relaxing before the next crazy week!!
Sister Tolle, our favorite person!!
Monday, June 29, 2015
Hey Everyone!!!
This week, as usual, has been full of Gods grace! Miracles are found every which way I look! I love seeing this all happen in the front lines! I love Sister Davis! She is just the best!
So as you know, Sister Davis is going home next week.. So we have been trying to remain focused this last bit together. We have been kicking out thoughts of home together to remain focused! IT FEELS SO MUCH BETTER TO STAY FOCUSED! So that is definitely something else I have learned on my mission. Satan tries to trick us into having trunky/home thoughts, because they provide temporary comfort and happiness. However, when you go and try to fulfill your calling,(after the home thoughts) it all of a sudden gets super uncomfortable to go and talk to that random person. However, if you remained focused on your calling, then went up to talk to that random person, you would have had the comforter with you to give you the words to say. Then the Spirit could have touched their hearts and yours and you would be full of joy and happiness! Satan is a little slipper serpent. He is full of Knowledge and power(if we let him) but he lacks in intelligence. We know that to be the light of Christ. I have learned that those members who know a ton about the gospel, but don't come to church, read scriptures, pray.. etc.. they are full of knowledge, but they lack intelligence that comes from acting on the knowledge we receive. They don't act on the knowledge they have. And they are accountable for the knowledge they have.. yikes! As we live by acting on our faith and knowledge we are able to see why we are asked to do that! We receive the intelligence through one act of faith at a time. I hope you have a great week!
Love always,
Sister Stokes<3
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Hey Everyone!!!
This week has been so much fun! I love sister Davis so much! I can't believe she is going to be leaving me in a couple of weeks! However we are going to be life-long friends now. We decided we are going to do the Ragnar together this November. Crazy! I don't know if I ever told you where she was from.. She is from Ogden, Utah. She plans on going to Weber State when she gets back home. She came straight from high school to her mission. She is just amazing. I just love all of the fabulous people I have been able meet on my mission! I could just serve a mission forever! I just love being around good influences all the time! It makes life so much fun!
So this week our investigator Julian Moore came to church. He has now been 3 times, but let me tell you.. it has definitely been a fight! Whenever we meet with him, he is all for it! He wants to come to church, and read his scriptures, and pray! However when we leave, satan works so hard on him! We stopped by Sunday morning to bring by breakfast before church. Sister Proffit, His Grandma, told us that he was still sleeping and wouldn't get up. She said she called his ride and said he wasn't coming. So we went in to try and get him up. He was just lying there and just kept saying how tired he was and that he wasn't ready for baptism. Also that he didn't want to be baptized.. :( After a while of talking with him again, he decided that he wanted to come to church! He didn't have clothes, his ride left him, and Sister Proffit decided not to go again this week. Also it was 12:30 and church started at 1:00. It takes 15 minutes to drive to the church from there too!! So in a panic, we decided to go and get his clothes from his apartment for him. We called his ride, and they turned around to come and get him again. He gave us the keys, and we told him to just be ready to hop into Sister Gurneys car. We went to his apartment and got his dress clothes and some hygiene stuff. We met him at the church and he got dressed and ready. We were all sitting in there as the sacrament was being passed! It was a miracle! I have no idea how it all happened and worked out, but God really provides after all you can do! After the meeting Julian told us that he wanted to be baptized this next weekend on the 27th... The spirit really moves people! The only thing is that he has a problem with the word of wisdom.. so we had to tell him no, but we are now working towardsJuly 4th!! Its going to be a miraculous day full of sparks of the spirit and fireworks!! We just need to have spiritual experiences with him every single day to keep satan away. I can guarantee you all that it is going to be a bumpy ride getting him to that date, but I know it can happen. He just needs to remember how he feels when he comes to church, meets with us, and reads his scriptures. He always says he feels a million times better after meeting with us. Its just hard going back to ground zero almost every single time.. We will get there though(:
Thanks for all that you guys do! You all have impacted my life in some way or another to get me to where I am today! I wouldn't trade the experiences I am having for the world! I can see a broader perspective of my potential. I can see who I am, and what I am capable of in a much better way than before. My mission has changed me. One day at a time. Every single day I have seen miracles, and the Lords hand has been very involved in our work everyday! Love you all!
Love always,
Sister Steffani Stokes<3
Monday, June 15, 2015
Hey Everyone!!
This week has just been so great!!! So we have had so many miracles again!! So throughout this week we have seen our prayers of finding the elect be answered! As we went and visited the Recent converts and less active members in our area we would show up the same time that they would have a friend over, or a non-member of their family! It was so inspired! Our footsteps were truly directed. That happened a couple of times this week! We are now teaching them too! God provides. All we have to do is be willing, and do our part. The rest is up to God to guide us to his elect, or them to us. He is the one that prepares them to hear the message. It has just been a great week! I am so happy!
Something I have learned recently.. Mosiah 4:27 You can know when you are running faster than you have strength, if you are feeling overwhelmed. That's when you can know that you are relying on your own strength instead of the saviors. The Savior was send to save you, so let him!
Don't have too much time this week.. but know that I love all of you! We are about to play some intense Nerf war and chair soccer with the district! I am so excited! Last week I got bruises from doing that.. but hopefully not this week.. hahaha.
Love always,
Ssietr Steffani Stokes<3
Monday, June 8, 2015
Hey Everyone!!!
