An Instrument in His Hands: "Where Are My Stories?"

Bula Vinaka!

It was such an absolute TREAT to be able to go back to the North this week! We got to go to ZTM and Zone Conference and participate in the trainings. It was so fun to spend time with all of our favorite sisters! 8 Sisters in 1 flat is always a party. But it was SOO hot. We all melted and couldn't hardly sleep. It reminded me of being in the MTC again! 7 islanders and ME! Except now I'm Kai Viti. So I guess it was 8 islanders. :) And the sisters from my intake gave their departing testimonies at Zone Conference. That's when it got really .... REAL. But I'm so grateful I'm lucky enough to stay an extra transfer! :)

The work here is going so well! Everyday is a good day to be a missionary here in Nadi! :) We are so excited for our investigators who are so close to being baptized! The Lord has truly watched out for them even though we've been gone so much! At church, two of our investigators told us they were getting married today! Yay! So we got to witness their wedding this morning! It was beautiful. And when they walked out they said "Sa qai varau me papitaiso!" or "Now we are ready to be baptized!" I don't know who is more excited for their baptism..... us or them!

We were also blessed with one of the most GOLDEN investigators I've ever seen. Her name is Jenny. The first time we sat down with her, she told us she has already read and prayed about every single pamphlet and part of the Book of Mormon. We were blown away and so happy! We can't wait to watch her continue to progress! Every lesson with her strengthens my testimony!

At Zone Conference this week I learned a pretty powerful lesson. Not from any of the particular trainings, but from the Spirit. At the end of Zone Conference, President Layton opened it up to Questions. One of the missionaries asked how we can make our Personal Prayers more meaningful. We were discussing different ideas and some of the senior missionaries were commenting on what kind of things parents like to hear from their kids. Immediately I thought of my dad. I thought of coming home from school every single day. I thought of his famous phrase...."Where're my stories?" Throughout my day I would always keep a special stack of all the best stories I would tell my dad, when that question came. I carefully recorded all the details. And I couldn't wait to see the reaction on his face when he heard about all of my good stories. As I raised my hand to share this experience, the spirit hit me. That's exactly what my Heavenly Father wants. He wants to hear our stories. He doesn't want to hear the same boring facts every single day just to be able to check off our evening prayers. I know that THAT is how we will strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Sharing the things that matter most to us. And the details of our daily lives. I'm thankful for the spirit that helped me make that simple connection and bring on a whole new meaning to my prayers.

Loloma Levu,

Sista Matheson :)