Dear Family and Friends,
I am so sorry about last weeks email. I did write you but the computer didn't send it and now I can't find the email to you all. The email system we use is having a really hard time and all missionaries are having problems with emails being deleted. I am sorry! It should get better because they are changing the system around.
This week has been really good. My new companions name is Sister Larson. She is a great sisters. We laugh alot and are enjoying our time together. She is willing to do the Lords work and that is the best part about her. I LOVE HER!!!!!!
We have been doing alot of service lately for our members. A member in our ward owns their own theater company. We went over this last week and helped them make dalmation costumes. It was really fun. We ironed on spots and I am so surprised that we disn't get any spots on ourselves.
We taught Tatiana again. She is a young girl that we taught about a month ago. Her best friends is a member. She came to church and loved it. She said she was embarassed because she cried so much. We taught her after church. When I asked her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon she said "I already know it is true." We were so excited when she said that. The only thing that is holding her back is that her parents aren't in favor of the church. We are praying really hard that her parents will have a change of heart!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for you all and all the love and support that you give me. My cup is so full this Thanksgiving. I have so many blessings I can't count them all. The Lord is so good to me. Remember to hold out strong because the Lord will always bless you!
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
November 9th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
I am so excited because I am going to get to train a new missionary. Tomorrow is transfers and I have been called as a trainer. I am nervous but excited at the same time. I know that through the strength of my Heavenly Father I can do all things. I have faith that we will have a great time together.
The work is moving slowly but I have a feeling it is about to explode. We have alot of potential. Alot of our members have people we could potentially work with. We are still praying for Tatiana. She is one of our members friend. She is 16 and very eager to learn. Her parents have finally given their consent to her being taught but she doesn't have alot of time. It is really hard to meet with her but we pray that we can start actively teaching her this week.
For our Zone and District meeting we listen to a really good talk. I can't remember the name of the talk but it is by S. Michael Wilcox. He is talking about C.S Lewis and his stories. They talk about one story that I just loved. He talked about a young man who goes into a dragons cave and falls asleep. He wakes after awhile and finds that he had turned into a dragon. S. Michael Wilcox talks about how if we sit in a dragon's cave, do dragon things, and think dragon thoughts then we will turn into a dragon. And like wise, if we sit in a Godly cave, doing Godly things, thinking Godly thoughts then we will be like God.
I finished the BOM this week. I loved it. I encourage all of you to pick the Book of Mormon up and start reading it. It has definantly changed me. All the answers to the questions of life can be found in that book. We are so privileged to have that book. Most churches only have the Bible but we have a second witness of our Savior. We are so greatly blessed.
I love you all. I know that church is true. I absolutly love being on a mission. It is a great blessing in my life. I know that the Gospel is true. It is the same church that Jesus himself established when He was here upon the earth.
Love Sister Comte
I am so excited because I am going to get to train a new missionary. Tomorrow is transfers and I have been called as a trainer. I am nervous but excited at the same time. I know that through the strength of my Heavenly Father I can do all things. I have faith that we will have a great time together.
The work is moving slowly but I have a feeling it is about to explode. We have alot of potential. Alot of our members have people we could potentially work with. We are still praying for Tatiana. She is one of our members friend. She is 16 and very eager to learn. Her parents have finally given their consent to her being taught but she doesn't have alot of time. It is really hard to meet with her but we pray that we can start actively teaching her this week.
For our Zone and District meeting we listen to a really good talk. I can't remember the name of the talk but it is by S. Michael Wilcox. He is talking about C.S Lewis and his stories. They talk about one story that I just loved. He talked about a young man who goes into a dragons cave and falls asleep. He wakes after awhile and finds that he had turned into a dragon. S. Michael Wilcox talks about how if we sit in a dragon's cave, do dragon things, and think dragon thoughts then we will turn into a dragon. And like wise, if we sit in a Godly cave, doing Godly things, thinking Godly thoughts then we will be like God.
I finished the BOM this week. I loved it. I encourage all of you to pick the Book of Mormon up and start reading it. It has definantly changed me. All the answers to the questions of life can be found in that book. We are so privileged to have that book. Most churches only have the Bible but we have a second witness of our Savior. We are so greatly blessed.
