Nov 28- Welcome to the Weekly Season 9 Ep. 2: The Lord's hand: apparently a hard sell.

Hello! Hello!

Hope everyone is well! I pray that you ate everyday😊

My testimony of Heavenly Father's Plan of Salvation continues to become increasingly strengthened. We had a lesson on Saturday with a friend (I'll call her jill) who is very new to Christianity. She brought another friend (I'll call her Sue). Exciting right!? Another friend to teach!

 No. 

This friend is from Texas, and loves the Bible, and boy does this lovely daughter of God like to talk. We were trying to give a church tour and every time Jill asked a question(she has many) Sue answered them or corrected us everytime we attempted to. Many of the things were wonderful and align with what we share, but there is always that piece that is missing, that she doesn't quite have right. So you can imagine when we were showing the family history center and talking about what we do in temples how flustered and defensive Sue got. 

Sue knows quite a bit about the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and is a tad overprotective of Jill to the point that Jill couldn't even ask any questions. Sue just kept saying that she knew enough about the "Mormons" to know that it was very different and blasphemous to the Bible. And if we believed the same as Joseph Smith than so were we. 

Well Sue, I appreciate the love you have for Jill and for Jesus. I really do, but I know that every aspect of the plan of salvation and the truths that have been restored pertaining to it are true, and anything less than it is a plan that sells short the magnificence of the life and glory of God and Jesus Christ.

The hand of the Lord is in my work everyday, now with a big mitten on because it is chilly outside! In so many aspects of my work I have seen the hand of the Lord. In my personal work, in God's work, and everything in between.

 In the last couple weeks I have had a question on my mind that I knew the answer to but I didn't ask God the question because I didn't want that answer to be the right answer (not very humble of me I know). I was definitely trying very hard to move the Lord's hand out of my way... but when I finally asked the question and got my confirmation of the spirit that the answer is the right one, although sad, and disappointed, I felt peace and comfort in the reminder that the Hand of the Lord IS the way. 

A new friend of ours had a similar realization. She was telling us her back story and how she came to a belief of God after being agnostic for a long time. She thought that religion was a terrible thing, it had never been a positive influence in her life. But when she moved to Canada and saw people choosing to go to church, she started to explore Christianity. She told us that not long after she did so, did she start to see how God had been guiding her and giving her tastes of his truth all her life. 

She now feels the spirit everyday of her life and wants that feeling to be strengthened and never go away. She is preparing to be baptized in the coming weeks and we are so excited for her! She is realizing that the hand of the Lord provided her the way all her life and is the way for the coming years of her life.

 I know with all my heart that the hand of the Lord is in reality the only way. His is the hand of life, the hand of light, the hand of pure love. The prints in His palms are proof that.

Look for the His hand! I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's always there.

I love yall many bunches! Go give em Heaven!

Love,

Sister Court 

Weekly fridge phrases!!!

♡I think sucking up is underrated -president stacey

♡come on man! We're at war here! -also president stacey

♡gathering Israel is the Lord's GREATEST project! -hermana vanorman

P.s. God prepares a plan for us to return and live with Him again. Ft. This weeks ASL study

Nov 22: Welcome to the Weekly Season 9 Ep. 1 A Funny Work for Jesus

Hello! Hello!

Its a new transfer!

I've been reflecting on the last two transfers that I've been in the Toronto ysa ward. I love this work, the members have become some of my bestest friends. I have been blessed to work with so many people who are preparing to go on missions. On multiple occasions we have been the first people that the members tell when they have a secret or news about going on a mission. It's the coolest full circle moment. It doesn't feel like that long ago that I was the ysa with a secret about going on a mission and was running to the sister missionaries in my ward to tell them first! I love being a missionary. I love the missionaries that were so influential to me becoming one. God's work is one eternal round. ♡♡♡

The last transfer, ysa work was a little tough. It was hard to find people, and it was even harder to get our friends to church. Every week I found myself asking what more could we have done? I've been wrestling with discontent, and I'm trying to make it divine discontent. A feeling that motivates me to give more and do more because I love God and know that with Him I CAN do more. A couple days ago in my personal study I pondered the question, "what more can I do?" And then read in Alma 43 when the Nephites are fighting so hard against the Lamanites for the cause of their freedom (a very righteous desire) and they keep fighting and fighting and praying and "in that selfsame hour" they started to see success and then they kept working. And I felt that was my answer to my question. "Keep working, keep praying" and in God's "selfsame hour" He will answer and Sis. Wang and I will start seeing success.

