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

We Survived Transfers!

First of all, transfers are today, but we are both staying in Queen Creek! Yay! We both felt like that is what was going to happen, but I couldn't help but nervously stare at the phone all night Tuesday as we waited for the call. I am really excited to be staying here, and with Hermana Wilkins. She is such an incredible example, and I love learning from her every day, plus I really like this area, and the investigators we have right now. I'm not ready to say goodbye to them yet!

On Thursday, we went to dinner at El Rico's, a Mexican restaurant where the owner is a member. He is kind enough to feed the missionaries for free, and since we don't get enough Mexican food (NOT!) we decided to check it out. Well, it happened to be Karaoke night, so in true form of our companionship we decided to sing a hymn. We sang "I Need Thee Every Hour" (in Spanish of course) and we were pretty well accepted by the audience! We've been invited back, and next time they're going to have an accompaniment CD for us.

We've been working a lot with Santiago this week, and he has accepted a date for baptism! He loves learning, and seems to be just soaking everything up! We are really excited to help him progress and prepare to make this sacred covenant. His wife still does not understand the importance of the restored gospel, but I know as she sees the changes in her husband, and her daughter (who is getting baptized in March in Mesa) she will recognize the blessings they are receiving and begin to soften her heart.

We taught a woman, Nila, yesterday that seems to have lots of potential. She expressed her doubts and concerns as to why she didn't agree with her previous Church, and told us some of the things she is looking for in a religion. She said that she just feels she hasn't found the right one yet, but is looking for something that will fill her heart and complete the missing pieces in the puzzle. We are so excited to teach her and help her see the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is one reason I love the gospel, because it has all the answers! Everything just makes so much sense, and fills all the holes and gaps that exist in other places in our lives and in the world. As I continue to study the scriptures and the words of the modern day prophets I recognize this truth even more and I get so excited about it! This gospel is perfect, and complete, and with this knowledge in my life I have so much peace and hope! I take confidence in knowing that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father, that I understand my purpose in life, and that if I continue on the correct path and do the things that I need to here that I can return to live with Him, and with my family for eternity.

I feel so blessed to have been raised with this understanding, and love the opportunity that I have right now as a missionary to share this message of with everyone and offer them the same peace and blessings that I have enjoyed. Every sacrifice I make as far as being away from my home is well worth it to offer others the blessing and opportunity to return to their Father in Heaven in their Celestial Home. Keep this in your mind this week - your divine heritage and potential as Children of God, and let that affect your daily actions. Remember who you are!

Much love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

LOVE

Feliz Dia del Amor y el Amistad! I hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day! Holidays are completely different (ie. really weird) on the mission, but we make the most of every opportunity to celebrate. This was a big week for us... Thursday was my 3rd month birthday, Saturday was Valentine's Eve, Sunday Valentine's Day, and Monday President's Day AND Hermana Wilkins 10th month birthday!

Valentine's Eve we celebrated by moving our mattresses onto our balcony and having a sleepover outside! We looked at the stars and told stories all night... well, OK, until like 10:30, but still! For President's Day (aka. no mail day) we wrote "letters" for the Elders in our district with patriotic pictures so they would get some mail. We also took some pretty amazing pictures of us with "George Washington hair" (evidence to come). We love making memories and taking advantage of every opportunity to make ourselves and others smile.

We have some pretty solid new investigators this week. One guy, Kelvin, is Alma's nephew (his mom, Areceli, is a member too). The Elders called us the other day and told us they had talked to a guy outside his house that was very interested in learning more about the Gospel. They had no idea who he was or that some of his family are members. When they told us his address we realized, and we actually thought he was Areceli's husband, who we haven't ever met. Anyway... we went over to teach him and he is incredible. He is so intelligent, and I can see the wheels turning in his head as he processes the things we teach him. We watched The Restoration video the other day, and after it was over he re-told the story perfectly starting with "Joseph Smith was born in 1805..." We were blown away. Normally people are like, "Umm, Joseph Smith saw God or something right?" We've been teaching him every day and are really excited to see him progressing!

Since it was Dia del Amor this week I want to talk about the power of love. There's a David O. McKay quote that I love that says "True Christianity is love in action. There is no better way to manifest love for God than to show an unselfish love for one's fellowmen." As representatives of Jesus Christ, it is so important for us to demonstrate this pure form of love for all of God's children. I know that as you do so they will begin to recognize their divine potential and know that they are sons and daughters of God and be able to feel of His love for them. Go out of your way this week to perform an act of true love. It will bless your life as well as the life of those you serve.

I love you all and am grateful for the love you show me,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

Another Driving Adventure

Since everything funny seems to happen in the car, I think I'll include the driving story of the week: On Thursday, after a long and tiring day, Hermana Wilkins stopped at a green light and waited for it to turn... green. I think it was exactly the thing we needed to liven up the day and get us animated again for the work. We like to laugh at even the bad times, because really, there just is no time! There is definitely no shortage of fun in our companionship :)

We met a couple of new people this week... one is named Ricardo and he lives in a pretty dense Hispanic area. He is the epitome of a Mexican man. The first time we met him he was wearing white snake skin pointy-toed boots, tight jeans, a plaid shirt half unbuttoned and half tucked in, and a big belt buckle. If I could imitate a Mexican voice with writing I would, but suffice it to say he is pretty hilarious to listen to, and actually quite difficult for both of us to understand. Anyway, we taught him the Restoration and scheduled an appointment to come back in a few days. We went back last night, but only had a few minutes before we had to be at a meeting at the Church so we just stopped by to see how he was doing. We talked about the Book of Mormon for a few minutes, but somehow in an effort to get to the meeting on time we forgot to leave it with him. He called us while we were in the car and was like "Hey! You told me the Book of Mormon was really precious and then you didn't even give it to me!" We promised him when we came back for our next appointment we would give him a copy and he can read it all night!

