It's the Spirit of the Season

Merry/Happy Christmas/Boxing Day!

It is such a wonderful time of year, isn't it? I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and that you have a Happy New Year as well. I really do hope that. I'm not just saying it.

First of all: Thank you! There were so many of you that contributed to me having a wonderful Christmas. I am sorry I couldn't add to more of yours.

Well on to the week.

We ate dinner at the Papenfuss' home on Monday night because their daughter Chelsea felt bad that we couldn't come over for Christmas. We read the Mormon Missionary version of Green Eggs and Ham (much to the dismay of Bro. Papenfuss because he said he came up with that idea on his mission.)

One of our investigators wanted to meet Tuesday morning, so we ended our study early, met with her, then finished our companion and language study at the Delray Public Library. It was actually kind of fun. It is a nice building. Then we had to go out to eat lunch, so I finally got to eat at Checkers. It is a drive-through only burger place that is really really good. Just so you all know. Then we taught some interesting lessons (i.e. Law of Chastity to Scott w/Sis. Smith there and awkward apologies said to us but directed at other people in the room.) Yay for being a missionary.

We also found a neighborhood where there are people from so many different cultures, I lost count. But at least 5 different languages (it was like walking thorugh Wal-Mart). Unfortunately, I was feeling similar sentiments to a certain missionary in South Africa when he said "I hate White People." I don't really hate them, but they seem to hate us. I am still confused why people would say, "No, I don't need a blessing." At least no one called us arrogant this week.

Members are super awesome. We have so many investigators with so many needs, it is incredible how the ward members can step in and take care of things and that they would do such service. Chip Bunnel, who teaches the Gospel Principles class let us have a lesson with Scott in his home. He picked him up and brought him over. Then after the lesson, he offered him some work, gave him some fancy coconut water, invited him over for Christmas, and drove him home. So amazing! That is the kind of member I want to be.

Sister Hawkes and I finally got to see this very less-active sister they used to visit all the time. I met her for the first time on Thursday - that's how long it has been. She is not doing well and has a very hard life. Lots of bad things are piled on her right now, but her outlook makes it even worse. There are so many active members I have met that have the same problems or worse ones, but their lives are better because they can focus on Christ and have hope that they will get through the trials. If only it were easier to make people see the joy that comes from living how God wants us to live. But I guess that's why it is called missionary WORK.

Because it is Christmastime, we were able to go caroling at Sis. Lolos' Tree Lot on Friday night and to Sister Archie's neighbors this morning. And of course, we sang at every house we went to on Christmas eve and Christmas Day. We sing a lot, actually. That's why I am so happy I got a mini-hymn book! Thanks again!

Thursday was super exciting. We had MISSION CONFERENCE!!! All of the missionaries in one place + lunch + musical numbers from each zone (We sang Once In Royal David's City again and I played the violin) + a white elephant exchange (I got a florida oven mit!!) + a video of Elder Holland bearing down in pure testimony + Mail = a truly awesome day. Seriously though, it was fantastic. I didn't know anybody there, but it was great.

On Christmas Eve, we went to the Somma Family's home. They are Italian/Brazilian so needless to say we ate very well. They also had some inactive/nonmember friends there that we were able to talk to. We told lots of jokes and laughed at the language miscommunications (Bro. and Sister Somma are still working on English). They gave us presents from Brazil which we opened White Elephant style, but they were pretty gender specific gifts. Somehow, a few elders ended up with jewlery and the other sisters ended up with t-shirts, but everyone was happy. I have several Brazillian necklaces now. woot.

We ended Christmas eve by sitting around our tree and reading the Christmas Story out of the Bible while playing MoTab in the background.

And despite the fact that I am 22 years old, I still couldn't sleep the night before Christmas. It was just too exciting! We got up at 6:30 (as usual) and opened all our presents from the ward and from our families. Sister Spjut and Sister Buckley were opening presents for over an hour. We ate sweet rolls then got ready, rounded-up some investigators and went to church. Lots and lots happened, but the best part was: ANTHONY was CONFIRMED!!! Finally!