I love you all. I know that church is true. I absolutly love being on a mission. It is a great blessing in my life. I know that the Gospel is true. It is the same church that Jesus himself established when He was here upon the earth.
Love Sister Comte
Monday, November 2, 2009
November 2nd Email
Dear Family and Friends,
Sorry it has been awhile. I am doing well and learning alot. This week has been amazing.
Yesterday my companion and I fasted for a young girl named Tatiana. Tatiana(she is 16) is a friend of a member in our ward. She loves the church and what it teaches. She is a very smart girl. She wants to be baptized but her parents weren't too happy about it when she first asked if she could learn. We were finally able to teach her the first lesson over a week ago. She said she probably couldn't meet again because her parents wouldn't let her. As we were fasting yesterday though, her member friend came up to us and told us that her parents are now fine with her learning about the church. We are so excited.
We had a wonderful Halloween party for our ward this week. We had a young family, Mom (Kasey), Dad (Trey) and 2 year old (Ashley) there that are not members. We tracted into them the first day I was in this area and we have been trying, to get them to come around to us teaching them, since then. They loved the party and the members that they met. They also took a tour of the church. The whole time around the church Trey, the husband, kept saying "I like this about my church, but....." He kept comparing his church to ours with ours being favored. I pray with all my heart that we can see this little family join the church. It would be a miracle.
Halloween was great! I dressed up, for our ward party, as a cow and my companion was a cowgirl. It was really cute. I will try and send pictures as soon as possible. I felt funny in my costume but everyone loved it. On Halloween night we played games with a really neat family in the ward.
I love you all!!!!!!
Love
Sister Comte
Sorry it has been awhile. I am doing well and learning alot. This week has been amazing.
Yesterday my companion and I fasted for a young girl named Tatiana. Tatiana(she is 16) is a friend of a member in our ward. She loves the church and what it teaches. She is a very smart girl. She wants to be baptized but her parents weren't too happy about it when she first asked if she could learn. We were finally able to teach her the first lesson over a week ago. She said she probably couldn't meet again because her parents wouldn't let her. As we were fasting yesterday though, her member friend came up to us and told us that her parents are now fine with her learning about the church. We are so excited.
We had a wonderful Halloween party for our ward this week. We had a young family, Mom (Kasey), Dad (Trey) and 2 year old (Ashley) there that are not members. We tracted into them the first day I was in this area and we have been trying, to get them to come around to us teaching them, since then. They loved the party and the members that they met. They also took a tour of the church. The whole time around the church Trey, the husband, kept saying "I like this about my church, but....." He kept comparing his church to ours with ours being favored. I pray with all my heart that we can see this little family join the church. It would be a miracle.
Halloween was great! I dressed up, for our ward party, as a cow and my companion was a cowgirl. It was really cute. I will try and send pictures as soon as possible. I felt funny in my costume but everyone loved it. On Halloween night we played games with a really neat family in the ward.
I love you all!!!!!!
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
September 28th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
I don't have alot of time but I wanted to update you all on the families we are teaching. The Gleason's are getting baptized in two weeks!!! We are really excited. They are an awesome family. The kids went to a wedding in Boston this week so we actually got to meet with Sister Gleason by herself. It was nice to get to just talk with her. She is such a great mother and loves her kids so much. She had a very strong testimony!! I love her so much!!
The Browns are doing well. Brother Brown came back from his trip out to see his family. We are really praying for him at this time. We hope that he will be able to recognize the spirit and take steps closer to the Savior!
Transfers were this weekend. Sister Walton is going to Lakewood Ranch and I am getting a new companion. Her name is Sister Westover. She is from Sandy, Ut and is a Spanish speaking sister. There is not a lot of Spanish work here but I am happy to have her.
I love you all!
Sister Comte
I don't have alot of time but I wanted to update you all on the families we are teaching. The Gleason's are getting baptized in two weeks!!! We are really excited. They are an awesome family. The kids went to a wedding in Boston this week so we actually got to meet with Sister Gleason by herself. It was nice to get to just talk with her. She is such a great mother and loves her kids so much. She had a very strong testimony!! I love her so much!!
The Browns are doing well. Brother Brown came back from his trip out to see his family. We are really praying for him at this time. We hope that he will be able to recognize the spirit and take steps closer to the Savior!
Transfers were this weekend. Sister Walton is going to Lakewood Ranch and I am getting a new companion. Her name is Sister Westover. She is from Sandy, Ut and is a Spanish speaking sister. There is not a lot of Spanish work here but I am happy to have her.
I love you all!
Sister Comte
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
September 21st Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been a marvelous week here in Valrico, Florida! The Gleason's, Katie and Michael, are getting baptized on the 10th of October. We are so excited. We watched Legacy with them this week. They loved it. They mom asked if we could move in because they are so well behaved when we are around. They are such good kids. Michael is so excited because he will be able to get the priesthood. He wants to be able to pass the sacrament with the other boys!
The Browns are doing good. Brother Brown is out of town for awhile but we are trying to strengthen his family so that they can help him progress. We had family home evening with them last night. We talked about Alma 50 and building fortifications aroung our homes. The Browns have five children. A girl that is 15, a girl that is 13, a boy that is 7, and twins, a boy and girl, that are 2. The younger kids built a city out of blocks and then built a wall around the city so that we could protect the city. We then talked with the older girls about how they could help their mom make their home a safe place. The girls talked about Family Home Evening, Family prayers, and family meals. We also talked about what we bring into our home as far as the media goes. We talked about the movies we watch and the music we listen to. The girls both agreed that once we let Satan in a little bit, he will come in as far as he can budge. They decided to just leave him at the sidewalk as they enter the house.
We went this morning to the zoo with Sister Brown and the twins for P-Day. It was so much fun. I almost got licked by a giraffe. It was so disgusting! I got to see my first huge Florida gator. They had a ton of them. We also got to pet sting rays and see a baby gorilla swinging from the trees. The kids loved it and so did we. It was fun to get out and do a fun activity!
A constant theme this last month for every missionary meeting is FAITH. Everything relies on Faith. If we believe it is possible than there is no way that it will be impossible. Our Savior will provide for us. If we put our trust in Him, He will never let us fall to hard. He knows us so well that He will succor us in our time of need!
Love Sister Comte
It has been a marvelous week here in Valrico, Florida! The Gleason's, Katie and Michael, are getting baptized on the 10th of October. We are so excited. We watched Legacy with them this week. They loved it. They mom asked if we could move in because they are so well behaved when we are around. They are such good kids. Michael is so excited because he will be able to get the priesthood. He wants to be able to pass the sacrament with the other boys!
The Browns are doing good. Brother Brown is out of town for awhile but we are trying to strengthen his family so that they can help him progress. We had family home evening with them last night. We talked about Alma 50 and building fortifications aroung our homes. The Browns have five children. A girl that is 15, a girl that is 13, a boy that is 7, and twins, a boy and girl, that are 2. The younger kids built a city out of blocks and then built a wall around the city so that we could protect the city. We then talked with the older girls about how they could help their mom make their home a safe place. The girls talked about Family Home Evening, Family prayers, and family meals. We also talked about what we bring into our home as far as the media goes. We talked about the movies we watch and the music we listen to. The girls both agreed that once we let Satan in a little bit, he will come in as far as he can budge. They decided to just leave him at the sidewalk as they enter the house.
We went this morning to the zoo with Sister Brown and the twins for P-Day. It was so much fun. I almost got licked by a giraffe. It was so disgusting! I got to see my first huge Florida gator. They had a ton of them. We also got to pet sting rays and see a baby gorilla swinging from the trees. The kids loved it and so did we. It was fun to get out and do a fun activity!
A constant theme this last month for every missionary meeting is FAITH. Everything relies on Faith. If we believe it is possible than there is no way that it will be impossible. Our Savior will provide for us. If we put our trust in Him, He will never let us fall to hard. He knows us so well that He will succor us in our time of need!
Love Sister Comte
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
September 14th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been a great week here in Florida. The Orlando temple is just right outside our mission bounderies, so we only get to go once on our missions and that is the day before we go home. But we can go if we taught someone on our mission and a year later they go through the temple for themselves. This means for sisters we have to teach someone in the first six months of our missions to be able to go to the temple with them. I had the wonderful priviledge to go with a lady, that got baptized a year ago when I was in NOrth Port, this weekend when she got her endowments out. It was so good. The spirit was strong as I saw this faithful women who is so strong in her testimony of the truth to recieve the blessings of the temple. I loved being in white and seeing some of the people I love in the Celestial Room. It was a beautiful experience. She kept saying "I don't understand it all, but I love it." She wants to go back as soon as possible.
