October 17, 2011

FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!

 This morning in companionship study we sang the song "Count Your Blessings" I can't get the song out of my head. I love it so much. I hope we can all count our blessings and be happy with how much the Lord is blessing all of you. I pray for you all every night and know that He is watching over you and keeping you safe. I hit my 8th month mark yesterday. Can you believe it!!!!???  HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIMM!!!! and TAU!!!I can't believe you are now 22 yrs. old! I sang happy birthday to you yesterday, my companions loved it, and sorry you couldn't hear me. But I thought of you all day! LOVE YOU LOTS LITTLE SISTER! As for my week, Satan is EVIL!! Free Agency is great but Satan knows how to use it against us and it is EVIL! We are teaching a single mom of two. She was excited all week to come to church, and then yesterday morning- she didn't come. My heart broke. We are the same age, different stages of life of course. I love this girl so much! She is incredible. Please keep her in your prayers. Her name is Kimberly. She is great. She knows this is true. We were with her this past week, at the end of the lesson she prayed, we sat in silence, she was to break the silence once she felt the love of Heavenly Father. A good 5 min past, she spoke and the spirit FILLED the room even more!!! INCREDIBLE. I was in tears and she was in lots of tears! She is ready for the gospel and to live it. She set a baptism date for herself right then and there. We went back a few days later, and taught the Word of Wisdom . . . she doesn't have confidence to stop smoking since she has been doing it since she was 13. I HATE CIGARETS!!!!!! EVIL!!! As a missionary you grow to love the people you are teaching, and it hurts when Satan gets to them, because he gets to you too.   Our gator Wes is so excited for baptism on Sunday! He is so solid! That is our two gators that we are teaching currently. Our teaching pool is very small, but we are working hard. Knocking, talking to everyone and trying to set the members straight. Hahaha  Halloween is among us. Decorations are all around! It is weird because it isn't COLD! And there are no changing leaves. One of the pictures you see me playing in the leaves, which was the first changed tree I have seen. It was fun! Ha-ha. The weather is so perfect right now! I love it but it doesn't feel like October. This Saturday. .BRYCE'S BIRTHDAY, is the ward Halloween party. We are dressing up. I will send you a card. It will be LEGIT! Get Excited!  October 15, Elder Anderson came to speak to the Orlando Missionaries! I LOVED IT!!!! He is a funny guy and so kind. He spoke the words that Heavenly Father wanted him to speak. It was great!!! Sorry there is no time to expound on that. It was fun to be with ALL the missionaries! Elder Lasitani will be coming soon. . . I was talking to Sister Hall the other day during President interviews and saw his name on the list of incoming missionaries for November, I CAN'T WAIT!! We had President Interviews on Oct 12. I love President Hall, all the counsel and guidance he gave me. Out of this world! Sorry there is no time to expound on that either. Just know that Heavenly Father is molding me into the person that He wants me to become, and I am not fighting it! He trusts me and I trust Him.   I love this work and all that I am learning, even though the family ward is crazy and loud, I am growing to love everything, yes even being fed! LOVE IT! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!  -- 

 Sister Shannon Durr