I Like to Move it, Move it

This week has been mental! Amongst the other craziness happening we managed to still teach lessons and find some cool new people. I don't know how we did it though!

 

Monday was spent packing, moving, getting the keys for our new flat etc. and at a dinner appointment. Tuesday we had a really busy day with appointments and didn't have time to do any packing or cleaning. We did have 2 really amazing  lessons though. One was with Sz, who is so cool! It was our first lesson, and right off the bat she said through her life experiences she's learned to recognize the sSirit and knows Heavenly Father is there, but she feels like the missing link in her spiritual progression is Jesus Christ. I literally almost cired when she she that. Jesus Christ is the center of our message and the center of the plan of salvation. She came to the right place to strenghten faith in Christ, that's for sure! She's what I would dub a golden investigator!

 

We also had an amazing lesson with A3 this week and I could tell that she really understood and could feel the things we were teaching her! It was the first lesson with A3 that we walked out of and I 100% felt it went the direction and way that it needed too, and she was glowing at the end of the lesson. It was such a good feeling!

 

Another cool moment: This guy F4 we stopped on the street is SO cool. He's a phD student here at the University of Lincoln and is very very christian . We had a really good conversation with him and explained briefly the restoration and the Book of Mormon and gave him a copy. He was eating it up! It just made me so happy to see! What's even more amazing is he said he couldn't shut the door on out message until he'd studied it and prayed to know if it was true. His academia had taught him to never rule anything out until he's researched it thoroughly!

 

On a lighter note, we had a couple of funny things happen with the move-

 

We had no utensil's, no fridge and no beds for a day or two, a whole lot of unpacking and furtinure assembling and some seriously funny things! It's been an adventure.

 

Also, on Friday night I ended up at the accident and emergency (the ER) because I fell off my bike and rolled my ankle really bad. I heard it crack twice and thought I'd broken it. A couple of nice strangers in cars who saw the accident pulled over, got me into the car, locked our bikes up and gave us a lift to the hospital. Nothing serious, just a bad sprain. I'm pretty sure I was protected, because it was a bad fall. Our ward missionary and the Elders saved the day (well, night really) because they gave me a blessing and went to rescue our bikes so they dind't get stolen. My ankle is feeling better every day though!!! 

 

I'll have to send you pictures next week because we only got an hour to email this week due to the library being closed in the morning :(  Our flat is way nice though.

 

This week should be a really exciting one :)

 

Love you guys!

Sister Roscher

Good Gifts

This week I think the theme has been recognizing that God only gives good gifts. There have been many gifts this week, some I (being my natural self) would classify as good, others bad. But, I have a testimony that He only gives us good things. As I have reflected on this during the week I have come ro realize- they're all good!

 

Some of the gifts of this week:

- Hannah (and amazing YSA) took us mini-golfing and our for ice cream on P-day last week. It was so much fun and I enjoyed doing something a little different then the usual. 

- Through my intensive studying and marking in the Book of Mormon challenge, I am coming closer to my Saviour. I feel His life changing mine to be better. I see His role as the Saviour and Redeemer, as the Son of God in a much more far-reaching way. Step by step it's changing from the Saviour to my Saviour. 

- Heavenly Father is opening doors for the work in this area. We've been so busy this week, not onlyt only teaching lessons to investigators but also contacting and teaching less-active members. One of them really needs contact with the church and has already been taking steps (like reading the Book of Mormon on her own before we knocked on her door). She also has a 10 year old daughter who would like to take the missionary lessons with the intent to be baptized. What a beautiful miracle!

