Dear wonderful family,
Happy Easter-- Christ the Lord lives and what an amazing thing that is! Because He overcame the bands of spiritual death on the cross, and the bands of physical death when He was resurrected, we can all live with our Father in Heaven again, and we WILL all be resurrected after death. The gospel of Jesus Christ really is good news and it is so true.
The Lord helped us find a sweet woman when we were knocking on doors named Sarah Fox. She is in her early 20s and has two little guys (ages 2 and 1). We had a return appointment with her this last week and taught her about the restoration. She has been quite prepared by the Lord and we know we were lead to their home. We will be having a lesson with her and her husband this week, and I am excited to continue teaching them! She was really excited when we told her about the Book of Mormon, and before we could even invite her to read and pray about it, she asked us if she could have a copy. She was unable to make it to church yesterday, because she was already scheduled to work, but, I'm hopeful about the future. I just know we were sent to this family for the two darling little boys. They will be excellent missionaries one day-- they're part of the Lord's priesthood army!
Yesterday after church, we had an amazing lesson with Jeff Boyd. We haven't really been teaching him since before Christmas. If you will remember, he was progressing towards baptism, got scared, and backed way way off. Because of the circumstances, we had no other choice but to back way way off too. We had dinner with their family Friday evening (where I had liver and onions for the first time... If you've never had it, you're not missing much!), and we felt impressed to talk about the Book of Enos with him, which really focuses on prayer and the effort we must put into our prayers being answered. Well, after dinner, we ended up talking about how the Book of Mormon was translated and Joseph Smith and such, and we ran out of time to talk about Enos. We asked him to read it and set up an appointment to discuss it after Church on Sunday. He surprised us and showed up to church, and he had even read his assignment! When we talked after church, we had a lesson where the spirit was the strongest I had ever felt in a lesson with him. He told us how he really related to Enos, and how he felt like he was reading about who he could be. We talked about the relationship between desires, faith, and work. We talked about how converts are the key to their ancestor's salvation in the spirit world, and about how they are also the key to their progenitor's salvation, and then we asked him what he was willing to do to receive an answer to his prayers. He said, "well, I should probably come to church every week. Maybe I should dust off this book (motioning to the Book of Mormon in his hands), and I really need to pray." Oh man, I was so excited to hear him say these things, because he's finally starting to connect the dots-- but the real excitement came when we asked him if he would do them. In times past, whenever we would leave a commitment with him, he would always say, "I don't want to make any promises" or "I'll try" but this time, he said, "Yes. I will. " We then asked him if he would work towards being baptized, and he said, "Go big or go home, right? Yes." Now, "Go big or go home" is a phrase I always use... and he's catching the vision-- Truly, it was an Easter miracle, and I know the Lord has been softening his heart!
I have really been studying the Atonement this week. I am so grateful for my Savior, the Atonement, and the perfect love both He and our Father in Heaven has for us. I feel like I have grown so much in my understanding of this central aspect of the gospel, and I know that I will continue to learn more as I study it throughout my life. How fortunate we are to have the scriptures!
Life is great. Being a missionary is great. The gospel is phenomenally true.
Have a wonderful week, and share the good news of the gospel!
Love, Sister Chelsea Lynn LeSueur
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Give our love and pledge our all...
Dear family,
Easter week is here already. Mother's day is in 20 days. Forsythia and magnolia trees are blooming. Rain is falling. Spring is officially here! With passover week, I am feeling very fortunate as I was passed over from the dreaded transfer call telling me that the time had come to leave my dear little Clearfork ward. I get to enjoy another blessed six weeks here, and I am thrilled because I just wasn't ready to leave yet! There's still so much work to do!
It has been a wonderful week as we have sought out less active members and looked up potential investigators and tracted around them all. We have a few promising return appointments for this next week, and I'm really excited to hear about all the ways the Lord has been preparing these people to receive the gospel! At this one less active member's home, we found out that the family had moved to Michigan-- but in talking to the sweet woman who answered the door, Rebecca, we found out that her best friend is a member of the church, she has read parts of the Book of Mormon, and she and her husband are active in the youth ministry of their church. They have 3 kids and one on the way, and she said we could stop back by in a few weeks. I really feel like the Lord lead us directly to her... Missionary work is wonderful!
Brother Hansford Minner, whom I have written about before, was an elderly man here in the Clearfork ward. He was baptized a few years ago, and we had been working with him to get to the temple-- he has been sick since January and in and out of the hospital. The last month he has been in the hospital in failing health due to heart and gallbladder complications, and on Friday morning, he passed away-- quietly in his sleep. It made me really grateful for the Plan of Salvation... Knowing our Father in Heaven's plan for us takes some of the sting out of death. I know it is a blessing that he was released from his lonely circumstances and frail body. I know that he can now progress in a way that was nearly impossible for him to do here in the conditions under which he was living. We will miss visiting with and teaching him, but now he can teach the gospel to others who have also passed on. How merciful, amazing, and perfect the plan of our God is!
