This week has been a good one.
Every week is good.
I'm alive, I have a bed to sleep in (even if it may have bed bugs),
and the I have the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
I'm just going to be honest, the work is hard here in Riverhead.
Our branch is extremely small, and they're all recent converts. Right
now they are really leaning on the missionaries, but we are trying to
build up the branch and teach them how to be self-dependent.
We can't go out and baptize Long Island if we don't have a strong
branch to fellowship them and keep them active. So as missionaries in
Riverhead, our goal this quarter is to reactivate the members.
The members really are the key to missionary work.
President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: “So many of us look upon
missionary work as simply tracting. Everyone who is familiar with this
work knows there is a better way. That way is through the members of
the Church. Whenever there is a member who introduces an investigator,
there is an immediate support system. The member bears testimony of
the truth of the work. He is anxious for the happiness of his
investigator friend. He becomes excited as that friend makes progress
in learning the gospel.
“The full-time missionaries may do the actual teaching, but the
member, wherever possible, will back up that teaching with the
offering of his home to carry on this missionary service. He will bear
sincere testimony of the divinity of the work. He will be there to
answer questions when the missionaries are not around. He will be a
friend to the convert who is making a big and often difficult change.
… The process of bringing new people into the Church is not the
responsibility alone of the missionaries. They succeed best when
members become the source from which new investigators are found."
🔷Something pretty funny happened on Saturday.
Sister Snow and I were driving, but because I had a headache I laid my
seat down.
Meanwhile the Elders saw Sister Snow driving but didn't see me in the
car.. So they followed us around for thirty minutes until we got to an
investigator's house. They were freaking out because they thought
Sister Snow snapped and ditched me somewhere. Hahah
🔷Yesterday morning, right before church I found out that I was
speaking. Even though the Elders were supposed to tell me a week ago..
So that was annoying, but I guess that's part of being a missionary
eh? ;)
🔷Have I told you about the fireflies here? Because it's probably my
most favorite thing about Long Island.
🔷My house is still infested with spiders.. The spray was unsuccessful.
🔷I really love you all.
🔷The Hispanics love me. Which is a serious problem because they try
to feed you everything they have. Which is beans... I hate beans so
bad.
🔷Yesterday after church they had a little munch and mingle thing for
a family who is moving out of the branch. All of the little kids there
kept calling me " sister tennis ball", trying to take my tag, jump on
my back, and kidnap me... Haha one little Hispanic three year old girl
named Megan told her parents "I'm taking her home and I'm going to
cook her"....."in a pie" and even "like a chicken".. ... .. .. Uhh
hahaha ok.
🔷Also, does anybody know how to check if you have bedbugs? And what
to do if you have them? They are a serious problem here in New York
and my la campanera has bites all on her ankles and we heard that's
where you get them if you have bed bugs.. . . Gross. Luckily I don't
have any bites.. But I'm paranoid.
🔷 I love being a missionary. I'm having the time of my life.
🔷You can all be missionaries too.
🔷In Preach my Gospel it gives you 5 great steps to missionary work
you can use every day
🔸Pray and follow the Spirit
🔸Give service
🔸Develop friendships
🔸Open your mouths to share the restored gospel and
🔸Invite others to do things to increase their faith in Christ.
Here's some pictures from this week.
That cheese-ball case was holding up a window of a house we were
knocking. I don't know why I thought it was so funny... But I got a
picture. We knock some pretty sketchy areas, but this was one of the
nicer homes we have seen.. :)
The spider is from some investigators house (she actually lives in the
trailer park, so it's a trailer), I was sneaky and took one.
Absolutely disgusting.
And that little girl invited me to her birthday party. Her name is
Clair and were are BFFs. I don't know why I was making that face
either.
Love you all.
#writeme
-Sister Samantha Tennis Ball
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