Sister Neel: 3/21/22

 

(I am sorry to get this out so late.  It has been a whirlwind at the Neel home right now.  :) Thank you for all your love and support for Alaycia!-Jeni)

Hey guys!! 

It's your favorite time of the week with your favorite missionary:)) 

We had an awesome week! Basically drove all over the mission but all for a good cause! Elder Sabin, a general authority, came for our mission tour this week and we got to hear from him through conferences and stake conference. He and his wife are such inspired individuals and brought such an influential spirit with them that touched our mission. It was worth all the 5 am wake up calls to drive 2 hours to Raleigh or Goldsboro;)) road tripping never gets old over here ;)) on Thursday we met with half the mission and had a conference with the Sabin's and Friday was mission leadership council (mlc) for the leadership where we all drove down to Raleigh to have a conference with the Sabin's as well. What a beautiful time of reflection and growth on my end and what I can do to become a better servant of the Lord. Every word that came out of their mouths was thought provoking. Let's just say my hand still has the worst cramp from trying to scribble everything down fast enough 

Alrighty now for the highlights:.

* on Tuesday went to this yummy Mexican restaurant with the Cayton's and Matthew. Sister Cayton doesn't believe in eating light so she'll make you order enough to last you a week. At least for me because my portions are small haha! She's also a very bold lady and told Sister Johnson her polka dot dress was out of style and Matthew needed to get his head on straight and get married because 30 was far too young to be single. Haha straight fire! We love her though

* I received a priesthood blessing from my branch president on Wednesday evening. Nothing bad is going on, just needed some guidance:) it was amazing because for the first 10 minutes he spoke on the work Sister Johnson and I have done for this area, for the lives we have impacted and the growth of the gospel that has been created here in little Washington. He said the Savior is in our midst and walks with us as we lift this area in ways never done before. It was amazing to hear the impact we'll have on people we'll never know about and will hear experiences throughout our lives or on the other side of the veil as we are shown in more detail what our work became of in so many people's lives. The blessing enveloped my mission and really pinpointed experiences and opportunities I've had in the past and what my missionary service has done for these sweet North Carolinians. It's amazing to hear words like this because your own personal missionary growth can feel so inadequate at times. We often wonder if we are doing enough or if our impact is even reaching people. Coming back to Washington has been the biggest manifestation to me as well as this blessing. Every word was needed and I'm grateful for the Priesthood that links me to my Father in Heaven in such a special way 

* We celebrated Matthew's birthday with a simple pinata, silly string, cake and candles, feeding the geese and a gift of old necessities from the apartment he would like. He rolled up and was so overwhelmed with joy. He even began to tear up. I was so confused because our mini party was so cheap, simple and kinda goofy for an adult. But when he sat down next to us on the blanket, he put his head in his hands and said this was the first time in his entire life anyone had ever celebrated his birthday in this way. He grew up in a tough home situation where special events like this were the least prioritized things. It was humbling to see how grateful he was, how many pictures he took to send to family, how excited he was to whack the pinata and the excited smile he had to make a wish before blowing out the candles. It's the simple things in life that we take for granted. I'm glad we got to help him experience what a usual birthday would look like and spend an hour with him when no one else would.

* We had stake conference on Sunday at this stunning wedding reception center. Enormous chandeliers on the ceiling, gazebo wood pieces, many vaulted ceilings that let the strung lights hang down, a mini stage where the speakers sat in a semicircle and the podium had a great big spotlight on it that illuminated the whole room for everyone to see who was speaking. It was stunning and the last place I thought a stake conference would be held at. Turns out it was the biggest venue in Greenville that could hold everyone. We sat with a member family, one of our zone leaders sat next to us with one of their people and the other zone leader sat in front of us with the rest of the people they brought. One of the young YSA guys was really anxious and kept moving around in his seat. He noticed the family in front of him was passing gum to one another so he tapped on the sons shirt and asked for a piece. The boy looked confused and handed him the unwrapped gum he was about to eat. Elder Yuen put his head in his hands from embarrassment and I looked over at Elder Havell and we just died. It was the funniest thing ever!! 

