Prayer

Family (and friends)!

 

I am glad to hear that you are all doing well. It's pretty amazing that it's been ages since I've seen any of you, but yet I still feel so close to you!

 

This week has gone by so fast, I don't know what happened to the time!

 

Some of the highlights of this week have been:

1) Getting to know the Lincoln ward better. It's always a process getting to know new wards, but Heavenly Father has definitely been helping me along the way! We've gone leaps and bounds in getting to know them and serve them.

2) I got to garden! Saturday morning we went over to a couple's allotment and did some serious gardening. They've got a lot of things growing. Beetroot, potatoes, parsnips, onions, corn, rasberries, strawberries and loads of other things. It made me grateful for all those saturday mornings we had to go weed. I hated it then... but now I love it! It was also so much fun to wear non-pros, for an hour or 2 :P

3) The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost! This week I have been really trying to be in touch with the Spirit and to heed its promptings. I really am so grateful for it. When I don't do my part and the presence of the Spirit isn't as strong I instantly want to be better and do things in such a way that the Spirit can be there even stronger than it was previously.

4) Getting to know Sister Mohr better. She's great! And its fun learning more about Germany (getting in touch with my cultural heritage I guess you could say?) 

 

 

A traditional English dinner, including Yorkshire pudding!!! I love Yorkshire puddings.

 

I'm really sorry for the shortness and terribeness of this email... I ran out of time! I promise next week will be better!

 

Love,

Sister Roscher

Where Did Sister Roscher Go?

This week honestly flew by. My new area is Lincoln (look it up on a map). It's got a decent size ward and a University. It's not really a city, more of a town, but it's classed as a city because it has 3 famous things: a castle, Lincoln Catherdral (its massive and beautiful, google it) and one of the copies of the magna carta or something cool like that. It reminds me a lot of Swindon. So far, I've really liked what I've seen, it's a good little area.

 

Leaving Westcoates was hard. I really loved it!! I have made lasting friendships there that will not go away anytime soon. It will always remain a happy and blessed place in my mind. Saying good bye to our investigators was hard too, they're so close!!! But, they're in good hands.

 

My new companion, it Sister Mohr. She's been out 4 months and is from Germany. Her English is really good though. She's great!

 

The great news is, Lincoln has been really good for my lungs. It's flat and better air quality. Biking is a breeze!

 

This week I've learned many things (which I am very grateful for, I might add) but a couple of the things which have stood out to me are. It is a great gift to have the Holy ghost be our constant companion, and a great blessing and privilege to be serving as a missionary. Peace that comes from complete submission to the will of the Father is also a great blessing.

 

"The Lord promises that if we keep our covenants, we will always have His Spirit to be with us. A person guided by the Spirit will have the knowledge, faith, power, and righteousness to gain eternal life." This is an excerpt from the gospel principles manual, chapter 23. This 'hit home.' With the spirit guiding and directing us in our lives, it becomes possible to attain eternal life because he will direct us to achieve and do those things which we need to. President Rasmussen always says that the Holy Ghost is the member of the Godhead that we have the most contact with.

 

I am so grateful to be a missionary. It has blessed my life so much and completely changed the person I am and want to become.  

 

Sorry this is so short, there's not a whole lot to update you on, other then the changing areas thing... 

 

A couple of my favourite people in Leicester. A and E, and Al. 

 

 Me with my new companion

 

Love you! 

Sister Roscher

Gratitude

This week as I write to you I am filled with gratitude. It's been a busy week and our time to do normal missionary work has been limited by several things such as Zone conference, traveling to Birmingham for a day and sickness but it has still been a really good week.

FYI transfers are on Wednesday, and Sister Curtis has been called to train (why we traveled to Birmingham for a day) so I'll probably be transferred to my 4th area in 2 days. It'll be exciting to see what happens! There's always the small chance I could stay of course.

We had Zone Conference this week and it was so good. I learned a lot and enjoyed the strong spirit that was there as 100 missionaries joined together to learn and grow. One of my favourite parts of Zone conference is always the closing hymn. The Spirit is always so powerful.