- Another is a woman, S2, who used to be a member of the church. She has not been a member for over 10 years though. Through life experiences and a new boyfriend though, she brought herself back to church and introduced herself to us. We were able to go by and teach her and her boyfriend, R5, who is Methodist. He had never heard of Mormons before or of the Book of Mormon. We are excited to teach them both! The other cool part of teaching them? They both live on canal boats!!! There are loads of canals here that people live on. It feels very much like being in a caravan (trailer home... I can't remember the American English word for it???) when you walk on. I can officially say I have taught people on the land and the sea hahaha

- D4 is doing well. He is still making progress in the right direction. He unfortunately won't make his date for baptism this Saturday but he will definitely be baptized. We're hoping for the 12th of October. We watched the Restoration DVD with him this week and he loved it. He also accepted the law of tithing in a heartbeat, which truly was a humbling experience for me because he's got so few earthly possesions and not a lot of money, yet he's willing to give 10% to the Lord.

-A3 is doing better than we'd hoped. We'd lost contact with her for about a week and a half and we had really been worrying about her. When we lose contact with people it's usually not a good sign. However, she's doing good! She's been reading and praying and has just been out of town a lot and ill. We hope that this week we will see her faith continue to build and that she will be able to come to church again.

-This one brings a tear to my eye. On Sunday, a YSA who had been inactive for over a year came back to church for the first time. I don't know what happened in his life, but he's back and he wants to stay. The look on his mother's face when he walked into the building,the way she continued to glow throughout the rest of our meetings, and the warm welcome back from all the ward members were so touching to see. It's never too late! And, when people come back we should always welcome them back and extend a warm hand of fellowship and support. Coming into the church for the first time (investigators) and coming back to the church after a long time (less-actives) is often challenging and scary at first- they need our support!

-Lastly, we're moving flats!! It's transfers on Wed. and Lincoln is getting another set of Elders. So, there will be 2 sets of elders and one set of sisters. We are moving to a new, very nice flat ( I know because we were the one's who did the viewing for it) right on top on the only big hill in Lincoln. We're pretty excited. We'll be working in a new area, but still know the ward. I'll send some pictures of the new flat  when we move in. Not only is it bigger and nicer, but I'll be in really good shape from biking up and down the hill all the time! :) We should move in tomorrow (hopefully) because the Elders have to move into ours on Wednesday.

 

I hope you enjoyed this really long email!

Here are some pictures:

 

 Mini Golf!

 We found Aslan!

 

Love you all!

Sister Roscher

The Living Water

*** We found out Sister Roscher's release date! She'll  be home November 5th- that's only 51 days away :) ***

Family, this week has just been amazing. I don't even know where to begin! It started off with a fun district P-day and then Zone conference on Tuesday. Zone conference was back in Leicester! I've been so blessed. In the past 3 months I've been back to Leicester twice for various things.

 

Zone conference was absolutely inspiring, and helped me recognize just how amazing it is to be called and set apart from the world as a missionary. Miracles happen each and every day. We are not alone in this work!

 

This week was filled with constant spiritual nourishment. I can only begin to describe even a small part of the things I learned. 

 

A couple of things I really liked from Zone conference : 'No pain, no gain' a common, but true saying. If we're not experiencing some pains, then we're not progressing and growing.

 

Another: 'Total conversion is total repentance.' A pretty cool statement which I think we all can benefit from.

 

From the European women's broadcast:  Elder Bednar challenged/promised us that if we read the Book of Mormon and we look for (and mark) all the references to the Saviour and the Atonement "You will find Him, know Him and increase your dependence upon Him." What a powerful promise from an apostle of the Lord!  My companion and I have taken this challenge and are reading the Book of Mormon from start to finish together, underlining the references we find. It's been amazing already and we're only on page 50!

 

Stake conference: Elder Massimo DeFayo from Italy was presiding, and it was amazing! All the speakers were amazing and had definitely qualified for the Spirit as they presented their messages. 

 

Elder DeFayo talked a lot about having real faith. and something he said has struck me very deeply "Miracles don't depend on how big the problem is, but rather how real our faith is."

 

He then proceeded to give 3 steps to seeing the miracles in our lives :

1- Don't listen to the voices around you. Focus on you individual relationship with the Saviour.

2- Keep the commandments- qualify for the Spirit by obedience

3- Develop faith that is stronger than the circumstances of life.

