Jan 30 2023: Welcome to the Weekly Season 2 Ep. 1 Sometimes the Lord's Sheep have Turquoise Wool

Hello! Hello! 

I want all y'all to know that you are so loved by a Heavenly Father whose greatest desire is to have you back in His arms someday. HE WANTS ALL OF YOU. He sent His son Jesus Christ to show us how to gather eachother together one sheep at a time. 

This week while riding the subway I met Dianne. She was sitting across from me knitting something with Turquoise yarn. So I moved to sit beside her and talk to her about her little project. She loves knitting, knits everywhere she goes and was knitting a touque. She reached into her bag and pulls out a completed turqoise touque to give to me. Oh my lanta my heart! 

She sees my tag and gets all excited and says, "crazy story! I'm a member of your church!" She proceeds to tell me her whole conversion story, that she was baptized 22 years ago but hasn't been active for a very long time due to some life complications, and then after a while she felt like it had been too long and didn't know if she could come back. I assured her that it didn't matter how long she had been away, that God still loved her, wanted her to come back to church, and that the people at church would be so thrilled to have her. She was so excited to hear that because she has been wanting to come back, but just didn't know how or where to begin. Well from the sounds of it, she lives in the Etobicoke ward boundaries, and although she doesn't have a personal phone number or Facebook for us to keep connected she now has all the church information, and really wants to make a point of coming back to church. 

The Lord's sheep are lost, even those previously gathered. This sheep is the one that was lost this week, she is the one that needed gathered back to the fold, and she has the brightest Turquoise wool that the spirit used to called my attention to her.

To anyone who doesn't know if it's been too long, if they're too far gone, too involved in the wrong thing, too lost, too hurt, I wish to ask you this... do you think that any of those things separate you from the love of God and His son Jesus Christ? 

And if you said yes, or are unsure of the answer, then I say this.... read Romans 8!! Pause right here and go read it! Don't wait! Go now!

Ok, I know y'all didn't actually go read it but if you did, I'll ask you again... is there anything that can separate you from that unconditional love? 

And if you are still unsure, then I say focus on the last three verses which say;

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord

OH MY LANTA! HE LOVES YOU! JESUS CHRIST LOVES YOU! AND THERE IS NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THAT WILL EVER IN ALL OF ETERNITY CHANGE THAT FACT! 

I hope you heard me from wherever you are because I will shout it till my face turns colours as bright as Diannes yarn.  

At the risk of making this email too long for you, uncle Jace... I'm going to include one more brief story. 

While finding at Kipling Subway station I met Bernie, who doesn't like missionaries. In our exchange he managed to tell me that it doesn't matter how much I believe in the love of God, God will still cause bad things to happen in the world and that's why religion has hurt so many people. There is nothing I can do to fix that. My attempt to explain the adversary, opposition in all things, and the agency of others didn't resonate with him. I was wrong and that was that. Oh well. 

To Bernie, 

you're wrong. I may just be a 20 year old gal, but I have a message to share, and I know that I have been called by God to share it. And I know that God does everything for the benefit of His children, and needs us to be able to choose joy and happiness in our lives. 

I hope that someday his heart is softened, because Bernie needs Jesus:)

On that note, I love ya all many many bunches! The world needs Jesus, so go give the world so much heaven!

Love,

Sister Court

Jan 24: Welcome to the Weekly Ep. 9 Missionary Monday on Taco Tuesday

 

Hola! Hola!

Holy guacamole! Last week flew by so fast! Transfers are this week so my pday is Tuesday rather than Monday this time around. 

Two missionaries, an Anglican, and a Muslim woman walk into an apartment building.... just joking... i mean not really that is what happened but this isn’t the beginning of a terrible joke... baha.

 We started teaching our friend Bill this week. He is a very devout Anglican and is very involved in the church he attends, and has no intention of switching churches. But he loves talking and learning about other religions. We met with him twice this week,  the second time we met, we went to the lobby of the apartment building he lives at and a young mom who comes from a Muslim background sat in on our discussion. We were able to introduce the Book of Mormon to both of them and read together from 3 Nephi 11, when Christ comes down and visits the people in the Americas. I love verse 15 which says:

"And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come."