Here in Florida it is a longer drive for the saints to get to a temple. Some sacrifice alot of money, time and effort to get to the temple. But those who are faithful don't think of it as a sacrifice. They love the temple. It has made me appreciate the temple more. I want all of you to evaluate you temple attendance and see what is holding you back from attending more.
The Gleason Family is doing well. They all came to church yesterday and then to a bishops youth fireside last night. They love church and were rivoted on the bishop as he spoke on obedience. They will be out of town for the next two Sundays and we will miss them. But they are ready for baptism and we will probably set dates with them this week! They are so awesome!
The Browns are doing well. We didn't get to see Brother Brown this week but we went over and had a wonderful discusion with his wife. We talked about fortifing her home and strengthening her weakest points in their home. As we were talking I thought about how in Alma in the war chapters it talks about how they put their strongest men at their weakest spots. Instead of ignoring our weaknesses we should work on them so that they can become strong. It is really hard to do, sometimes I wish I could just ignore them. But I need to remember to make them strong. God will help us in our fight to become perfect!
Well, I better go. I love you all and am working as hard as I can. Satan can try as hard as he wants to but God will always be triumphant. Keep holding on and never give in!
Love
Sister Comte
It has been a great week here in Florida. The Orlando temple is just right outside our mission bounderies, so we only get to go once on our missions and that is the day before we go home. But we can go if we taught someone on our mission and a year later they go through the temple for themselves. This means for sisters we have to teach someone in the first six months of our missions to be able to go to the temple with them. I had the wonderful priviledge to go with a lady, that got baptized a year ago when I was in NOrth Port, this weekend when she got her endowments out. It was so good. The spirit was strong as I saw this faithful women who is so strong in her testimony of the truth to recieve the blessings of the temple. I loved being in white and seeing some of the people I love in the Celestial Room. It was a beautiful experience. She kept saying "I don't understand it all, but I love it." She wants to go back as soon as possible.
Here in Florida it is a longer drive for the saints to get to a temple. Some sacrifice alot of money, time and effort to get to the temple. But those who are faithful don't think of it as a sacrifice. They love the temple. It has made me appreciate the temple more. I want all of you to evaluate you temple attendance and see what is holding you back from attending more.
The Gleason Family is doing well. They all came to church yesterday and then to a bishops youth fireside last night. They love church and were rivoted on the bishop as he spoke on obedience. They will be out of town for the next two Sundays and we will miss them. But they are ready for baptism and we will probably set dates with them this week! They are so awesome!
The Browns are doing well. We didn't get to see Brother Brown this week but we went over and had a wonderful discusion with his wife. We talked about fortifing her home and strengthening her weakest points in their home. As we were talking I thought about how in Alma in the war chapters it talks about how they put their strongest men at their weakest spots. Instead of ignoring our weaknesses we should work on them so that they can become strong. It is really hard to do, sometimes I wish I could just ignore them. But I need to remember to make them strong. God will help us in our fight to become perfect!
Well, I better go. I love you all and am working as hard as I can. Satan can try as hard as he wants to but God will always be triumphant. Keep holding on and never give in!
Love
Sister Comte
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
September 8th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
Another week has come and gone. This was definantly one of the longest weeks of my mission.
I feel ill on Tuesday. But I am much better today. I had some neat experiences through my sickness though that I know my Heavenly Father gave to me. First off was the Priesthood. Some of the elders gave me a blessing on Tuesday and from then on I knew I would be better. Another thing that was really neat was when I had to get chest X-rays to see if I had bronchitis. The guy, don't worry there were other women in the room, taking them asked if I had any metal on and I told him no. (I had forgotten my magnet name tag that I had on) After the first try to complete the X-ray, he said "YOu have something metal in your heart. Are you sure you haven't had surgery?" I told him I probably would have remembered that and then he pointed at my tag. I thought that was neat that as missionaries we all need to have the Savior in our hearts.