With Easter this Sunday, let our thoughts this week be centered on our Savior and the Atonement. No matter what Wal Mart would have you believe, Easter is not about plastic eggs, candy, and cute bunny decorations-- Easter is about the miracle that occurred three days after Jesus the Christ chose to experience death. It is about His resurrection. Because he was resurrected, we all will be able to have out physical bodies and spirits reunited, perfected, and glorified for eternity. Is a stream of several merciful acts of love, Christ overcame the effects of the fall of Adam-- he made it possible for us to overcome spiritual death (our separation from God), and physical death (our spirit's separation from our body) . Because of His love, we can return to live with God and our families can be together forever. Think about your relationship with Christ, and choose one thing you will work on to become more like Him this week. I know that if you do this, it will make this Easter Sunday more meaningful and special to you, and you will grow closer to Christ.
Jesus is the Christ, and he loves!
Love,
Sister Chelsea LeSueur
Easter week is here already. Mother's day is in 20 days. Forsythia and magnolia trees are blooming. Rain is falling. Spring is officially here! With passover week, I am feeling very fortunate as I was passed over from the dreaded transfer call telling me that the time had come to leave my dear little Clearfork ward. I get to enjoy another blessed six weeks here, and I am thrilled because I just wasn't ready to leave yet! There's still so much work to do!
It has been a wonderful week as we have sought out less active members and looked up potential investigators and tracted around them all. We have a few promising return appointments for this next week, and I'm really excited to hear about all the ways the Lord has been preparing these people to receive the gospel! At this one less active member's home, we found out that the family had moved to Michigan-- but in talking to the sweet woman who answered the door, Rebecca, we found out that her best friend is a member of the church, she has read parts of the Book of Mormon, and she and her husband are active in the youth ministry of their church. They have 3 kids and one on the way, and she said we could stop back by in a few weeks. I really feel like the Lord lead us directly to her... Missionary work is wonderful!
Brother Hansford Minner, whom I have written about before, was an elderly man here in the Clearfork ward. He was baptized a few years ago, and we had been working with him to get to the temple-- he has been sick since January and in and out of the hospital. The last month he has been in the hospital in failing health due to heart and gallbladder complications, and on Friday morning, he passed away-- quietly in his sleep. It made me really grateful for the Plan of Salvation... Knowing our Father in Heaven's plan for us takes some of the sting out of death. I know it is a blessing that he was released from his lonely circumstances and frail body. I know that he can now progress in a way that was nearly impossible for him to do here in the conditions under which he was living. We will miss visiting with and teaching him, but now he can teach the gospel to others who have also passed on. How merciful, amazing, and perfect the plan of our God is!
With Easter this Sunday, let our thoughts this week be centered on our Savior and the Atonement. No matter what Wal Mart would have you believe, Easter is not about plastic eggs, candy, and cute bunny decorations-- Easter is about the miracle that occurred three days after Jesus the Christ chose to experience death. It is about His resurrection. Because he was resurrected, we all will be able to have out physical bodies and spirits reunited, perfected, and glorified for eternity. Is a stream of several merciful acts of love, Christ overcame the effects of the fall of Adam-- he made it possible for us to overcome spiritual death (our separation from God), and physical death (our spirit's separation from our body) . Because of His love, we can return to live with God and our families can be together forever. Think about your relationship with Christ, and choose one thing you will work on to become more like Him this week. I know that if you do this, it will make this Easter Sunday more meaningful and special to you, and you will grow closer to Christ.
Jesus is the Christ, and he loves!
Love,
Sister Chelsea LeSueur
Monday, April 11, 2011
We are all enlisted 'till the conflict is o'er
Dear family,
Spring has spring, flowers are beginning to pop up all over the city, and we had an 80* day yesterday for the first time this season-- and except for seeing all the half-naked people who have been waiting all winter to walk around wearing just about nothing, it was delightful! I told Sister Vaasili to watch out for summer, because that's when just about everyone wears their underwear just about everywhere they go! I love The Ohio! :)
It was a great week, culminating at the baptism and confirmation of the Mason family this weekend. We had the amazing opportunity to go on companion exchanges this Wednesday to Thursday. Sister Vaasili went to Powell and Sister Pettigrew came from Powell to Clearfork. Ever since I arrived in the field, Sister Pettigrew and I have wanted to be companions... she unfortunately is making the transition from full-time missionary to full-time member missionary this week at transfers, so things were looking like they weren't going to happen for our desired companionship until we received the phone call last week from Sister Jensen with the good news! Shoot, 24 hours is better than nothing! We had an excellent time together, and did a lot of good work in the short time she was here. It was such a tender mercy of the Lord, because it was exactly the pick-me-up that I needed!