Then we went to the Lieber's home for Christmas brunch (pancakes, eggs, bacon), read Luke 2 and watched their kids open presents. It went by pretty fast but was awesome to see their excitement. They gave us socks, too! (I know, missionaries get excited about random things. Such as the toilet paper the ward gave us. Yay!)

We sang at a rest home to some old ladies, then went to the Taylors for Christmas Dinner. That's where I called home. They fed us very well and sent us home with more presents/food.

Then we visited Sister Olsen, sang to her, and watched Joy to the World with her.

Then we went to Patricia's house and had dinner with her and her Husband Jorge. It was a lot of fun. He made empanadas and they both talked forever. We got to show them pictures of our family and sing for them, too. She gave us each a bracelet she made and sent us home with the extra empanadas. If only she would get baptized...

Speaking of: Scott is scheduled to be baptized on Saturday. Please pray fo him to have the strength to quit smoking! I know he can do it, but the more prayers the better.

This morning, we went over to the Archies for Waffles and Ice cream again. Then we took some to the neighbors. She gave us food before we left, too. Going to wal-mart was almost entirely pointless!

Wow. That was a lot. And now it is late.

I hope you all have a wonderful end of the year. Happy New Year's! Make smart choices to end the year off right!

Write to me!

Have a blessed week.

-Sister Sheffield

P.S. Enjoy the pictures from Christmas!

What the...

...Gladsome Tidings?

Feliz Navidad, mis amigos y mi familia! Les quiero Mucho!

What a wonderful time of year. Lights on the houses, trees in the windows, Salvation Army workers ringing bells. Warmth and Sunshine every time you walk outside. Oh wait, that's just here in Florida.

However, we are still having a "white Christmas" because there was a baptism yesterday! The Elders' investigator got baptized! Yay! and even better (for me), two investigators were there to see it! Both Catholic, too. But not for long! Scott is getting baptized on the 31st! Happy New Year's Eve! (as long as he quits smoking by then (which he will (because he is progressing awesomely)))

Anyhoo.

This week was very exciting. We had exchanges on Tuesday. The West Palm Hermanas (Sister Sobkowicz and Sister Carnes) came down and we went on splits to practice an improved Harvesting approach. I went with Sister Sobkowicz (who is from Canada and is pretty much the best missionary ever) and we blessed 8 people/families in one hour! We invited two people to be baptized, one said yes. We blessed a woman who speaks only French/Creole and a man who only speaks Spanish. On the same street. We only met one white woman and she said we were arrogant, then let us pray with her, said "bless you, child" and then slammed her door on us. We got lots of return appointments and only got rained on a little bit. It was fantastic. The other two sisters met some great people also and we now have several new investigators because of it. Harvesting is so great!

Then on Friday, there was Specialized Training for all those in leadership positions (District Leader, Zone Leaders, Trainers). So Sister Hawkes went to that and I went with Sister Carnes and Sister Lake. We worked up in West Palm for the day. The area is pretty different from ours, but also similar. They have a lot of trailer parks. The first place we harvested was mostly English speakers (although I felt more at home when we found a woman from Haiti). Then we went to a trailer park to teach a lesson. Leave it up to the three newest sisters to teach a lesson entirely in Spanish. Good thing Sister Carnes is amazing now and Sister Lake has only been out of the MTC for 3 weeks. They were awesome. I said nothing. As usual when Spanish People are around. They did awesome and committed the investigators Brother to read the Book of Mormon. In the last trailer park we went to, we met more Spanish speakers. I was forced to do an approach entirely in Spanish and leave a Blessing in Spanish. It was pretty rough, but the older man on his bike was really nice and felt the Spirit. I'm sure that's the only way he could have known what I said.

