Pictures Feb. 24, 2014

 With Companion Sister Smedley. 

The Bethel, Maine area

Feb. 24, 2014, Bethel, Maine

Nearer My God to Thee

Hey, hey family!! :)                              Feb. 24, 2014

I hope that you had a fantastic week!  I can't believe that Heather is 17 years old!!  Holy cow, time flies!!  I hope she had a wonderful birthday! :)  This week has been very exciting, and amazing, and also kind of sad, but overall, one of the best weeks I've had on my mission!! :) 

We taught 15 lessons this week!!  The most that I've ever taught in a week alone.  We even had people have to cancel with us because of the snow storm that came through.  We are teaching amazing people, and we have been finding new people as well.  This area is fantastic and although it has its challenges (I still can't believe how spread out it is, I've probably been to only 1/3 of my area), the Lord needs work done here!!  People are being prepared, and it is great to see!!  We are teaching a Guatemalan family who is doing very well, and a couple single sisters and a single man, who are all great!  Our newest new investigator, Ester just finished reading the Book of Mormon, and she loved it!  She read it all in 3 weeks.  What a miracle, and she really likes us coming over :)  We are also teaching some pretty great less-active members, who have strong testimonies, but who need some more love.  I just love being able to testify to all those we teach about the gospel, it has strengthened my testimony so much.  I most certainly have had my struggles feeling comfortable in teaching situations and being brave enough to open my mouth, but I know that if I keep working at it I will be blessed for my efforts.  I have already seen that. 

It was especially apparent on Saturday.  That day was probably the best day I've ever had on my mission.  We taught six lessons back to back and the spirit was so strong in all of them.  The first lesson we had a potential investigator was there, which was awesome, but I was really quiet and didn't add much to the lesson.  I didn't feel like I could add anything to what Sister Smedley and the member that was there were saying.  It was hard.  That is something that I've had to learn to be o.k. with.  No matter how much experience I have had, teaching and missions in general are still hard.  It doesn't mean that I haven't learned anything, it just means that Heavenly Father needs me to grow more.  Grow closer to Him.  Have more faith.  And the way to do that is to do hard things.  We have a quote on our door that says, "If you want to have a faith promoting experience, do something that requires faith."  That is so true.  That lesson was hard, and after I needed to have a bit of a release, but I learned from it and I allowed it to shape the rest of my day.  The next five lessons I felt like I was able to testify with power through the spirit.  Sister Smedley and I were more unified than we have ever been, and the whole day just flowed.  However, that night was also transfer calls.  And we got a call.  I am staying as senior companion, and Sister Smedley is leaving.  I am so sad that Sister Smedley and I won't have another transfer together, but I will always remember the 6 weeks I have been able to serve with her.  She is such a great example to me and we got along so well right from the start.  Loads of laughing and crying, and just breathing.  I love her, and although it's sad, I have changed the way I view my mission and grown closer to God because of her.  I'm so grateful for her and I just love her so much!!  It's been awesome!!  Oh yeah, we also got to play our violin duet in Sacrament meeting on Sunday!! :)  It was really special and I felt the spirit so strong!! I am so grateful for that opportunity to use our talents! :)

This transfer we totally had a theme, and it was Nearer My God to Thee.  That was the first and last song we sang together for comp study, it was the cd we listened to practically the whole transfer, and we both worked on our prayers throughout our time together.  I feel like I have grown so much closer to my Heavenly Father as I have relied on Him and more sincerely prayed to Him.  Prayer is such an incredible tool, and I know that miracles result from heartfelt prayers. 

So, tomorrow we need to wake up super early and head down to transfer meeting with a super awesome member who volunteered to drive us all the way down there.  I'm excited to meet my new companion and work hard this coming week, and I know that no matter what I'll continue to learn and grow.  Change is hard, but always worth it!! :)  Still all my song shall be, nearer my God to thee :)

Love you all and have a great week!!

Sister Bergeson

Pictures Feb. 17, 2014

Feb. 17, 2014 Bethel, Maine

A Wintry Day...Continues

Dear, dear family!!                            Feb. 17,  2014

Hello!  I hope that you have had a fantastic past week!  Is there snow in Utah?  If so, I hope that you are enjoying it!!  There is nothing but snow here, and it is beautiful!!  We got soo much!  What is hard is that as a missionary I can't really do any winter sports.  Not that I did any in Utah, but that is going to change.  My new goal is to learn how to ski.  It will happen.  Everyone up here ski's and we go up to Sunday River (the best ski resort in Maine) at least once every week.  We see people skiing down the mountain and it looks so much fun!  So yes. 

