The work just gets better and better!

Hello everyone!

It definitely doesn't feel like Halloween/Fall time over here... but I'm not complaining :) It has been such a good week. This work just  gets better and better every day. Enrique is all set and ready to be baptized on Saturday! YAY!  We met with him and spent some time explaining what the program will entail. We are so excited that he feels ready and he's made this decision! The ward has been so supportive and it sounds like a lot of our members will be attending, along with Enrique's family. The Gomez family will also be attending his baptism. Enrique is going to make one amazing member of the church. He's great and we are so blessed that we get to see him be baptized!

 

We met with the Gomez family and taught the restoration. The spirit is always so powerful in their home, especially when Brother Gomez shares his testimony. It's amazing how I am teaching all the time as a missionary... but I learn so much from our investigators and those we meet each day. I've never met a family who loved and cared for one another as much as this family. They are such an example to me. They are incredible and I want nothing more than for them to have this in their life.. We taught the restoration through to Joseph Smith and Brother Gomez pretty much finished off the lesson by testifying to Sister Gomez that she has to find out for herself through reading and praying with real intent. She has softened so much... and the spirit is working in her. She explained that she knows she needs to read and pray and she will really make an effort to do so. They all came to church yesterday and they are progressing really well. I love this family.

 

We had a few opportunities to do service this week! We helped a member family move and it was super neat because they had their non-member friend there. She will be moving pretty soon as well and she suggested that she contact the missionaries in her area to help her out…she was amazed that we are always looking to serve within the community. Pretty cool!

 

Random story for the week: We told this member who is a personal trainer we wanted to get into shape…she gave us these work outs and  with the combination of helping this family move, a lot of walking/knocking and the work out... We. Can't. Move. Pretty embarrassing haha!

 

I feel so blessed to be companion's with Sister Brown. She's an incredible missionary! She loves this work and has helped me love this work even more. She's diligent and hard-working and BOLD in her testimony. I would love to serve with her another transfer!  I can't believe how fast they fly... crazy.  We have been able to see a lot of miracles this week and this whole transfer. The more I have lost myself in this work, the more joy I have found. I can promise that the less we think about ourselves, and the more we think about others, the happier we become. Try it :)  I love these people and I know that our Heavenly Father knows them! I'm grateful for the sacred time I have each day to study and strengthen my personal testimony of this gospel. How blessed we are to have the scriptures... there is so much power in reading them every day. I met someone this week who says that truth does not exist.. I know with certainty that absolute truth exists and if we seek him in sincerity, he will answer. He cares. I love this gospel! Thanks for the prayers and support. Have an amazing week!!

 

Sister James
10-27-2014

Sis J with baby pumpkin

 

The Lord always provides

Hi everyone!

 

Well, this week was amazing! It wasn't what we expected, but that's how every day goes. So… all of our set appointments fell through this week.. All of them, BUT it was great :) haha because of it, we met some great potential investigators.. .had opportunities to do service and found a new investigator, who is so prepared! The Lord always compensates and he always provides if we keep the faith and find joy in what he has prepared for us. I think he knows what he's doing more than we do Ha! So after one of our appointments cancelled we were doing some finding and met Daniel. He was outside working on his house. We got talking with him and found out that he is VERY familiar with the Church. He has several friends who have served missions, he's been to church and the visitor’s center, and he's read half of the Book of Mormon... Sister Brown and I asked him what he knew about The Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and he pretty much taught us the restoration. IT was CRAZY! He explained that his friends who served missions would write him frequently and they would send him versus and talks.. He agreed to have us come back and share more and he told us he would invite his friend who just recently returned from a mission. He's 27, so we'll be passing him off to the elders! He is so prepared.. such a tender mercy!

We weren't able to meet with Enrique or the Gomez family this week, but they both came to church! Enrique received a blessing. After the blessing he told us that he felt the spirit so strongly and expressed that he is ready to be baptized on November 1st!! He said, "That was my sign." He is so ready and has so much faith. We are very happy that he's made this decision and we will continue to pray for him as he prepares and have the faith that he will commit to this date. The Gomez fam are doing great  as well :)

We had the opportunity to do service for a member of our ward who is going to be moving in a couple of weeks. She is a GREAT missionary... always looking for every opportunity to share the gospel with others! After we helped her get ready for a yard sale, she introduced us to two of her neighbors and we gave them our information, so that if they ever need service, they can call us.

