So a quick note about letters, I know I told you last week but just to make sure everyone understands, you can send everything to
Sister Ashlyn Biggs
PO BOX 1337
Oliver, BC V0H 1T0
Canada
Funny story about letters - so before I told everyone to send them to the PO BOX, people had sent some to the house number because thats where I thought they went. Well, the post office was just gathering and did not know where to find "Sister Biggs". So, they called the Catholic church and asked them where I lived! Haha I was laughing SOO hard. Finally, the Catholic church helped them track me down. That was nice of them. They said "I think the Mormons call themselves Sisters too, so you can try them". So funny! Anyway, I just ended up getting a stack of letters last week. Thanks to everyone who wrote!
So, we met with a new investigator William last week. And guess what? It was my first time inviting somebody to be baptized here in the field. And he totally accepted. We are shooting for March 30th. He has a smoking problem, but I know that as he puts his faith in the Lord, he will be able to overcome it and be baptized in March! What a blessing it was to meet with him. We teach him again this afternoon, so I will tell you how it goes.
We tracted a few hundred houses this past week. SO many each day. It is so sad to see some people that do not believe that God is even real. How heartbreaking it must be as Heavenly Father watches His children who do not even believe in Him! We must help those we love come to a knowledge of our Heavenly Father. I cannot imagine His pain as He watches His children take His name in vain and deny His existence. Satan is certainly working hard these last days. But it is so comforting to have the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father. How blessed we are!!
So, we had the opportunity to visit a woman from the Branch, Maria Sloan. She would be active if she could be, but she is bed ridden and cannot speak. So we went to the place she is staying. We were super nervous, because she cannot talk and can only shake her head yes or no. With great faith we prayed to be able to communicate with her. Through sources, we found out that she has a great love for music. Well, we decided we would sing her hymns! I have never seen a smile so big on a woman's face as Sister Nuttall and I picked hymns and sang them quietly to her. At the end of each song, she would grab our hands and bring them to her lips as if kissing them. We then read from the Book of Mormon to her, about how much her Heavenly Father loves her. Well, I definitely saw the gift of tongues in its own form. Not only were we able to commmunicate with her, but we were able to feel of her great Spirit and gain such a strong love for her. We will certainly be visiting her again soon. It was so heartbreaking to tell her we had to leave, and watch her eyes become immediately saddened. But I know the Lord is watching after her!!
I have finally figured something out here in the mission field. So long as I forget myself and strive to make others happy, especially the Lord, then I become happier than I could ever make myself. I find that as I am studying for our investigators, and praying to our Heavenly Father, then I feel of the Spirit and learn so much more than if I am focusing on myself. Something to keep in mind - if we are feeling down about ourselves, forget yourself and get to work!!
So, if anybody knows me, they know of my deep love and appreciation for the Prophet Joseph Smith. Sister Nuttall has a CD about a tribute to Joseph Smith, and I absolutely love it. There is a song called Lamb To The Slaughter, and I wanted to quote the chorus - "As a Lamb to the slaughter, I willingly go. And die for my Father, His strength fills my soul. I live for my Savior, and I'll die for Him too. And with humble heart, I go to my grave, a Prophet of truth". Well, that basically sums up Joseph Smith's testimony. What a strong faith He had in what he knew to be true. I hope to someday be able to gain just a portion of that incredible faith. Through all of his persecution and afflictions, he had nothing to say but "Maybe I was just meant to swim in deeper waters". May we follow his example as we strive to increase our faith through times of trial and tribulation!
So, we tracted into a girl named Taylor the other day. She is about early 20s, and pregnant with a boy. However, we did not know at the time that she was 9 months pregnant! Anyway, she was super interested in learning about families being together forever, and invited us to come back the next day. So when we came back, she was like almost going into labor, and came out after she was done throwing up and apologized for having to postpone again. We were like, you are due today?? Why didn't you tell us?? It was kind of funny, but so neat to see that she had such a great desire to learn. We will be going back in a couple weeks for sure. I see great potential for her. The Lord has been here preparing Oliver and Osoyoos for Sister Nuttall and I to harvest his vineyard, with His help of course.
So, we drove to somebody's house yesterday, and wanted to see how close we were to the border. Next thing you know, we turned the corner and there it was!! We were like 50 feet away from the US! Talk about tempting. So cool to be right here though.
I was reading in Jacob this morning, and I came across a verse that reads "Cleave unto God as He cleaveth unto you". I was super interested in this, and wondered exactly what it meant to "cleave" unto God. After some study, I found that it basically just means to love Him, serve Him, keep His commandments, and preach His Gospel. This is something I am certainly going to strive to become better at. I challenge each of you to do the same!
There are just so many incredible miracles I wish I could tell you all of them!! But just know that the Lord is watching out for us here in Oliver. He has numerous angels here preparing the hearts of men to hear our message. As we work diligently to find them, the Lord will place them in our paths and help the receive the restored Gospel. How blessed I am to be a part of this great work. The time is here to harvest the seeds that have been planted long ago, and I will work every second of the day to fulfill and magnify my calling as a representative of Jesus Christ!!
I thought and prayed about this week's challenge, and this came to mind - everytime you pray this week, thank Heavenly Father for 10 things before you ask Him for anything. I am sure some of you do this already, but I can promise you that it will make a world of difference in your prayers. Pray for people by name. Pray for inspiration from the Holy Ghost. But please, give gratitude to Him!! How selfish we can get sometimes by not thanking our Heavenly Father for ALL we have been given.
I love you all, as always. I am so grateful for the support I have back home. I am the luckiest missionary in the world. I can feel your love and prayers all the way out here in Oliver!
Love,
Sister Biggs
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