This week has been crazy!! I feel like I have been full out sprinting all week! Its hard, but it feels so good! I gave a training to the whole zone, got a mini missionary, brought a recently returning member to the Temple, went on exchanges, Fulfilled a million assignments, got a million assignments, Done lots of paper work, nightly phone calls to the zone, Traveling in circles, building trust, A ton more meetings, Plus a ton of other things! And somehow, with the Grace of God, we still managed to get the normal work done. I see God working through me every single day! I see multiple miracles every single day! I am on the front line of the Lords work right now, and I literally see Him hastening His work! It is the best feeling ever! I love working hard! I have never loved it so much in my entire life! I love constantly thinking of what to do next and there is a long list of a next thing to do. I hope all of you have been able to find the joy that comes out of working hard! Yes, you get tired, but you just don't dwell on that. Focus on your purpose, and you get a burst of energy to move forward. Then as you mark on thing off at a time it kind of becomes a game. Challenge yourself! The comforter can't comfort you if you're comfortable! President taught that there are 4 phases to a missionaries life. Greenie Phase, Competent Phase, Leadership Phase, and Power phase. I have had moments of power phases throughout my mission, but I have felt like I have been in that category all week! Find the Power!!!
In Leadership Council with President Porter he talked a lot about Trust and Humility. I always learn so much from that man! I love him so much!! I hope to be able to teach like him someday! My mind is blown away every single time he opens his mouth. The spirit floods from him. My Bishop here, Bishop Hooper, said, "The spirit emulates from you sisters!!" It was a really nice comment, but nothing compared to President! I can't wait to reach that point of knowledge and understanding that he has! Humility has multiple definitions.. I can't remember them all.. but here is some. Humility isn't to think less of yourself, but to think of yourself less. Its not a sign of weakness, but a sign of spiritual strength. Whenever you do something good you feel uncomfortable with, you can know that you have humility. Submitting your will to God is a sign of humility. God knows best! So Trust him. If you have trust problems now, why do you think you wouldn't have trust problems when you are in Relationships later on in life?
Funny Story: So we had a lesson with Julian again this week. We were teaching him about prophets. We asked him if he believed prophets could be on the earth again? And if he believed Thomas Monson to be a prophet of God. He said yes! Then we asked what does it mean to you to know that there is a prophet of God on the Earth again today? He replied, "Its kinda like when I found out that Obama was the next President of the United States!" Sister Davis began to say something along the lines of, "Yes, but finding..." Then she just stopped herself, pan-eked and looked at me.. I began testifying about prophets. Haha. So you may already have a sense of what she was going to say, at least I did! I was about to break into laughter, but luckily I kept it together. Later we talked about it, and she was going to say, " Yes, But finding out that there is a prophet on the earth is a lot more exciting that finding out that Obama is the next President.." She realized, as she began to start that sentence in the lesson, that he might of actually like obama.. hahahaha! I was dying!
Well whenever you are looking for comfort and ease in this life, get down on your knees and ask for help. When you start looking for the easy way out of things, you will find yourself getting in trouble.
Have a great week!!!
Love always,
Sister Steffani Stokes <3
Monday, June 1, 2015
Hey Everyone!!
So ready for craziness!!! So I stayed in Cherry Grove but I received a new companion.I am now with Sister Davis! The funny thing about this is that she served in the Eastgate ward, just a transfer ago, and now she is back. Same church building, just a different ward. We are in the same apartment she was once in too, because of Robert, which they are thinking about moving us again.. But anyways, she was my sister training leader before and now she is teaching me how to be a sister training leader! Haha. When they called our names at transfer meeting and said we were going to be companions we literally both shouted for joy!! My heart was so full! I think we sounded like an earthquake when we full on sprinted towards each other to give each other a hug! We call those super loud hard hugs at transfer meetings "elder hugs." We had an Elder Hug!!! Hahaha. This transfer is going to be a BLAST! She only has this last transfer before she goes home though.. :(
So we had a miracle this week! We were trying to get a hold of one of the less-actives in the ward, Sister Proffit, because the ward couldn't get a hold of her for a couple of weeks. She wasn't answering her phone calls or her texts. And it was impossible to get in to knock on her door, because the front outside door is always locked. There was no way to ring any of the doors there either.. So by the grace of God, when we got there, she just happened to pull up in someones car from an appointment. So we were able to talk with her and we got in to teach her a lesson. She had gotten a new number, so we got that so we could keep in touch now. While there we got to talk to Julian, her grandson, for a little. He isn't a member and used to meet with missionaries 6 years ago. He expressed to us that he wanted to change and get going to church again. He said that he has all this weight on his shoulders from the past mistakes he has made! My joy couldn't be fuller at that moment!! I know I sound crazy, but its because I knew exactly what would help him. The Atonement. I was so excited to teach him more about the Atonement and how it could help him in his life. As we talked more about what Christ did and provided for him the spirit in the room was so strong!! We set up a time to meet with both of them again. We saw them again this weekend. We taught him about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The spirit was there again, and I extended baptism to him for the 20th of June. He accepted!!!! It might take a little longer then that, because he has a past. But we will see what President can do!(: I think this is just what Sister Proffit needs to get active again! They both commited to come to church!! Julian came, however Sister Proffit didn't.. but it doesn't take away from the miracle! She is coming next week!(:
Well I just love all of you guys back at home so much! Thanks for all you do! Keep your chins up, and know that miracles are just around the corner! When your exact, they come. No ifs or buts about it. "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." Keep the commandments and covenants you have made with God and you will make it through. CPR stands for Church, Pray, Read. That is how you keep your spirit alive. Its CPR for the soul. Don't forget to do any of those. You lose the promises God has given you when you don't. But he pours blessings upon us when we do!
Have a great week!
Love always,
Sister Steffani Stokes
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