Anyways, this week has been great!  We went on exchanges, which is always super fun!  I love those things quite a lot!  We have to drive a long way to get there though.  So, we enlist the help of our wonderful members.  We have one member who is probably the best member missionary I have ever met.  She helps us out like three times a week and goes so out of her way to do everything she can for us.  We have great conversations in the car with her, and on the way back from exchange we had such a great talk.  Gotta love feeling the spirit!! :)  

So, I love this area, and I love being with Sister Smedley!  She is amazing and I have learned so much from her.  She is so enthusiastic and happy and she teaching the gospel so creatively while also being time and rule conscious.  We have such a great time together, and I am so blessed to be her companion!!  I really can't believe that we have been together for five weeks already.  Crazy.  Yes, the dreaded transfer calls are coming this Saturday.  I can't believe it, and I hope that nothing changes, but you never know.  Sis. Smedley is a Joseph Smith Memorial sister, so her turn might be coming up soon.  We'll just have to wait and see, but we're going to make this next week the best one yet!! :)

It will be hard though because this one was really good.  Although it seems like all of our investigators have been having massive challenges heaped up on them, we had some great lessons, and we found a potential new investigator!  We just need to set up a solid appointment with her.  So, pretty much we gave her a Book of Mormon two weeks ago and when we came to follow up with her she had read to the book of Ether.  She loves the Book of Mormon!!  We had a great conversation with her and she wants us to come back and teach her the lessons!  Hooray!  I love teaching people about the gospel because it really does bring joy and comfort, especially in times of trial.

Then it was Friday, Valentines Day!  We kinda let our one treat a day rule go out the window, but don't worry, we got right back on track!  It pretty much snowed all evening Thursday and all of Friday, so we were grounded.  I don't know if I've ever seen so much snow in my life!  It was sooo much fun :)  Sad that our 6 lessons we had planned for Thursday night and Friday all fell through, but we did our best to stay positive!  We went out and saw Fern who lives right by us, which was awesome, and on the way back we played in the snow a bit.  One of our snowbanks is so high I climbed to the top of it and rolled down sideways.  It was pretty fun!  More than a foot is outside right now and we are expected to get more tomorrow.  The skiers are practically coming in truckloads.  Our little town of Bethel is pretty busy!  

So, for our district meeting we talked about prayer, and I had an experience come to mind that I didn't really think too much about before.  It was really small, but I thought it was a sweet miracle.  So, I lost my watch about three weeks ago and I didn't know where it was.  I looked and looked, but couldn't find it.  One night I was praying and thought to pray to have help to find it.  It was a small thing, but I did.   After two weeks, I decided I was just going to buy a new one, but we got a text from some less-actives who asked if either one of us had lost a watch.  Apparently, he decided to go and shovel snow where he usually doesn't and he saw a small black thing poking out of the snowbank.  My watch! Covered in ice, but still working!  When we went and got it, I explained how I had the thought to pray to find it, and they were pretty amazed as was I. As I thought about this little experience during district meeting I felt the spirit really strong.  It was a very small thing, but all of our testimonies of prayer were strengthened.  I know that Heavenly Father really does care about the details of our lives.  

I hope that you have a great week!  I love you sooo much!!

Don't forget to pray!

Sister Bergeson :)

Feb. 10 2014 Bethel, Maine

A Mighty Change of Heart

Hello wonderful family!!                               Feb. 10, 2014

I hope that you have had a great week!! :)  How has the weather been there in Utah?  Lots of snow?  There has been up here!  This week has been amazing, I have so many thoughts that I want to make sure I get down, but it may be jumbled.  I've just learned so much over the past few days!!

So, Monday was great, we did everything that we needed to, and I got my hair cut by a member, which was great!  I love p-days and being able to get all organized for the rest of the week, it is great!  The next day though really wasn't the greatest for me for some reason.  I feel like this transfer I have had a hard time having the desire to be obedient.  There are so many things that we need to do in this area each day and it is exhausting.  There are so many people having hard times and we hear all about it.  There are also so many rules that we are expected to obey with exactness as missionaries.  I was starting to find little ways to fight against the rules, mainly in my heart.  I wasn't fully engaged in this good cause.  Outwardly, I was doing everything that I needed to do, but I wasn't being changed inwardly. That led to discouragement and overall, I just wasn't as happy as I was at the beginning of my mission.  We had a good day, we saw the people we had planned and had good lessons, but I was just tired.  I was so looking forward to getting to bed at the end of the day.  So, when the time came to plan for the next day I really didn't have the spirit with me.  We needed to make back up plans if there was going to be a snow day, which I wasn't too excited about.  Here in Bethel, we are really far away from civilization.  Like, 5 miles.  On snow days the only way to get around is on our own two feet, and tracting on our super spread out road just really didn't sound fun at all.  Thankfully, I have a super amazing companion that noticed I was a bit frustrated and we talked it out.  How I love talking things out with companions!!  I learn and grow so much! :)  We came to the conclusion that this is the Lord's work.  Not mine.  I am on a mission to serve Him the way that He has designed for me too.  With all my heart, might, mind and strength.  I need to do His will.  So, we made the plans and I felt more at peace.  