The baptism for the Masons went well... they were a few minutes late because they forgot their all-important towels and undies-- so they had to turn around and get them. The spirit was very strongly felt, there were several members in attendance to show their love and support for this family, and they each received the first of the saving ordinances necessary to return to live with our Father in Heaven. Gene was glowing, Zack, the 10 year old, said he felt 'refreshed', and even Jakob, the 13 year old, cracked a smile! I am so grateful to have been able to witness this family's transformation as they were taught by the Holy Ghost the gospel of Jesus Christ and began to implement its teachings into their lives! Truly a life-changing transformation has taken place-- member missionary work is the BEST!
Marjorie and her Son Aaron BOTH came to church yesterday. She's come to church a couple times since we began focusing on her, but her 32 year old son who struggles with alcoholism hasn't ever been. We got the Elder's Quorum to get in on the fellowshipping and they picked him up and brought him to the priesthood session of conference two weeks ago, then he came to sacrament meeting yesterday. It was wonderful to see him there. In talking to him last week, he told us that he feels like he missed the starting bell... we told him that because the Lord loves us, through repentance and the Atonement, there are many starting bells. It's so true. If he is committed to turning his life around, he can do it, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Atonement, and fellowshipping from the members is how it is going to happen! Also, as we talked with Marjorie last week, she expressed her desire to attend the temple. We're getting her started on genealogical work and will get her in a temple preparation class as she firms her resolve to meet this excellent and very worthy goal. Everyone deserves a chance to turn their life around!
Transfers are this week, so we'll see what happens... I wouldn't be surprised if I leave, I have been in Clearfork/Zion for 6 blessed months! Still, I would love to die here! I'll report on the results of transfers next week! Any mail this week should be sent to PO Box 939 Powell, Ohio 43065 to make sure I receive it!
This gospel is true. I love it with all my heart. Jesus is the Christ. He is our Savior, older brother, and friend. We must study the scriptures so we can know him and so he can become our BEST friend. The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration. Thomas S. Monson is his successor, and leads the church as the Lord's prophet today. Families can be together forever!
I love you so so so much!
Love,
Sister Chelsea Lynn LeSueur
xoxox
Spring has spring, flowers are beginning to pop up all over the city, and we had an 80* day yesterday for the first time this season-- and except for seeing all the half-naked people who have been waiting all winter to walk around wearing just about nothing, it was delightful! I told Sister Vaasili to watch out for summer, because that's when just about everyone wears their underwear just about everywhere they go! I love The Ohio! :)
It was a great week, culminating at the baptism and confirmation of the Mason family this weekend. We had the amazing opportunity to go on companion exchanges this Wednesday to Thursday. Sister Vaasili went to Powell and Sister Pettigrew came from Powell to Clearfork. Ever since I arrived in the field, Sister Pettigrew and I have wanted to be companions... she unfortunately is making the transition from full-time missionary to full-time member missionary this week at transfers, so things were looking like they weren't going to happen for our desired companionship until we received the phone call last week from Sister Jensen with the good news! Shoot, 24 hours is better than nothing! We had an excellent time together, and did a lot of good work in the short time she was here. It was such a tender mercy of the Lord, because it was exactly the pick-me-up that I needed!
The baptism for the Masons went well... they were a few minutes late because they forgot their all-important towels and undies-- so they had to turn around and get them. The spirit was very strongly felt, there were several members in attendance to show their love and support for this family, and they each received the first of the saving ordinances necessary to return to live with our Father in Heaven. Gene was glowing, Zack, the 10 year old, said he felt 'refreshed', and even Jakob, the 13 year old, cracked a smile! I am so grateful to have been able to witness this family's transformation as they were taught by the Holy Ghost the gospel of Jesus Christ and began to implement its teachings into their lives! Truly a life-changing transformation has taken place-- member missionary work is the BEST!
Marjorie and her Son Aaron BOTH came to church yesterday. She's come to church a couple times since we began focusing on her, but her 32 year old son who struggles with alcoholism hasn't ever been. We got the Elder's Quorum to get in on the fellowshipping and they picked him up and brought him to the priesthood session of conference two weeks ago, then he came to sacrament meeting yesterday. It was wonderful to see him there. In talking to him last week, he told us that he feels like he missed the starting bell... we told him that because the Lord loves us, through repentance and the Atonement, there are many starting bells. It's so true. If he is committed to turning his life around, he can do it, and the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Atonement, and fellowshipping from the members is how it is going to happen! Also, as we talked with Marjorie last week, she expressed her desire to attend the temple. We're getting her started on genealogical work and will get her in a temple preparation class as she firms her resolve to meet this excellent and very worthy goal. Everyone deserves a chance to turn their life around!
