Hello wonderful family,
Heavenly Father loves me-- and one of the many evidences of this is my new companion-- Sister Angela Oliverson from Shelley, Idaho. She has been out about eight months and she's fantastic. She dresses so cute and has such a non-shy dynamic personality that the ward has really just fallen in love with her in the few short days she's been here. Ahh-- Heavenly Father is so good to me, and I know she's exactly the one who needs to be here in the Clearfork ward! :)
It has been an exhaustingly wonderful week-- The following are a couple of the highlights:
Rob Baker was interviewed for baptism on Saturday and he couldn't be more excited to become a member of the church. His fall plans include coming to Provo and attending BYU in the fall in preparation for his mission. He's going to convert entire nations when he serves his mission! His baptism will be this Friday evening at 6:00 and we are so ecstatic for him! He's a phenomenal kid who has overcome a lot and who is sacrificing a lot in his quest for truth.
Kim and Eric Valdez came to church on Sunday and we had a lesson with them after church was over. Last Tuesday we had taught them the Restoration and the spirit was felt so strongly by everyone. We committed her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet-- she agreed and so our apt with her yesterday was to follow up on that. She has been reading it and is gaining a testimony of it. We invited her to prepare herself for baptism on June 18th, and she said yes and is very excited about it. Oh my goodness-- this family is going to be a powerhouse in the Clearfork ward. Eric quit his job of 20 years last week because it required him to work Sundays and took him away from his family. Huge leap of faith for which he was immediately blessed. The next day, he got an interview with a competing company who was flying here from Chicago today to interview him. The Lord asks so little of us and gives back so much. I'm so excited for this family!
Good luck to Kevin week with his tests. I've seen Grey's Anatomy, so I know how taxing those tests can be ;) You're in my prayers, and I know that if you do the best you can and fast and pray for help, the Lord will take care of the rest... You're in my prayers this week!
Happy Graduation Trev... You've made me a very proud sister. Keep up the good work!
I know this is Christ's true church. The work of proclaiming the gospel is indeed sweet, and I am so grateful for the tools and resources we've been given so that we can know the things we need to in order to return to live with Heavenly Father and help our brothers and sisters get there as well. Families can be together forever!
I love you-- have an amazing week... live your life and enjoy it <3
Love,
Sister Chelsea LeSueur
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Our Savior's love shines like the sun with perfect light
Hello wonderful, magnificent, beautiful, amazing, faithful family!
I hope the sunshine is radiating in your lives today, no matter what the weather is like outside. We have a loving Heavenly Father, our Savior, Jesus Christ, lives, and the gospel is on the earth once more-- with knowledge like this, how could anyone be glum?! It is a beautiful day here in The Ohio, which is great because 1) it's my half birthday 2) we went to the zoo today and 3) the day began with thunderstorms! Hah, when we pulled up to the zoo, the sun simultaneously came out. It was wonderful-- the Lord had 15 missionaries praying for sunshine and He answered our prayers... We are so spoiled.
I had a conversation with Rob Baker, one of our investigators and he asked me how I could be so optimistic and endlessly happy... my response? When you know the gospel is true and understand the Plan of Salvation, everything else seems so insignificant-- besides that, you understand that as long as you do your part, the Lord will take care of the rest. Everything will work out in the end so long as we try our hardest to keep the commandments and follow the promptings of the spirit. I think one of Satan's biggest tools is getting us wrapped up and caught up in the bad news of the world, the mistakes we've made, and the things we have no control over...Pessimism. But through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all that is unfair about life, can be made right, all the mistakes we've made can be overcome, and all the hurt can be healed-- Satan would have us loose sight of this, but if we fall prey to this tactic of his, we will destroy ourselves because Gods create, devils destroy. We must cling to the gospel, keep the commandments, and live up to our covenants with unwavering faithfulness, and then we can be optimistic knowing that all our shortcomings will be overcome by the Atonement of Christ. This is the 'good news' of the gospel.
It has been a wonderful week. I love being a missionary!
Rob is progressing nicely and is excited for his baptism on 4 June... Conversely, we're excited for him. He has been so prepared by the Lord and has received a lot of answers to prayers this week. Ironically, he was offered two different job positions this week at two different Baptist churches, writing for them. It is his dream to be a writer. He was talking about how he would have to turn them down because he no longer shares their beliefs and explain to them that after two years of Baptist Bible College, that he's becoming a 'Mormon'-- but even as he was trying to sound pessimistic about all of it, he pointed out that he will have the opportunity to share the gospel with these men on a level that no missionary knocking on their doors ever would simply because he's a respected colleague of theirs. His ability to sort through scriptures and truth and understand how he must live and apply it is amazing.
Kim, Eric, and David came to church yesterday and loved it-- They stayed for all three hours and David really enjoyed Primary. We taught them the Plan of Salvation earlier this week and it brought a lot of clarity to them-- Kim especially-- on the questions she's always had. It feels so good to bring light into people's lives. They're doing really well and it won't be too long before Kim and David are baptized and Kim and Eric can be sealed for time and all eternity in the House of the Lord. I love being a missionary.
With transfers this week, things are kind of up in the air, but I know the Lord is in charge and whatever needs to happen for me, for Sister Vaasili, for the area, and for the other areas in the mission will happen. I know that with perfect certainty.
The gospel has been restored and it is true. Life is beautiful.
Have a superb week!!
Love,
Sister Chelsea LeSueur
xoxox
I hope the sunshine is radiating in your lives today, no matter what the weather is like outside. We have a loving Heavenly Father, our Savior, Jesus Christ, lives, and the gospel is on the earth once more-- with knowledge like this, how could anyone be glum?! It is a beautiful day here in The Ohio, which is great because 1) it's my half birthday 2) we went to the zoo today and 3) the day began with thunderstorms! Hah, when we pulled up to the zoo, the sun simultaneously came out. It was wonderful-- the Lord had 15 missionaries praying for sunshine and He answered our prayers... We are so spoiled.
I had a conversation with Rob Baker, one of our investigators and he asked me how I could be so optimistic and endlessly happy... my response? When you know the gospel is true and understand the Plan of Salvation, everything else seems so insignificant-- besides that, you understand that as long as you do your part, the Lord will take care of the rest. Everything will work out in the end so long as we try our hardest to keep the commandments and follow the promptings of the spirit. I think one of Satan's biggest tools is getting us wrapped up and caught up in the bad news of the world, the mistakes we've made, and the things we have no control over...Pessimism. But through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all that is unfair about life, can be made right, all the mistakes we've made can be overcome, and all the hurt can be healed-- Satan would have us loose sight of this, but if we fall prey to this tactic of his, we will destroy ourselves because Gods create, devils destroy. We must cling to the gospel, keep the commandments, and live up to our covenants with unwavering faithfulness, and then we can be optimistic knowing that all our shortcomings will be overcome by the Atonement of Christ. This is the 'good news' of the gospel.
It has been a wonderful week. I love being a missionary!
Rob is progressing nicely and is excited for his baptism on 4 June... Conversely, we're excited for him. He has been so prepared by the Lord and has received a lot of answers to prayers this week. Ironically, he was offered two different job positions this week at two different Baptist churches, writing for them. It is his dream to be a writer. He was talking about how he would have to turn them down because he no longer shares their beliefs and explain to them that after two years of Baptist Bible College, that he's becoming a 'Mormon'-- but even as he was trying to sound pessimistic about all of it, he pointed out that he will have the opportunity to share the gospel with these men on a level that no missionary knocking on their doors ever would simply because he's a respected colleague of theirs. His ability to sort through scriptures and truth and understand how he must live and apply it is amazing.
Kim, Eric, and David came to church yesterday and loved it-- They stayed for all three hours and David really enjoyed Primary. We taught them the Plan of Salvation earlier this week and it brought a lot of clarity to them-- Kim especially-- on the questions she's always had. It feels so good to bring light into people's lives. They're doing really well and it won't be too long before Kim and David are baptized and Kim and Eric can be sealed for time and all eternity in the House of the Lord. I love being a missionary.
With transfers this week, things are kind of up in the air, but I know the Lord is in charge and whatever needs to happen for me, for Sister Vaasili, for the area, and for the other areas in the mission will happen. I know that with perfect certainty.
