Feb 28: Welcome to the Weekly Season 11 Ep. 3 Do You Love to Pray and Grow as you Go?

Hello! Hello!

First of all time flies when your having fun and finding joy in the work. The last handful of transfers have disappeared and this one is no different. Sister Linton and I have so much fun together! Our current source of comedic relief is attempting to make sourdough bread, and writing a wrap about jenky Jane Street. We get work done too, don't you worry! But we are laughing and smiling the whole time. There is never a dull moment. 

Second of all! A quick update on my friend Tomoaki who had to go back to Japan: he went to church for the first time in Japan AND he got to see the Tokyo temple. My heart is overflowing with joy for him! He really and truly is one of my best friends! 

Third of all! We have this friend, his name is Xue Wen. He's getting baptized on Saturday. He is a philosophy student. When we met him at Humber College he told us he knew very little about religion but the idea of God philosophically made sense to him. I thought that was intriguing. Well, since then, Xue Wen has come to church every Sunday and attends institute every week. He has never missed a lesson and reads and prays daily. We have one member of our congregation who speaks mandarin (his 1st language) and they have become best buds.

When we invited him to be baptized a couple weeks ago he asked if it would help him have a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We told him it would and he said, "then I think I need to be baptized."

Most of our lessons with Xue Wen have been over zoom. And every time he joins the call, all that shows on the camera is his face from his nose up. He wears these big glasses and it's the funniest thing to me. I've learned a lot of things from teaching Xue Wen, one of them is what it means to have an eye single to the glory of God. I can tell when Xue Wen smiles or resonates with something we say because his eyes change, they get happier. And when he is deep in thought, pondering a principle we have taught his eyes wander before he looks at the screen again to share his thoughts, and he has the best thoughts! When he feels the spirit I know it because as he looks at the screen its like he's seeing the whole painting be created before his very eyes. His eyes become so captivated. I testify that the spirit is captivating! It draws people in from their very core. Xue Wen has an eye single to the glory of God. I've never been able to say that I've actually seen what that means until I met Xue Wen. 

Also! Xue Wen loves to pray. The other day in a lesson we asked if we could start with a prayer, as I began to say it he piped in and said, "actually, can I say it?" Of course! So he did, and as he was talking to God he said, "I used to feel praying was a burden but now I love it because I know I have a strong relationship with thee." And then after we had finished teaching, we said it was time to end with a prayer, and before any one could say anything Xue Wen started praying. I love the relationship Xue Wen has with Heavenly Father. He earnestly seeks that relationship and wants it to be stronger every day. 

Fourth of all! I've felt a lot lately of the ways Heavenly father and Jesus christ feel for their children. Just so much love. And so much joy watching them grow. I think the growth I have observed in others is how I've seen God's hand a lot lately. 

For example, in Mississauga, I was teaching a guy named Jonathan. I left and a few transfers later he got baptized. Now I'm in Etobicoke and Jonathan comes to the ysa and the activities. We are his missionaries that meet him regularly, I love teaching him. It’s kinda wild to teach him again after so long. And he has changed! He is a completely different person than when I met him 9 months ago. When he prays he TALKS to God like they were sitting at a table together having doughnuts. When we meet, he asks the questions of his soul and we study them together after he has studied and prayed about them himself. He is now the institute class president and joins us when teaching. He has become a disciple of jesus christ. 

Another example, yesterday we had the chance to teach with sis Yergenson and sis Waldron. They have a friend they are passing to us to start teaching. But it was remarkable to teach with sis Waldron again and see how much she has grown up as a missionary since she was just a baby in Mississauga with me. I was overcome with adoration for her as I listened to her teach about the premortal life and Gods plan. Her understanding of the doctrine has deepened to a level that it's part of her very being. 

Indeed God's hand is in the work. His hand is pulling us all forward, cradling us when it's tough, patting us on the head to make everything ok, pushing people in our path when they need the gospel, watering us with the living water and parting the clouds so the light of the world can shine on us when we need a little boost to keep growing.

I love you all many bunches and pray you see God's hand in all the little and big ways today, tomorrow and forever! Go give em Heaven!

Love,

Sister Court 

Weekly Fridge Phrases!!! 

