April 7, 2014

Hey family!

 

It's been a good week :) I loved General Conference! It's true, General Conference is ten times better when you're a missionary (It's a little vacation), but I hope you all got a lot out of it. I can't wait to go back and study the talks. I also can't wait for May 22nd. Why? ELDER HOLLAND IS COMING TO OUR MISSION! Best news of the week. Some missionaries are scared (rightfully so), but I know that as long as we're obedient there is no need to fear! The righteous "love the truth and are not shaken." (2 Nephi 9:40). We'll see how much he rebukes...

 

It's been crazy with General Conference and Mission Leadership Council! MLC was so fun, I got to stay in my old area, and Sister Strate stayed with us too! Sister Strate is going home this week, so it was fun getting to spend time with her. Can you believe my trainer is going home now? I'm starting to feel old...I hit my ten month mark this past week. Whoa! The Purnells, a family from my last area, found out I was in Pittsburgh and ended up taking us out to breakfast Friday morning before our meeting! It was so good to see Sister Purnell as well :) That family will forever be dear to my heart!

 

We had an interesting lesson with Shae and Ronnie. Shae wants to get baptized, but Ronnie told us that he is comfortable where he is at. Shae doesn't want to pursue this on her own, so she was getting upset with him during the lesson. They started arguing a little bit, and I was thinking, "Oh no, we better not be witnessing their break-up right now." Luckily, it didn't get too out of hand, and Ronnie said that he would still be supportive of her going to church and taking the kids with her. It's hard to see them not agree, since the gospel is all about uniting families together. We have testified to them about eternal families, which is something they want, but at this point Ronnie doesn't seem willing to change his lifestyle. Ronnie said that he will still sit in on lessons, and we encouraged them to pray together about what will be best for them. So, it's a bit of a difficult situation, especially with them not being married, but I know that Shae can make the necessary changes if she puts her mind to it. I have to have faith in her and trust that the Spirit can give her the strength to align her life with God's will. Now she just has to act!

 

We also found two new investigators this week. Jean and his 22 year old son whose name we can't remember. Haha, they're from Haiti, and they are Seventh-day Adventist....I just can't seem to escape them. Luckily, this Adventist family is much more open than the last. Jean's son especially. He said that if he were to find out the church is true, he would absolutely be baptized. I love young people. They are so open-minded! Jean, on the other hand, seems pretty set in his ways, but he is willing to read the Book of Mormon so there is potential!

 

I think those were the biggest highlights! I am so grateful to be here. Over and over I am reminded of how short my time out here is, and with those reminders comes an increased desire to completely devote myself to the work. I never want to look back on my mission with regret. Thanks for all your love and support! Love you guys!

 

Love,

 

Sister Denney

March 31, 2014

Dear family,

 

We have really seen the work boom the past couple weeks! We are teaching more people, and we are working with members more than we ever have before. And on top of it all, we are starting to finally see warmer weather. It is a happy time in Lititz :)

 

We met with Shae and Ronnie and taught them the rest of the Plan of Salvation. We also got to talk a little bit about temples and eternal families. That is something they definitely want, but they still don't quite understand the need for the priesthood. We are bringing a priesthood holder with us to the next lesson to hopefully answer some of their questions. Shae expressed that she is feeling like this is the path for her, but she worries that her family and friends will not approve if she were to become a Mormon. I pray that the Spirit will give her the strength to move forward with this despite the opposition she faces. I know that the blessings she would receive would far outweigh the things she would have to sacrifice.

 

We picked up three new investigators this past week! Al and Kathy were formers who we decided to try contacting again. We finally were able to meet with them, and it went pretty well. Al (whose first name is actually Precious), LOVES the Bible. He says that if anything he reads doesn't match up with the Bible perfectly, that "he ain't with it." He also went off for a half hour on how the children of Israel and Jesus were actually black. That was a fun conversation. After much redirecting of the conversation, we got to teach him and his wife part of the Restoration. They seemed intrigued, and we got a return appointment for this week. Despite their maybe extreme ideas about some things, they are great people :) Talking with him reminded me of the good ol' days back in Pittsburgh! Our other new investigator is Anthony. He is twelve years old and he is friends with one of the youth. He has been to church many times with the Wilkes family, and he just recently went on a campout with the young men and loved it. We taught him for the first time yesterday in the Wilkes home, and it went well! For his age, he understood the things we taught really well. His parents aren't interested at this time, but they are totally open to him coming to church and even getting baptized. Pretty cool!

 

The biggest highlight of this past week was our lesson with Tanya and David. They are awesome, and they are totally progressing! They have been reading a ton from the Book of Mormon already, and they both said they have been really enjoying it. At the end David was excited to show us the verses he liked so far. He said, "I think one is Mosiah 2...17?" He mentioned that one along with another scripture mastery :) We taught them the Plan of Salvation last night, and it was pretty well received. They said it's a lot to take in so they're still not sure what to think of it, but they do want to know if it's true. They are going to read, pray, and they are planning on watching at least part of General Conference. They are such good people. They bought us KJV hard cover Bibles with notes on the inside cover for each of us. I said jokingly, "Now, we do believe in the Bible!" The notes inside were so sweet. They thanked us for the good thing we are doing. I already love these people! They're gonna get baptized...I can just feet it :)

 

I love you guys! Thanks for everything.

 

Love,

 

Sister Denney

March 24, 2014

Family!

 

It has been an incredible week! With zone conference and stake conference, we have been spiritually edified and reenergized! It was great to be reminded of the importance of members and missionaries working together to hasten the work. I hope we will see our unity with the ward continue to increase. In zone conference we talked a lot about having the faith to find people to teach, which is exactly what we needed since our teaching pool has been dwindling. From it we decided to exercise our faith by fasting for finding opportunities, and we have already seen miracles.

 

We began our fast yesterday, and around 7:00 last night we decided to try a couple of our potential investigators. We went to the home of Tanya and her son David, in hopes that they would be home. Tanya's husband, whose name is also David, answered the door. He said that his son had just moved to Lancaster and that his wife was out grocery shopping. As we were talking to him on his porch, Tanya pulled up with a car full of groceries. We offered to help bring their groceries in. At first they declined our offer, but we insisted. We helped them bring in their groceries and once we were in their home they invited us to sit down. David then asked, "So, what do Mormons believe anyway?" From there we were able to teach them the whole Restoration. They asked great questions, and they were super receptive. At the end of the lesson we asked them how they felt about the things we had shared. David said, "I am still unsure of the message, but what does impress me are you sisters. The fact that you do this, knock on peoples' doors. Your service in helping us with our groceries. Your kindness. Those are the things that impress me the most." While he was talking it was hard for me to hold back the tears! I was then able to testify to him that our actions reflect the truthfulness of our message. "By their fruits ye shall know them." The Spirit was incredibly strong. David and Tanya expressed that they do want to know whether or not our message is true, and they agreed to let us come back next Sunday. I left that lesson so grateful that we insisted on helping them. I know that the service we render to others, no matter how big or small, can do so much.

 

That was our first miracle. The second was pretty incredible as well. We had texted Ruth the other day (the investigator with the baptism date that dropped us a while back), just to see if she would even respond. She did, and I told her that I would love for her to meet my new companion. Because of how things ended with her, I hardly expected her to respond, but this morning she texted us and said she would be happy to meet up with us this week. I was in utter shock! Whether or not she has any interest in taking the lessons again, I know that being able to see her again is another step, another drop in the bucket :)

 

We had another lesson with Shae and Ronnie this week that went really well! We taught them the first half of the Plan of Salvation, and they were also very receptive. They loved the concept that we lived with God before we came to earth...it was something they had never really thought about before. How blessed we are to know of our divine heritage and divine potential! Hopefully we will start seeing them progress. Shae knows there are things she needs to change, but she says, "I'm young! I just want to have fun for a little while!" Haha oh Shae, maybe it's time to pull out Alma 34:33 ;) She is the epitome of "procrastinating." Also, we had our ward talent show this past week, and we had tons of less-actives and non-members there! It was definitely a success.

 

I think that's all for this week! I'm so grateful to all those who have helped me get here. I love being a missionary, and I hope I can take full advantage of the time I have left! Love you guys!

 

Love,

 