Last week we taught the youth in our ward how to teach the first discussion. There is a part member family, The Browns, in our ward, one that we have been trying to work with.Their two oldest daughters are in YW and for practice they taught the first lesson(for FHE) to their non-member father. It was really neat. Their mom called us the next day. She said that the lesson was amazing and that the dad had alot of questions. The spirit was so strong as she told me about how her daughters testified to their Dad that they knew it was true. Their dad kept saying to them "You believe it is true." And they would respond, "No dad, we KNOW it is true." She said the spirit was so strong. They didn't get through the whole lesson because the Dad had so many questions. So the wife said she would call the missionaries. He was a little hesitant but we went over anyways. He was the nicest guy. He sat in our spiritual thought. I hope that soon we can start actually teaching Brother Brown. He is definantly being prepared.
The Gleasons are doing great. They finally came to church this week. I know that they all felt the spirit because of the wonderful testimony meeting that we had. We taught them about the gospel of Jesus Christ and Katie and Michael both expressed their desire to be baptized. They are just children but they know where to put their faith. It just goes to show that when the Savior says to become as a little child, He is reminding us to have more faith. Katie and Michael are really good examples to me.
Yesterday was a really good P-Day. We went out to a members house and played in their back fields. We also got to Deworm, which means to shoot medicine into their mouths, their horses.
At first I was very digusted and said I wouldn't do it. But they talked me into it. We then played games in their back fields. They have a 21, 18, 16, and a four year old at home so we had alot of fun with them. Then we went hiking which was gorgeous. When we got home we showered and got ready for a barbeque we were invited to. One of our investigators, Edward O'Neal, cooked all the food for the barbeque. We were doing the whole barbeque for a fellowshipping opportunity. It was a great time for the ward to really get to know Edward. He made some really good ribs as well.
Well, thats all for this week. It has been long but one full of learning. I wish I could tell you everything I was learning but it would take pages to write it all down. This morning we had interviews with the mission President. He told us that the meaning of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If we want different results than we must do something differently in our lives. May we all step out of our comfort zone to make the world a better place is my prayer. I love you all and appreciate all of your prayers!
Love
Sister Comte
Another week has come and gone. This was definantly one of the longest weeks of my mission.
I feel ill on Tuesday. But I am much better today. I had some neat experiences through my sickness though that I know my Heavenly Father gave to me. First off was the Priesthood. Some of the elders gave me a blessing on Tuesday and from then on I knew I would be better. Another thing that was really neat was when I had to get chest X-rays to see if I had bronchitis. The guy, don't worry there were other women in the room, taking them asked if I had any metal on and I told him no. (I had forgotten my magnet name tag that I had on) After the first try to complete the X-ray, he said "YOu have something metal in your heart. Are you sure you haven't had surgery?" I told him I probably would have remembered that and then he pointed at my tag. I thought that was neat that as missionaries we all need to have the Savior in our hearts.
Last week we taught the youth in our ward how to teach the first discussion. There is a part member family, The Browns, in our ward, one that we have been trying to work with.Their two oldest daughters are in YW and for practice they taught the first lesson(for FHE) to their non-member father. It was really neat. Their mom called us the next day. She said that the lesson was amazing and that the dad had alot of questions. The spirit was so strong as she told me about how her daughters testified to their Dad that they knew it was true. Their dad kept saying to them "You believe it is true." And they would respond, "No dad, we KNOW it is true." She said the spirit was so strong. They didn't get through the whole lesson because the Dad had so many questions. So the wife said she would call the missionaries. He was a little hesitant but we went over anyways. He was the nicest guy. He sat in our spiritual thought. I hope that soon we can start actually teaching Brother Brown. He is definantly being prepared.
The Gleasons are doing great. They finally came to church this week. I know that they all felt the spirit because of the wonderful testimony meeting that we had. We taught them about the gospel of Jesus Christ and Katie and Michael both expressed their desire to be baptized. They are just children but they know where to put their faith. It just goes to show that when the Savior says to become as a little child, He is reminding us to have more faith. Katie and Michael are really good examples to me.
Yesterday was a really good P-Day. We went out to a members house and played in their back fields. We also got to Deworm, which means to shoot medicine into their mouths, their horses.