The gospel has been restored and it is true. Life is beautiful.
Have a superb week!!
Love,
Sister Chelsea LeSueur
xoxox
Monday, May 16, 2011
Put your shoulder to the wheel...
Dear most excellent family,
Hello from The Ohio-- it has been another rainy, happy, wonderful, miracle filled week here in Clearfork. I just love being a missionary, and I am so grateful for this time I have to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. He is so good to allow me to have these amazing faith-promoting experiences. I know that I am laying the groundwork for the rest of my life-- this is the turning point for me, and I am grateful for His love, mercy, faith, and trust in me!
Supposedly, the allergies this year in this area are the worst they've been in years (it seems like they say that every year, in every area though), and people are having a really hard time with them-- I am no exception. What started out as allergies in the beginning of last week turned into a full blown cold towards the end of the week. It's been a bit of a struggle, and the cold rainy weather isn't helping matters much-- Saturday evening, we were supposed to go to the adult session of stake conference with the Saunders, a recently baptized family in our area. Well, tornadoes were threatening, and Marla didn't feel comfortable leaving her kiddos with a babysitter under such conditions. When she called to cancel with us, we were a little bummed out. We figured maybe it was the Lord's way of making me rest my body, so we went home around 7:00. When we got home, I felt this overwhelming impression that we needed to go see the Amicks, a part member family in our ward who lives here in Galion. When we knocked on their door, no one was home. Puzzled, we walked back to the car, and just as I was about to sit down, I just knew that we needed to knock on doors on that street. Well, everyone we talked to was, shall we say, less than receptive-- everyone until we got to the last house on the street. There, we met Pam Lorris and her 4-year-old son Garrett. We had a wonderful conversation with her which lead into a lesson about how Christ's one true church has been restored to the earth after centuries of it being distorted. She talked about how she believes in God and Christ, but doesn't go to church because they all disagree with and contradict each other. It was an amazing lesson, mostly because I knew the words coming out of my mouth weren't my own. I knew that the Lord lead us directly to her because he knows and loves her and her family. We have another appointment with them tomorrow afternoon! How great it is to recognize and be able to see the specific ways that the Lord is using you as a tool in His hands!
Yesterday, another missionary miracle happened-- when we got to church, we were introduced to a 21-year-old man who had come to church for several weeks when he was 16, then his family, who thought it was the end of the world, put a stop to it. Rob baker came back to church yesterday, and we were able to teach him after church. We had a wonderful lesson-- he isn't going to be your 'average investigator'... he probably knows more about Mormon doctrine than many members of the church. He is a philosophy major, and so he likes to philosophize -- and he stated yesterday in our lesson, that if there is ANY truth, there has to be ONE truth that is right for ALL. He has studied all different faiths and has determined that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has something that no one else has, and he wants to find out what that something is. At the end of the lesson, we felt impressed to give him a copy of the Family Proclamation, and set up an appointment for Wednesday. About two hours after we parted ways, he called us, said that he read the Proclamation, and told us that he wants the things for his family that are outlined in the Family Proclamation, and he didn't want to wait until this Wednesday to meet with us. We'll be having another lesson with him today at 4:00. The Lord has definitely prepared him to receive the word with joy (Alma 16:16-17). This is His work!
I love you all. I know this gospel is true. The Book of Mormon teaches us how to return to live with our Father in Heaven. Families can be together forever-- Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sister Chelsea-a-Lynn LeSueur
Hello from The Ohio-- it has been another rainy, happy, wonderful, miracle filled week here in Clearfork. I just love being a missionary, and I am so grateful for this time I have to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. He is so good to allow me to have these amazing faith-promoting experiences. I know that I am laying the groundwork for the rest of my life-- this is the turning point for me, and I am grateful for His love, mercy, faith, and trust in me!
