Are You Arguing With the Spirit?

Malo lelei family!

What a wonderful week with my lovely new companion! Sister Eteaki is so wonderful. She is so sassy and funny and sweet. She has a powerhouse testimony. When she speaks, she speaks by the spirit and you feel what she says. I have so much to learn from her! She is always willing to try her best and she is so humble. I'm so grateful to have her as my companion. Her only flaw is that she cannot cook Tongan food which is GREATLY disappointing. But she's teaching me Tongan while I help with her English so I will deal. 

Sister Froemming and Sister Eteaki

So many miracles this week. The work was a little tougher than usual as we had to kind of break the area back in after my time in Claremont Meadows, but we pushed through this week and Heavenly Father blessed us with so many tender mercies.

I want to share one of my favorite experiences this week.

On Thursday, Sister Eteaki and I walked onto the train excited to share the gospel with someone. There were no seats together so I sat down next to a kind looking man and tried talking with him. He politely shut me down and I felt prompted to go and sit next to a much less friendly looking man. I fought it for a minute or two until I eventually got the courage to get up and go sit with him.

He was ICE cold. He wouldn't so much look at me. I'll be honest, I was a little scared. I knew I needed to talk to him but I didn't know how. As I stared out the train window, an Australian flag caught my eye. Suddenly the thought came to mind "Ask him if he was in the army."

I, being as imperfect as I am, began an argument with the spirit. 

"That's such a random question. How do I even ask that?" I looked him up and down desperate for any sort of sign from his clothing that he was in the army. Nothing. 

"What if he says no? That will be so awkward!"

This went on for a few minutes until I could no longer deny the feelings I had. 

"Excuse me sir?"

"Yes?"

"I'm a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And I just feel like I need to ask you if you were in the army?" (Smooth right?)

He gave me a very confused look. "Yes....I was."

I WAS IN SHOCK!!!!! I could not believe my ears. I'm not sure why, I know that Heavenly Father works miracles. But I did not know that I myself could have my own Alma & Amulek / Zeezrom experience. 

"Oh." lol I had not thought far enough in advance to know where I was going with that.

I ended up asking him about how that experience was for him and it initiated a conversation about the restoration of the Gospel. He turned out to be an incredibly lovely and funny man.

This moment of inspiration was an incredibly eye opening experience for me. I receive revelation for people everyday,  but never like that. How much more am I capable of if I keep myself worthy and seek for the spirit? How much more can I accomplish if I simply increase my faith and trust in the Lord? How many times have I argued with the spirit and missed an opportunity to see a miracle?

Am I living beneath my potential?

When President first came to the mission, he shared with us.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking 
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone
And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously 
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, 
Our presence automatically liberates others."
Mariane Williamson 

Are we guilty of allowing our fears to undermine our potential as Children of God? How many times would Heavenly Father have done amazing things in our lives if we would have asked and sought for the spirit?

I know that as Children of God, we are capable of accomplishing so much. We simply need to be worthy of the spirit, and willing to act. We must give heed and diligence to each promptings and Heavenly Father will trust us with more knowledge and light. 

I know that obedience and trust in Heavenly Father brings miracles. I have watched my amazing companion trust the Lord each time she teaches. English is her second language and each lesson we walk out of she says "what did I say?" or "I didn't even know I knew how to say that". Every time she opens her mouth she trusts the Lord and He works through her. 

Trust in the Lord. Seek the spirit. Watch the miracles that come as we seek to reach our full potential.

Weekly Highlights!

-I saw my mum (Sis Hosea) and Sister Conference! I love her so much she kills me and she is smashing as a STL.

-Sister Eteaki is so dang funny and she has like 7 boyfriends in Tonga lol I love her.

-We cried laughing at the Hamanns house. The Hamanns remind me so much of our family they are so hilarious. Sister Hamann called me an idiot because she was like "If your mom is anything like me than you will miss being called that." Love them.

-I learned how to pray in Tongan.

Well I hope you all have a great week! Love you all HEAPS!

Ofa atu,

SF

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