Never Fall

So we have officially been sleeping outside every night for a week. The weather is great, and we are taking advantage of it! We've dragged our mattresses out onto our balcony and piled them up with blankets. We love hurrying to get ready for bed as quickly as possible and jumping into bed and telling "secrets" (one of Hermana Wilkins' favorite things) until bedtime.

We tried riding our bikes this week to save miles on our car, and to be able to talk to more people... not that we don't talk to people when we're driving... sometimes Hermana Wilkins just rolls down my window and makes me start talking. Last week at a red light I actually got out of the car and started talking to 2 guys that were in the back of the pick up truck in front of us. I didn't have much time before the light turned green, but I did invite them to the Easter Pageant in Mesa before they pulled away. They'll probably be baptized someday. ANYWAY... being a sister missionary is not conducive to riding a bike. There's just something about skirts, and bikes, and wind, and helmets, and backpacks that doesn't quite look right. I would not recommend it.

Earlier this week we stopped to help some guys that were removing a stump from their yard. We offered help, and as people usually do, they refused our service. We hung around for a little bit and chatted about the gospel and then when they finally got the (HUGE!) stump out of the hole we just grabbed the shovels and started filling it back in with dirt. They objected - it kind of goes against the whole Mexican machismo thing - but we did it anyway. I think they were pretty impressed that we were working so hard... and in skirts!

While we were talking to them, one of our investigators, Joel, showed up out of nowhere and joined in the conversation. He's quite the missionary, even though he has only been taking the lessons for about a month. He started making comparisons to the hole and the gospel, and talked about how if we're close to the edge (of sin/temptation) we can easily fall in, and how we need to stay away from it.

Anyway, I was thinking about that this week, and have also been reading in the missionary chapters of Alma. There was one verse that has been in my mind a lot - Alma 23:6. It talks about the people that Ammon and his brothers taught that changed their names to Anti-Nephi-Lehies and covenant by burying their weapons. I was struck by the strength of their conversion "as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away." I've been wondering what it was about them that caused them to NEVER fall away and what we can do to have the same strength and conviction in our own testimonies.

Several other scriptures in the following chapters offered some examples of some of the things we can do: labor (Alma 24:18), show love (Alma 26:31), and most importantly daily prayer and scripture study (Alma 31:10). This last one is what the Zoramites lacked that caused them to "fall into great errors." These answers are basic and we hear the counsel all the time, but I know our prophet and leaders would not tell these things over and over again if they weren't important. I urge you to make a habit out of daily prayer and scripture study - I've seen the difference it's made in my life. Line upon line we build up that strong foundation that holds us up and prevents us from falling.

Because we are human, we are susceptible to temptation, and will eventually fall one way or another, but fortunately we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ as a safety net to catch us and lift us up again. If we are doing our best and making our every effort to strengthen ourselves and others we may slip every once in a while, but we will not be trapped in the pit that Satan has dug for us. Stay away from that hole, and you will not fall in. Do whatever it is that YOU need to do to have the same kind of conviction in your personal testimony as the Anti-Nephi-Lehies had in theirs.

Much love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Feast Upon the Words of Christ

We had another baptism this week! Santiago, who we have been teaching a little over a month was baptized on Friday, and confirmed at Church on Sunday. It was so rewarding to see him so happy and smiling on Sunday, all dressed up in his suit and tie. We only got a chance to talk to him a few minutes right after Church, but he has such a strong testimony of everything he is learning about! He is so happy and loves learning about the gospel, and we have noticed the difference in his countenance between now and the first day we met him.

We have been wanting to learn how to make tortillas, so Santiago invited us to his house for dinner to learn. It was so cute how excited he was to have us over--he said he was going to buy the flour, and all the ingredients, and asked us what we would want with them. He told us that we had taught him something that would give him happiness for the rest of his life, so now he was going to teach us something so that we would never go without food for the rest of ours.

The tortilla making went well... by the end of the batch some of the tortillas Hermana Wilkins and I were rolling actually came out round! They tasted wonderful, and though we ate a stack of them and were filled, it was only temporary.

It really is ONLY the gospel of Jesus Christ that can fill us for eternity. The scriptures invite us to "feast upon the words of Christ" and I have seen that as our investigators do that they have been filled with peace, joy, and love that can come from no other source. They are filled with a sense of satisfaction that no amount of food can bring, because the gospel, the scriptures, and the words of the prophets are food for our souls, and for our hearts. True study of the doctrine brings a change in people's lives and I have seen that both in the lives of people here and in my own life. Take the opportunity to truly search the scriptures and feast upon the words and I know that you will find them delicious, and be filled! Then you will have the gift the Savior promises: eternal life.

