Colorado to Kingston : October 2015

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Seeing through God's Eyes

Hey ya'll :)

This week was a learning week. It started off really hard because we thought our top investigator was hiding from us and it was pretty much breaking our hearts. But then we ran into her during the week, and turns out she's been working a ton of hours and her phone broke so she didn't know how to reach us. We set up a time to go see her when she wouldn't be working and as we walked away I felt like I was walking on the clouds... it's the best feeling ever when people really do want to meet with you because they know the gospel is true!

We had trade-offs this last week on Saturday. I got to stay in Old Harbour with Sister Shaffer, and Sister Tebo went to Kingston for the day with Sister Williams! Trade-offs are always fun. It's good to get to teach with someone other than your regular companion every once in a while... I always learn so much. This trade-off I learned a lot about planning and prayers :)

I've been praying a lot lately and asking for an eternal perspective when I meet people. I know I still have a long ways to go, but over this last week I've seen my prayers answered in many ways. I've started to be able to look past the little things that used to hold me back when talking to people on the street. I had a really cool experience yesterday when teaching a lesson... we were talking to a man about the Book of Mormon, and as we were teaching, it was so easy for me to picture him in the temple with his family. I know that God answers prayers and helps us to see through His eyes if we truly seek for that. I've been so blessed over the course of my mission to be able to get just a glimpse of how God views me, how He views you, how He feels all of us... and you guys, let me tell you. If the tiny little glimpse that I've had is this wonderful, than I can never even come close to imagining how much God loves us and how much He wants us to reach our full potential one day.

I love what Elder Palmer said in his testimony yesterday about praying with real intent. Basically he was saying how when we pray with real intent, we are promised that we will get an answer. He said, "If you're not getting your answer, it's because God is testing you to see if you truly want to know." I took that to heart and applied that in my nightly prayers last night and let me tell you it's true!! If we just wait and sit for a while during our prayers, an outpouring of personal revelation comes... God just wants to make sure we really want the knowledge we're asking for.

Prayers are answered. God is real. Jesus Christ suffered and died for each one of us individually, and we can turn to Him no matter what. We can never go too far to be out of the reach of God's love. I know that is true.

I love you all.

xoxoxo,

Sister Oman

We put our ponderize verses on the fridge and I learned so much this week! (If you have no idea what ponderizing is, check out this talk: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/my-heart-pondereth-them-continually?lang=eng )

Lunch at brother thomas's!

Brother Thomas made Sister Tebo drink nonni juice... i'll tell you about it sometime. suffice it to say, it's basically the liquid from rotting fruit. it's disgusting. i have it all on video and i will show you when i get home hehe

Sister Tebo trying not to throw up after she drank it (yes, it's that bad. I've been there before)

Sister Shaffer and i on trade off!

Sister Tebo had her one month mark on Friday! So of course we celebrated with brownies.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Rainy Days and General Conference

It finally rained this week!!!! Several times :) It was so nice. The rain cools everything off and cleans everything up! I love days after it rains because the earth just looks shiny and new again. It hadn't rained in Old Harbour in approximately an eternity so it was a very big blessing :)

I learned an important lesson this week: Never ask a guy on the street to take a picture with you because he will try to hold your hand and you'll turn into a very awkward missionary who jerks your hand away and then tries to teach him the restoration while he's laughing up a storm. Confused? Let me explain.

We were walking down the road when I saw a tshirt that looked vaguely like a BYU tshirt. Now, I've never see anything BYU related except for on missionaries while I've been on my mission so I got very excited. And when I get excited, there goes my common sense. Before I knew what I was doing, I had blurted out "That's my school!! Can I take a picture with you?" He looked a little confused at first but then agreed... and that's when he tried to hold my hand. Oops. Lesson learned and duly noted.

We had one of the best zone meetings I've ever had on my entire mission this last week. Everything was well planned and it was just so inspiring. Plus we had a really cool experience with President Brown during the meeting. Sister Tebo and I were role playing with him, practicing how to help one of our investigators come to know the Book of Mormon was true. The entire time, it's like questions just popped into my head to ask him and even though it was a role play, I knew it was the Holy host helping us to understand our investigator's real concerns. We learned so much from that role play. I love role plays :) Even if they are awkward sometimes. I've learned to embrace the awkward and love it throughout my mission!

Zone meeting went long this week. Normally it ends at two, but this time it ended at three. We were a little frustrated at first because we would miss our first appointment for the day. We ended up getting pizza and eating at the chapel after zone meeting before heading back to Old Harbour. By the time we got to Old Harbour, it was pretty late and we didn't have much time to proselyte. We went to a few appointments and were heading home when I just felt like maybe we should go down a road that we don't normally travel on. We got to the bottom of the road and were saying goodbye to the member that had come teaching with us when a man stopped to talk to us. He was crying and obviously a little drunk, so I honestly almost just dismissed it and kept walking. But something told us to stay and listen so we did and he was telling us about how a family member had been killed in a bus accident earlier that day. Two cool things:

1. The Lord put this man in our path so we could share a message of the Plan of Salvation with him. After we talked to him for a minute, he had significantly calmed down and was thanking us for sharing the Plan of Salvation with him.

2. Because zone meeting had ended an hour later that day, we were on the bus an hour later. As we listened, it became very apparent that we would have been on the same bus his family member had been killed on had zone meeting ended at two o'clock instead of three. The Lord protects his missionaries. I know that's true.

Funny moment! Here, they sell something called bag juice. It's basically cheap kool aid in a bag that you can drink. Well they also sell bag water, which is water in a bag. This week, Sister Tebo asked me what flavor the clear bag juice is. After I laughed for a while, I explained it was water. Then we both laughed for a while haha.

I love General Conference. This weekend was amazing. I came with a list of questions I needed answers to. Some of them I didn't see how they would be directly answered in conference, but I prayed that somehow I would find the answers I need. And every single question was answered. Especially as Robert D. Hales talked, it was like he was just talking directly to me. I know the Lord inspires His servants to teach us the things we need to hear. I love and sustain all the general authorities of this church. The church is true!!

And to close off this crazy long email, my favorite quote from our dear, dear prophet Thomas S. Monson: "Abiding faith becomes an anchor to our lives."

I love you all!! Have a splendid week :)

xoxoxo,

Sister Oman

Jamaica. How I love it!!

I love Jamaican Sunsets, everyday!

We went to a fun restaurant in between sessions of General Conference on Saturday with our district... it was super fun!

Sister Pinnock came along for lunch. I love that lady!!

Rainy Days=Umbrellas

The man with the BYU Shirt. Ha Ha

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Lunar Eclipses, Transfer Meetings and Prayers!

Woah okay so another week has gone by!!

I went to Spanish Town twice this week... once on Tuesday for trainers meeting (which was amazing), and once on Thursday for transfer meeting!! Going to Spanish Town is always an adventure... I love it :)

On Wednesday, we continued our weekly Chinese food in the air conditioning at the church after district meeting tradition. But this time we added a round of phase 10 to our lunch. 60 minutes of Chinese food and Phase 10 do a lot to help you feel ready to face the rest of the week :)

Thursday, I picked up my new companion! Her name is Sister Tebo, she's from Texas, and she's a total sweetheart :) Funny story! She actually emailed me before she went into the MTC! When President Brown found that out, he told us that he had no idea that had happened when he made us companions. And that's how I know transfer calls are truly revelation :)

We saw a lunar eclipse last night! It was so cool!! We had called our district leader to give him our weekly call in report and instead of the usual "Hey this is Elder Palmer," when he picked up he just yelled "Quick go outside! There's a lunar eclipse!" and then we hung up. Well after I scared Sister Tebo a bit because I just ran out of the house without telling her what was going on (haha sorry Sister Tebo), we saw the lunar eclipse! It was so awesome haha.

The women's meeting on Saturday was amazing. If you haven't watched it yet, you all need to watch it right now. So many prayers were answered!! You can watch it here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2015/10?cid=HP_SA_9-26-2015_dPTH_fGC_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng

And last but not least, I love this scripture!!

"And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led." -1 Nephi 17:13

I love this scripture because every time I read it, I'm reminded how the Lord will always lead us through our live if we keep His commandments. As we rely on the Lord for guidance and we counsel daily with Him through prayer, we can truly reach our promised lands... wherever that may be in this life, and we will gain eternal life in the world to come! I am so grateful for that promise :)

Okay I think that's it for this week. I love you all!!

xoxoxoxox,

Sister Oman

Pictures!!