So thats what I'm doing.  Having patient persistence. Doing all we can do and as we do so, God does his part. Working hard because I love God and His children. Trusting that He will make more of that effort than I can make of it myself. 

Sis Wang and I have righteous desires, we love our friends, that love for them causes us to want them to have spiritual experiences from doing things like reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church.

As a missionary, my job isn't to make people have a desire, it is to give people opportunities to help them act on their desire. Those who have a desire will act in faith, and it's those people who are prepared to make covenants with God. 

Side note: "if... why? Testify!" still stands true. I think we've asked a question like this in every lesson we've had, and every time our friend is able to answer and bear their testimony of the things that we have just briefly taught! It's powerful!

Other side note: Missionary work is the best work. It's a funny work, there are so many interesting people to meet. Some of them are weird, some just want to go on a date, some want to put a ring on my finger, some don't want to listen to what we have to share, some deny that my testimony is real. But then there are some who let their light shine. There are some who have a sincere desire, some who want to love Jesus more fully, some who beam when they hear the truth. I've met them all in the last year. And you know what?? Jesus knows all of them, hes met them too, and He died for all of them. I can't wait to meet more of these people, and introduce them to their brother Jesus. 

I invite you to introduce your brother Jesus to someone you know. Just share your simple testimony with them. Tell them Jesus knows and loves them. 

I love yall many bunches! Go give the world Heaven!

Love,

Sister Court

Weekly Fridge Phrases!!

♡there is no spiritual power in living by convenience -M. Russel Ballard

♡When we repent we empty ourselves of sin, and we need the holy ghost to fill us up

-Seyi

♡have the confidence to claim personal revelation for yourself -elder Renlund

P.s. I'm learning sign language!! It's a blast🤟

Nov 16: Welcome to the (bi)Weekly?? Season 8 Ep. 7- "If... why? Testify!"

Hello! Hello! (Again)

We got transfer news! Sister Wang and I will be staying together for another transfer in Toronto! We are so excited! It's the last transfer of the year! And we are so ready to go! 

I just want to keep going!I'm determined to not let the gray cold weather stop me or slow me down from meeting and talking to all the people. I want 772 souls so so bad (that is the goal for the number of people in Ontario who are ready to enter the waters of baptism) When we sustained 1034 souls (the goal for the number of people God has prepared for next year) at MLC, I felt the strongest witness for not only that number of souls but for the 772 souls for this year. And I knew that I had met them before and that I promised them I would find them again and help them come again to a knowledge of their Savior and their Heavenly Father. And I want to meet them! We have to find them! So that we can gather with them all together spotless at the judgment seat just like Nephi in 2 Nephi 33:7. We just have to find them! We promised them we would! 

One of the elders in my district changed my finding and teaching game when he shared with Sister Wang and I a principle he calls "If... Why? Testify!" 

We had a short lesson on zoom with a friend yesterday who has zero Christian background. He has never even heard of the Bible. We taught him about prophets yesterday and we put into practice the "If... why? Testify!" Principle. We explained that prophets are called of God and given power and authority to recieve revelation from God on behalf of the whole world. Sis. Wang then asked "if we need a direct connection with God, why would having a living prophet be so important?" 

The testify part didn't even come from us. It came from our friend! Who knows next to nothing about prophets except for what we had taught just then. But he bore his testimony on the need for a prophet to help guide us and that if there was a prophet on the earth today, he would know that that person was a true prophet because he would be able to feel it for himself. 

That's right! We then added our testimonies to his! And testified that we do have a prophet on the earth today! And showed him a picture of Russel M Nelson. His face lit up immediately. 

Friends, I know that we have a living prophet on the earth today. His name is Russel M. Nelson. He has been called of God. President Nelson comes from a long line of prophets before him going all the way back to Joseph Smith, who in reality saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as he knelt to pray. I promise that if you pray with a sincere heart you will recieve a witness that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and that Russel M Nelson is our prophet today. I testify that the council and direction from the prophet are directly from God, and if you follow it you will find greater protection and clearer guidance in your life. I know because I have found it in mine. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

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

Love,

Sister Court

(Bi) weekly fridge phrases!!

