Monday, November 17, 2014

Nov. 17, 2014 Littleton, New Hampshire

Together Forever
Family! :)                                            Nov. 17. 2014
Hey!  I hope you've been having an awesome week and that you've been staying warm!  The temperature is certainly dropping here and there is snow on the ground!  It's beautiful, but I'm definitely missing my all-wheel drive Subaru!  This week has been pretty great and we've stayed busy for the most part :)  I just love it when there is always lots to do!  So, now where to start?
We got a new investigator this week!  Our new next door neighbor Mike had been asking if we'd have a lesson with him for a few days and we were finally able to do it!  Quite an interesting lesson.  The spirit was really strong at first, and we got through the whole Restoration even extended a soft baptism commitment and he accepted!  Then Larry (the guy who constantly walks the streets who hugged Sister Maxwell...that Larry) comes up to the porch where we were having the lesson and it kind of threw everything off.  Apparently Mike and Larry got into a disagreement about something at 4:30 in the morning and Larry ended up chasing Mike down Main Street... Thankfully Larry left in peace, but after, we heard all about it and the rest of the lesson got thrown completely off topic.  So, that was interesting.  Larry...another funny thing that happened with him this week.  He came up to Sister Maxwell and said his usual, "you're a pretty girl, I like you" but also tagged on the question, "can I give you a kiss?"  Man oh man, Larry, really?  Sister Maxwell has never said no to anyone so fast and we got right out of that situation!  I'll never forget that guy.
Veteran's day was pretty great, it was super warm and they did so much stuff for all the Veterans.  I loved being at the senior center for it and seeing everyone stand who served in the military when their branch's song was being played.  It made me so happy to see all of them so proud to have served their country.  I'm so grateful to be an American!  We also had a nice chat this week when we were over for dinner at our investigators' house.  They are the sweetest couple ever, so nice!  He served in the Navy and had so many great pictures and stories from WWII.  It made me think of grandpa.  Love you grandpa!! :) 
Something else that was pretty cool was that we got to throw a couple packs of cigarettes into a campfire!  Stephen really wants to quit and we had a great lesson with him this week.  He knows he needs to be baptized and has such a strong desire to, but it's been really tough for him to quit.  He wanted us to burn the packs he had, which we did gladly, but he told us later that he broke and got some more.  We're just trying to keep encouraging him, and he'll overcome someday! 
We met with a bunch of less-active members this week, which was awesome!  We started teaching a new lady who was found by a member in another ward.  We got her contact info, set up an appointment, and met one of the greatest ladies ever!  She's a hilarious southerner!  We had a great time and she is excited to get out all of her old church stuff :)  It's been years and years since she's had any contact with the church, but she's super willing to meet with us, which will be great!  We also had a couple great meals with members and the spirit was really strong!  Awesome stuff is happening in the ward, and it has been great to feel things start picking up a lot!
Going along with that...the highlight of the week was definitely the primary program!!  I love the kids in our ward, they are fantastic!! :)  Something awesome they did was give every kid an invitation to hand out to a special someone, and many of those special someones came!! :)  The whole chapel and overflow was packed and there were a bunch of non-members and less-active members there!  The spirit was so strong and it went wonderfully!  It was amazing to see how the members initiated everything and we just helped along the way :)  What a great introduction to the church, too!  The primary programs are always so great and entertaining, too!  There are a handful of 'handfuls' in the primary who have so much energy and they were so much fun to watch!  There was also this super cute girl who needed her teacher to ask everyone to close their eyes while she said her line because she didn't want anyone to look at her :)  So sweet!  The theme of the program was families are forever and it was powerful.  It really made me reflect on how grateful I am to be a part of an eternal family!  Being on a mission has really opened my eyes to the importance of family, and I've truly realized that so much of who I am today I owe to my family.  We've been studying the Family Proclamation recently, and I love the last phrase in the very first paragraph which reads, "the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children."  I know that is true and that families really can be together forever so long as we continue doing what God needs us to do!  I'm so grateful to be a missionary and that I have the opportunity to teach others about this plan and the happiness and hope it brings!
I love you all so much!  Have a great week! 
"What matters most is what lasts the longest" - Elder Ballard
Sister Bergeson :)

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