I love that they went forth ONE BY ONE until ALL OF THEM had the chance to experience the love and the miracle that is Jesus Christ. He wants all of us to come forth! He doesn't want a single one of us to miss out on the unconditional gift of the atonement. He doesn't want a single one of us to feel unwanted, unworthy, or unloved. So he has provided a way for all of us, His brothers and sisters, to taste of that perfect love, the gospel of Jesus Christ! Oh my lanta what a beautiful thing it is to have faith, to repent, to be baptized and recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

So there we were, 4 very different people, from very different backgrounds, at completely different stages of our lives talking about the love that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ has for each and every one of us. Neither Bill or the young mom are interested in joining the church, but Bill is interested in visiting our church, it's just tricky because he does so much for the Anglican church he attends. 

The rest of my week was so great! We taught some really great lessons with our friends. Getting them to church is a struggle but the work in Etobicoke is getting rolling and my companion and I are so excited for this next transfer together to keep it going! This next transfer is Sister Hoy's last transfer so I'll kill her off. And the other two sisters I live with (sister Salmon and sister Burke) are getting white washed. Which is crazy and has the nerves here on Gooch Ave a little high. But the Lord knows best! 

I had the opportunity to attend the Toronto temple this week. It's small, but so beautiful. I love that going to the temple, no matter how far away from home it is, feels like being home. I love how close to Heavenly Father I feel, and I love how close to the veil I feel. There are angels all around us. And every time I am able to go to the temple I am reminded of that fact! 

Go to the temple! Even if all you can do is stand on the grounds, I promise that you will feel at home, you will feel close to your Heavenly Father who loves you so so much!

I love ya all so many bunches! Go give em Heaven!

Love:

Sister Court 

Jan 16: Welcome to the Weekly Ep. 8 finding the carrots in a world of weeds

 Hello hello!

Oh my lanta! Another Monday! 

First of all I want to testify that the strengthening and enabling power of the atonement is real! AND it is sufficient to fill my soul to the fullest it can be and more, when I first fill it as much as I can with my faith, diligence and gratitude. ♡2Nephi 25:23♡ I know this without any doubt, and saw this principle manifest its truth in my life this week. 

The weekend I had that was so full of worry after receiving news of my grandpa's stroke vs. This last week was like night and day. In my bedtime prayer that night I again poured my heart out to Heavenly Father, giving away all the worry and filled my heart as much as I could with gratitude and faith and promised I would be a diligent missionary through the week. And the parts I couldn't fill myself, He filled with the love and grace of my savior, to the point that my heart was filled to the brim and more. 

So this week I heeded to the petition I made with my Heavenly Father and went to work just like every other week. 

We had a really great Zone conference this week that sent Sister Hoy and I away feeling really motivated to get more member involvement in missionary work going in our area. The Etobicoke ward is amazing and takes care of us! We really are so blessed! However... ward council and ward correlation is pretty much nonexistent. Sister Hoy and I set some goals to invite members at every lesson we have with them to pray for someone to share the gospel with. And let them know that we wanted to follow up, and help them share the gospel with that person in any way we could. Its a work in progress but our lessons with members have been more purpose focussed which has brought many blessings. So we are looking forward to following up and working with those members! We have also reached to our relief society president for names of sisters we can visit and call. Ward correlation is another work in progress.... but we'll get there! 

On that note, I invite yall to ponder how you can be better member missionaries! How can you be more involved with missionary work? Who can you share the gospel with? How can the missionaries in your ward or area help you? Reach out to them! Connect with them! Feed them some lasagna or something!

Finding, finding, finding is the theme of the week. I have talked to many many people in various ways. We taught some good lessons this past week, and have some promising lessons set up for the upcoming week.

 Facebook finding is such a rollercoaster. It's great for reaching those who are uncomfortable, or too timid to have a conversation in person, but oh my lanta have I talked to some interesting people. It feels an awful like weeding a garden. I'm looking for the carrots, but I'm pulling up a lot of surrounding weeds to get to them.

