This week has been crazy and mostly full of meetings!!!

Dear Family and Friends:)

     This week has been crazy and mostly full of meetings!!! The first one was specialized Zone Training which went from 8:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon! But, it was a really good meeting, we talked about using family history working in finding, reactivating and retaining members. I'm really excited because I've been feeling like family history and genealogy work is a tool that I've needed to start using more in missionary work and then what do you know they have a whole meeting on how the whole mission is going to start doing so.  We also had a lot of other meetings this week that I really liked. I don't know how many of you  attended the Leadership broadcast on missionary work but it announced some pretty exciting changes to the way we will be working. We do not know yet when the changes will be taking place we just know it will be throughout the year. These changes include the use of internet to missionaries such as Facebook to contact and help the members in our area. I've also heard rumors that some missions have been getting I-pads specially designed to only pull up church websites for use in teaching. But that has been exciting and we have been getting a lot of questions. We were also able to go to a Less-Active/Returning members house to help her several times this week and she had some questions that really made me think. She has had car troubles and work troubles all this week and she has been frustrated. She keeps asking why if she is trying to do what is right and what is good are all these bad things happening to her. It made me think of a talk that I read because Harriet gave it to us as a reading assignment (yes, we traded reading assignments with her frequently) it is by Jeffery R. Holland and is titled 'cast not away therefore your confidence' The whole talk is fantastic but my favorite quote says this: "With any major decision there are cautions and considerations to make, but once there has been illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. Certainly don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. Face your doubts. Master your fears. “Cast not away therefore your confidence.” Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you."

     I think that this talk has made such a difference with my life. I have had such a hard time learning to talk and to invite. I have scars in my past that I feel have inhibited my ability to move forward. Being on a mission has had some rough moments. I have meet so many missionaries who don't want to be here and have seen many get sent home. There are times when I just want to sit down and  just cry because I'm not sure I can do it or that I'm doing what I need to be. However, I love this quote, I know that I was chosen at this time to come to the Colorado Colorado Springs mission because the Lord knows that I can do it. He has faith that I can accomplish his great work and that as I keep going and keep trying that I will become stronger than I ever imagined I could be. I know that it is the same for all of you. You WILL hit hard times there ARE going to be stumbling blocks in your way and there may be times when you just want to sit down and give up. But I know that if you keep going, if you move forward knowing that the Lord has a plan for you that you are well on your way to becoming someone stronger and better than you even could imagine for yourself. I know this because I have had the opportunity to watch this change happening in myself as well as those I work with. I have had the opportunity to see people who say they have no testimony of the gospel get up during fast and testimony meeting and tell people they KNOW God loves them. Or people who don't feel they deserve forgiveness blossom and grow under the tender care and love of our Father in Heaven. Never forget that you are important to him, and even when things get rough he is watching over you helping you and lifting you. I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!!

Love,

Sister Bice