Sister Denney

March 17, 2014

Hey family! How is everyone doing? I have to apologize for not writing letters lately. We have so little time...but, I am going to do better. It snowed AGAIN today, but I am hoping this is the last of it. Before today it was really starting to feel like Spring. Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's been a good week. There have been some disappointments, but good things have happened too. Remember Alexis, the fifteen year old who wanted to get baptized? Well, she got kicked out of her house and now lives with her dad in New Jersey. No one is willing to give us the full story of what happened, but needless to say there were some problems going on that we were not aware of. It's really sad since she had a lot of potential, but hopefully we can find out her address so we can get her in touch with missionaries over there. Such a bummer, but all we can do is keep working and keep finding new people to teach! This morning I was studying this very subject, and I find comfort in just how much God is helping us out. There are people being prepared even without our influence-through their experiences, friends, and the Spirit. Our responsibility is just to find them. And along with that, we have been promised that as we go about doing our work that those people who are prepared will be placed in our path. When I think of it that way, it seems pretty simple...these people are placed right before us. All we have to do is OPEN OUR MOUTHS. So simple, and yet so intimidating for us. Still I know that as we open our mouths to those placed in our path that we will know what to say. That goes for missionaries and members alike :) We had another lesson with Shae and Ronnie, a young couple with two little kids, and they are starting to progress! Shae expressed that she would be willing to get baptized once she gets her "answer" and she also plans to come to church. They are a sweet family...the biggest obstacle at this point is the fact that they aren't married...we'll cross that bridge when it comes. By the way, Goldie and Meghan (less-actives) came to church again yesterday! They are well on their way to being reactivated and I am so excited for them. Goldie is experiencing some major opposition from her family, but she is staying strong. I have seen this with a few of our less-actives who are on the verge of coming back to activity. Satan is working so hard on them, especially through feelings of doubt and unworthiness. I am learning how important it is that we recognize the source of our negative thoughts. When we know that, we will be more prepared and willing to push them out of our minds. Things are going great with the ward! I feel more unified with the ward than ever. I am learning a lot from my companion in that respect. She is so good at gaining friendships right away. Good things are happening! I love you guys! Hope all is well. Love, Sister Denney

March 10, 2014

Hey family!

 

We've had another good week :) The first week of the month meant it was time again for another trip to Pittsburgh. These monthly trips make my mission seem so short. They come out of nowhere! The meeting in Pittsburgh was great, but I was companionless for the trip. Don't worry Sister Morphy is still here, but she did come down with the stomach flu on Thursday...such a bummer! She wanted to fight through it, but after barely making it to the bathroom in the mall food court we decided she probably should sit this one out. President said I could still go since we were picking up another sister for the trip anyway, so I went to Pittsburgh while she stayed at home with another sister. At least there are many more MLC's she has to look forward to!

 

With me being gone in Pittsburgh and Sister Morphy being sick, our week wasn't quite as productive as we would have liked it to be, but we still saw some miracles! We picked up two new investigators, Shae and Ronnie. Shae's mother is taking the lessons in Pittsburgh, and the elders who are teaching her referred her to us. She is a young mom of two and lives with her boyfriend Ronnie. During our first lesson she expressed that she is looking for a church and that she just really wants to do what is right. She went to a Mormon church a couple times in the past and had a good experience there. We began talking about the Restoration and both She and Ronnie were very open to the things we talked about. I think they have great potential! We are going to see them again on Tuesday.

 

We have been focusing on asking for referrals, and we are seeing the fruits of our efforts! The other day one of the young women in the ward gave us a referral for her friend and her parents. Yesterday we went to contact them, and the mom said she wouldn't be interested. We then asked her if she knew of anyone that would be interested, and she told us her neighbors were church going people and that we could try talking to them. The fact that she said they went to church every Sunday made me doubt they would be interested, but we went and knocked on their door anyway. A man named James answered, and we ended up talking with him about the Book of Mormon. At first he said he didn't believe in it because it wasn't inspired. We were able to explain where the Book of Mormon came from. We told him that we were not there to convince him that it was true, but to invite him to find out that answer from God. He agreed to taking a copy and said we could come back again. What a cool experience! It is amazing what happens when we actually ask for things :) Even though the initial referral wasn't interested, contacting that referral put James and his wife in our path. We told the member family who gave us the first referral of our experience, and they were so excited! I know that as members take part in missionary work they can find so much joy. The Lord has revealed that His work is to be done through members and missionaries working together, and it was cool to see the blessings that came from doing it His way.

 

At Mission Leadership Council, President Topham said that the work is changing, and he basically said that we should stop tracting. Sometimes you have to knock doors, but ultimately there is a more effective way. He encouraged us to find more ways to work with members since they are the key to success in missionary work. I am so grateful to witness the way in which missionary work is evolving. The work is truly hastening, even in Pennsylvania :)

 

I think that's all for this week! I love you guys! Just a friendly reminder to keep writing! Because I love you, I want to hear from you! Have a good week :)

 

Love,

 

Sister Denney

March 3, 2014

Hello!

 

It's a new transfer, which means a new companion! Her name is Sister Morphy, and she is from Modesto, California. I totally guessed it was going to be her. It amazes me just how different each of my companions are from each other. Being a missionary definitely teaches you how to adapt to new people and situations and provides great opportunities to learn from the unique strengths of each companion. She is super bubbly and fun, and I know that we will work great together.

