He
is Risen!
Hello dear family!! April 21, 2014
I hope that you had a fantastic week
and that your Easter was superb! I can't believe that Amy and Erin are
almost done with their first year of college! Crazy!!! It is just going
by way too fast! Well, things have been super busy still, but well, I'm pretty
sure that that is just the story of a missionaries life! Also, it has
been warmer!! :) Finally! It has officially got up to 70 degrees
today! Loving it!! :)
So, lets see, some cool things that
happened this week. First of all, I found out that I absolutely love food
pantries! We started volunteering at one run by the Seventh Day
Adventists and it was just fantastic!! I loved it! The people were
so nice and boy did they give us soooo much food :) It was great to be
able to talk with so many people and get to know them! We had a fun time
there! Service is just awesome, and it certainly does soften hearts.
I love being able to help others and share a bit of the gospel here and
there, at least by example.
We had our zone conference this week,
and it was just what I needed, just like all of the meetings that we have as
missionaries seem to be. We talked a lot about teaching and first
impressions. It was great to be able to discuss how to better help the
people that we are teaching right now because we are teaching a good amount of
people, but none of them are progressing the way that we know they could if
they just put in a little bit more effort. They will get there though!
I also liked that they focused on making sure that we make a good first
impression, especially by smiling! I've really seen that it makes such a
difference when I smile :) And it is the best when others smile back!
Super simple, but awesome nonetheless! We also talked about
recognizing the spirit and following promptings we receive. I feel like
I've always had a bit of a harder time really recognizing the spirit,
especially when I'm teaching by it, but I know it is there. I just have
to take time to hush and listen to and feel it. Another big thing that we
talked about is the importance of members! Really, really important!!
I've seen that sooooo much! It has been kind of sad here in Bethel
as far as members go. Sister Lilly is gone for another week for her yoga
thing and another sister moved to the elder's area. It really is
incredible to think how few members that we have here, but we're going to find
more! The ones we have though totally save us! Their help is always
so appreciated in any way that they can give it. Especially coming to
lessons with us. I love to hear members bear their testimonies to our
investigators, it brings the spirit so strong! :)
So, after zone conference I went on
exchange with one of my sister training leaders to Yarmouth, ME. It was
super awesome and we saw a lot of miracles. One of them had quite a lot
to do with what we talked about in zone conference. Part one-we stopped
by a super awesome less-active members house (by the way he taught me how to
play the ukulele a little bit, and I am in love. Totally going on my bucket
list!!!!), and invited him to come to a lesson with us we were having near by
and he said yes! Part two- the lesson went really well! We talked
about faith in Jesus Christ, watched Because of Him (awesome video), and he and
the investigators got along really well! The spirit was really strong.
My testimony of the spirit was built quite a lot. At one part I was
bearing my testimony and I said something that I wasn't even planning on saying
at all. It just popped into my head and I said it. Kind of like a
light bulb moment for me. No lightening, but an assurance that Heavenly
Father wants to use me as an instrument in His hands through the spirit.
I felt so privileged to be able to have that experience.
Afterwords, the less-active talked to us and told us that that lesson was
for him and that he had been thinking a lot about coming back church!! :)
It was the greatest ever!! I was just so happy! Hooray for
the spirit and bringing members to lessons!!
That exchange was overall great!
I just love exchanges and learning from other sisters and the people they
teach in their area :) It was a shorter one, but that was fine because it
meant that I could come back and go to a member meal the Smith's fed us.
I love the Smith family!! (So, there are 2 active member families
in our area. The Lilly's and the Smith's. Both are quite
incredible!!) We had a great time with them and our secret service
lesson/thought was a total hit!! Always great! Member meals are
pretty awesome! All of the ones that we had were pretty great this week!
So, miracle. It was two days before Easter and nobody had invited
us over to their house. We are super far away from everyone who lives in
Oxford, so we don't really have many member meals down there, and Sister Lilly
is gone, so there wouldn't be a female at Bishop's. But, totally last
minute we talked to Bishop and planned that we would all invite a less-active
couple to come over to his house and have Easter dinner with us. It was
such a success!!!!! :) But now, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Easter was totally fantastic!!
I loved it so much :) The chapel which is usually filled with empty
benches was totally packed!! It was so great to see family members active
or less-active, members or non-members together at church to celebrate our
Savior's resurrection! It was a great meeting filled with the spirit :)
I just love Easter! I love my Savior, Jesus Christ! After
church we went with a member to visit a whole bunch of less-active members in
Oxford. We would either sing an Easter hymn to them (caroling-April
style), or "egg" their house (a festive alternative to "heart
attacking"). It was such a blast and we all enjoyed ourselves very
much. Then we traveled back to Bethel for our Easter meal with Bishop and
the McLarens :) It was so much fun! I love the Lilly's so much as
well as the McLarens! It was such a great time to get to know them all
better and for some sweet fellow-shipping to happen!! :) They finally
have the gas money to make it all the way down to church, and they are excited
to start getting back into going again!! :) It was all around amazing!!
After that we did some suuuuupppper sneaky egging. Really, I am
quite impressed with us and our ninja-like skill. It was a blast!!
I'm just so grateful that I was able to spend the holiday brightening up
people's day and bringing them closer to the Lord! I'm grateful for His
life and for His example. Overall, best Easter ever!! :)
I love you so much, family!!
I'm so grateful for you and for your examples to me as well! I hope
that you have a wonderful week!! Remember that everything is possible...
Because of Him!
Sister Bergeson :)
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