Wednesday came and school was cancelled due to massive amounts of snow covering the ground, and it kept coming.  So, we worked on visuals inside until the time came to bundle up and head out with our shovels.  I was still somewhat holding back, though.  It was still not my desire to go out.  But, I went anyways.  And we saw a miracle.  The first door that we knocked on was one two houses away from us.  A lady answered the door and we asked if we could help her shovel.  She let us in instead and we talked for a while.  She had been through some hard things recently and she didn't really have a religion to turn to.  She wants to understand the Bible, so we offered to do Bible study with her, and she readily agreed.  Then we started talking about the plan of salvation and she was excited to learn more about it.  Long story short- new investigator.  What a huge miracle.  The last time I found a new investigator was late October of last year.  This was a big deal.  And it all stemmed out of the blessing of obedience.  My heart was instantly softened.  My desire increased so much.  I changed. 

But that still isn't the end of the story.  We had zone conference the next day.  The best zone conference I have had so far!  It was exactly what I needed to hear.  It solidified everything that I learned the previous day.  It was all centered around this inspired case study called, "The Fourth Missionary" by Lawrence E. Corbridge.  Please look it up and read it.  It is long, but it is worth it!!  I have such a renewed desire to be better a better missionary and a better person after having read and discussed it in our meeting on Thursday.  It is all about becoming the missionary that God wants me to be.  All about changing!  So many great insights from this talk :)  One thing that he emphasizes is that we are always changing.  As humans we can't remain stagnant.  Life is like a treadmill, we cannot stand still.  Here is one of my favorites excerpts, "To believe that weakness and deficiencies in your character are unchangeable is to reject the central truth of the plan of salvation.  You are not cast in stone.  You not only can change but you do change all of the time.  You are a dynamic, changing, evolving being.  You are always changing.  You never stay the same.  You cannot stand still."  We are either moving forward or backwards, and at the beginning of the week, I felt like I was slipping back.  Giving in to the natural man inside of me telling me to hold back the one gift I can give to my Savior, my will.  This is not what a fourth missionary does.  Lawrence E. Corbridge  divided different types of missionaries into categories and describes the characteristics of each.  A fourth missionary is one who changes the lives of others and his own as he gives his will to God throughout his service.  He is not perfect, but he has DESIRE.  He unconditionally surrenders.  He gives his whole self to God.  My favorite part of this talk expounds on this. 

"Just give it up.  Surrender your will to Him.  Unconditionally.  Withhold nothing.  Turn it all over to Him; all of your desires, wishes, dreams and hopes.  Be true and faithful in your head and in your heart, not just in your behavior.  Trust in Him.  Trust Him who knows all things.  Trust Him who has all power.  Trust Him whose love for you is perfect.  Trust Him, who alone suffered, paid and atoned for your sins, and for your weaknesses as well.  Trust Him that He will make of you, immeasurably more, than what you will ever, ever, in all eternity, make of yourself.  He will create of you a masterpiece.  You will create of you only a smudge.  You will create an ordinary man.  He will create a God." 

How powerful.  How true.  I know that as I strive to give the Lord my will.  Give him the desires of my heart.  He will indeed make of me a masterpiece.  I just need to take that first step and trust Him.  It isn't always easy, and I know that I will never be perfect at it.  I will always have weaknesses, but that is why I have a Savior.  He understands.  He loves me so much.  He knows that I have a strong desire to serve Him so he gives me experiences that teach me and test me and help me grow even more so I can rely on Him even more.  What a perfect plan.  I am so grateful for it!  I am so grateful for this opportunity to change and grow!  I know that it is possible if I turn to the Savior!  It was a zone conference to remember.

And what is more, my personal study lined up even more to this theme of change and desire.  I just finished reading Alma 5.  Coincidence?  Not at all.  In verses 11-13 Alma describes his father and the change that Abinidi's words made on him and his people.  Then he asks in verse 14 to those he was preaching too, and I would like to think to me as well- "Have ye spiritually been born of God?  Have ye received his image in your countenances?  Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"  These questions are so profound, and I feel like the answer can change for me everyday, because change is constant. I need to make sure that everyday I strive for these things.  That is what a fourth missionary does. 

Overall, it comes down to whether I just go through my mission, or whether I let my mission go through me.  It all comes down to my desire to give my will to God.  My determination to serve with everything that God has given me.  My love for myself and for the people I am surrounded by.  And I know that this needs to continue throughout my whole life.  I know that it is possible, and it is even the easier way to go like it says in the fourth missionary.  What a blessing!

I love being a missionary!  Through the think and thin I have been changed bit by bit to become more of who God wants me to be.  I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true!!  It has blessed my life so much!! 