* We also had interviews this week!! Sister Johnson and I were the last of our zone to have ours. My interview with president was amazing. He's having the mission focus on personal study and the power that comes from an hours worth of in depth feasting. He gave me some awesome pointers to help me personally grow during my studies which was seriously an answer to prayer! We discussed the area and after last week of getting 14 people to church, he said we were setting the pace for the mission and leading by example of the miracles that come when we seek and find. That honestly meant the world to hear. He's such an inspired man and is emulated with love for his missionaries. I can't help but yearn for more time in our interviews. With Sister Maurer however, we spent 20 minutes together haha! It was so funny, I was talking with a few elders from the zone and she walked up behind me, linked arms with me and excitedly exclaimed it was my turn to meet with her. She asked if we could go on a walk around the church building since she had been doing nothing but sitting in conferences and eating with the Sabin's all week, so therefore she needed exercise. She's hilarious! We had a heart to heart discussion on literally everything. She was there to listen, she would stop walking, she would hold my arm and look into my soul with the most Christ-like and illuminated presence. She gave such inspiring counsel and later listened, with tear filled eyes as I talked about what was going on in my missionary world. After I finished talking, she leapt towards me and embraced me in one of the best hugs I've gotten since I last hugged my mom. I could feel the love flowing out of her and she was glowing. She was wearing all white and just looked like an angel. I absolutely adore my mission president and his wife. My heart breaks when our time comes to a close and I always become emotional on the way home from how much my heart loves them. I look up to them. I aspire to be like them. And I feel so blessed God has let me have such a personal and deep relationship with the both of them. We have really come to have special experiences together over the last few months and their trust and admiration for me has grown. I wish you all could meet them and feel of the instant joy they would give you. Once a friend, always a friend. I love them with every part of my being and cherish interviews where I get moments like this each month

We had some awesome lessons this week! Ernist took us out for lunch and we discussed the word of wisdom which we came to find out he's already living! We did a soft baptismal invite and he said he was ready he just wanted one last lesson. Pray for Ernist!!

We went over to teach the Avery family the plan of salvation but they had family friends there instead. They were smoking and laughing loud but we excitedly ran over to conversate and get to know the other couple. They invited us into the barn and we had some amazing opportunities to get to know one another better. They treated us like we had known them forever and really dug into the backgrounds of our lives. They asked who we were and what we were doing out in this part of North Carolina and guess what....BILLY AND TONYA ANSWERED THAT QUESTION FOR US!!!!! They excitedly shared our purpose, what they know to be true about the Book of Mormon and how it correlates with the bible. They shared personal testimonies on the stories they've read inside and the love they have for meeting with us and what we've taught. Watching someone you teach help others be taught is such a powerful opportunity. Tonya ran with us to our car and grabbed Books of Mormon so we could get David and Debbie a copy. We had a powerful lesson on the teachings inside as well as many teachings in our church. David and Debbie felt the spirit and it moved them. Enough to where as we were pulling away, David rolled over to my window and thanked us for coming out this evening and greatly looked forward to studying with us again. He said our meet up was no coincidence. No it certainly wasn't! We absolutely adore the Averys and love our new friends 

We met with Lala's mom to ask for permission to put Lala on date but she has some hesitancy. It honestly was the last thing we were expecting so please please please keep Lala and her family in your prayers!! 

Brother Noe is doing great! He got sick so we haven't seen him in a while but we call him often and he's distinguished our voices to where he knows who's speaking now. He told me, "Neel. I just love you. I love the both of you. You guys make me so happy." 

Matthew is doing amazing as well! We taught him the plan of salvation yesterday at the Wilson's home and he believed every word. He was amazed he chose this life he's living but he was comforted when he saw the plan presented to him. We have to keep working with stake leaders to determine his baptism and a miracle is in order for his situation. Keep praying for him!! 

Alrighty well my emails are always a mile long so it's best to end here:)) it's hard to just pick and choose experiences throughout the week to share. Just know I know Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and this gospel is every part of me. I know that happiness comes from living our temple covenants and we are headed in the right direction when our foundation is rooted in Christ. I love you all!! 

♡♡♡

Sister Neel