I know that this work is the work of the Lord. I'm so blessed to have this time to consecrate everything to serving him.. it's going by way tooo fast. This is the greatest work and I'm so grateful I get to be an advocate of the truth and share my testimony of this gospel each day.. I love it! I know that he is preparing his children in this area and that he knows what's best. I love you all!! Thanks for the prayers :)

 Sister James

10-20-2014

Sister Brown cooking fail

Tis the Halloween season!

 

 

Another great week!

Family and friends!!

 

I hope ever one had a great week :) I got your package from the Barlow's. The sweet tooth fairy treats are already gone Ha. Aren't the Barlow's the best?! They are so involved in the work and consecrate all their time to the Lord. I forgot to mention that the Wood's (My fav. members from Ventura) now live in Camarillo 5th ward.. it's been so fun!

This week was great.. It was a week of miracles and tender mercies here in Camarillo! The Lord is leading this work.. I know it. We had exchanges this week! Sis. Draney came to Camarillo and we had such a good day!! I focused on using the Book of Mormon more effectively in the work and literally every person we met that was willing to listen.. was interested in reading the Book of Mormon. One experience that was really neat was meeting this man named Kevin.. He has had a really rough past and never believed in God. He told us that he really didn't care about anything or anyone and felt he had no purpose. He told us about his change of heart in coming unto Christ and we were able to relate it to Alma the younger in the Book of Mormon. He was soaking it all up and the spirit was extremely strong.. definately a tender mercy. The Book of Mormon is powerful. It's changed my life.

Enrique is so. ready.  I have never taught someone so prepared! He taught us the lesson this week and his testimony is unshakable. We asked him how he enjoyed conference and he goes, " It was an honor. Listening to the prophet of the world was the greatest honor. I KNOW he's the prophet of god." The spirit was so powerful in our lesson.. We invited him to be baptized on Oct. 25th and he sat there for a second.. and then finally said that he needs to pray about it. He came to church yesterday and he is continuing to read and pray because he wants to be sure. He really wants to put both feet in this gospel, which is a blessing to know he really views this as a covenant.. something very important. Keep praying for him!  We met with The Gomez fam this week! They made us REAL tacos... I love them. Oh, and I ate cow tongue this week! Which is nothing compared to what Haley is eating in Cambodia and what my friends are eating in South  America, but hey, I thought it was pretty spontaneous. We invited Sis. Gomez to take the lessons and she accepted!! She told us her concerns with everything and she says she just doesn't feel the spirit at church, like she does at her church. Coming from a catholic background she is pretty hesitant, but her heart has been softened and she has come such a long way. And they all came to church yesterday! Such a blessing. I forgot to mention but the 3 girls are 12, 10, and 8. None of them are members either, but they all have testimonies and love primary and YW. Please keep praying for them as well... This family is so dear to me!

 

We had a lot of opportunities to do service... my calling in my YSA ward even came in handy this week! Haha we taught Paige and Paris (9 yr old twins) How to lead music and helped them with their math homework.. (It's embarrassing how bad I am at math. 3rd grade math) That was fun! We also did some yard work and cleaning for a former investigator. Service softens hearts!

 

This work brings me so much joy... The lord could do this on His own, but He allows us to be a part of it because we grow and learn in so many ways. I've never been happier! The gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect. I know that this is the time the Lord is hastening his work and he will qualify the weak. We can be instruments in his hands and see miracles every day if we choose to. Like Elder Bednar said, "Our desire to share the gospel is a reflection of how important it is to us." Share because you love it.

 I love you all! Have an amazing week :)

New District in Camarillo

The Barlow's deliver a surprise from home!

 

Sister James with Cami from Ventura


 

 

Camarillo and Conference!

FAMILY!

As always, it's been a wonderful week! :) We had interviews which were so great (Mom, did I ever tell you that sister Felix is your twin? She sounds exactly like you and it freaks me out... but at the same time, it's a blessing) Haha any way, we had the opportunity to watch "Meet the Mormons!" It's so good. Every one, go see it and invite your friends! It's a perfect tool to use for missionary work.  The members here are so AWESOME. Sister Brown and I have been thinking about ways we can get member-missionary work rolling here because the members really are so great and have that desire. We have been setting up appointments with them (Starting with ward council) to teach them and extend an invitation to invite a friend to see "Meet the Mormons." We're hoping and praying that this will open up a lot of opportunities! We met with the Gomez family this week and Sister Gomez truly is softening her heart! We helped them prepare for conference and talked about how we can make it a revelatory experience. Brother Gomez bore a powerful testimony on how he wants his girls to be involved in the church and wants this for his family. The spirit was so strong and I know Sister Gomez felt that. She has taken the lessons before... but, felt very pushed and pressured, so we hope that we can help her feel loved, rather than pushed. We're meeting with them again on Saturday and we are going to invite her to take the lessons!