We had an interesting experience this week. Right after Specialized training on Friday, we went to an appointment with an investigator who we've met with once and has a baptismal date. She hadn't read in the Book of Mormon, so we went through the introduction with her and then set up a calendar of the things she needed to do before baptism. She was really excited and even prayed at the end that she would be ready for that day. Then the next day, we got a text from her that said she didn't want to read about two different bibles. We responded that the Book of Mormon supports the Bible and they are both the word of God. Despite our efforts in trying to contact her (texts, phone calls, going to her house), she has not yet responded or allowed us to help her understand. I guess she didn't understand what we had been saying about the Book of Mormon, but hopefully we will be able to talk to her soon. We have used the calendar for two other investigators and it has helped them to feel more comfortable and motivated to be ready for their baptismal date. I know it can be an excellent way to keep them committed.

Our ward had a Christmas party this past Saturday. It was celebrations from around the world. We had tons of food from different places. None of our investigators could come, but there were lots of non-members there that we were able to talk to. Then there was a little program going along with the theme. Brazil had an exciting song and dance number that had a lot of unexpected participants (I just wouldn't expect the High Priest Group Leader, Bishop, Relief Society Presidency and others to dance. At all. It was pretty funny). We learned some about Christmas in Haiti, sang some songs and then the RS sang a song in Spanish. Then it was the missionaries' turn. We had prepared a musical number of "Once in Royal David's City" for Mission Conference, So we sang that. But first, I was coerced into playing a fiddle song. So I played "Bile 'em Cabbage Down," the old standby. It was pretty fun. Then we sang/played our practiced number.

Last night, we pulled over to the side of the road to make a phone call and decide where we were going when Suddenly a big black man appeared next to our car. Sister Hawkes freaked out and drove off. We were both pretty shaken. Then a few minutes later we get a phone call from one of our investigators, "that was me you all drove away from!" We were shocked. We felt really bad for not talking to him, but we were very startled by the sudden appearance of a dark figure. We apologized profusely, then laughed a ton. I still can't believe that happened. *shakes head in shame*

I hope it is a wonderful week. Don't be stressed about Christmas, that is totally not the point of the holiday. Christ is. Don't forget the wonderful things He has done for you and can do for you now.

Love and best wishes!

Sister Sheffield

Friendly Black Optimistic Advice

This week, we went back to the blind man we met a while ago. His name is Willy. There were two other old black guys there, so we ended up blessing them both (and we got a return appointment with one of them, whose name is Willy. Yup, two Willys that live across the street from each other. Awesome.) Anyway, Blind Willy was cracking some great jokes and we were just listening to him for a long while. Eventually he started giving us some advice, such as "don't stand too close to people because they could attack you easier that way" and "don't trust everyone you see because there are a lot of bad people out there." My companion was sufficiently rattled* (see below). I just thought of that Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer. Hence, the title.

We also had a very interesting/new experience for me this week: Caroling in 70 degree weather. A lady in our ward asked us to go caroling in Leisureville (one of the many 55+ communities within our ward boundaries). We, all 8 missionaries, went around for about 45 minutes at night and I was wishing I didn't have to wear a sweater (mission rule: Sisters wear sweaters when the Elders are around). It was that warm. Then we sat outside and ate pizza. Got to love Florida. Also, I find it so interesting that people turn off their lights when we knock on their door. Um, hello! We already know you are home! What's the point of that?

We helped a lady decorate her tree and she gave us a ton of decorations or ours. It was fun. Our apartment is very festive. It is just so strange to see Christmas lights and no snow. Or even chilly weather. Weird.

The Relief Society President had a Piano Recital at the Church on Thursday and we went at the end to help clean up and talk to the non-members. It was funny because it reminded me of all the violin recitals I have participated in. Someone even played Pachabel's Canon.

There was a parade in Delray last Saturday, but we didn't get to actually see it, just the traffic because of it. We've seen the giant tree, carousel, and skating rink. It all looks so cute! Someday, I will come back and visit and you can all come too and enjoy it with me!

Sacrament meeting was great. Sister Colbert reminded us of the Forget-Me-Not talk by President Uchtdorf. But the best part was the three investigators we had there! Scott, Ardena and Jerry (whom I met the first week I was here!) He finally came! And he was wearing a suit! Awesome. I don't actually know if he liked it, since we haven't been able to talk to him yet, but I bet he did. He has been really progressing lately and feels comfortable telling us important details such as: he can't read. Yeah, that would have been nice to know two months ago, Jerry, but thanks for telling us. He has just been saying his eye-sight is bad since he had a stroke a few years ago.