This week we had another breakthrough lesson with S5. She feels like she's just stuck and is never going to move forward. As we listened to her and expressed our heartfelt testimony of the gospel and its power to help us and change us she got quiet for a minute and said "I need to be baptized right?" Miracle!! When we first started teaching her she wouldn't even think about being baptized again (she was baptized as a baby) but look at her now. The gospel really does change people! We each need the blessings that come from being baptized in the the only true and living church (see JSH 1).

P3 is doing good as well. We love him, it's just slow work. He's currently waiting for an answer from God and scriptural proof that this is the only church that one can be baptized in with proper authority. He 100% believes in the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, but there's still the same disconnect about what that means. He'll get his answer, we're just trying to figure out what more we (and he) can do to help him get it. Keep him in your prayers please.

One of the big miracles of the week is that R4 accepted a baptismal date. His wife is a member and he has been taught by missionaries for months now. When the sisters first started teaching him in January he wouldn't even think about baptism, and now he has a baptismal date! One of the things that made a big difference was A and E, a recent convert couple  At the beginning we were just teaching R4 with M2 his wife there and it was really slow going.  When we got A and E to the lessons his progress tripled. They helped resolve some of his concerns because they have been in a similar situation as a couple as R4 and M2 are right now. It has made all the difference in his progress. We as missionaries can't do it alone. The best chance of these people making it to baptism is by getting good fellowshippers involved and getting the right environment. Miracle!!!

 Sister Curits and I on the way to Zone Conference

Me with R4 and M2

 

 

I love you so much family. Have a good week!
Sister Roscher

A Little Taste of Heaven

June 23, 2014

The title this week is a little taste of Heaven, because I've felt it! 

I want each of you to picture the day that you will finally see the Savior and Redeemer, after the many decisions, trials, joys and experiences you have had. What will your reaction be? How will you feel? what will you say to him? 

This week I have learned SO MUCH about obedience and sacrifice through pretty much every resource I've looked at (It's like Heavenly Father want's me to learn something!) I have felt immense gratitude for the Savior and have felt great joy as I see people choose to follow Him and change their lives. I have also felt great sorrow as I have seen others who are wearing away under the constant attack of Satan (both from without and within the church) and have wondered how it is that we will stay strong so that at that day, when we finally do get to see Him it will be a happy occasion, not one marked by regret and what if's. 

The way to stand strong? The way to ensure that at that day I run to Him and fall to my knees in perfect love for the man who made everything possible rather than try to shrink from Him? 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Be a living example of His gospel and it will change you more than anything else will. Choose to follow Him. Regardless of the cost. Do the little things which disciples do!!!! Use the atonement, be a living testimony of it! Know that there is great protection(and happiness) in keeping the commandments of God. 

Pour your heart out to the Father in prayer, truly feast upon the words of Christ and renew your baptismal covenants (or make them if you haven't yet!) each and every Sunday.

We know which side will win. We know that the Lord's 'team' will be triumphant in the end, and I personally intend to do everything I can to be on that 'team' at the last day! 

Anyways, enough of my rant (I could go on for hours). Seriously though, think about it! and if you're not where you want to be, then fix it! 

P3 is doing well, he told a ward member when he came to church yesterday that the church 'is his home.' We're still trying to help him understand the importance of being baptized again, but after much thought, prayer and fasting we feel that we need to continue to teach him the doctrine and he will slowly come around. That consistent reading of the Book of Mormon and keeping the commandments will work the miracle. Please keep him in your prayers though. 

We had a miracle with S5 as well. We thought we were slowly starting to lose her, but after our lesson on Friday (the first in about 2 weeks) she is more committed than she ever has been. She said she'd lost the peace in her life in past 2 weeks. We explained that the peace comes from keeping the commandments and making Heavenly Father a part of our lives and listening to him. We're back on track with her, and hopefully this time will do the trick! 

We've had countless miracles (especially at the end of the week) as we have humbled ourselves and tried to follow the Spirit in all things.

A cool experience? (I'm going to butcher the story, but I hope you get the gist of it).We were teaching R4 and M4 with A andE (two recent converts) and E was sharing his testimony of how he came to know the church was true, and he said something which really struck me. He himself never really specifically asked God to know if he needed to be baptized and for answers etc., he just felt it and acted. But part of the reason he felt it was because there were SO many people praying for him to know that the church was true. Family, friends, anyone else who might be reading this, your prayers count! 

 I LOVE YOU ALL!! 

xoxoxoxox

Sister Roscher