♡The effort we make doesnt have to be moving the mountian RIGHT now. -robert morton 

♡Join the Jesus book club -ella morton

♡If you get up and go do good your house is built on a rock -pres stacey

♡Let jesus take your wheel, because he drives way better than separated tires -josie jean

Feb 21 2024: Welcome to the Weekly Season 11 Ep. 2 The Spirit of God like the Sun is Shining☀️

Hello! Hello! 

The sun was shining all week this week! So you know it was good! ☀️😌 I live for the sun peep the pics🌅🌆

It wasn't just the sun that made this week bright and and shiney and warm. The spirit of God like a fire is indeed burning! Our sweet friend Vianna got baptized and recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost! 

The days leading up to Viannas baptism were kinda crazy. Vianna actually ghosted us for a minute or 2 or like 3 days. And we weren't sure if it was going to happen. We sent her videos of us teaching some of the principles but we didn't hear ANYTHING from her. On Friday evening we got a text from Vianna saying that she had been having the hardest week of her life but she knew that she needed to be baptized and wondered if there was anyway we could still make it happen. So Saturday comes and we have an UNCONFIRMED lesson set up with vianna. And then 20 min before the lesson was going to happen Vianna says that we can meet! So we meet and teach her the last few things! 

And she was indeed baptized on Sunday! Vianna shared her testimony and talked about the story of the 99 sheep and the one that needed to be found. She expressed her gratitude to Heavenly Father for giving her the opportunity to be found. I am so so overfill with joy snd gratitude that Vianna chose to be found when the time came! 

I know that God provides a way. He carves the path for His children to come home to Him. This whole week I knew that this was true. Through the rollercoaster that this week was there was never a doubt in my mind that if this was the right time for Vianna then God would make a way for it to happen. God has and always will go before your face and prepare a way for you to accomplish everything as he sees fit. 

I love you all many many bunches! Go give them Heaven! 

Love,

Sister Court

Weekly Fridge Phrases!!

♡Build and they will come

♡there is no infinate plus 1 -president stacey

♡getting baptized is like Heavenly Father saying "welcome home kids!" -Vianna

Feb 14- Welcome to the Weekly Season 11 Ep. 1 the Holy Ghost and Puzzle Pieces

Hello! Hello!

Sister Linton is my new companion and I love her to bits. We are having a lot of fun together. It's her first time in the city so there's a lot of new things to figure out but she loves the people already! It's gonna be a good 6 weeks!🥰🥰

I know that the Holy Ghost is real & is the reason we become converted. Without the Holy Ghost we would know nothing of the ways of God because we would never feel God's power in our life. 

Recently, I have had the blessing of teaching many individuals who have grown a testimony of the Holy Ghost. I have watched their countenance change as they feel the spiritual power of the Holy Ghost be made manifest in their lives.

Our friend Vianna LOVES the Holy Ghost. She came to church for the first time a few weeks ago with her boyfriend (& our friend) burrito-boy Tyson. The thing that has stuck out to both of them, is the way we talk about the Holy Ghost at church. Vianna has never heard other churches talk so much about the importance of the holy ghost. I know she feels the Holy Ghost speaking to her because she asks the most inspired questions & gives the most inspired answers. The other day she asked about all the people who have grown old and don't know all these things. How will they ever know? So we got to tell her about the spirit world & baptisms for the dead. When she heard that she said it was like she has all the puzzle pieces & each time she learns something the Holy Ghost helps her know where they go. She is preparing to be baptized this Sunday & she is so ready. 

Our friend Mark has a harder time recognizing the holy ghost. But he wants to feel it so he keeps doing the things that he knows will help him feel it. He has such strong redemptive faith. Yesterday we had a lesson with him that didn't go at all the way we planned. The Holy Ghost took over, & we talked about the sacrament & renewing our covenants. Mark told us that for some reason Sundays are like a reset button for him. Then out of nowhere one of our members walked in & on an impromptu invite joined our lesson. He was able to share that the reason Mark feels like that is because of the Holy Ghost & its that spirit that helps him endure through the week until Sunday again. When Mark realized that, I could tell he was thinking of all the times he's felt the Holy Ghost before, and i knew he was feeling it right then.

 I'm so sorry for making this letter so long. But my testimony of the Holy ghost has just grown so much this week! 