♡I'm not out here to play in the dirt -isaiah 28

♡what are the chances you are in the wrong place? Absolutely ZERO! -President Stacey

♡Jesus christ is our coach, BUT 1st, he played the game... AND WON! -elder Evans 

Nov 13: Welcome to the Weekly Season 8 Ep. 6 Missionary Monday is Back! (for today)

Hello! Hello! 

Sooooo to break up the extra long week, my mission president made today a half pday. We will find out transfer news on Wednesday and then we will have another full pday on Thursday right before transfers on Friday. In theory I could just write one weekly and nobody would know the difference. But I am a bit of a perfectionist, and maybe have a little OCD and I cant just miss a pday....so here we are, you're gonna get 2 emails this week! Lucky you! 

Friend update!

Rhenzie is preparing for baptism! We had our first lesson with her and it was just Jesus magic! She is so amazing! We gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon and she held it with tears in her eyes and said, "I can't believe I have this book, I thought I'd never have one again." Everything at the church enthralled her because it all reminded her of when she was going to this church as a kid/ youth in the Philippines. She saw a picture of Joseph Smiths first vision and told us that was the first picture the missionaries ever showed her and she would never forget the day the missionaries taught her how to pray like Joseph Smith. Oh how I love her. 

Our miracle friend Ray has seemed to have blocked our phone number but we called him with another number and set up an appointment for this week to teach him so we'll see how that goes.... stay tuned :)

On another note...

I think it's so important that we share our testimonies with others. Especially with our close friends and family. 

My mission president made up a statistic that "a missionary who bears their testimony to someone they are teaching will experience their testimony increase by 10%. A missionary who bears their testimony to other missionaries will experience their testimony increase by 40%." And I'm inclined to believe him. 

This past week we had zone conference. The focus was overcoming the adversary and becoming more unified. Many missionaries, including myself were able to share their testimonies with one another. The spirit filled the room, and filled our hearts. The meeting was living, breathing and speaking the spirit. And I felt my testimony grow as I shared what I knew to be true about my Brother Jesus. My heart grew so many sizes as I listened to and felt the testimonies of these missionaries serve with. They are amazing! 

I invite you to share your testimony--what you know to be true, what you believe to be true, what you hope to be true--about your Brother Jesus with your family and close friends. When you learn and share truth by the power of the holy ghost, He carries it into our hearts. ♡♡♡

 I love yall many bunches! Go give your friends and family heaven!

Love, 

Sister Court 

Weekly fridge phrases!!!

♡everything I do (I do it for jesus)

♡Jesus christ puts himself in the hole for you, everytime! -sister Rasmussen 

♡we can be extraordinary people, OR we cab be extraordinary disciples -elder Laurie

♡choose to let Him stay -elder fredricks

Nov 7: Welcome to the Weekly Season 8 Ep. 5 Taco Tuesday is back! 🌮🤠 p.s. Jesus Came for Everyone

Hola! Hola! 

Pday was changed to tuesday this week because we were going to have a mission toir with Elder Nash of the 70. BUT he got sick and is no longer so now we have an extra long week ahead of us. Bless✨️

First of all! I just want to testify, that I know that we are ALL children of Heavenly Father, we ALL have a purpose, & Jesus Christ came to earth for ALL people! Every nation kindred & tongue! And because He came for ALL people, ALL people will be saved from physical death, & ALL will have the chance to recieve exaltation! 

We had a lesson this week with a friend that I was so excited to teach. He had a book of Mormon from the last time we met & taught about the restoration of the Gospel, he has a strong knowledge of the Bible & was a little skeptical of this new book, but said he would read it so he could know for himself. Amen. 

In preparation for this lesson I felt prompted that we should share the plan of salvation with him focusing on our divine identity & the role Jesus Christ plays in our lives. The lesson took a quick turn when our friend said he hadn't read the book of mormon b/c he had already made up his mind. Welp! Thats a hard heart and a closed mind. 