 Sometimes you pull up a carrot and it's not ready and needed to keep growing. And then there comes a point when you're messaging the weeds, hoping they are actually carrots, that you realize they are in fact not ready to be carrots and just want to cause a problem or maybe want to just stay a weed. It's then that you just gotta turn the soil over and move on to the next row of carrots and weeds. 

The great thing is that now that those rows have been weeded, in theory they should be tilled and ready for the next gardeners of the Lord to work through and find the carrots! Maybe some carrots that weren't ready when I first did the weeding, but will be ready later in the gardening season. Luckily the Lord's  gardening season is longer than just the short summer months. 

Hehe, I think my Grandpa and Grandma Forsyth as well as my Grandma Kaye will get a giggle out of that analogy :)

Anywho... thanks for reading! See yall next week for the season finale of Welcome to the Weekly. That's right! Transfer numba one is almost done!

Love ya all many bunches! Go give em Heaven!

Love, 

Sister Court 

Jan 9: Welcome to the Weekly Ep. 7 Raaaaaiiiiiny days, coooooold days, and all the patience, miracles and gratitude in between :)

Hello hello!

This week flew by and somehow was very slow at the same time...

The first half of this week it poured rain.... like so much rain!! And the second half it was just so cold! And when I say cold I mean -10 degrees. But the humidity makes it feel so much colder. Like my limbs just ached it felt so cold. Indeed, bussing was a lovely time and a half this week. 

The last couple weeks have been a lesson on patience. In my personal study I spent 10 minutes every day studying this attribute and updating what the definition of patience as it pertains to me. The final definition I landed on is as follows...

Patience: the ability to endure all things, keeping the covenants I have made with God, trusting that He remembers them as well, and nourishing my faith by utilizing the atonement to submit to the Lord's will and timing for me and His children, while allowing others to use their agency. 

Things are slow right now. Finding is slow, lessons fall through, the people we do find are hard to get ahold of to meet again. So I remind myself that every interaction is a seed planted or nourished. I can hand out all the Book of Mormons I can fit in a bag, get as much contact information to fill a phone book, knock on as many doors as there are houses, but ultimately it's not up to me. I can't control who will choose to learn more, to read, or to listen. It's up to them to heed to the spirit they feel. The Lord has a plan for each of His children, he knows what they need and when they're ready for it. The Lord is preparing those who are ready now, and he is using me to prepare His children for missionaries down the road. So in the mean time we keep finding! We keep inviting! We keep helping! Because there are beautiful souls who need to be found!

That being said there are always miracles! 

Sister Hoy and I had a dinner appointment with a returning member in our ward, Menchie. The only reason she isn't coming to church right now is because she works 2 jobs. But she knows where all her blessings and successes come from and thanks Heavenly Father for them often. We went over the first vision with Menchie. For the first of what I'm sure will be many I recited the first vision and as I did so, the spirit that entered the room was so palpable. Menchie shared that this was the story that made her realize she needed to be baptized because like Joseph Smith, she received a witness of the spirit and could not deny it. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. He saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They called him by name. And through him the Gospel of Jesus Christ was Restored. I know this to be true. The spirit testified this to me stronger than it ever has before to my recollection. My Father in Heaven and Brother Jesus Christ know me by name! I know it! God knows it! And because of that, like Joseph Smith, I cannot deny it!

Lastly for this week... GRATITIUDE!!! Oh my lanta we gotta take 7 seconds to tall about gratitude!!!

On Saturday evening I got a message from my mama bear letting me know that my Grandpa had a stroke and is in the hospital. (He is in stable and improving condition.)

 Oh my heart. It turns out grandparents aren't invincible! Not being home to get updates first hand or just be there is hard!

 There's nothing to do but the Lord's work and that's a blessing in and of itself. But the worry, the scary, the uncertainty, and the longing to be home is still there. 

On a week that was already slow and challenging in its own ways, this sudden news is even harder to hear.

 BUT it is on days like this when things seem scary, and uncertain, that we are provided with the beautiful opportunity to fall on the Lord. 