Enrique is doing well! We invited him to be baptized on a specific date, but he expressed to us that he didn't feel quite ready. We went over the interview questions and found out that he struggles with coffee and that he's had a hard time giving it up. We testified of the blessings that will come with living this commandment and he committed to quit completely!! He's receiving a blessing this week from our ward mission leader and he came to conference yesterday and really enjoyed it. Judy also came to conference... she took notes and everything! It was such a blessing and they both had a great experience.

General conference was INCREDIBLE and I learned so much. I didn't have a specific talk that touched me more than others, but each of them had something that really touched me! I learned three things especially..

1. How important it is to nourish our testimony of the restored gospel and the atonement of Jesus Christ... center our lives on Christ, use the atonement and repent daily. I especially realized that I need to be repenting daily and using the atonement as a missionary. And as Elder Ballard said, "Study, live, and love the doctrine of Christ." Once we have that firm testimony, we then can help others along the path. We also must pattern our lives after our savior.. Christ-like love will change the world!

2. We have the ability to have confirming, personal revelation. We can receive TRUTH and light... we can receive truth if we ask in sincerity and act. The lord will always answer if we are seeking.

3. This is the restored church of Jesus Christ. We have a living prophet.. Thomas S. Monson. We must sustain him and our leaders.. The church will never be led astray! There is so much power and comfort in that.

 

I look forward to applying what I learned this weekend to the work and improving myself as a representative of Jesus Christ.  This is the Lord's church and this is his work. God loves us.. no matter where we are on the path...no matter the depth of our testimony, but he has provided us with the guidance and the tools to strengthen our personal testimonies. We can always become more converted and he will help us as we turn to him, I'm so grateful for this gospel... I love my savior. HE LIVES.

 

I love you alll!! Thanks for the prayers!!

 Sister James

 

 

I love Camarillo!

Family and friends!

 

I LOVE CAMARILLO! I absolutely love this area and the people. Sister Brown and I have already seen a lot of miracles in our short time together.. There are so many members here and they are so willing to share their testimonies of the gospel and willing to fellowship! The area is so different from Santa Barbara.. it's very family oriented, there are a lot of young families and people aren't, .. insane haha!  It's crazy going from a district of 16 missionaries to 8 missionaries.. we are the only sisters in our zone, and oh Elder Mckinley is one of my zone leaders! Pretty funny! We've met a lot of great families and potential investigators also people are very receptive and willing to listen.. it's a blessing! A member in our ward gave us 7 referrals and one of them is a young family that is actually searching for a church! Another one of the referrals (a guy named John) gave us ideas for service opportunities, which was something we had been praying for. We had the opportunity to do service for a less-active member of our ward this week, a sister Ashcraft. She's been really busy with her work and everything else going on, but she made it to church yesterday and the general women's meeting with her twin girls!

 

We're also teaching Enrique.. he's been taking the lessons for about six months and is preparing to be baptized! We had a lesson with him on temples and eternal families! He is so pure in heart and so prepared. We invited him to pray about baptism and a specific date and will continue to help him prepare. It was neat to hear how important his family is to him and to testify that he will be with his children for eternity and that these covenants he is making are so important. This week he will be teaching us a lesson, so we're really excited to see where he's at with everything and hear his perspective of the gospel. We've also been working with a lot of part-member families, one of them being the Gomez family. Sister Brown and I were able to catch sister Gomez this week and sit down and just talk with her about her concerns and where she's it with the gospel.. it was really good. She told us that she needs time and she wants to "REALLY feel it deep within her heart." She came to the women's meeting with her three daughter's and the members of our ward were so great at inviting and fellowshipping her!

 

This week we have interviews and we get to watch "Meet the Mormons" Which I'm super excited for!! I'm really looking forward to General conference! The general women's meeting was so amazing! I was reminded of how important my covenants are, and that I should always remember them and that being a covenant keeper will affect my posterity and my family. President Ucthdorf's talk reminded me my value as a daughter of God and that I am loved "Today and always." I loved how he focused on the joy that comes when keeping the commandments of the Lord and that he really does know what is best for us.. he knows us better than we know ourselves! I've been praying and thinking of questions that I have as we approach conference this weekend and I'm really focusing on how I can allow the spirit to fill my mouth and trust in the spirit more fully. I know that the Lord will provide me with the answers and counsel that I need to be a better servant of His. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to hear the words of our dear prophet.. I know that if we prepare spiritually, we will receive personal revelation that is perfectly tailored to our needs. I love this work and I love my savior! This is the work of the Lord and he loves us today and ALWAYS :)

 

Sister James

Diving on the 101

Sister Brown and Sister James

Camarillo district


 

Leaving Santa Barbara!

Family and Friends!

 Well, I'm going to CAMARILLO!!! :) (Member missionary work territory!) I'm super excited!! I'm going to be serving in the 5th ward with Sister Brown. Sister Brown  and I served together in Santa Barbara ward my first 2 transfers here and I know that we'll work super well together! It's bitter-sweet because I have fallen in love with Santa Barbara and the people here, but I can't wait to take all that I've learned here and serve in a new area. I know without a doubt that I was called here for a reason.. It's where I've grown and learned the most. It's broken me out of my shell and refined my testimony of this work and the gospel. Man, I'll miss it, but I'm really looking forward to a new experience!

 These past couple weeks have been super busy and so GREAT! We've been going from appointment to appointment and had a lot of service opportunities. I don't have a lot of time, but good news.. Ben and Natalie are getting baptized on Oct. 17th! :) I'm so happy for them and the progression that they're making.

 

We had a zone conference with Elder Malm (of the 70) this weekend! It was amazing.. I received a lot of much needed personal revelation. He focused on how THIS is the time of that the Lord truly is hastening his work and that we were saved for this time to assist him. He talked about how every one that we come in contact with has already said yes to the Lord's plan and we need to see them as yes-sayers and see their divine potential. He also said this, "There are NO limits as his servants, regardless of other's agency." I'm learning that I shouldn't be as hard on myself and that at the end of the day.. if I've done my very best, I can be proud of my work and that It's about losing myself in the joy if it. This is the most glorious, joyful work and I love it with all my heart! Thank you for all your support and love :)

Sister James

 

 

Awkward hugger

"Selfies!"

Going to miss Santa Barbara!

 

 

Training and Teaching

It's been an amazing week! We had zone conference.. that was SO great! I adore President and sister Felix.. they truly are called of God to do all they do. President Felix focused on establishing Zion in our hearts and becoming of one mind, and one purpose. They introduced our new Christ-like attribute, which is CHARITY. The whole conference was centered on how Christ-like service and forgetting ourselves in blessing others, is the key in missionary work. We're really excited to begin the justserve program and do 10 hrs. a week! We'll be helping out with projects in the community.. This will change the work completely. We also watched a talk given by President Ucthdorf about fearing no man.. so good. I know that in the Lord we can find all strength and he can carry our worries and any fears that we may have. His atonement enables us to do things we don't think we're capable of! "Doubt not, fear not" (D&C 6:36). We had a neat experience the day after Zone Conference! We were tracting in the morning and we came across a woman named Therese. She told us that she wasn't interested at all, wouldn't even let us give her a mormon.org card or anything, but she offered us water! We allowed her to serve us and we got talking a little bit. We explained to her that we're really looking for service and she goes, "I prayed this morning that I would find someone to help me with all the things I have going on!" And any time we offer service.. the majority of the time, people say they don't want help. So cool! We went to her house on Friday and helped her organize and do some other things. She has a personal assistant and everything. They were both super respectful and genuine and we're hoping that through this, her heart may be softened to the church. We'll be doing 4 hrs. of service for her a week! We met with Paul again! Man, he's DEEP haha. He's been reading and praying and says that if any thing contradicts with the bible than it's not true and that a "burning in the bosom" isn't enough to receive his answer. We've been focusing on helping him recognize his answer and recognize the spirit. He also wants to receive his answer before he comes to church. We explained that he can receive personal revelation and his answer at church! Also.. we found out he's in the elders area :( Bummer! But I'm sure they'll be great for him. We met with Ben & Natalie and had a lesson on Charity and service! It went well :) Well, I'm out of time, but I'm so grateful for this work! I know that through love and giving of ourselves to others, we can find the most joy. We can be his hands on the earth. I love being a missionary :) Love you all.

Sister Ashworth knows I love cats!