 

It has been an uplifting and edifying week.

 

Along the way we have also seen miracles with some of the people we're teaching! N3, our very decided atheist, isn't going to be atheist for much longer if the Spirit continues to touch his heart like it did in our lesson on Wednesday. It was a powerful teaching experience!

 

D4 came to the evening session of stake conference and really loved it! He'd been having a bad day and didn't want to come, but we promised him if he came he would feel better and happier and guess what? He came. And at the end of the broadcast, he was practically glowing!

 

This week our schedule is already looking pretty full, so it should be an exciting one! Can't wait to tell you all about the miracles we will see as we apply our faith more. This is His work. And it is such a privelege to be serving Him at this time, to be an instrument in His hands.

 

Now, for some pictures!  

 

 Pre-Stake Conference picture

 This is a really cool war memorial we stumbled upon!

 Look at the rays of light in this picture! Isn't it pretty?

 With a couple of amazing YSAs (Tammy and Hannah)

 Swindon-Reunite!

 

Love,

Sister Roscher

The Saviour's Way

Family, this week will be a short email because we don't have a lot of time (district P-day). Here's a quick update!

 

Things are good. A3 felt the spirit when we taught her about temples and family history and it was a really powerful lesson! She's slowly coming around :)

 

D4, is still studying and keeping commitments like crazy, the only sad thing is he's unemployed and has been temporarily extended a job that requires he works on Sundays. We're praying and he's praying that he will be able to find a job that will allow him to still come to church. I have complete faith that it will happen. Heavenly Father helps provide a way for  us when we sincerely desire to keep his commandments.

 

We had some pretty cool conversations with random people on the streets this week. Something that I always love is when we find people that 1) already have great faith and 2) are actually practicing the faith which they adhere to. It makes me so excited!

 

This week we also had a ward service project on Saturday morning. Ward service projects are the best! It's when we actually practice what we preach and get out there in the community and help! There is a special spirit in uniting together as a ward and serving somewhere in the community. I learned how to weatherproof a fence from doing it too :P

 

Something I have learned a lot about this week is the Saviour's way. Part of the reason that the gospel inspires us to become something more is because of how it gets us out of our comfort zone, changes us to be better and helps us overcome the natural man. For example, one I have been thinking about: We are commanded to love. Love God and love our neighbor. It is easy to love those we already love. Family, cute little babies, those who are humble and sick etc. But the difference? From the Saviour's example we see it's not just enough to love those that are easy to love, but to love our enemies too!! It seems to be the harder way, which stretches us and demands more of us. But from doing so we actually receive the greater blessings and are able to let go of the natural man which holds us in bondage.

 

This week is Zone conference, YAY! It's always so good. I'm excited for 6 hours of upliftment!

 

Love you all!! 

Sister Roscher

Reflections on a Spoon

First, I'm stealing the title of the email from President Rasmussen. Ths is something I learned from his weekly email to all of the missionaries in the EBM  :P

 

"This week I have been reflecting a lot on spoons. If you hold the spoon up facing inwards, your reflection is upside down. If you flip it away from you,  then your reflection turns rightside up again. A simple, but powerful truth. When we are caught up in oursleves, we often feel on the brink of disaster, confused, stressed etc. Everything is out of order. But when we focus on pointing the spoon outward, then everything is in it's right order!"

 

This week I've done what I dubbed 'the spoon experiment' in an effort to be more focused on others and to try to set everything in a better order in my life! It has been wonderful. Moments and days when I really struggled, I flipped the spoon and things got better. They weren't perfect, but they were better. In addition, spiritual promtings came more frequently and more powerfully. So, I invite each of you to do the spoon experiment this week!! (and please email me and let me know how it goes :P )

 

In other news: Heavenly Father has a sure knowledge of each of his children in the world and he knows what we need and when. We were doing some tracting and had planned to stop by a couple of less-active members in the area. When we knocked on F3's door, she answered and invited us in immediately. Turns out she's been inactive for over 10 years and after a whole lot of trials, problems etc. she thought back about when she had been most happy. It was when she was active in the church. The evening before we knocked on her door, she had been looking at pictures of temples and decided it was time to come back. Then who conveniently knocked on her door the next day?? The missionaries!!  Heavenly Father knows. 

