November 17, 2014

God's Thanksgiving Letter to the North Brookfield Sisters:
"Happy Early Thanksgiving. I won't just give you ONE humble pie, but i'll give you SEVEN - one for each day of the week. And because it's the season of giving, you can probably continue to expect one more each day until Thanksgiving. Enjoy. Let me know how it tastes Love, God."

As a result, it was quite an unexpected week. I always knew the importance of working with members - I am a firm believer, but this week in the coolest way...our members totally showed us up!!! It's actually the most exciting thing that can ever happen. It was a reminder to me that this really is the Lord's work - not our work. Sometimes we think we know better, well you know what, we just don't.

We had dinner at a member's home - the Browns for the second time this week. Rare. Best Christmas gift from God. I am convinced that one of the reasons why I was sent to North Brookfield was purely just to learn from the Browns. Bro. Brown taught us principles of teaching and helped us with some concerns we had with our investigators. The spirit was so strong in their home, it literally leaves my mouth empty for words. We were so excited because we were going to try some of these principles at our next lesson that evening with our investigator, MJ.
I don't know if i've ever taught so bad. It's not because the principles were inaccurate, it was just our lack of skill set or spirit or something. We brought a member who we have recently discovered how incredible she is. When the lesson went a different direction, the member knew exactly what scriptures to pull out. It fit MJs needs exactly. She kept apologizing and later apologized if it seemed like she took over the lesson and I was like are you kidding me? You were 110% inspired. And 200% extra bonus points that it came from you and not us because now you guys are best friends. While the lesson ended well, I still left feeling there wasn't a good sense of direction moving forward.

That night we went to bed and I just felt so sad inside. So happy that Jessie was inspired to fill MJs needs, but so sad that I'm the missionary that needs to know how to bounce off of that and work it towards progress for Mary Jane, and not a temporary fulfillment, and i felt like i just didn't do the job. I felt sad that here we had left the Browns - who have so much horsepower of knowledge and skill set, and yet we failed to deliver.

Sister Layton and I talked the next morning and discussed together that we needed to repent as a companionship to Heavenly Father. I've been okay at following the spirit but it was evident to me this week that I have not been filling my capacity. I needed to more frequently do as President Packard always says, "Work like everything depends on us and pray like everything depends on the Lord." We had a shift in ourselves that morning. We went back to a potential investigator's home - she let us in and while our teaching skills are still weak, the discussion was guided by the spirit and we left having a new investigator. The facts just didn't add up on that one, and yet, a miracle happened. Her name is Kim - she has a family, and she said she will invite her kids to sit in on the lesson the next time we come. We left thinking ok, what member should we bring to Kim's? Instantly we both thought, 'yes! sister brown would be perfect with her!'. Then, we look at our calendar and Sister Brown had already signed up to go out with us that day. We felt so blessed from the Lord, especially considering our recent promise to him of our change.

We had to drop MJs baptism date for Nov 21. She was our only date we had set for November. We have a lesson with her this evening, and we hope that the spirit is such and the timing is such that she'll still be baptized in november. Sister Layton and I talked about our goals and at our current state, what our possibility is that we'll meet our goal. We are praying for a miracle...praying like everything depends on the Lord and trying to act accordingly.
We got to teach a different investigator with Brother Brown on sunday. It felt so good teaching with him. He asked everyone in the room what the spirit has been telling them to do during this lesson, and then he said, "the spirit's been telling me that on my way home im going to stop by my friends, the Buzzles, becauses sisters, we need to find more people for you to teach."

I've learned so much about being in tune and listening to the still small voice more this week than the past 3 months combined. When you act and feel like that, it doesn't matter if you meet your goal because you have the faith the Lord still needed you to set it to raise your sights.

Here's to another learning and humbling filled week!

Love,
Sister Bell

p.s. we had our first snow fall this week! YIKES!

AND how could i forget - S. Layton went into the E.R. almost died, yeah its fine.
that felt like a month ago. really dont know how i forgot that.
here is a picture of her getting pampered. The other is a picture at multicultural night - only in north brookfield.

November 10, 2014

Im pretty sure that dumb singer got it wrong - love isn't like a battlefield...LIFE is like a battlefield. Someone has to correct her lyrics.

What a miracle filled week! Not just for us, but the entire mission. As I said last week, Elder Lawrence from the 70 and his wife visited. We had set a goal as a mission to do what we has never nearly been done before in the history of this mission.

President & Sister Packard went to a mission presidency seminar the week before E. Lawrence's visit where he promised the mission presidents that what they promise their missionaries in faith and gods will, will happen. President Packard wrote Elder Holland to tell him about what the mission's goal was and that we were praying in every private and public prayer about this goal. Elder Holland responded "I am so proud of your challenge to the missionaries. I am praying for the mission goal with every morning and evening prayer…. I am fully confident you will reach it.”  CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?

