Monday, August 8, 2016

Happy News! Baptism!

August 1, 2016
Hey Friends and Family!!

It is August 1st... How in the heck did that happen?  Gross.! Yep,August is definitely the “armpit month” because everything turns yellow and brown and looks ugly. I hear in Kansas that August gets super-hot like “crawl in a hole and die” hot. Truth!

The happy news is that this week Ibet S. Got BAPTIZED!!!
 It was so amazing to see her take that step closer to the Savior! It was super stressful getting the baptism ready because my companion and I had no idea what we were doing, but the Lord provided a way.
 And even though some things went wrong, it all worked out in the end.  We did our very best and the Savior provided the rest!


This whole week we were pretty much just getting Ibet ready for her baptism.  A super cool thing is that her brother, Caesar, wants to take the lessons and learn more; so we are now teaching her brother.  He came to the baptism because Ibet wanted him there so badly (because he is her best friend.)  He also came to church that morning and loved it.

We also did service for another investigator because she had bed bugs and was moving so we just helped her clean out her closet and pack her clothes. We didn't go near the bed bugs because she didn't want us to. 

Today we have Zone P-day and are having a water fight and eating hamburgers so it’s pretty awesome.
I met an elder in our zone whose mom is from Zimbabwe but the part that is super close to South Africa.  His mom’s parents were from England. He is super cool. We have been talking and throwing the rugby ball around that he brought. 

Auntie Nese should have driven to KC and then stopped in Abilene and met with us!  It’s only a 30 hour drive or so hahaha !  …Or three hours from KC ahaha that would have been fun.  Jodi had her baby shower what the heck?  When is she due? I feel like it shouldn't be for a while but then again time moves so fast while on a mission can you believe I have almost been out for 6 months I have a year left... :O 

We had interviews with our new Mission President, President McCuistion last Tuesday and he remembered someone who knew me. It was really nice to get a chance to talk to him on a personal level. He is such a great mission president.

-Love Sister Magda 






The Lord Provides a Way When We Exercise Faith


July 25, 2016

Hey friends and family,

It sounds like your week was awesome!!!!! I love that you and dad went to the gun range that's so awesome!

So this week has been hectic and crazy and just awesome all at the same time. We have been teaching our favorite Investigator,  Ibet.  She is 17 and from Mexico but she has lived here since she was 10. She is literally my favorite person and is so amazing. She understands the gospel like no one I have ever met! She just grasps it like she has known it all her life. The sisters before me taught her for a week before she left to visit her brother in Chicago and when I got there we called and asked if she would go to church while on vacation but she didn't want to. So we waited till she got back. When she got back, she texted us and hard core dropped us and didn't want us to teach her anymore and that she was fine the way she was. When we got that I was like, “ Ah Heck Naw !!!!!”  I haven't even met her yet!  So two days later I was really feeling like I needed to meet this girl so we drove up to her house. I walked up to knock on the door, but before we even got to the porch the door opened and Ibet just walked out. Before she could really say anything I walked up to her and was like "Hi.  I'm sister Magda.  I’m the new sister here in Abilene.” Then we just started talking! When we asked if we could come over and teach her she said yes! 

She came to church for the second time on the 17th and loved it! In Young Women's they were talking all about ordinances. Then she was preparing for baptism last Saturday and we had a super spiritual lesson on Friday and when we sat down the first thing she said to us was she didn't want to be baptized because she didn't feel ready and our lesson was all about baptism so I was like, “Well the Lord wants us to read from 3 Nephi vs 11. I then talked about how baptism is away we can come closer to Christ and how it's not us inviting her but Jesus Christ so we just went with it any way.  She wanted to have her interview right after and passed it! But she still didn't want to be baptized yet. Sister Nail and I had to pray so hard to know what the Lord wanted us to do and the only thing we could think of was talk to her after church. So she came to church again and in Young Women's the lesson was again on ordinances.  Afterwards I was talking to her about all the ordinances and asking her thoughts on them and she told me that she loves it because it helps us stay focused on the Savior and making promises with Him so that you can know his path for us and to help us love righteously... Holy crap she is so amazing!!!!! We talked to her more about being baptized this Sunday and she wasn't sure still. Then her brother picked her up. We then went over that Sunday night at 7pm to have another lesson with her and when we got there we had no idea what more we could do to help her feel better about this commitment. I just got the feeling that if it’s the Lord’s will He will make a way.

We were talking with her and I was flipping through some scriptures trying to think of what chapter to share with her. I was thinking about Alma and Amulek but then worried it might be too strong and kind of “in your face.” As I flipped through more scriptures I thought about one on faith and flipped right to Ether 12. It was the most spiritual lesson I have ever been in!  We just talked and talked about each verse and explained what certain verses and words meant. Them we asked her what her greatest desire was and she asked what a desire meant. We explained and she said, "Oh my greatest desire is to come closer to Jesus Christ.”" We then asked her if she had thought about being baptized this Sunday, and she said, "I have decided that I want to be baptized this Sunday.  I was talking to my brother on my way home from church and was telling him all the things I learned and he looked at me and told me I needed to be baptized!" So this Sunday Ibet is getting baptized!!!!!!! It's so exciting. The Lord truly provides a way if we exercise faith.  It is in the trials of our faith that we learn how strong we are.

Love,


Sister Magda

Exchanges, Challenges, and Greyhounds!



July 18, 2016

Hi Friends and Family!!!! 


Can't believe it’s already Monday!! Where does the time go! This is going to be a quick email because when on a mission you’re always going, going, going hahaha! But this week has been awesome!
Last Tuesday I went on exchanges with Sister Peterson (my mission Grandma) and it was the best exchange of my life!!!
I have learned so much from her and how to be a hardworking and courageous missionary! She is literally the coolest person ever we had so much fun and saw so many miracles in Salina.   

Funny story; My new companion, Sister Nail and I had a district challenge to hand out 5 Books of Mormon in one day and so we were so pumped a ready to take the challenge.  The first house we stopped at was this sweet old lady’s.  She came to the door and we asked her if she had talked to missionaries before and she "oh ya, I’ve talked to missionaries before they gave me a book. Hold on, let me go find it." We were thinking, “ man she's going to tell us all about how she's read the Book of Mormon and loved it... She came back with a Book of Mormon and handed it to us and said, “I don't want this. Give it to someone else who does.” And she closed the door... I couldn't help but laugh.  We started out the day with -1... but that’s ok because the Lord always provides a way if we are willing to keep going and keep talking to all those we meet. End of story; we were able to hand out 5 Books of Mormon by the end of the day.  It was Awesome!! 

We have an investigator named Ibet. She is 17 and from Mexico and has been meeting with us for three weeks. She came to church two weeks ago and this Sunday and loved it! She kept saying how much she loved it and wants to keep learning more and coming to church. She is my favorite person and is so smart and loves learning about the gospel. She is preparing to be baptized this Saturday! I freaking love her so much she is such an awesome Girl and we have a lot of fun together!

I love my mission so much and am so grateful to be here in the Heartland!

Well I love you all so much !

Love Sister Magda


P.S.  Sister Magda went to the Greyhound Hall of Fame which is located in Abilene, Ks.  There she saw actual Greyhounds and Greyhound buses.  She loved the sweet dogs. (She has a half greyhound/half afghan hound at home and loves him to bits.)  She was excited that they even had puppies!