her start Personal Progress. Her baptism on January 6th is set!

Bill has been attending church for a full month now, but is struggling to recognize an answer to his prayers. I've been studying how to recognize the Holy Ghost, and found how diverse and unique each experience of my own has been.

For instance, Sister Lowe and I had an amazing time just yesterday in our companionship study, talking about the priesthood and motherhood and how they work together. I learned so much as we talked, and afterwards recognized how the Spirit had guided our conversation to a deeper understanding of our divine nature and the roles women and men play to accomplish the same goal. Other times in my life I've read a scripture and it applies to me in an insightful way, or I've poured my heart out in prayer and feel love and peace. I look back and can see even the answers I had to wait and wait for, and meanwhile press forward in faith, were eventually answered. 

A principle I've learned as I've taught others about asking and feeling the Holy Ghost, is that God is merciful and loving and patient, and so will not send us an answer we aren't ready to receive. If we aren't willing to act on the answer or accept it *as* the answer, He will wait. That is why, often, it takes more than simpy asking:

Matt 7:7 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." 

We ask in prayer, we seek in the scriptures, and we knock as we keep His commandments. I can promise that the answer will come at the right time and when we are ready to receive it​​​​​​!

Our other investigators are progressing more slowly, but I can't tell you how much I love them all. I am sad that my first transfer here is almost over already! Sister Lowe and I continue to learn each other and have been enjoying our time in Jacksonville so much. 

I have been pondering and writing down some principles I want to implement in my life now and through 2018, like "First and foremost, fan the flame of your faith." I'm still working on the plans to set around them. I invite you all to prayerfully set goals this week for the coming year and make plans to accomplish them! Thank you as always for all your love and well wishes during this season.

Happy New Year!

Sister Fluegel

The Jacksonville District (or 'Sis'trict as we call it) and Ed and Darla, who we spent some of our Christmas with <3