With great blessing and great out pouring of the spirit however comes the adversary with just as hard of a force. One of our investigators who has a baptism date for Nov 21st was all lined up to come to church and she did not show. On the flip side, the unexpected showed up to church. We are in the biggest tug-a-war match of our lives. I had the opportunity to speak in church. My topic was 2 Nephi 31. If only we comprehended the sacredness of that most simple chapter! It is the chapter that was the catalyst for the prayer that led to the restoration of the Priesthood. All of the available saving ordinances we have is because a young man read that chapter, asked a question, sought prayer, and was spiritually prepared to receive the answer and heavenly visitation. How appropriate that in this month of November the talk would be about baptism. Shocking. Not. It's taking every ounce of spiritual energy we have. I feel like we are shooting at a target, have our eyes on the bullseye, and are even equipped with the right arrows, but sometimes I feel like we are missing the target every time. Archery really does take a lot of practice - and I feel like I'm running out of time. Im learning things about missionary work and who I am in a way that I haven't practiced before. I'm pretty sure I've been doing it all wrong. But ya know what, life wouldn't be fun if you didn't learn a thing or two.

The answer is always the spirit - if we help provide experiences for others around us to help them feel the spirit, recognize the spirit, and teach them how to act on the spirit - it really does solve everything. Well, almost everything :)

It's like mom's best friend, Julie B. Beck said - that the greatest thing we can obtain in this life is the ability to recognize and follow the spirit.  

Good luck on the battlefield this week troops.

Love,

Sister Bell

November 3, 2014

Hello family!

What a special week we had with Elder Lawrence visiting. I wish I could describe just a small portion in words - but you're just going to have to bear with the fact that my letter will probably completely miss the mark. What else is new.

For one, we had a great Mission Leadership Council. For the past few months, President Packard has felt inspired to set a goal as a mission - something that we have never reached before in terms of baptism. We had set the goal for a month over the summer and despite our diligence and the outpouring of the spirit, we didn't quite make it. It was still a revolutionary mark for the mission. As we discussed as a council, we knew that November was the month to complete this goal of 70 baptisms. We created a plan of how we are going to work with the missionaries and wards to bring unity and facilitate this miracle. We were interviewed as companionships by Elder Lawrence which was neat, but not as life shattering as you'd think.

The Lord has been preparing us for November. It was not a coincidence how everything is lining up like clockwork. We had Elder Lawrence's visit, MLC at an unusual time, it's right before November, and we had Zone Conference where it was a good time to announce the goal. In Zone Conference we learned some literally remarkable things about the gospel that I had never thought about as deeply before. Changes everything about the way and the why of my missionary work. If only I would have known this a year ago. Sister Layton and I are of course beyond excited about this goal and experience - I tell ya, the spirit works perrty quickly around here. In less than 24 hours we had prayed and laid out a plan individualized for the branch, met with President Dusty for his counsel so that it could come from him when he announces it, printed inserts of our unit goals for the programs, and invited a family to fast for the first day to kick it off. Oh the powerful things the spirit can allow you to do in less than 24 hours.  We feel so confident that these ideas were directly from the spirit to solve the branch's concern for unity and sharing the gospel. We don't need to please one or the other! Both are knit as one!

So we are calling it the North Brookfield November 3. The 3 things each member of the branch is going to do in the month of November to assist in bringing about a branch baptism this month.

We woke up to November 1st and we knew that the spirit and the devil were already awake. It has been an emotional contemplative weekend. The power of the adversary is real. The harder we work, the more weapons he seems to try. We are praying harder than before and helping our investigators understand this as ever as before too. I've never felt like I had to be more on my guard. It will take more faith than I currently have, more work than I currently give, and more sincere prayers than I currently offer. In fast and testimony meeting I bore my testimony about the power of these goals and the promise that we'll have a baptism conditional upon our obedience to these goals that President Dusty has asked us to do.

Elder Lawrence taught us 6 steps of faith. I invite you to apply these principles to what you are working on or know you should be working on. I wont go into depth on each one - ill let you do you own homework on that. He reminded us that righteous goals are those that have a gap - those that require divine intervention in order to be accomplished.

1. Choose a righteous desire/goal

2. Be believing

3. Plead your cause to the Lord

4. Commit yourself fully

5. Expect trials and obstacles

6. Expect the Lord to preform. [Jacob 4: 6-7]

We don't have quotas - but we do know that so many people right in front of our eyes are looking, waiting, and ready for the gospel. We do know the Lord preforms when we do our part and set worthy goals by the spirit. Doubt and fear can't reside in the same room as faith. We can be doing so much more in our lives that we currently are. Not more as in adding something to the to do list - but it may require that we change some of the things on the to do list, or change the way that we do them.

Please keep the MBM in your prayers this month. See, I told you I couldn't accurately snap shot it!

Love,

Sister Bell

Don't forget your sword and shield at home folks. Ain't nobody got time for that this month.