In an attempt to help the spirit soften his heart we began to teach about Jesus christ & our purpose, using the Book of Mormon & bible together to help him see how they work hand in hand. Nothing we had to say was recieved well. To him, we are not all children of God, Jesus only came for a select few, His sacrifice doesn't cover everyone, there are people who were born in vain, & if the Book of Mormon teaches anything contrary, then it contradicts the Bible & is false. 

I then tried to bear my testimony of Jesus Christ & when I was cut off I told him that this wasn't a good use of our time. So he stood up, told us he hoped we found the truth someday, and left. I just sat there in shock with tears in my eyes. That's my Brother this friend was saying so many false things about, & it hurt my heart. BUT I do know the truth! We are all gods children, Jesus did come for all peopl his sacrifice covers everyone from their head to their toes, everyone has a purpose in God's plan and the Book of Morkon and Bible BOTH testify of that. Life is pain, but Jesus makes its JOYFUL for all and anyone who says differently is selling something.

Since then I have met people that prove to me that Jesus came for everyone that we all have a purpose! 

Our new friend Rhenzie met sister missionaries on a bus on Sunday. She used to go to church with her aunt as a kid in the Philippines and had missionaries in her home all the time, but moved before she could get baptized. She saw the sisters on the bus and interupted them to get the church information. Those sisters lassed her contact to us and when we called Rhenzie she was so excited. She wants to come back! She told us she was on her way to am LCBO but after she met the sisters, she was decided she didn't know what she was doing, she didn't need alcohol. So she turned around. Jesus came for Rhenzie. Jesus died for Rhenzie. Rhenzie is a daughter of God with divine purpose. 

Our new friend Ray decided a month ago that he wanted to be Christian after being agnostic his whole life. He started going to a philipino christian church (he is mot philipino) where he got a bible and began his journey. We met him at a mall yesterday, just hours after he was praying to know how to feel closer to God. He has a Book of Mormon and is reading it as we speak. Jesus came for Ray. Jesus died for Ray. Ray is a son of God with divine purpose. 

Jesus came for you. Jesus died for you. You are a son or daughter of God with divine purpose. Anyone who tells you different is selling something. 

I love yall many bunches! Go give the world Heaven! 

Love,

Sister Court

Weekly Fridge Phrases!!

♡have tunnel vision on the glory of God -elder Callahan

♡I've realized that God is almost always a "half glass full" kinda guy. And when he's not, he's a "bro look again, glass overflowing" kinda guy -elder jensen's weekly email

♡repentance hastens God's work inside of myself! -elder Mac

Nov 1: Welcome to the Weekly Season 8 Ep. 4 I Can Find Jesus in the Elevator

Hello! Hello! 

So like somehow this last week doesn't exist in my brain. We went on 2 exchanges with some other sisters back to back and have another exchange tomorrow. 

I love exchanges. I always learn so much from the way other missionaries do missionary work. It's so cool to watch the different ways the lord accomplishes His work through his young servants. 

Here's a cute little story that warmed my heart this week. We have an elevator buddy. We often see a dad and his young daughter in the morning on the elevator. The first time we met them it was a very special day because it was the first day that the daughter (whose name I cannot remember, and I fel terrible for that) was allowed to walk home from school by her self. So we we were hyping her up. And then the dad looked at her and said, "one day you're going to grow up and be just like these lively young ladies." Stop. My heart smiled so big. 

Since then we have seen them in the elevator a few times. But nowhere else. Well yesterday, we're in the elevator and we see the dad without his daughter because she has already gone to school for the day. He told us about her Halloween costume and how she'd hoped that she would see us in the elevator so she could show us. I was so sad that we'd missed her. He then thanked us for being such a positive influence on his daughter and that he really appreciated our friendship🥹. How special that is! 

I have spent maybe a cumulative 10 minutes talking to them in the last 1.5 transfers. I didn't think anything of our elevator rides together. But the light if Christ is real and it's bright. People see it, and recognize it and are drawn to it. I quickly got his unit number so we could drop by later with a fun Halloween treat! They weren't home when we went by but I can't wait to see our elevator buddy again! My heart is so smiley and filled with so much love for them.

You have a light, let it shine, share it with others. I promise it goes a long way. 

Love yall many bunches! Go give them Heaven!

Love,

Sister Court

Weekly fridge phrases!