Love you tons,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope you all are wearing green... Hermana Wilkins and I, of course are as decked out as we can possibly be in conservative missionary gear :)

I have so much to say this week, but I think I'll just tell you about one day...

Sunday was one of the most incredible days on the mission, so far. We have been having a rough week, not having very many people to visit, and we've both felt like we haven't been working our hardest, so neither one of us was having the best day. However, things started to turn around when we got to church and saw our investigator that's getting baptized this week (Santiago) already there sitting on the bench in a full suit. It was so adorable! He loves learning, and we're so happy to see how much he's changed over the past couple months.

I gave a talk on Sunday (on missionary work of course) and had been praying pretty fervently all morning for the gift of tongues so that I would be able to say what the congregation needed to hear (with correct grammar!). I was definitely blessed in my time of need because I was able to speak completely fluently, and even say thoughts that came to my mind that I hadn't planned on speaking about. I felt like it went fairly well, and on Tuesday morning we were talking to Hermana Duran (one of my favorite spitfire Mexican ladies in the ward) and she told me that she had been listening intently for anything that I said wrong (she likes to help me with my Spanish) but that she couldn't find one thing! I was pleased that I had been able to speak well and now I just hope that what I/the other speakers said motivates the ward to become more involved in missionary work. Hermana Wilkins and I also sang "Señor, yo te seguiré" (Lord, I Would Follow Thee) which went fairly smoothly with limited practice and no accompaniment.

After our meetings we came home for companionship study and had a really great conversation about all the things we needed to be doing better to talk to more people, and to find more people to teach. We got super pumped and decided to skip our scheduled Spanish study and head out to start finding. We were blessed with success, and contacted more people on the street than we usually do in several days.

The most amazing part of the day was our appointment with Consuelo and Oswaldo. They are our investigators that are progressing well, but have not been able to attend church because of their work schedule. We started off with them by recapping their reading, and Oswaldo summarized 1 Nephi 3-5 perfectly, with details I wouldn't have thought of, and I think most members wouldn't have even included. I love seeing how much he loves reading and learning about the Book of Mormon because I too love it, and know exactly how he's feeling!

We then talked a little bit about commandments, God's wisdom, and how he will ALWAYS provide a way, by relating the story of Nephi obtaining the brass plates to our lives. We told them that we have been praying hard for them to be able to change their schedule and/or find another job, and invited them to begin praying as a family to help this happen. We asked them if we could kneel right then and pray together. We did, and asked Oswaldo if he would say the prayer. He hasn't wanted to pray out loud since we began teaching them about a month ago, so he was hesitant at first, but when Hermana Wilkins offered to pray he said "No, yo lo hare." He
He offered one of the most humble, sincere prayers I think I have ever heard, pleading with Heavenly Father to help him learn more, follow His will, and find a way to help them attend church as a family. He has such righteous desires for him and his family, and such intense faith that things will work out and I could really feel that as he was praying

After he closed, he continued praying personally for almost 20 minutes. The Spirit was so strong, and while we waited for him to finish, I opened my scriptures to Enos and read about his powerful experience with prayer. As I read about Enos' supplication with the Lord I looked up at Oswaldo and saw that he was just like Enos. Here was a man hungering for truth and knowledge (in fact he has even used that analogy to describe his feelings), on his knees pleading to his Father in Heaven in mighty prayer. He was so fervent, so faithful. When he finally ended he commented that he had never prayed like that before, but that he felt so good, and knew that something will happen so that they will be able to come to church.

The Spirit was so strong in that room that I didn't want to leave! It made me think about how much control we have over how strongly we feel the Spirit. Obviously we have to be standing in holy places, but the presence of the Spirit is so dependent on our own thoughts, words, actions, etc. I want to challenge you all to watch your own thoughts and actions to invite the Spirit more strongly into your homes and into your lives. As you do so, you will feel Heavenly Father's love more strongly, and increase in your faith, desire, and ability to do what's right.

Much love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Roping - March 10

So this week I learned how to rope... like with a rope, and a horse, and a steer. Ok, so actually there was no steer and the horse was a 2 foot tall stuffed animal, but I really did learn how to "Hook 'Em". For district meeting (which we have every Monday morning) we compared learning how to listen to the Spirit to learning how to rope. Anyway, one of the Elders in our district is a real-live rodeo cowboy, so he showed us all how it was done, and for our "Role Play" we listened to his instruction and tried to do it ourselves. It was pretty hilarious in a skirt and jacket, but I actually roped the horse on the second try! I'm considering a change of career plans when I get home....

