This week has been a very eventful and good one. A lot of unexpected opportunities have come up.
We had 38 people at church on Sunday which is an all time record for our little group here. Tim had felt the night before that he should drop by his work and pick up some extra chairs, and we had exactly 38 chairs there:) We had 7 non members there which we weren't expecting. Patrick came to church. And Rosie's friends Dida, Loreto, and Wally who we had had dinner the night before with came. And a couple who is here for the summer spoke in sacrament meeting and they had invited the man that they take care of to come. Also two young adults who are here for the summer to perform in the Oklahoma play invited two of the cast members to come to church. We had two people from the branch and a member of the stake presidency there. A family of 8 from Boston were visiting for the day. And on Saturday we had 2 nannies and another woman call asking where the church was. We didn't know what to do with so many people. It was almost like normal church because we actually had two speakers instead of one and we had a musical number. It was awesome, and every one was so happy. It was a blessing to have so many non members there this week. The member of the stake presidency wasn't so sure about our basement church:) They are going to come put carpet in and make a few changes.
Patrick and Kathleen invited us over for dinner on Sunday night. This is the first time that I have ever been invited to their home. The whole group was over there for dinner but Lorraine and Sister Vaai and I stayed around after dinner and talked to them for a while. We were able to chat with Kathleen for a while, which was a blessing. She opened up to us a little. She has a very hard time with missionaries being transferred and has vowed that she will never get close to another one again. So as a result of that she doesn't want missionaries coming over to their house to have lessons with them because that means she would get close to them. So we are trying our best to find our means for them to grow spiritually. Part of me worries about them because they wont let us help them progress more spiritually. But then another part of me recognizes that they are still studying on their own and are slowly gaining very strong testimonies so I am trying to have patience. Patrick is studying in the pearl of great price and he loves it. He has such a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and the stories in it have really come alive for him. I am starting to see how hard it is for the members here with the missionary changes. They really are a family and they consider each other family. And each of us missionaries become their family, and it is hard when one of them has to leave. It makes me all the more grateful that they still love each of us new ones that come in even though they know we wont be here very long. Lorraine was really sweet and was trying to convince Kathleen that if she doesn't get to know each of the new missionaries she is missing out even though it is hard when they leave. Kathleen did agree to give the spiritual thought for our next Family Home Evening which is exciting. She will be doing it on the grace we find through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
This week Dida and Loreto, Rosie's friends had invited Tim and Lorraine over for dinner. And they decided when they started dinner that they wanted us to come as well. Their friend Wally was also there. He recently lost his wife a few weeks ago. They were married for 30 years. We had dinner and discussed families being together forever. We were able to talk about the Book of Mormon and give them one. They are very intrigued with the church. They go to the born again christian church and it meets at the same time as us so they said that they weren't going to be able to come to our church. But Rosie did not give them a choice:) She said um Brother Tim wants you to come so you will pick me up at 10:30 and we will go to church. So they all came to church and we are hoping to have them at family home evening on Wednesday.
We had zone meeting this week so we got to go off island for that, which was nice.
President called us on Thursday night and asked us to be digital missionaries. Our mission has started a digital mission. They started a website calledreallifeanswers.org. It is a website where they have short articles on a lot of religious questions. They asked every missionary here in our mission and a lot of members to write articles for it. They have had the website running for a while. Then they have a few missionaries that have worked on a website that finds blogs or articles that are written about these topics. So then the digital missionaries can go on these blogs read them and comment on them, and refer them to reallifeanswers. We have been digital missionaries since I got here and then they decided to stop it for a while. They have it up and running again but this time they are giving us more lee way with how we can talk to these people. Before if they started to write back and forth we had to refer them to the missionaries on the website and hand them over. But now we can use Facebook or pinterest or email to communicate with them back and forth and we get to teach them. If it gets far enough we can even Skype them and teach them over Skype. So cool! President said that before we start we will have a meeting with the missionaries in charge of this and they will go over the rules and help us get our Facebook ready. I'm not sure if I will use the same one or a new one but we will see. I always said I never wanted to be a Facebook missionary. But I am kind of excited!
President Packard has also started a portable visitors center. He has a few missionaries that are called to just over see the portable visitors center. They have created a lot of displays with videos and answers to questions and they travel around the mission and do open houses for the church buildings or they will come to church events that are happening. They called us this week and they want to come to Nantucket! We are very excited and we just need to find a place for them to do it. It may have to be in the Milstead's backyard, but we shall see.
Earlier last week I really felt like I needed to get a priesthood blessing. I had just been feeling a little off. And I had felt really emotionally and physically tired. And I was having a harder time forgetting myself and going to work. And I just felt like I needed to ask for a blessing. It was a weird feeling to know that there was only one person I could ask for a blessing and I completely depended on him because no one else could do it. I can't imagine what he feels like being absolutely the only one on the island who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. He gave me a blessing after we had dinner with them on Tuesday. It was really good. I feel like all of my blessings in the past have just been very loving and this one was very to the point. Heavenly Father told me that he loved me and that I need to completely push my wants and my desires aside and plead every night for the spirit to be with me. I just had this very strong feeling that the Lord is completely in control and he knows what he is doing and we are not doing the work, He is. So if we don't do everything to align our will with his and to try to have his spirit with us then not all of his work is getting done. Ever since I have gotten here on the island I have met all of these wonderful people and I have wanted to teach them and to see them reach baptism. But the Lord humbly reminded me that it is not yet time. Not everyone will be interested right away and want to join. But they will some time down the road. And we may never know it until we leave this life. I was told that those that we serve with will learn more from us by working with us then they would from us teaching them. That was really powerful. I know that there is a lot to be done and that the Lord expects a lot out of us. But all he asks is that we tell him we cant do it on our own and that we need his help. President always reminds us that we do not know the needs of those around us. But the Lord does. I was specifically told that I needed to be taking vitamins and minerals. I don't think that I have ever been told something so direct in a blessing. So I started taking vitamins and I feel much better. I am learning that if we take care of the Lord's individuals he will take care of us.
Life sure is beautiful. I am loving all of the people that I am meeting and everything that I am experiencing. I hit my year mark on Thursday which is all together very crazy and a little scary. It has gone by so fast. I feel very blessed to have had this last year. I am grateful for all the people that I have met and all the things that I have experienced. I am grateful for this gospel and the blessing that it has been to share it with others. I have been truly blessed. I know that this is God's church on the earth.
I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week and drive safely on your way home from vacation.
Love Sister Abbey Lou Rushton
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