WEEK 13: Be of good cheer, remember that your future is as bright as you faith - Counsel with the Lord in ALL your DOINGS.

Another week down and I'm hitting 3 1/2 months on my mission. This email might be a little short but this week has been crazy!  Lots of good stuff happening.  Sister Snyder and i are busy every day and i'm exhausted every night, but that's good because working hard and being busy is the BEST!

When I first got here I was so worried about being in the country, stinky cows and bugs :)-I know I'm so silly.  It really is so beautiful here... I love the cows and I am always trying to touch random Farmers' cows on the side of the road...I'm WEIRD - they always run away from me.

Missions are nothing like you expect, mission prep class only touches the surface of what you do each day, what you teach, what you go through and experience so just do the best you can with your prep time-don't waste it, take it seriously...get a solid testimony and learn to work hard!  

I think sometimes we get caught up too much in the negative and the bad that we miss the good and don't recognize it every day. Something I've been studying a lot is Prayer, and importance of Sunday worship and keeping it holy. A scripture that I love about prayer is in Alma 37 v37, go take a look and let me know what you think!  "Counsel with the Lord in ALL your DOINGS".  As we council with the Lord and thank him everyday for the things, the people that he has put in our lives that day, we are able to recognize the miracle and what he is giving us.  At the end of the day we pray on our knees for what he gave us that day.  I find myself sometime repeating the same things in my prayers. Since I've been here in Missouri I have found my relationship growing with my Heavenly Father and things are more personal when I pray at night. I just love it! 

Sunday we had an amazing lesson given to us about Sunday and the Sacrament and I want to share something that has helped my heart heal. I have had a lot of people hurt me in my life and that has led to not trusting people.  As Sister Speaks gave her lesson she made an amazing point about the Sacrament and what Sunday is for. Yes Sunday is meant to be a day of rest, a day of HEALING and POWER.  As we let the Sunday heal us and we give everything to the Lord that has happened in 7 days.. from the last 7 days, so much power and healing of the heart can be done.  

Jesus Christ already atoned for our sins, sorrows, pains, heartache, sickness - everything. We really don't need to let what others have done carry on longer than 7 days.  Sometimes it does.  People have agency and we don't always understand why people do what they do. Take everything that has happened to you from Sunday to Sunday and pour it out during sacrament and the whole Sunday.  Let your day be of rest but don't forget that Sunday is a different day from the rest of the week.   It's a whole day we can feel the Power of Healing and Allow the Lord to Heal us to go on to the next week. I am so thankful for this lesson and I hope this all made sense. 

We have found a lot of new Investigators through fellow shipping and helping the less actives and matching them with families that are active.  Lots of fasting and praying for those we work with and the ward members who are helping us.  We have 5 Less actives families at church yesterday and that was amazing.  It's slowly happening and I'm excited to see what happens. 

The anti-things that people come up with are insane.  It's been so sad to see people fall away or see why people have left the church.  May we not judge and love those who are struggling. 

Also everyone go ready Spiritual Eclipse talk that was given in 2017 conference. AMAZING talk and it has been another thing i studied this week. 

I LOVE YOU ALL

Remember to love, serve, live your life and be you.

WEEK 12: Dreams and Miracles come true when we exercise faith in God to pray.

HELLO EVERYONE! Wow i have felt the love today as I got on my email.   I love you all so much and thank you for writing me and encouraging me.  We missionaries all need it.  

This week has been crazy! First things first.. The fun, then the Spiritual and then maybe some other things I'll share. 

We went to the Aquarium this week and that was such a blast, we went with Brother and Sister Kelso, the couple we live with.  Sister Snyder and I were like little kids and I'll send pictures next week of that fun adventure.  

Here's one for now.

We had Zone Conference.. I am always so spiritually exhausted and after these because I receive so much and i don't know where to start.,:) its a good spiritual experience don't get me wrong. We talked a lot about focusing on others and putting the Savior first. Sometimes we are hard on ourselves and don't think we are doing enough. At the end of the day I pray and ask the Lord if i gave it all I've got that day.. no matter if all of out apts cancelled or we had a full day and found new investigators. The lord always knows the desires of our hearts. We are not perfect and we are not expected to be.. perfection is pending and will take a lifetime to become, its important to have that desire and work towards it daily though.
 

I had a really cool experience in a dream.  In this dream was a house.. a house I pass every day here in Nixa. In this dream I was told to go visit this house and the voice was very clear. I keep having dreams of houses or people we need to go see or visit and a lot of the time I don't know who they are but Sister Snyder probably thinks I'm crazy.  We are going to this house tomorrow and I'll update you all next week as to what happens. I'm excited but also we will see what this dream meant as I follow the promptings I've received because of this dream .

K is a less active member, she is one of the people I've gotten close to here. We had plans go to visit another family last night and were on our way to go visit someone other then K and her family. As I was driving i got  a prompting we needed to go visit her.. so I asked Sister Snyder if that was okay, we went and knocked on her door.  She had been crying and the first thing she said was God definitely heard my prayers because I was praying to have you come visit.  She didn't want to inconvenience us so she didn't text us.. instead she prayed and her prayer was answered. AWESOME!! We sat and talked with her for an hour and a half, she had told us some of the things she had been going through.. we shared Alma 37;37 with her and that scripture is about counseling with the Lord and prayer.

Everyone, Keep that daily communication open with God.  I know that miracles have happened and will happen through prayer.  I've seen it change my life as I've prayed multiple times a day. I am so grateful for that relationship with the spirit because with out it I wouldn't be having these experiences that not only build my faith but also the lives we are touching here. Pray always and seek guidance. I wish I would have prayed more often back home. It makes your day different.  You find answers to your questions, whether it be 2 weeks, 2 months, the time is not the important part, its the exercising of your faith that you;re demonstrating.  I can promise you that as you search with faith and be patient for those answers, your questions will be answered and you will see the Miracles every day.

This Church is true, the Book of Mormon is true and i know that everything the prophet and his apostles are saying is revelation given to them from God. 

Have a great week and Know that I love you!!!!

                                    

Love Sister Gilmour

Also these are some pictures from my week 

Elder Doman and i, (He knows James and Mike Empey)  

Snow 

Sister Snyder and i