Supposedly, the allergies this year in this area are the worst they've been in years (it seems like they say that every year, in every area though), and people are having a really hard time with them-- I am no exception. What started out as allergies in the beginning of last week turned into a full blown cold towards the end of the week. It's been a bit of a struggle, and the cold rainy weather isn't helping matters much-- Saturday evening, we were supposed to go to the adult session of stake conference with the Saunders, a recently baptized family in our area. Well, tornadoes were threatening, and Marla didn't feel comfortable leaving her kiddos with a babysitter under such conditions. When she called to cancel with us, we were a little bummed out. We figured maybe it was the Lord's way of making me rest my body, so we went home around 7:00. When we got home, I felt this overwhelming impression that we needed to go see the Amicks, a part member family in our ward who lives here in Galion. When we knocked on their door, no one was home. Puzzled, we walked back to the car, and just as I was about to sit down, I just knew that we needed to knock on doors on that street. Well, everyone we talked to was, shall we say, less than receptive-- everyone until we got to the last house on the street. There, we met Pam Lorris and her 4-year-old son Garrett. We had a wonderful conversation with her which lead into a lesson about how Christ's one true church has been restored to the earth after centuries of it being distorted. She talked about how she believes in God and Christ, but doesn't go to church because they all disagree with and contradict each other. It was an amazing lesson, mostly because I knew the words coming out of my mouth weren't my own. I knew that the Lord lead us directly to her because he knows and loves her and her family. We have another appointment with them tomorrow afternoon! How great it is to recognize and be able to see the specific ways that the Lord is using you as a tool in His hands!
Yesterday, another missionary miracle happened-- when we got to church, we were introduced to a 21-year-old man who had come to church for several weeks when he was 16, then his family, who thought it was the end of the world, put a stop to it. Rob baker came back to church yesterday, and we were able to teach him after church. We had a wonderful lesson-- he isn't going to be your 'average investigator'... he probably knows more about Mormon doctrine than many members of the church. He is a philosophy major, and so he likes to philosophize -- and he stated yesterday in our lesson, that if there is ANY truth, there has to be ONE truth that is right for ALL. He has studied all different faiths and has determined that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has something that no one else has, and he wants to find out what that something is. At the end of the lesson, we felt impressed to give him a copy of the Family Proclamation, and set up an appointment for Wednesday. About two hours after we parted ways, he called us, said that he read the Proclamation, and told us that he wants the things for his family that are outlined in the Family Proclamation, and he didn't want to wait until this Wednesday to meet with us. We'll be having another lesson with him today at 4:00. The Lord has definitely prepared him to receive the word with joy (Alma 16:16-17). This is His work!
I love you all. I know this gospel is true. The Book of Mormon teaches us how to return to live with our Father in Heaven. Families can be together forever-- Have a wonderful week!
Love,
Sister Chelsea-a-Lynn LeSueur
Monday, May 9, 2011
I want to share my life with them through all eternity!
Dear family,
It was so excellent to be able to have the privilege to talk with y'all yesterday! It reminded me just how wonderful you are, and my resolve to do everything necessary to be able to qualify for the blessing to spend eternity in your presence was strengthened! Thank you for always being so supportive and loving. Thank you for always setting such great examples of living the gospel and striving to become like our Savior. Actions speak louder than words, and I am grateful for your actions :)
Well, as I mentioned on the phone yesterday, Eric and Kim Valdez and her son David came to church yesterday, and while they could only stay for sacrament, they were beaming with happiness the whole time! Eric is a less active member who married Kim and moved here about three years ago. He grew up in an active family who lives out in California-- but due to some personal struggles, and his job travel, he hasn't come more than a couple of times since he's lived here in Galion. About two weeks ago, we received some papers from the Bishop of people to look up in our ward who have relatives SLC cannot find... Eric was one of them. Sister Vaasili and I tried a couple of times to see him that week, but he wasn't ever home. The next week we were talking to our former bishop, asking him for his thoughts about whom we should go see, and Bishop Goodwin brought up Eric's name. When we got back in the car, we both laughed because we KNEW the Lord was directing us back to his home. When we got back into our neighborhood, it was about 845 at night, and we were just going to head home... But we knew we needed to stop back by Eric's home-- so feeling a little awkward knocking on this man's door whom we haven't met before so late in the evening, we followed the spirit and had a lovely conversation with him on is front porch. He explained his situation, and we asked him if we could come back and meet with his wife and stepson another day, earlier in the evening. Last week, we went back for that meeting and talked about the family proclamation. They told us how they want to re-prioritize their lives and committed themselves to nightly family prayer. We felt the spirit, fell in love with this sweet little family, and left. About 30 minutes after we left, we received a phone call from Eric who was on his way to get a haircut, thanking us for bringing the spirit into his home. He said it had been so long since he had felt it... Then he began to tear up as he told us that when he left his house, Kim was on the computer looking up Mormon.org. He told us they had talked and would definitely be at church on Sunday even though he had to come home early from a business trip to do so, and then he told us that he feels that Kim is the most prepared she's ever been to receive the gospel. When they were at church on Sunday, beaming with happiness, so was I-- This family is on their way to becoming a forever family :)
Also, Jakob Mason passed the sacrament for the first time yesterday-- it was a really great day!