 

D is doing amazing! He is living the word of wisdon (with a pretty bad headache right now I might add, due to withdrawls), but he is doing it!! Mind over matter. And he's drawing on the Lord's strength which is there and ready for him. When we first taught him the Word of Wisdom he was shocked that coffee and tea would be substances which Heavenly Father has asked us to abstain from. But, after understanding and reading through the WOW leaflet 3 times on his own he see's it is from God. He is also reading the Book of Mormon regularly and is trying SO hard to make changes in his life. It is humbling to watch and feel. If every investigator tried as hard as David to understand and change we would see missionary work move forward at a remarkable rate!

 

A is doing good. She came to church!!! And it was amazing because her friend who is a member was there for her the whole time! She said she felt good ;) She is praying about a baptismal date and is trying to get in the habit if reading the Book of Mormon. After she does that consistently I think we'll really see her progress fast.

 

Now for some pictures! 

 

 

Blessed to Know the Truth

It's been a really good week for a few reasons:

First, D! He's doing really well. He has been reading the Book of Mormon and although it can be really hard for him to understand he has been going through it and trying to learn. He always does his reading and he always tells us what he learns. You can just see him trying to absorb it all. If only every investigator worked as hard as he does!! His greatest desire is to follow Christ, which is so heart warming to see. He came to church on Sunday and really enjoyed himself as well. The ward is being really great about talking to him etc.

A is doing pretty well too. She is feeling a difference in her life and she says that since beginning to learn the gospel she has really felt peace come into her life. #blessingsofthegospel

This week I have been particularly grateful for the knowledge we have of the Book of Mormon and that there is a prophet on the earth that receives revelation for the whole world!!!!! We met a man this week who claims 1) he knows when the the second coming will be and 2) when Christ comes he will change the calendar to an 18 month calendar... He claims he has received revelation for the whole world. I'm so grateful that we know that only the prophet can receive revelation for the whole world!!!!!

Lincoln is good, life is good and I honestly can't think of anything else to say, I think I'm getting more scatterbrained.

Random fact, Sister miller taught me how to make banana milk, which we always have with our cereal in the morning. So good!!!

Sorry this is a rubbish email, next week will be better I promise!!!!

Sister Roscher

Because of Him

My dearest family,

 

This week... tranfers!!! I stayed in Lincoln and got a new companion. Sister C. Miller from Germany ( my second companion named Sister Miller haha) She has been out for 4.5 months amd was trained in Swindon by Sister Appleby (one of my old companions, who I love!) It's a small world, that's for sure.

 

I wasn't too shocked to be staying for another transfer. I am excited to see some more miracles!

 

This week went by so fast because I wasn't even in Lincoln for 2 days- with transfers and then a Zone meeting I feel like I spent half of my time in Nottingham! I enjoyed spending the day working in a threesome with the Nottingham sisters. I am always so impressed with the amazing missionaries in this mission. Heavenly Father has some pretty amazing children out serving missions right now, that's for sure!

 

There's not really too much to talk about unfortunately. We had a hard time meeting with our investigators this week and didn't have loads of finding time. This week should be a lot more exciting!!

 

During my studies and experiences I have really thought a lot about the Saviour- about the kind of life He lived, and about how following Him really is the way. He truly has gone before us. He has done everything we need to do to return to live with Heavnely Father and our families. He set the example in EVERYTHING. I am so grateful for what He has done. He's shown the way, we just have to choose to follow Him. Left him be the center of everything we do. It really is a life-long quest, but one with eternal reward.

 

I love you so much! xoxox

 

Sister Roscher