We have another new investigator, Santiago, who is very interested in learning more about the Church. He lives in an apartment above the garage of a member's home and has known them for over 20 years. His daughter is also investigating the Church in Mesa. When we met him he expressed very sincere desires for unity in his family (especially in religion - his wife and daughter attend and Evangelical church, and the rest of them go in different directions). The love of a caring father was very apparent to me, and I know that our Heavenly Father feels the same way about His children. He wants us to be united and come unto Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. We promised Santiago that the message we share is one that blesses families, and offers us unity, and even the opportunity to be united for eternity.

After teaching the Restoration we taught him how to pray and Santiago offered a simple, but heartfelt and faith-filled prayer for his mind to be open to learn new things, and for his wife to allow us to teach her. It is such an incredible thing to watch people apply the principles that we teach them - especially as they begin to understand the nature of God and the relationship they can have with their loving Father in Heaven. Santiago had never really prayed like that before, and the Spirit was strong as we listened to him express the desires of his heart. I challenge each of you to carefully pray with sincere faith this week, and really take the time to express your thoughts, hopes, fears, goals, and desires to Heavenly Father. I testify that He knows you by name, listens to you, loves you, and wants to bless you with the things you need.

Much love,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette

In the Out Gate

My testimony in prayers has increased this week as I learn more about my companion... specifically her driving habits! The other day we were leaving our apartment and had just gotten our mail, so were trying to read our letters (Hermana Wilkins was reading as she was driving). We were both so excited, and didn't even realize that she had run a stop sign because she wasn't paying attention! Fortunately we live in the middle of nowhere, so no one was even around and it was just pretty hilarious. Our driving adventures continued on Monday night as we were driving to a potential investigator's home. We drove up to a gated community, and I (the official navigator) grabbed the map to see if there was another way we could go. When I looked back up we were driving through the "out" gate that someone had just exited through. Our motto for our companionship is "there is no time!" It definitely applied here... I think Hermana Wilkins said something like "People in gated communities need the gospel too!" but I'm not really sure because I was laughing so hard...

This week really has been an amazing testimony builder for me! On Monday morning instead of our regular district meeting we had a "Fireside" with a Church member named Blake Smith who has TONS of Joseph Smith memorabilia including Alvin Smith's desk, personal items of Joseph, Joseph and Hyrum Smith's death masks, and an original copy of the Book of Mormon, among lots of other artifacts. He presented the life of Joseph Smith, the prophet, with stories that I had never heard before. It was fascinating to hear bits and pieces about his life, the Restoration of the Gospel, and the foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The experience definitely strengthened my testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet, called of God in these latter days. Many of the people we talk to have a hard time believing in prophets, and I understand that it can be hard to believe that a normal man could have the power to commune with God, or that a fourteen year-old boy saw God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ. However, I KNOW without a doubt in my mind that Joseph restored the keys of Priesthood authority, and through the power of God translated the Book of Mormon. Like Joseph's own testimony, I know it, and I know that God knows it, and I can not deny it.

Joseph was persecuted beyond belief for his faith - arrested 44 times, and beaten by mobs countless times until they finally killed him on June 27, 1844. Joseph Smith sealed his testimony with his blood, and more than just his life, he gave EVERYTHING to establish the Gospel in this dispensation. Joseph Smith, his family, among hundreds of other Saints left their homes, their loved ones and were severely persecuted for their beliefs. I can not even begin to understand what they endured, or compare myself to them, but I do know that they did it, because they KNEW that this gospel is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the most important and precious thing we have, and for every sacrifice we make we receive incredible blessings that we will continue to receive into the eternities. I am so grateful for everything that Joseph Smith gave to bring to light this truth, and even more so, for the sacrifice of my Saviour, Jesus Christ who established God's Church on this earth, and lived and died for each of us.

I love teaching this doctrine, and I am becoming more and more passionate about these truths as I see how they have blessed my life, and the lives of my family, friends, and investigators. We were teaching one woman this week, Maria, who is Catholic, and very content with her religion and she was listening to us mostly to be nice, it seemed. As we began explaining and testifying of the Book of Mormon, she got more interested and commented that she has read parts of the Book of Mormon and enjoys comparing it with the Bible. We told her since she likes to do this, she might be interested in reading 3 Nephi 11-17, where Jesus Christ comes to the Americas after His Resurrection and teaches the people there much of the same things He taught during His ministry in Jerusalem. Her face lit up, and she appeared to be excited about this information. Becuase it is exciting! How awesome is it that the Book of Mormon works hand in hand with the Bible providing ANOTHER witness of our Savior Jesus Christ! There are so many Christians in this world that already have a firm belief in Christ, which is great, but we have more prophecies, more testimony, more knowledge!! I know that the Gospel has been restored in its fullness and that the Book of Mormon testifies of this, and of our Savior. I challenge you to read it looking for these words of Christ, and I know that you will be blessed and feel of God's love as you come to an increased knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ and improve your relationship with Him.

Love you all,

Hermana Richelle Ouellette