Please know how much I love you... The gospel is true-- Jesus is the Christ-- Families can be forever.
Have a phenomenal week and look for the joy in life!
Love,
Sister Chelsea-a-Lynn LeSueur
It was so excellent to be able to have the privilege to talk with y'all yesterday! It reminded me just how wonderful you are, and my resolve to do everything necessary to be able to qualify for the blessing to spend eternity in your presence was strengthened! Thank you for always being so supportive and loving. Thank you for always setting such great examples of living the gospel and striving to become like our Savior. Actions speak louder than words, and I am grateful for your actions :)
Well, as I mentioned on the phone yesterday, Eric and Kim Valdez and her son David came to church yesterday, and while they could only stay for sacrament, they were beaming with happiness the whole time! Eric is a less active member who married Kim and moved here about three years ago. He grew up in an active family who lives out in California-- but due to some personal struggles, and his job travel, he hasn't come more than a couple of times since he's lived here in Galion. About two weeks ago, we received some papers from the Bishop of people to look up in our ward who have relatives SLC cannot find... Eric was one of them. Sister Vaasili and I tried a couple of times to see him that week, but he wasn't ever home. The next week we were talking to our former bishop, asking him for his thoughts about whom we should go see, and Bishop Goodwin brought up Eric's name. When we got back in the car, we both laughed because we KNEW the Lord was directing us back to his home. When we got back into our neighborhood, it was about 845 at night, and we were just going to head home... But we knew we needed to stop back by Eric's home-- so feeling a little awkward knocking on this man's door whom we haven't met before so late in the evening, we followed the spirit and had a lovely conversation with him on is front porch. He explained his situation, and we asked him if we could come back and meet with his wife and stepson another day, earlier in the evening. Last week, we went back for that meeting and talked about the family proclamation. They told us how they want to re-prioritize their lives and committed themselves to nightly family prayer. We felt the spirit, fell in love with this sweet little family, and left. About 30 minutes after we left, we received a phone call from Eric who was on his way to get a haircut, thanking us for bringing the spirit into his home. He said it had been so long since he had felt it... Then he began to tear up as he told us that when he left his house, Kim was on the computer looking up Mormon.org. He told us they had talked and would definitely be at church on Sunday even though he had to come home early from a business trip to do so, and then he told us that he feels that Kim is the most prepared she's ever been to receive the gospel. When they were at church on Sunday, beaming with happiness, so was I-- This family is on their way to becoming a forever family :)
Also, Jakob Mason passed the sacrament for the first time yesterday-- it was a really great day!
Please know how much I love you... The gospel is true-- Jesus is the Christ-- Families can be forever.
Have a phenomenal week and look for the joy in life!
Love,
Sister Chelsea-a-Lynn LeSueur
Monday, May 2, 2011
Teach me, Lord, to be a shepherd; Father, help me feed thy sheep
Hello, dear family, from The Ohio!
Happy May! I cannot believe we've begun the 5th month of the year. I cannot believe we've begun the 16th month out of 18. I cannot believe time flies so quickly-- one might even say it "flies on wings of lightening"! Hah, I love the hymns of Zion :)
It has been another great week here in Clearfork, and even though 90% of our appointments were canceled, or we had to cancel them due to Sister Vaasili and a terrible toothache which we're going to the dentist for today, we had some wonderful lessons, met some great people, and had a phenomenal day at zone conference on Thursday.
