Sister Nield In New York: Can or Can't

So a lot of things have happened in the last week. Way too much to even talk about!

It all started with last p-day when we went to the race tracks with an investigator that works there and we had a member come with us. We got to go see the horses and see what he does for work. We had so much fun and it was pretty nice to see horses again. I see as many cows here as I do in Utah, but it's been awhile since I've been able to be around horses.

Friday was "Gathering in the Grove" for a whole bunch of different YSA groups in the North East area and up into Canada. I was serving at the Smith Farm and was able to take a bunch of them on tour and two different times I finished a tour and went back to have a few people from the Buffalo YSA waiting to say hi to me and one of them even brought me lunch! What a tender mercy to see them! I miss being in the YSA so much and I loved all of those people with my whole heart and it was so sweet that they thought to look and see where I was at to come visit me!

We had a training from a couple people from the Missionary Department at our site meeting this last week. One of the things they talked about went along perfectly with the training that Sister Locher and I were preparing for our zone meeting. They said "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." We've been thinking and praying for a while about what we were going to train about at zone meeting and I just kept feeling like we needed to train on having the faith to succeed. There have been multiple times in my mission that I've heard many people say "Oh such and such an area is so slow.. that's just how it is. it can't change" or "This area has never reached this many new investigators in a week, so we can't do it." It's really bothered me. The word can't has been way over used and it's way over used in the world today! So we decided to train on having the faith to succeed!

Who really gets to decide if we can or can't do something anyway? There is nothing that is impossible if we have the Lord's help. The word can't should be used as a challenge. This is HIS work and if we do it HIS way than we will be an instrument as HE hastens the work. We don't hasten the work, but we have to make ourselves available to be the instrument. That involves having faith in Him, that He can do all things and that we too can do all things with his help. It was a lot of fun. Our Zone meeting was held at the Peter Whitmer Farm (Who else gets to do that?) During our training we started by having 6 different challenges. They ranged anywhere from a three legged race, to hula hooping, to 50 pushups. And as we went through each of the challenges we'd read a scripture (I'll put the list of scriptures at the end). We let everyone get their wiggles out and after we talked about what we can do to have the faith to succeed. HOW we can have the faith in Christ to trust Him enough to do WHATEVER He asks. No matter how hard it may be, now matter how awkward it can get, no matter how much sense it makes to us. We have to let go of what we were and give ourselves more fully to have the faith to succeed. "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten."

As we were preparing this training I thought of all the things that I've accomplished just in the last 11 1/2 months that wouldn't be possible without the Lord's help. The fact that I gave a training at all is a miracle. Public speaking has never been my forte but I've loved to see how ALL things are possible with the help of the Lord. Not just some things, not just certain things, but ALL things.

And what better way to end the Zone meeting to have a testimony meeting out in front of the Log home where the church was officially organized? I feel like I've been on a spiritual high for the last week! Every time I'm at one of these sacred places I feel like I'm in a dream. How did I get lucky enough to come here to serve the Lord? I'm so blessed!

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

And make time to look up: