I Gave A Talk In Sacrament Meeting On Covenants

August 18, 2014

Dear The Cool-iest of All Epic Families in the World & Friends!

Weather here has been muggy as usual, but hear it's going to get hotter this week. Bah! Don't worry Mom, I think I act my shoe-size far more often than Sister Trent likes. I am a child. Forever. And there's no escaping it.

That is like a mega-miracle about the BOM's at the musical. I hope that Bruce keeps on reading it!! I love how the truth shines through no matter what...we just have to be...as Elder Martino said at Mission Tour...SMART about it.

Thank you for your kind words and faith in me. I need it, because sometimes it's just A LOT to handle. I'm still adjusting to how things work around Sun Prairie, and sometimes I feel the fellowship and support of the other missionaries in the area lacking...I truly did take getting along with the Milwaukee ones for granted. Oh well, Sis. Anderson is right: either the people you work with are awesome or you completely clash. Thanks for the videos too! I was able to watch them. I love that pioneer one! It is true!

So I gave a talk in sacrament meeting again and this time on covenants. I just related how much they intimidated me before coming out on the mission and how no matter what is keeping us from making eternal covenants with God, we can overcome our fears through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Sister Trent also spoke and played the piano (we may or may not have used that as leverage for our investigator Brother Stoll to come to Sacrament Meeting) ...Also! One of our less-actives Harriett Shroud and her family (except for her husband Jim) came to church for her grandbaby Isabelle's blessing! I was so happy that they were all in attendance and that her daughter Cheryl requested that her baby be blessed by the Bishop! Brother Stoll was also there at Sacrament Meeting to hear Sister Trent, myself, and a recent convert Brother Miller speak. He said he was moved by the testimonies and stayed for all three meetings. Yay!

Guess What??? I found a pic of a awesome great-great-great-Grandpa Henry Holmes on Family Search.org. The grandpa whose journal entries I brought with me I read like every day! He's attached. He's is so epic, I can't wait to meet him in the afterlife :) Read his journals if you haven't yet. Nani should have them.

Mission tour!!! Elder Martino of the Seventy came and threw down the phenomenal cosmic pluthera of spiritual euphoria that is his vision for this mission to see baptisms before the October General Conference. He hit on the importance of the Book of Mormon in bringing others into the gospel, and also the mega-oober-importance of finding the right "Amulek's" (or less-active members) who can astonish others into the gospel, strengthening their own testimonies in the process.

Elder Schvanny and Wiscombe
at Mission Tour.
The gang's together again!

Although our numbers do not show it this week, we made major progress with the members in our ward in regards to who they can visit and fellowship into the gospel. We visited Sister Pitman, and invited her to be our go-to fellowshipper for our investigator Latrina. Latrina's daughter is a friend with Sister Pitman's daughter so they plan to invite her over for dinner sometime next week when they all can be there.

Patti is an investigator with a lot of promise. The Edgar's are fellowshipping her. She recently has gone through a nasty divorce so she is opening up and trying to find meaning in her life. The Edgar's are wonderful friends to her and she has been much more receptive ever since Brother Edgar boldly told her "As a friend, I feel very strongly about this: you need to meet with the missionaries." We will follow up this week with them and their invite for bringing her into their home so we can finally teach her.

We are also keeping tabs on a referral we received from the SP Elders who flagged them down and set up a time to ask them questions. We met with her and although she appreciated us answering her questions and testifying of the Book of Mormon, she declined our invitation to read and come on a church tour. Do you have any advice of how I can extend more bold invitations...but not too bold that I scare people away?

I have high hopes for the fellowshipping efforts in this ward and the members involved. I am so thankful for how missionary-oriented this ward is and I pray that we may continue to see growth and receptiveness from their friends and family so that this week we can reach the bounds that Elder Martino set for bringing others into the gospel.

Here's an excerpt from my talk:

"How often do you reflect that your covenants reach beyond mortality and connect you to the Divine? Making covenants is the expression of a willing heart; keeping covenants, the expression of a faithful heart.

Sounds so simple on paper, doesn’t it? Of course, the doing is where we prove who we really are. Thus, every time we reach out with love, patience, kindness, generosity, we honor our covenants by saying, “Here am I; send me.”

-Sister Bonnie D. Parkin, RS General President

I love you all and thank you for your continued service in the gospel and in our whole family unit in bringing our brothers and sisters into the gospel. It's a work far greater than who we are, and the more we realize this and continue only for the glory of God, the greater we can become.

-Sister Weaver-