So as I knelt down in prayer Saturday night before bed, I gave myself to my Heavenly Father in gratitude for all my blessings, faith, and family. I gave all the worry away. All the uncertainty, all the hard and crazy from the day and week, and replaced it with so so much gratitude. 

And as I poured my heart out to my loving Father with tears of gratitude, I felt all the love a caring parent could ever have for His child.

His will, His timing, His gospel and His children. All of it leads to, and is done in love. 

So although the worry is still there, the scary still eminent, it's all ok. Because of love. And because of gratitude. 

Truly there is a plan for each of us that all  miraculously fit into the biggest jigsaw puzzle of all time. That puzzle brings everything and everyone back together and makes everything make sense. And it is glued together because He loves each and every one of us, His children, me and you. 

Alrighty yall have a blessed week! Go give em Heaven!! Love ya all many bunches!

Love,

Sister Court 

Jan 2: Welcome to the Weekly Ep. 6 Rainy day hot chocky miracles

Hello hello! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

An update on my friend Reza I found last week.... we had a great restoration lesson with him but he's YSA so we have to refer him to the YSA missionaries. I'm a little sad Sister Hoy and I won't be able to keep teaching him but he's been found which is a miracle in and of itself and I am so excited to follow along with his journey if he chooses and has the desire to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

For new years eve my district got together and had a hot chocolate stand.... in the pouring rain.... I'm telling ya pooouuurriiinnnng. Not many people were out at all, but let me tell ya prayer is real yall. We made the mistake of not starting with a prayer. After that realization I quickly rectified our mistake, we said a prayer, and I was then extra determined to be an effective missionary and talk to all the lovely souls who were brave enough to be out in the rain. And ya know what? The lord blessed me with the glorious opportunity to meet Naan, originally from Italy who has a beautiful testimony that we all came from the same God. I gave her a book of Mormon which she is so excited to read! Got her contact information and will meet with her this week! BLESSINGS! I was also blessed to meet Ria, a 90 year old lady from Finland who has only been in Canada for 2 days! She was having a frazzled evening, trying to get to know the Etobicoke area and could not find who she was looking for. She was so so cold. I got her a hot chocolate and for the next little while we just talked.... well really she talked and I listened. But she needed a listening ear, she needed someone to show her kindness in this strange new place, she needed to hear that God loved her, that I loved her. She didn't have any contact information, and didn't really understand my being a missionary. But she understood prayer. So before she went on her way I asked if I could pray with her. "Right now?!" Yep right now! So we prayed, I prayed that God would look out for her, that He would show her his love in this crazy new place. And when I said amen, Ria looked at me with tears in her eyes and told me the rest of her day didn't matter anymore because this moment made it all better, that she knew God was watching her. Oh my lanta my heart pours out to her, as much as the rain was that day! God Bless Ria!

I'm learning so much from my companion and the sisters I live with! 

Sister Hoy, my comp is an amazing example and so experienced. Her knowledge of the scriptures amazes me. She is humble and knows how to teach so simply. She has been a blessing to have as a trainer!

Sister Salmon is such a joy. Her love of the gospel and testimony of how much it has changed her life is beautiful. Her bubbly smiley demeanor is contagious!

Sister Burke is wonderful at showing her care to those she teaches. She talks to everyone without hesitation, and she is diligent and obedient!

I am soaking up every piece of advice, every insight, every example set. I appreciate them an immense amount and am grateful to them for their love and their devotion. What absolutely lovely missionaries, and beautiful daughters of God they are!

Some other highlights:

-finished the Book Of Mormon on New Years Day!!🥳

-went to Dundas Square Down Town Toronto... I've never felt like such a small town gal in my life... everything enthralled me

-saw a racoon on the sidewalk on the way to comp study one evening.... he was not doing too well :(

-saw the lone ranger in the subway station.... I didn't know he was from the GTA.... also didn't know he wore joggers.... but I don't blame him they're probably more comfortable than wranglers🙃 

Thats all I got for ya this week! Love ya all many bunches! Go give em Heaven!!

Love,

Sister Court