Anyway, the object lesson was a pretty good one: Just like we need specific equipment, and practice, and a good coach to learn how to rope, (or do anything) the same goes for learning how to communicate with the Spirit. We need equipment (ie. scriptures), practice, and a good coach (Heavenly Father, a prophet, etc) to help us learn how to effectively follow the Spirit. Learning anything new is going to be a process, but if we keep trying we will improve, and always succeed in the end. It is so important to follow the promptings of the Spirit, especially as a missionary because Heavenly Father knows the needs of the people, and if we are in tune he can communicate them to us.

We had a really good lesson last night with our investigators Consuelo and Oswaldo. They have to work every Sunday (like just about every other Hispanic in the world it seems like) so they haven't been able to come to church. We wanted them to come and meet people and experience the Spirit that is there, so we invited them on a Tuesday night when a good portion of the ward is there for youth activities. Last night there was a stake volleyball tournament going on so there were TONS of people there. They met the Stake President, the Bishop, and several ward members. We were able to give them a tour of the building, and show them the baptismal font, and even had our Bishop explain a little bit about the baptismal covenant. We then went into the chapel, and there was a group of 3 young girls practicing a musical number, so the Spirit was so strong right as soon as we walked in. We had a short lesson there, and talked about the blessings of the gospel in our lives. We are praying really hard for them to find a way to change their schedule at work so they can come, but in the meantime they agreed that it would be a really good idea for their kids (ages 13 and 6) to still attend with a member family. Oswaldo especially has lots of faith, and sincere desires to be able to attend, so now we just have to have patience, hope and rely on the Lord.

I know that seems hard to do, and sometimes impossible, but I really do have such a strong testimony that if we put God first and put everything in the Lord's hands it will ALWAYS work out. As long as we align our will with God's we will receive the blessings we're praying for according to our own faith and obedience. I pray every day for more faith, patience, and humility to rely on the Lord, and I am seeing myself slowly grow in each of these areas. I know that if we ask, we will be blessed with these attributes of Christ, but that we need to be willing to do our part too. As we learn these qualities (over time and with the right equipment, practice and a good coach) we become better children, parents, friends, and citizens with more potential and opportunity to bless the lives of others. I pray for each of you and hope that you can find a way to nurture these qualities in your own lives.

Much love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Count Your Blessings - March 3

This week flew by! I can't believe it's Wednesday again already! Crazy...

Yesterday were cleaning checks in our apartment, and we didn't find out until 10pm the night before. SO... we woke up at 6 put on our cleaning clothes and cranked up some Eclipse (yay for missionary approved music!) and started scrubbing. It was a pretty intense couple hours, but of course we passed the inspection with all 10s!

On Friday we stopped by our recent convert, Alma, to see how she was doing (and because we both had to use the bathroom and we were in her neighboorhood!). We see her a lot of course, but this time she was extra-excited to talk to us (she calls us her "Hermanitas" - little sisters) because she had some good news. A couple months ago she lost her job, and we have been praying specifically for her to find work. Well, Friday she told us that her prayers had been answered and she had gotten the job she wanted. She also told us that they were going to lose their house this month if they couldn't find some form of income, but with this new job everything is going to work out. I am so happy for her and I know that these blessings are coming from her faith, as answers to our prayers, and according to her obedience as she tries to improve her life and do the things she knows she's supposed to be doing.

I know that Heavenly Father is looking out for us and knows our exact needs and concerns. We have to have the faith that he will bless us with those things. We show our faith by being obedient to the commandments and keeping the covenants we have made. He is ALWAYS there and will things will ALWAYS work out if we put our faith in Jesus Christ and try to do what's right.

This week I have really thought a lot about the blessings that I have received in my own life. I am so humbled to realize that I have been so incredibly blessed in literally every aspect of my life. I know my Heavenly Father loves me, and I know that I need to use these blessings to help others. The scriptures tell us that where much is given, much is required... not asked, or expected, REQUIRED. These thoughts have renewed my excitement to use the gifts and blessings I have been given to reach out to others and do the Lord's work here on the earth. This week, take a few minutes to "count your blessings" and recognize how much the Lord has blessed your life. Then think about how you can use one of your many gifts to help strengthen one of God's children... and do something about it! I know that more than one life will be blessed.

Love you all,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette