What happened this week? Mark. The
adversary is working so very hard on him and his family. He still really
wants to be baptized, but he doesn't know if it's gonna happen in
October. Or November. Or December. He just can't
say. gah! Me and Sister Millward just wanted to cry. And we
did when he left. :) Thanks for keeping him in your prayers.
I don't remember if I told you this or not, but our mission
is doing a 40 day fast. So for 40 days, at least 1 or 2 companionships
will be fasting for the whole mission. Purpose? 1-To have increased
spirutual power in the mission 2-to have 40 baptisms in the month of October
(and I add in that Mark will be one of them ha)...We had our turn to fast yesterday.
I'm just so excited to see what will come of this. I have a feeling it'll
be amazing. I love the Scotland/Ireland mission. Best mission in
the world. ;)
I got to go on exchanges this week! It was my first
time... they decided to try it out with sisters. haha. It was
fun. I was with Sister Tylka in Irvine. It was really good-she's a
great missionary. I sure did miss my Greenock and Sister Millward,
though. :)
Our other new investigator is Liz. We just met her on
the street a few weeks ago and finally caught her in. We taught her the
Restoration, and we'll be going back. Hopefully it'll be good!
Part 1 of 2!
ReplyDeleteDear Rindlisbacher Family and Friends,
I hope that it's ok for me to write here? If not, please just delete this. However, I had to write as I am the Mark of Greenock Sister Rindlisbacher speaks of! I am so sad that she and Sr. Millward have been moved on, but I know they will continue to be the most amazing missionaries, bringing the word of our Heavenly Father to the people of Scotland and Ireland.
I don't really know where to start. I really just wanted to tell Mr & Mrs Rindlisbacher that they have an absolutely incredible daughter, one of whom they can be very proud. Over the last couple of months Sr. Rindlisbacher (along with Sisters Millward and Patterson and the members of the church in Greenock) has given me so much time, patience and, often, joyful laughter. Most importantly, she's given me the Book of Mormon, which I promise faithfully to read every day, just as I will pray for her every day.
As you will know, there have been obstacles to me being baptised. However, I will continue to work towards removing these obstacles. I can think of nothing I want more right now than to follow Christ's commandments - commandments she introduced me to.
The most amazing gift Sr. Rindlisbacher has given me is the Word of Wisdom. God worked a miracle here. Until I met the missionaries, I'd given up hope of ever being able to quit smoking. I found it so incredibly hard. But since the moment I promised to follow the commandment, Heavenly Father has pretty much entirely removed the desire to smoke. I've hardly struggled with quitting at all and I haven't had a cigarette since. Or a cup of tea or coffee, for that matter! It's a minor miracle in the grand scheme of life, the universe and everything, but a very important one to me, and a very humbling one.
I feel very sad that the Sisters have been moved, but Greenock's loss is the gain of the people to whom they now go. I (like all their friends here) shall miss them greatly but in their absence my faith grows even stronger. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and I know Heavenly Father wants me to get baptised. I promise I will try and get that done as soon as possible.
I know those things because Sister Rindlisbacher, and her companions, brought me those words, and for that I'm eternally grateful. She is a wonderful person: kind, compassionate, thoughtful, a huge amount of fun, and a fantastic teacher. But you knew all this already!
Part 2 of 2.
ReplyDeleteLike I say, I hope it's ok for me to post this here. I never told Sr. Rindlisbacher I'd read her blog. I didn't want to embarrass her or make things awkward in any way. But I found it very early on, after our second meeting I think (I don't know too many Rindlisbachers here so she was easily found on Google!). The blog really humbled me. It shames me now to remember how cynical I'd become before meeting her and Sr. Patterson. Although I was grateful to learn about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I didn't really think missionaries meant it. I thought it was just an easy way for young adults to travel abroad. Then I read the blog and realised they were for real. And then I started to think of all the incredible work they do: the long hours, the knocking on doors, talking to strangers, walking from one end of town to the other to visit members in need, putting up patiently with investigators like me! Not to mention the months and months of being away from home, missing friends and family and loved ones. That they would commit to doing this proved to me beyond doubt that there had to be something to it. I could see God's hand helping them. From where else could they possibly getting the strength and courage to do all this good, selfless work?
When I met Sisters Rindlisbacher and Patterson (and then Millward) I didn't expect to believe. I was merely interested in learning more about the church. Now I believe. And that's entirely thanks to your daughter (or sister, cousin or friend) and her companions.
Now all I want is to get baptised. I have a way to go yet, but God knows I want it. And I know that God wants it! I want it so that I may please God. But I want it too to please Sr. Rindlisbacher - she's the kind of person I would hate ever to displease!
Well, I think I've rambled far too long. I just wanted to pass through and say that Sr. Rindlisbacher has had the most astonishing and positive effect on my life. She is a truly wonderful person, and a very marvellous missionary.
As I say, I will pray for her and her family every day, and also for all the missionaries. Thank you for your prayers - I very much appreciate them.
Take care and have a great day.
Yours faithfully,
Mark Jones, Greenock
To Mark
DeleteAmen to what Annette said! I pray for you and your family frequently, and i'm grateful for your words. I think I can relate to the love you have for Sister Rindlisbacher for her part in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ into your life. If you want, you can read about how Sister Rindlisbacher touched my life as my dear friend on my blog at http://merissalinn.blogspot.com/2011/09/say-youre-with-me.html
I wish you the best of luck in overcoming the obstacles that lie before you. I can tell you wholeheartedly that it WILL be worth it. Keep doing what you're doing - keep praying, keep reading in the Book of Mormon, keep believing, and perhaps most importantly, keep desiring to please God. That desire will be critical as it says in The Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 32.
Best wishes,
Missy Homer
Hello Mark! Thank you for your touching posts! You and your family are in our prayers daily. We are so proud of you and your faith! You have made amazing progress and Heavenly Father will continue to bless you. I would love to stay in contact. I will try to find you on face book. I will also try and do better to keep up her blog (I'm a bit of a procrastinator!) Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteBest, Annette Rindlisbacher
Dear Missy and Annette,
ReplyDeleteThank you both so much for your replies! I was surprised and delighted to find them. It was really great to hear from you both and to read Sr. Rindlisbacher's latest posts!
Dear Missy!
Thank you so much - I have started reading some of your blog. It's amazing, and very moving. Your blog is spot on: "They're gonna be so blessed by the gospel, they'll feel so loved to have had Sister Rindlisbacher come into their lives right when they needed it and they'll want to spread the good news of the gospel." That's me, I'm one of those people and eternally grateful to Heavenly Father that He sent the sisters my way, that horribly rainy day earlier this summer! And you are right, Sister R really IS "a phenomenal missionary"! I still some issues to deal with but I do want to be baptised ,and I'm very grateful for your prayers. I'll pray for you too - I hope your day is going really well, and (as a bit of a player myself) I hope you're still in love with the guitar. Your playing and singing sounded great in that video!
Dear Annette!
Thank you too so much for your words and especially for all your prayers. I promise I pray daily for Sister Rindlisbacher and the missionaries, and I pray too for you and all your family. I will also pray for her driving! I was extremely touched that you should feel "proud" of me. I felt abashed. It was such a kind thing to say. It's really her you should be proud of. She does a fantastic job. She brought Heavenly Father back into my life. I was reading The Book of Mormon last night and it dawned on me that perhaps the very best thing the missionaries have done for me was make me listen to God again. I'm very good at talking at Him, asking things of Him all the time, but I hadn't really been listening to Him, and I know now that I need to listen more - and then I need to DO what He tells me!
I just searched your name on Facebook, so I will write you a message - it was easier for me to find your name, I think, than for you to find "Mark Jones", which is a very common name! There must be hundreds of Mark Joneses on FB! It would be really great to keep in contact.
Please don't worry about being a procrastinator - I wouldn't have thought that at all. I love checking in here every now and then to see if any updates have been updates. When there are, it's great! But if not, I like re-reading older posts. Something I learned about your daughter is that she's one of those really rare people who has such a joyful and fun nature but who, at the same time, is a deeply wise and compassionate young woman. I love reading her blog - there's always something to be learned from what she says.
Thank you again, both of you, for your replies and prayers. They mean a huge amount - more than words can say.
Very best wishes to you both,
Mark