It certainly has been a great week! :)  And I am so excited for the upcoming week as well!!  I hope that you have a fantastic Valentines Day!!  I LOVE you SO, SO, SOOO much!!  Keep on keeping on and remember,

"The realization of your amazing, astounding, and true potential happens only in the hands of the Lord.  But you and only you can place yourselves in those masterful, loving hands."

Sister Bergeson :)

Pictures Feb. 3, 2014

 With Sister Smedley

Inside the Bethel library.
Wearing the bracelet that Elizabeth made for her

Feb. 3, 2014 Bethel, Maine

Scripture Power!

Hello Family!!                                                  Feb. 3, 2014

I hope that you had a totally great past week!!  I can't believe that it is February! Time just flies by so fast!  I can hardly even remember what has happened the past week.  It had its ups and downs, but overall, it was great :)

We had a family home evening with a less-active couple, and it was really great!  We talked about family history work and we showed them the new family search website.  It is totally awesome!  I love it so much.  You should totally give it a look if you haven't.  Uploading pictures and stories.  Cool.  We also had dinner with them :)  I love having member meals, it gives us a way better opportunity to know them and build trust with them!  We had three this week, which is really unusual for this area, so that was wonderful!! :)  The members here are so nice and they help us out so much!  I am so grateful for them and for their willingness to help the work progress.  Also, they cook really, really, really good food :)

We were also able to have some great lessons with investigators this week.  We taught the law of chastity to an investigator and we were kind of nervous about how it would go, but it went totally awesome!  She is so amazing and strong and has such a desire to follow the commandments.  It is great to see.  We also taught a lady who has totally changed since the first time the missionaries found her.  She turned to God, received help for her emotional problem, and is learning so much better.  I feel the spirit really strong when we teach her.  Overall, we have some really great investigators.  We haven't been able to see a couple of them because everyone has been sick recently, but hopefully we will be able to see them this next week!  The people here are amazing and I love them so much.  My companion is also wonderful and she is such a great example to me.  She is so happy all the time and she has so much love for all the people here.  It has been a process, but I have really been able to see Heavenly Father blessing me with an increased capacity to love as I have served a mission as well.  It is wonderful! :) 

Funny story.  We were in a pretty sketchy part of Rumford about to see a less-active member.  I wasn't really having the greatest day.  My back and neck were hurting from the accident ( I feel fine now though), and I just wasn't super happy and didn't have a lot of energy.  Well, we pray before we leave the car to go see people, so that is what we were doing when all of a sudden a black lady knocks on our car window.  I was soo scared!  I totally didn't expect it, and did quite a jump.  Turns out it was a Jehovah's Witness we talked to a couple days before and she was just making sure we weren't sleeping in the car on such a sketchy street.  Boy, that gave us all such a laugh!  Exactly what the doctor ordered.  The Lord definitely does have a sense of humor! :)

A highlight of this week was that I was able to go on exchange.  I love going on exchanges and being able to talk with other missionaries and get their advice and see what they do in their areas.  I went to Damriscotta with my Sister Training Leader and we had a fantastic experience teaching two investigators from the Book of Mormon.  We thought they needed to learn more about faith, and a powerful example of faith from the scriptures is the story of the Brother of Jared in Ether 3.  I love this chapter so much, and my love for it increased as I taught it.   That happens quite a lot!  I love being able to put myself in the scriptures and apply it to what I am going through right now.  The Lord doesn't always give us all the answers.  Like the brother of Jared I have seen that I need to make a decision, be humble, have faith, and turn to the Lord to help me.  When he helps me I receive personal revelation which builds my testimony and faith.  Then the cycle starts all over again.  He is such a great example to me, and I needed to learn that this past week.  I need to pray always and have faith.  I shouldn't be afraid to make decisions because I am afraid to make mistakes.  This area is really big and the borders are really messed up.  It is hard to know exactly how to use the time we have as well as our limited miles.  However, I know that no matter what, I can turn to the Lord and He will help me.  What a blessing the Book of Mormon is!! I love it so much and I have such a powerful testimony of its truth! As I have taught others I have also been able to see the impact that it makes on their lives.  Like Preach my Gospel says, "The Book of Mormon is a springboard to testimony and personal revelation,"  also, "The Book of Mormon combined with the spirit, is your most powerful resource in conversion."  That is so true!  I have seen that throughout my mission.  The scriptures are so precious to me.  One thing that I have loved this year is that our mission is doing a scripture memorization program.  We have been memorizing a scripture a day, and it has been incredible!!  The more I read, learn, apply, and remember the scriptures, the more they become a part of who I am.  I feel so blessed to have these powerful resources as my guide along with the Holy Ghost every single day. 

I hope that you have a great week!  I love you all so much!  Keep praying and reading the scriptures :)

2 Nephi 32:9

Sister Bergeson :)