We had a wonderful new member lesson with Gene and his boys, at Brother Hawk's home, about the priesthood. This was especially appropriate because Gene and Jakob received the priesthood the previous Sunday, and yesterday Gene passed the sacrament-- Jakob will next week... Gene told us that he wanted to show his son 'how it was done'. I thought that was cute! We are working to transition their lessons from us teaching and members supporting to members teaching and us supporting. It worked really well Thursday-- Brother Hawk put a lot of effort into his lesson and the spirit was very strong. This Thursday, we will have another lesson with them and it will be a review of sorts in the from of Jeopardy. It should be fun, and hopefully it peeks these adolescent boys' attention and memories!
Yesterday, my testimony about prayers being answered and fasting was strengthened. It being fast Sunday, I fasted to receive personal revelation as to how we can best help a recent convert family remain strong in the gospel and become more solidly converted, and for this family to recognize where their priorities ought to be. When I was reading my scriptures before and during the sacrament yesterday, I came across Alma 23, which talks about the Anti-Nephi-Lehies' conversion, and received the distinct impression to share this scriptural account of this group of people burying their weapons of rebellion because of their true conversion. Then last night, we received a phone call from our ward mission leader who had stopped by their home and she had quit her job because it was interfering with church and family. What an amazing and very tangible example of prayers being answered and fasting being a means of strength and knowledge! I love the Lord-- He is so very good to us!
I know that the Book of Mormon is true, Jesus is the Christ, and families can be forever. The Lord wants us to feed His sheep, and if we truly love Him, that is exactly what we will do-- even (and especially) if it means, as it did for Peter in the New Testament, leaving our nets and our old life behind. We must rescue and feed His sheep.
I love you guys so very much-- Go preach His gospel!
Love,
Sister Chelsea Lynn LeSueur
Happy May! I cannot believe we've begun the 5th month of the year. I cannot believe we've begun the 16th month out of 18. I cannot believe time flies so quickly-- one might even say it "flies on wings of lightening"! Hah, I love the hymns of Zion :)
It has been another great week here in Clearfork, and even though 90% of our appointments were canceled, or we had to cancel them due to Sister Vaasili and a terrible toothache which we're going to the dentist for today, we had some wonderful lessons, met some great people, and had a phenomenal day at zone conference on Thursday.
We had a wonderful new member lesson with Gene and his boys, at Brother Hawk's home, about the priesthood. This was especially appropriate because Gene and Jakob received the priesthood the previous Sunday, and yesterday Gene passed the sacrament-- Jakob will next week... Gene told us that he wanted to show his son 'how it was done'. I thought that was cute! We are working to transition their lessons from us teaching and members supporting to members teaching and us supporting. It worked really well Thursday-- Brother Hawk put a lot of effort into his lesson and the spirit was very strong. This Thursday, we will have another lesson with them and it will be a review of sorts in the from of Jeopardy. It should be fun, and hopefully it peeks these adolescent boys' attention and memories!
Yesterday, my testimony about prayers being answered and fasting was strengthened. It being fast Sunday, I fasted to receive personal revelation as to how we can best help a recent convert family remain strong in the gospel and become more solidly converted, and for this family to recognize where their priorities ought to be. When I was reading my scriptures before and during the sacrament yesterday, I came across Alma 23, which talks about the Anti-Nephi-Lehies' conversion, and received the distinct impression to share this scriptural account of this group of people burying their weapons of rebellion because of their true conversion. Then last night, we received a phone call from our ward mission leader who had stopped by their home and she had quit her job because it was interfering with church and family. What an amazing and very tangible example of prayers being answered and fasting being a means of strength and knowledge! I love the Lord-- He is so very good to us!
I know that the Book of Mormon is true, Jesus is the Christ, and families can be forever. The Lord wants us to feed His sheep, and if we truly love Him, that is exactly what we will do-- even (and especially) if it means, as it did for Peter in the New Testament, leaving our nets and our old life behind. We must rescue and feed His sheep.
I love you guys so very much-- Go preach His gospel!
Love,
Sister Chelsea Lynn LeSueur
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