On Sunday afternoon, we had about 20 minutes before the sun went down to harvest and we made a goal to get 3 before going to our next appointment. As soon as we got out of the car, a woman opened her door and popped her head out. We immediately said hi and hurried up the sidewalk to talk to her. We introduced herself and she said she was just visiting some friends. She asked the people that lived there but they didn't want us to come in, so she stepped out unto the porch and we were able to bless her. She was very happy to give us her address so we could come visit her anytime. Then we went next door and found a nice woman who is very religious and let us bless her home, but was not at all interested in us coming back. After knocking a few more doors and not finding anyone, we were getting ready to walk back to the car when a man saw us across the street and walked right up to us (*which scared my companion really bad). He said "hi" and we introduced ourselves. He had some mental disabilities and about 3 teeth (one sticking outside of his lip) so he could tell us his name and said yes to a blessing, but said nothing else. We said a prayer with him right there on the side of the road. He said thanks and kept walking. We don't know anything about him, but he was very excited to see us and was very happy we prayed with him. I hope we see him again someday.

One of our investigators has been struggling with the Word of Wisdom. We have been working with him all week. We have some wonderful members in our area that are trying to help as well. When we spoke to them before our lesson last Saturday, we let them know that we had taught the word of wisdom and asked them to share some of their experiences with overcoming their addictions to coffee when they were investigating the church. It turned out amazing. They bore firm testimony of the importance of obeying that commandment. The spirit was very strong there. I know that Scott was definitely influenced by them. They even provided him with some coffee substitute and had some herbal tea ready in case he had a problem with tea! They were so kind and prepared!
The next day, during Gospel Principles, the teacher asked Scott a question and made mention that he wasn't a member. Scott responded with "not yet!" And he mentioned that he was talking to a friend and told them that he believes the LDS church is for him! We were so excited! I wish we had already taught him everything so he could get baptized next Sunday! But I guess we'll just have to wait a few more weeks.

So that was basically my week. In a very random nutshell. I hope you all had a wonderful week, too.

To those of you with Finals: Good Luck, stay strong, you'll make it through.

To those of you teaching: Give out some candy. The kids will love you. But wait until the end of the day. Then you don't have to deal with them!

To those of you who are working: smile at everyone around you, because it is Christmas. Pass out a "Joy to the World" Pass-a-long card. The missionaries will thank you. Especially if you bear testimony with it. Those you talk to will thank you, too!

To all you other people not sitting on a cushion: You are great. Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Anna Sheffield

December?

Is it really December? It certainly doesn't feel like it here. Although, we had to wear a sweater one day because it got down to 63. Sad day, I've already become a wuss for the cold weather.

Anyway, HELLO EVERYBODY!!! I hope you are all having a wonderful December so far.

We've seen some Christmas lights up and there are still Tree lots here, because that is the only way to get a tree. No cutting down trees from the cemetery or from the canyon. The guardian of the canyon doesn't like that anyway.

So transfers were last week. Sister Barnes went to Hollywood (which is an area here in Florida) and SIster Spjut came here. She is from Cincinnati, Ohio and was called to the Orlando Florida mission, but since she happened to be in the Stuart Stake when it got moved into our mission. So she was just up in Sebastion. She is pretty short and has been out for about 5 months, but she is an amazing missionary. Very obedient and dedicated.

We went to PepBoys last Tuesday to get out windshield wipers replaced. It was a huge ordeal because the Office has to pay, but while we waited, we met this man, who has a son that plays for Wake Forest Football (Looney). He said we had a glow about us! It was super sweet. We got all his information so we could come and bless his home, but he's in a different district, so we sent on the information to the zone leaders. Hopefully they will see him soon because it was a great experience talking to him. Just thought I'd share.

I went to the dentist on Thursday. That was interesting (we got a little lost getting there) but the dentist was really nice and she said I don't have to worry about my broken tooth until I get home. Yay!

