How has everyone's week been?! Time is really flying by fast! I can't believe that this week is the first week of school!! Life in North Carolina this last week has been great!
This week,
we had the opportunity to meet some really amazing people! For the last 5
weeks, we have really been trying to find the people here in Garner
that are what we call elect or in other words have been prepared to
receive the gospel. We have also been finding great success not only in
tracting, but in working with the members as well!! The members have
been sending us to meet their friends and invite them to learn about the
church!! This week, one of the members gave us a referral for their
friends Roger and Toni. So, we went over to meet them and they are the
sweetest couple ever!! They are an older couple and were both so
welcoming to us! They had met with missionaries once before, but there
was a language barrier with one of the missionaries. When we taught them
about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon this week, they loved it!!
Sister Flinders and I feel as if they are "already mormon" haha!! The
Thorpe's are still doing really well. They have been unpacking this week
so it has been a challenge to get up with them, but we will be seeing
them this week and hopefully they will be able to make it to church! We
haven't been able to get up with Angie yet, but we have an appointment tomorrow!
We also met this couple, and the wife, Gina, is hilarious!! She talked
for almost 45 minutes straight!! It was so funny! She did have some
really great questions though! She told us that she does believe that
the Bible has missing parts and that it seems muddled to her. We are
going back this week to teach her about The Book of Mormon. I love
meeting people like this!!
Something I learned
this week was that weaknesses are not sins!! Mom sent me a really great
article from the Ensign called "It Isn't a Sin to Be Weak." After
reading it this week, it really made me think about what my weaknesses
are. I hear many people in prayers asking Heavenly Father to forgive
them for their weaknesses, but really we should not be apologizing for
them. We should recognize that we are weak and then ask Heavenly Father
to help us strengthen that weakness, but weaknesses are not things that
we need to be repenting for. In the article it says, "We cannot simply
repent of being weak—nor does weakness itself make us unclean. We cannot
grow spiritually unless we reject sin, but we also do not grow
spiritually unless we accept our state of human weakness, respond to it
with humility and faith, and learn through our weakness to trust in
God." We need to accept our weaknesses and do all we can to strengthen
them. We are human and we will fall short! I think that is something
very important to remember, but we can't let that simply be an excuse.
We still need to do our part at repenting of our sins, accepting our
weaknesses, and doing our very best to follow the Savior's teachings.
I
love being a missionary!! There really is no other place I would rather
be than here on my mission!! The last 8 and a half months have been the
best 8 and a half months of my life! I have learned so much through the
many trials I have had to go through!! I have truly seen myself
changing and becoming more converted to the Lord. I love being a part of
this great cause!!
Thank you so much for all
of your love, support, and prayers! I am so grateful for everyone who
has helped me get to where I am now!! I love you all so much!!
Love,
Sister Paynter
Here are some pictures of us with some of our favorite members here in Garner and a picture of our combined Zone Activity at Defy Gravity. Defy Gravity is a trampoline park! It was a lot of fun!! Apparently, she had not heard of Riley's fate at the trampoline park in Utah...
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