 

Not too many new things to report this week! Lots of people have been sick or out of town so we didn't teach much. However, we did get six less-actives again at church this past

Sunday, including the Brice family. I love it. And, Alexis came...with her WHOLE FAMILY. Just a reminder, Alexis is the fifteen year old friend of a less-active who told us last week at church that she wants to get baptized. Well, after church yesterday we found out why her whole family was there. Somehow Alexis got the idea that she could just get baptized after church yesterday and told her family that it would be happening. Ha, we haven't even taught her a full discussion yet!  Her family was a little confused as to what was going on, but hey, it got them to church! Alexis' mom is really sweet, and she told us that she would like to start taking the lessons as well. It's been so cool to see the ripple effect of all of this...It all started with Goldie coming back to church for the first time. Speaking of Goldie, she has been at church three weeks in a row as well as other activities, such as our Book of Mormon class. I know that her participation in missionary work is great motivator for her, and it is helping her to become more converted. What a blessing it is to share the gospel with others!

 

We were supposed to have a lesson with Zenas and Rensi this past week, but when we got to their apartment, we found Zenas outside, trying to get ahold of his wife. He and his son had been in a car accident and the car had flipped. His phone had been broken in the accident and he couldn't remember her number, so he and his neighbors left to go look for her. We waited at their apartment for a couple minutes to figure out where we were going next, and just as we were about to leave, Rensi pulled up. We told her what had happened, and that her husband and son were ok...Still, she was pretty shooken up about it, so we stayed with her until Zenas got back. We sat with her in her living room, and I asked if she would like us to say a prayer with her. She immediately agreed. Here is a woman who grew up believing there was no God, and here she was, wanting to pray. I am grateful we were able to have that experience with her, and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father gives us experiences that help us to turn to Him and remember Him. He never wants to hurt us, but He does want us to experience the blessings of having a personal relationship with Him.

 

I am so grateful to be here! I love this area :) Hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you guys!

 

Love,

 

Sister Denney

February 24, 2014

Hey family!

Well, transfer calls came and I will be getting a new companion! It will definitely be sad to see Sister Thatcher leave, we have had so much fun along with witnessing many miracles together. I have a guess for who my next comp will be....we'll find out if I'm right! Anyway, we will both be traveling to Pittsburgh today to make it to the transfer meeting on Tuesday. It will be fun to have one last road trip together :)

We have had probably one of the most successful weeks of my mission so far. We have been teaching a ton, and we have been able to get lessons with investigators we haven't been able to meet with in quite a while. We had a lesson with a woman named Mia, the friend of member who we had taught once before in December, and it went great! We were pleasantly surprised to find that she is still interested! Things have just gotten crazy with her having to take care of her elderly mother. We taught the first half of the Plan of Salvation and it went well. The Spirit was strong. Hopefully we can begin meeting with her on a more regular basis! We had another lesson with Paul, the man from Africa. We had planned to teach the Plan of Salvation, but it went a totally different direction. Paul really struggles understanding the significance of the Book of Mormon, so we spent a lot of time talking about that. He is reading it on his own, but he doesn't recognize the Book of Mormon as the evidence of the Restoration. He does not believe yet that there could be one true church, but he said he is open to further study and lessons. I am so grateful that he is still willing to read the Book of Mormon. I know it will be the biggest factor in softening his heart.

We shoveled two driveways....we still felt pretty hard core.

    This is Mia! She is sooo sweet.

    They have the funniest signs here.

The Fitzsimons, they are so good to us! 

Remember Goldie who I told you about last week? Her and Megan brought their next door neighbor to church both last week and this week. Her name is Alexis (I'm teaching another one!) and she is seventeen I think. It was so funny, she was so comfortable at church that she even participated in the YW New Beginnings sacrament meeting program. After church yesterday she came up to me and said, "Can I see the baptism font? I want to get baptized. I love it here." Haha! I was a little dumbfounded...that has NEVER happened to me before. So, we will continue teaching Alexis and prepare her for baptism! Right now my biggest concern is whether or not her family will be supportive. From what she has told us of them they seem pretty uninvolved so hopefully they won't object.

We also continue to see great success getting less-actives at church! I feel so blessed to see the progress happening here. Often times we must rely on our faith to know that we are actually making a difference, but sometimes, for whatever reason, Heavenly Father gives us a glimpse :) I'm so grateful to be here. I love you guys! Thanks for your constant support and encouragement.

Love,

Sister Denney