We helped this incredibly sweet lady in our ward unpack on Wednesday and then helped the most wonderful Sister Gerard tie her quilt on Saturday. Both of them fed us lunch! And told us some great stories. Sis. Gerard has a crazy cat named Jenny who will attack you unprovoked. I still love service. You should try it some time.

We ended up having some really great lessons this week. One we had just last night. We had already been to several places and no one had been home, so we decided to meet a woman that we had blessed a few days earlier. We had stopped by before, but she wasn't home. On the plus side, there were about 10 tiny kittens at her house that we played with for a while. They were so cute! Even my animal-hating Companion played with them! Fortunately for us, Sheere was home last night and had time to talk to us. We sat outside and discussed the entire Restoration lesson with her even though we hadn't planned on seeing her. It turned out really well. As we were able to testify of the Book of Mormon (as we practiced in District Training last week and in our companion trainings this week) she really had a change of heart and was very happy to accept the book and read it. She has been studying with the Jehovah's Witnesses and mentioned before we finished that the things we were talking about were similar, but then she became very enthusiastic about seeing us again when we gave her the Book of Mormon. And then she committed to baptism at the end of the month! It was so wonderful. It has been a long time since we've had an investigator commit to a date and she did it with no objections. We were able to explain what needed to happen so she could reach that date and she agreed to read and pray. It was almost too easy!

Working hard, waking people up by going to their house, and quality planning really make a big difference. We had 5 investigators at church this week!! It was so cool! Actually, it was almost too many because we couldn't give each of them the attention they wanted.

Those who came to church were very blessed by it.

-Laverne received the Holy Ghost!! (unfortunately, Anthony wasn't confirmed because he went to work. Sad sad sad.)

-Patricia could only stay for Sacrament meeting, but she was touched by the sweet testimony of another Latin sister and a 10 yr old girl. She showed us her artwork before she left to an art show.

-Ardena and her daughter finally made it (after 6 weeks) and there were lots of members who were excited to see her there and really helped her feel welcome. She commented in Sunday School and said she wasn't ready to share her testimony. . . yet! She already knows it is true, but she can't act on that knowledge for some reason. But she'll come around soon.

-The biggest joy of all for me came from Scott. He came last week and mentioned that he felt such a strong spirit it took his breath away during Sacrament meeting last week. Then right after Gospel Principles class this week he pulled me aside and said "it happened again." I was so excited for him. He didn't really know what to make of it, but he is making so much progress! He is beginning to recognize the Spirit better! He even came to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional (thanks to a wonderful member who picked him up!) and was so blown away by it that he didn't know what to say (which is pretty unusual for him). Sister Hawkes mentioned how she loves how the First Presidency is filled with the spirit, and Scott said "obviously!"! Yay! He has changed so much since we met him and I know that he was definitely prepared to meet us. Because he is very logical and questions everything, he has not yet been ready to set a date for baptism but mentioned that he would like to be ready by the end of the month. We are going to watch the Restoration Movie with him tonight at a member's home and then commit him to a specific date. He'll say yes, I know it.

The members that have been meeting with him are the Dengg family. They are actually from Utah and their son still lives there. Sister Dengg says he lives in Canyon Rim, but I don't know him. Do you? They are coming out to Utah for Christmas in a few weeks, maybe you can say hi.

So, in answer to your question, "Yes, I got to see the Devotional." And I am so glad I did. It was AMAZING. For all of those who chose not to see it, go repent and watch it now. It was that important. There were only about 15-20 people including the 4 sister missionaries that came to the ward building to watch it last night, which made me very sad. I'm going to assume that most of the ward has some way to watch it at home so they didn't miss it. Christ really is the center of our existence so He should be the center of our lives. I love what President Eyring said about the spirit giving us so much knowledge and truth. I also love How President Monson said "Because HE came, we can reach out to others, we will live again, we can gain eternal life, and we gather and celebrate to honor Him."

I hope you all make Christ the center of your lives, not only for Christmas time, but for always. Remember His love for you and how it has blessed you, then share that love with others. Not everyone knows about the power of His love, so you should go tell them. Now would be a great time.

Love,

Sister Anna Sheffield