♡God can't lie and God can't force -brother Sander 

♡have patient confidence -pmg

♡my savior's kindness is everlasting -sister Nelson

♡we give God so much practice to forgive -Hermana Hansen

Oct 25: Welcome to the Weekly Season 8 Ep. 3 Good Vibes, Exciting Times

Hello! Hello!

I love all people, but I especially love the people that are excited about the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

My favorite thing is to listen to other people talk about the things they love and get excited about, it makes me get so excited and happy with them. It could be their favorite movie trilogy, sports team they enjoy (unless its the Calgary Flames... i dont got time for that), hobbies, anything! And I also love sharing with others the things I get excited about. The sunset, books, hiking, hockey (the Oilers obviously), anything! 

This is one of the reasons I love to be a missionary so much! Every day, I get to share the doctrine of Jesus Christ (something that excites me a great deal) with my brothers and sisters, people that I have the blessing of meeting and loving. When the gospel becomes one of those things that the people I meet get excited about and they share that excitement with me, oh how great is my JOY in my Savior Jesus Christ. 

This week I have seen such excitement and felt such joy as my good friend Jeffrey made his 1st covenant with God and recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost. He was grinning from ear to ear. He told us that he is excited for all the things God has in store for him! He is looking forward to receiving the priesthood and having a calling in the church, he looks forward to the day that he can go to do proxy work and make further covenants with God. Jeffrey knows that baptism isn't the end! It's just the beginning and he is so jazzed about that! 

Our new friend Musa is the shiniest person I have met on the street. He has the light of Christ amd he lets it shine! He is EXCITED ABOUT THE GOSPEL! When we met him at a very random busstop and told him about Jesus, he was our hype man! Told us he vibed with our energy. He came to a very special and spirit filled musical fireside put on by the Morphis family who's son served his mission here just a couple months ago. Musa LOVED EVERY SECOND! The gospel of Jesus Christ makes him feel things he's never felt before. He calls them vibrations & energy, I excitedly tell him it's the spirit and God talking to him. 

This is what it means to be anxiously engaged! It means to be excited about the doctrine of Jesus Christ. To love Jesus Christ so much that you can't help but share his light everywhere you go because it just exudes from you. When I meet people like that, like Jeffrey and Musa, my love & excitement for the gospel grows so so much! All of it is true!! I promise!

I was doing a roll play this past week practicing teaching according to needs with the spirit. I was rollplaying as a missionary teaching one of the elders' friends who has been going through A LOT as of late that has caused her to not be able to be baptized at this time. 

The roll play became very real as we read Mosiah 24:14-15 together. And I testified that the things around her were not going to go away over night. They would probably effect her for a very long time (not very comforting I know) but I testified that although these hard things wouldn't go away, God is able to visit us in our afflictions and give us strength and comfort. God is able to do this because He sent His son Jesus Christ to earth to take on every burden, affliction and trial all at once so that no one would have to do it alone. Jesus took it all into his own hands so he could hold our life together when it seemed to be falling apart. I invited this "friend" to not pray for things to get better, to pray for the strength of Jesus Christ to hold it all together. 

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of life of all mankind? (Job 12:10)

Jesus' hand. 

He is holding it all together. Whether it is divorce, family turmoil, injury, sickness, a bad grade, game lost, a bash on the street, homesickness, fear of failure. Whatever it is, it is in the hand of Jesus Christ because he has felt it all before, and because He has felt all that sorrow and pain, happiness and Joy and peace are found through him. That is the breath of life. It is all in the Hand of He who knows it all and has felt it all, our brother Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the chance to have such a meaningful and spirit filled rollplay. And I'm praying for the elders as they teach their friend who is going through so much right now that she will feel Christ's strength in her life. 

I just want to invite you all to learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ and discover for yourself how exciting it is! Discover the peace and comfort and joy that comes from living the way the Savior lived. I promise it is exciting! And I promise it has strengthening power! 

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

Love, 

Sister Court 

Weekly fridge phrases!! 

♡He went through it first -elder rausch

♡sometimes God just tests us to see if we're listening -elder Mackey

♡for faith to lead to salvation, you must center it on Jesus christ -pmg

♡Never believe a prediction that doesnt empower you -morris from facebook