Transfers are this week, so we'll see what happens... I wouldn't be surprised if I leave, I have been in Clearfork/Zion for 6 blessed months! Still, I would love to die here! I'll report on the results of transfers next week! Any mail this week should be sent to PO Box 939 Powell, Ohio 43065 to make sure I receive it!
This gospel is true. I love it with all my heart. Jesus is the Christ. He is our Savior, older brother, and friend. We must study the scriptures so we can know him and so he can become our BEST friend. The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration. Thomas S. Monson is his successor, and leads the church as the Lord's prophet today. Families can be together forever!
I love you so so so much!
Love,
Sister Chelsea Lynn LeSueur
xoxox
Monday, April 4, 2011
Come listen to a prophet's voice
Dear wonderful family,
What an amazing weekend we've had, being able to listen to the living, modern day prophet, his apostles, and other members of the seventy and auxiliary leaders during General Conference. Truly the words we heard are the words of the Lord-- we must study them, and apply them to our lives and within our families. I know that the things said in the last two days are the things the Lord would have us know for these Latter-day times in which we live. I know that as the words came out of the prophet's mouth, it is the same as if they were coming from the lips of the Lord, for President Thomas S. Monson truly is his mouthpiece. I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to return to live with Him, and that is why we have a prophet on the earth today-- to give us the instructions we need for our time as we study and live the principles taught in the scriptures and work our hardest to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. The fact that the gospel has been restored with a living prophet to guide it under the direction of the Lord is evidence of God's love and mercy.
I particularly enjoyed the council given by Lynn G. Robbins of the seventy on the act of being and not just doing. He commented on the fact that so many people have "to do" lists, but very few make "to be" lists. Well, last night in my journal, I took his comment to heart and made my own "to be" list, and I have to say, in the half a day since I made that list, I have been much more conscientious of the things I do. As I laid in my warm bed last night, exhausted from the spiritual high I've been on for the last two days, and realized that I had forgot to floss my teeth before I brushed. I was tempted just to ce'st la vie, but then I remembered that just an hour earlier, I had written on my "to be" list the word diligent. Well, I got myself out of bed, flossed my teeth, and returned with the satisfaction of knowing I was working on who I want to become one small choice at a time. I highly recommend that you come up with your own list of who you want to be!What an amazing weekend we've had, being able to listen to the living, modern day prophet, his apostles, and other members of the seventy and auxiliary leaders during General Conference. Truly the words we heard are the words of the Lord-- we must study them, and apply them to our lives and within our families. I know that the things said in the last two days are the things the Lord would have us know for these Latter-day times in which we live. I know that as the words came out of the prophet's mouth, it is the same as if they were coming from the lips of the Lord, for President Thomas S. Monson truly is his mouthpiece. I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to return to live with Him, and that is why we have a prophet on the earth today-- to give us the instructions we need for our time as we study and live the principles taught in the scriptures and work our hardest to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. The fact that the gospel has been restored with a living prophet to guide it under the direction of the Lord is evidence of God's love and mercy.
Gene, Jakob, and Zak Mason are ready and excited for their baptism this weekend on Saturday, 9 April at 6:30. They have made such excellent changes in their lives and it is really showing in their family! They are saying family prayers and reading and discussing the things they've read in the Book of Mormon. We had a wonderful lesson last week on the commandments we've been asked to do by our Father in Heaven and the boys were so excited and they came to realize that keeping the commandments is a tool to keep us happy! We talked about who Christ is and what His Atonement covers. They are beginning to feel a small amount of the love that their Father in Heaven feels for them, and they are becoming happier as a result. I am so SO excited for this family!!
Well, I want you to know that I have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He lives and he loves us. I loved what was said on Saturday during conference-- "Adam chose to experience spiritual death so that the rest of us could have physical life, and Christ chose to experience physical death so that all of us could experience spiritual life." What a wonderful thought full of truth. I am grateful for our loving Father in Heaven. He also lives and has a body of flesh and bone. We were created in His image and when we keep his commandments, we can be happy and through sacred restored covenants, we have the potential to be able to live with our families forever in His presence. Truly, THIS is the "good news" of the gospel, and it's true.
I love you all so much. Have a good week and live what you've learned! Go spread the gospel and help others to be happy!
Love,
Sister Chelsea Lynn LeSueur
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