A few weeks ago, I got a text from my best friend Tomoaki, who I was able to watch be baptized in Toronto. He told me he has to go back to Japan because his visa expired and can't be renewed. My heart broke. But yesterday he sent me another message. It was a voice recording of him giving a talk in sacrament meeting. In his talk he testified of his experience before knowing who God was and after knowing who God was. He testified of the power of the Holy Ghost, & that it is because of the holy ghost that he truly knows God is real, and he knows that God's power is in his life everyday. I am so proud of him. I had the realization that he will go back to Japan and he will be able to share the Holy Ghost and the Gospel of Jesus Christ with his family in Japan. Because of the Holy Ghost, Tomoaki has a testimony and because of that testimony, so many doors are open for God to gather his sheep from all the far corners of the earth. 

Thanks for reading! I pray you felt something as you did. I love you all many bunches! Go give em heaven!

Big loves, 

Sister Court 

Weekly Fridge Phrases:

♡Our mission here in life, cant progress unless we repent 

-Tom

♡We procrastinate because we prioritize our current pleasure over our longterm goals

-our friend Sarina 

♡thou didst hear me because of thy Son -Alma 33:11

Feb 8: Welcome to the Weekly Season 10 Ep. 6 tidbits and toodles

Hello! Hello!

Another 6 weeks have come and gone! I'm staying in Etobicoke for another transfer! But big sads because sister Beckwith is leaving! 

This past transfer has honestly been such a blur. I've hardly had time to think about anything. And now that everything is changing again I'm thinking about all the things I've learned. So I'll share a few thoughts and tidbits from the land of the coke🥤.

#1 Cherish the time God gives you to wrestle with Him

I need this time with God. Even the times that feel like God's not talking back. Sometimes I just need to sit and let Him pat me on the top of the head and say nothing. Because I know with my whole heart that He is always listening.

#2 Listen to learn and have empathy

I've been studying this a lot lately and something that has stuck out to me was the importance of listening with genuine caring. Often times when listening what people need is for us to just listen and show them we truly care. Not because we completely understand but because we know that Jesus Christ does. Not because we have all of the answers but because we know they can turn to a loving Heavenly Father who does. 

#3 Finding home and holy places 

I'm relearning this lesson. This is my goal for the upcoming transfer. To find home again here in Etobicoke in this ward with all these wonderful humans. So stay tuned to hear all about that one! It's been harder to find home here, but i know I can and will because Jesus is all around. If I found him on the dodgy ttc in downtown Toronto (I love that place and miss it more than I can say) then I can find it here in Etobicoke!

Anywho... I love you all so many bunches! Go give the world Heaven!

Love,

Sister Court

Weekly Fridge Phrases!!

♡condemning others damns personal progression -elder Smith

♡do you believe in your heart that the saviour stands next to you? -elder uchtdorf

♡sometimes the bitter cup comes from God -sister peterson

♡Insight into weakness is power to improve -elder jesse

Jan 31 2024 - Welcome to the Weekly Season 10 Ep. 5 Are You Feelin' What I'm Feelin'?

 Hello! Hello! 

The weeks don't seem to exist. The days just disappear. Crazy shtuffs. 

A lot of amazing things happened this week. But I want to start by testifying of the power of the Holy Ghost. 

The Holy Ghost is Gods personal messenger for you, through him, God can communicate with you. But you will only feel his influence when you are willing and trying to live in righteous ways. The Gift of the Holy Ghost as your constant companion is promised to you as you are baptized with the proper authority and covenant with God to keep His commandments, always remember Him, and take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ. This precious gift binds you to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and allows you to feel their influence in your life more clearly. 

I promise and testify that these things are true. I know it without a doubt because of the influence the promptings of the Holy Ghost have had on me throughout my life and on my mission. By following those promptings, I have been brought to where I am today. And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. 

Lately, journaling has become a chore rather than an enjoyable and meaningful experience. I found that I was just writing the events of the day and they held no real significance to me when I re-read them. What I've recently started doing is using my time to journal as time to reflect on the times and places and ways I felt the presence and influence of the Holy Ghost in my day. It has eliminated any feelings of unworthiness, or inadequacy. Because the holy Ghost cannot dwell in unholy places. So if I'm feeling it throughout the day I must be living worthy of him, I must be striving to keep commandments, remember God and Jesus Christ, and take Christ's name upon myself. Otherwise the Holy Ghost wouldn't be with me. 

Our friend Vianna, loves the Holy Ghost. Something that struck her about the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that she noticed we talk about the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit a lot. She has the strongest desire to have the Holy Ghost with her all the time and has chosen to prepare to make her first covenant with God through baptism so she can receive the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. As we taught her yesterday, she shared with us the most amazing, AND TRUE doctrine of the Holy Ghost. She said, "without the Holy Ghost we cannot make decisions that will align us with God's will." Oh my bardownski! Who says that!? People prepared by God, that's who. She is 110% correct! It made me think of something that the living Prophet of God, Russell M. Nelson said a couple years ago, "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." Vianna is so prepared for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I want to invite you to reflect on the ways you feel the power of the Holy Ghost in your life. If you are living a life worthy of it, I promise you will feel it. And if you are feeling it, I invite you to follow it! It will take you places you never knew you needed to go. 

I love you all many bunches! Go give them Heaven!

Live,

Sister Court 

Weekly Fridge Phrases!!

♡I have been to the mountaintop -elder Ochoa 

♡God loves malleable -president stacey

♡true repentance is feeling Godly sorrow and then feeling Godly JOY -Sister Cobia

Jan 24- Welcome to the Weekly Season 10 Ep. 4 I need, you need, we all need the light! 💡🕯

 Hello! Hello!

Our friend Hannah got baptized on Saturday and received the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday! What a happy 2 days! Saturday was so smooth! Everyone (including Hannah and everyone on the program) was late... but other than that it was so smooth! Members helped with everything, not a single missionary was on the program! One of our recent converts, Andreea, gave the talk on the Holy Ghost and it was the best talk I have EVER heard EVER in my life about the Holy Ghost. It was so special and exactly the perfect thing. 

I cannot believe how prepared Hannah is for the gospel. She would do some googling on the internet and come across anti or read something crazy about church history and then tell us that she just knew it wasn't right because it was full of contention and feelings like that aren't from God. She is so in tune with the spirit it is mesmerizing. Hannah just gets all of it, because she knows when she hears truth. 

Hannah's boyfriend, Lee, who is a member and introduced Hannah to the church but was pretty much inactive before he met Hannah (nothing like flirt to convert... to reactivate someone haha), baptized her. Lee's family goes to the family ward so I got to know them well when I served here a year ago. Lee's mom, sister Nakale, made lunch for everyone that came. We put up four tables all squished together and we all sat around them like a big happy family. It was just the sweetest thing to have everyone from so many different background s and stages if life sit around a table together to laugh and eat really good food. I love God's Children. 

We had a lesson with Hannah just yesterday at a little Cafe that none of us had ever been to before. It had been a rough day for her with things happening with her family, but she still came because she felt like she needed light from the sisters. 

And what a miracle that she came because at this Cafe we met Amanda! Who also doesn't usually come to this Cafe but came today. She saw our tags & asked about them so we introduced ourselves & then Hannah introduces herself as sister Hannah. Oh my heart! Amanda tells us about herself. That she wants to be involved with the church community & meet like minded women in the gospel. She recently started a small non profit organization, & has a podcast where she shares her thoughts & experiences about God. And then! Hannah bears her testimony! She shares that she is a new member of the church, & testifies that it's the best thing she's ever done, that the gospel has changed her life & she is so grateful she found the light of Christ. Hannah was glowing! It was miraculous! We are meeting Amanda again on Friday & Hannah is coming! Stay tuned! 

I just want to invite you all to share the light of Christ with others! I saw it so many times this week. It was shared with me and I shared it with others. The world is a brighter, happier place when the light of Christ is shone abroad for everyone to see!

I love you all many bunches! Go give em Heaven!

Love,

Sister Court

Weekly Fridge Phrases!!!

♡The way we find joy is by growing with the Saviour

-the spirit through sis Becky

♡say your prayers, work hard, and leave the harvest to the lord. -Gordon B. Hinkley

♡we become acquainted with Him through our extremities -president Stacey

♡we are the Lord's hands and feet in the world right now.