June 3, 2013
Hey
family!!!
Holy
cow Tokyo Japan?!?! That's awesome!! Wow, wow, wow!!! Good for Kristen! :)
And
AMBER!!!!!!!! WOOHOOOOO!!!!! Man I'm freakin' out for you!! That is so exciting!!!!
:) :) :) :) :)
K
before I forget... There is a guy her in the Athens ward Brother Furniss (I can't
remember his first name off the top of my head, Wayne maybe...??) anyway but I was
talking to him last week and he asked where I was from and he was like I have a
brother that lives there! Come to find out he lives on 750 W, his name is Steven
and Pam Furniss. He said if you're coming down the road they're on the right hand
side like the 4th house down, that would put them in our ward wouldn't it?? Anyway he said that they are less active but I thought
that y'all could go over there and do a little missionary work! :)
It's
been another great week! Kinda one of mixed emotions though... We got "the text" Friday night asking us to
be on the transfer conference call Saturday morning... :( I thought for sure I'd
be staying and just training again but I got a curve ball thrown. You know the new
I guess you could call it position they have for sister trainer leaders? Well that's
going to be me! This is the first transfer our mission has done it and honestly
I'm not really sure what all I'll be doing haha they didn't really say but 8 of
us have been called. I think it's going to be kinda like a zone leader so we'll
go on a lot of exchanges with other sisters and make sure they're being trained.
I'm thinking that like a zone leader there will be 2 of us in each zone, I'm really
hoping that I get to stay in the Chattanooga zone! So I'm being transferred and
me and my new companion will white wash an area. I'm so sad to be leaving Athens,
I hate that I only got to spend 6 weeks here but I'm excited for this new opportunity!
It'll be fun and I think a new change of pace. :)
I
was wondering why I'd been called to serve here for just 6 weeks, I prayed about
it, cried about it, and prayed some more and yesterday at church I got my answer.
Yesterday was seriously the most incredible day I think I've had on my mission yet!
I woke up honestly thinking that it was going to be a crappy day because it was
POURING rain, the rain here is not like Utah rain, when it comes it comes! There
were several flash floods here in Madisonville but our place was okay and we had
spent the night in Athens which was a definite tender mercy because of all the standing
water on the roads. Anyway we were supposed to have 4 people come to church but
Relief Society starts and no one is there... In ward council though one of the brothers
said that he had gone by to give a less active, Sister Hester a blessing and her
friend Sandy (who we had met probably the first week we got here and asked if she'd
like to learn more she said no, so that was kind of a bummer but we really didn't
think much of it afterwards...) anyway Sandy really felt like she needed to go over
to Sister Hester's home so she did while the men were there giving her a blessing
she asked if she could have one as well and talked with them for a good hour about
the church and said she'd like to come! So her and Sister Hester both walked in
for Sunday school! We talked about repentance which seriously so perfect for the
crowd that was there, the teacher shared how he had had a strong coffee addiction
but that he was able to get over it. She spoke up and was like "I didn't know
that coffee was bad for you..." We explained the word of wisdom and right then
she says, "well my coffee pot is going in the trash as soon as I get home!"
Holy crap it was awesome!!! You hear about stories like that happening but I'd never
really experienced it, it was so cool!! An instant testimony. She was just glowing
during all of church and just soaking it all in!
We
walk out of Sunday school and guess whose standing in the hall?? Kayli and her mom!!!!
Kayli ran and gave us both a huge hug! They were late because of the rain. So we
head into sacrament meeting, it was fast and testimony meeting which can either
be an interesting first experience for people investigating the church or it can
be the most incredible and this time around is was definitely the latter!! We're
sitting on the second row, surrounded by investigators on both sides! Kayli leans
over to us and asked what was going on so we explained how testimony meeting works
and we told her told her if she wanted to she could bear her testimony, she said
do I have a testimony? And we just asked a few simple questions do you believe in
Jesus Christ? Do you believe in the things we've taught you so far? She said yes
and so we said then you have a testimony. Sister Clove and I both felt like we really
needed to bear our testimonies for Kayli, so we did. It was a very spur of the moment
just get up and do it don't think about it haha but it just felt so good to be able
to bear my simple but heartfelt testimony to the ward one last time.
After
we got up it was just one person after the other! There is a set of identical twins
in our ward, Krista and Karina Kidder and they both got up and said I just wanted
to thank the sister missionaries for all they've done to help me out, for getting
me excited about church again and for making me want to serve a mission! Because
of them I want to serve! Holy cow. Sister Clove and I were both just crying but
it was the most happy tears I think I've ever shed. Another kid Brady Hansen got
up and thanked us missionaries for being such a great example and how excited he
is to serve a mission too! Man if I accomplish nothing else except to know that
I was able to be a role model for someone to go on a mission and change their live,
that would be okay with me.
So
if all that wasn't awesome enough, Sister Wakefield gets up!!! She said I haven't
gotten up here since I was 13 years old but I realize that I need to be setting
a better example for my daughter Kayli and we are going to do better! Wow, wow,
wow!!!! Seriously that was so huge! Her mindset has been we'll go to church a couple
of times get Kayli baptized and then we probably won't go anymore. In district meeting
Friday we had role played talking with Sister Wakefield about the importance of
church and how she was setting an example for her daughter and that's what we were
planning on going over with her and then she just up and did it herself!! And the
last testimony born was Kayli's! It was the sweetest testimony I think I've ever
heard. She was so nervous and all you could see were her little eyes over the pulpit
but she said "Hi I'm Kayli, I know that Jesus loves me, and I know that what
the missionaries are teaching me is true. In the name of Jesus Christ amen."
I cannot even put into words how exactly I felt all I know is that it was absolutely
incredible!
Experiences
like yesterday are what it's all about. Bringing families into the gospel and setting
an example for the future generations. Yesterday was a huge tender mercy for me,
I felt like it was Heavenly Father's way of telling me, "Well done thou good
and faithful servant." And I will let you see a part of the fruits of your
labors right now. :) Being a missionary is the best thing ever.
Once
again I'm leaving an area that is just booming with potential now but I'm okay with
it more this time around. I'm realizing again how much bigger this work is than
me, I'm just so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a part of this amazing
work!
Sister
Smith is doing amazing still! She was going to come to church yesterday but she
called and told us that her road was flooded over so she couldn't make it but she
is going to be there next week. She told us she had a dream about her walking into
our church and just feeling so good. :) She was one incredible lady, I'm going to
miss her.
Well
I think that about covers the highlights of the week... I love you all so so much!!
xoxoxoxo
Sister
Bedke :)
p.s.
Thanks mom for getting the letter typed, I love you!!!
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