At first I was very digusted and said I wouldn't do it. But they talked me into it. We then played games in their back fields. They have a 21, 18, 16, and a four year old at home so we had alot of fun with them. Then we went hiking which was gorgeous. When we got home we showered and got ready for a barbeque we were invited to. One of our investigators, Edward O'Neal, cooked all the food for the barbeque. We were doing the whole barbeque for a fellowshipping opportunity. It was a great time for the ward to really get to know Edward. He made some really good ribs as well.
Well, thats all for this week. It has been long but one full of learning. I wish I could tell you everything I was learning but it would take pages to write it all down. This morning we had interviews with the mission President. He told us that the meaning of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If we want different results than we must do something differently in our lives. May we all step out of our comfort zone to make the world a better place is my prayer. I love you all and appreciate all of your prayers!
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
August 31st Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been another wonderful week here in Florida. The sun continues to shine. Saturday it was 103 with humidity. But God always sends a breeze when we are out working. He has also been sending rain storms this week. I had never seen rain like this before I came to Florida. It is perfectly sunny outside and be pouring for an hour or more. Florida is the lightening capitol of the world, I think. It is crazy. We can’t be out and about when it is lightening so we plan visits during that time. Sometimes it is hard to plan around the storms.
On Wednesday we had a great activity with the youth. The youth came in Sunday dress and were split into two groups. The youth were assigned mission calls to three different places. A returned missionary from that part of the world did a culture night with one half of the group and we, Sister Walton and I, taught the other half the First Lesson. We switched half way through the night. This Wednesday the youth are going to members homes and teaching them the First Lesson. We only had a half hour to teach them how to teach the First Lesson so it was a little rushed but the spirit was amazing in the room. Most of the kids were really involved. Most of them want to do really well teaching it this week so they paid attention. At the end of each group I bore my testimony and the spirit was so strong.
The second group that came had two of our investigators in it. Their names are Katie and Michael Gleason. Their mother is a member and so is their older brother. Sister Gleason has been a member for awhile but is inactive. She asked us to teach her children. Katie and Michael love the church and both have strong testimonies of the church but need some help with getting to church. Katie and Michael came to Mutual this week and it was awesome. As we asked the youth questions about the First Lesson, which is the Restoration, Katie and Michael were usually the first ones with their hands raised. We asked the youth if Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon. Michael shoot his hand up and said “Joseph Smith translated, not wrote, the Book of Mormon by the power of God.” We now know that it is time for him to be baptized. We are so excited for them
We went over on Saturday and Michael and Katie taught us the first lesson. They did such a good job, especially for not being members yet! We also went to a member’s house and had they 16 years old son teach us. He did a good job too. The greatest part of the whole activity is that the youth are almost forced to testify that the Book of Mormon is true which means they each need to pray about it. We committed the 16 years old son to praying about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. He has been a member his whole life but he doesn’t really know for himself if the church is true. We told him that it doesn’t matter how old you are or how long you have been a member, we need to be continually on our knees asking for what the truth is! We all need to be converted!
I love this gospel. There is no greater gift than being able to share this message with others. I am grateful to be His servant and I will continue to live worthy of His spirit. I know that through Faith we can accomplish all things. He is my Savior and my very best friend. My prayer is that all of us will be worthy of the blessings He is ready to give us!!!
Love
Sister Comte
It has been another wonderful week here in Florida. The sun continues to shine. Saturday it was 103 with humidity. But God always sends a breeze when we are out working. He has also been sending rain storms this week. I had never seen rain like this before I came to Florida. It is perfectly sunny outside and be pouring for an hour or more. Florida is the lightening capitol of the world, I think. It is crazy. We can’t be out and about when it is lightening so we plan visits during that time. Sometimes it is hard to plan around the storms.
On Wednesday we had a great activity with the youth. The youth came in Sunday dress and were split into two groups. The youth were assigned mission calls to three different places. A returned missionary from that part of the world did a culture night with one half of the group and we, Sister Walton and I, taught the other half the First Lesson. We switched half way through the night. This Wednesday the youth are going to members homes and teaching them the First Lesson. We only had a half hour to teach them how to teach the First Lesson so it was a little rushed but the spirit was amazing in the room. Most of the kids were really involved. Most of them want to do really well teaching it this week so they paid attention. At the end of each group I bore my testimony and the spirit was so strong.
The second group that came had two of our investigators in it. Their names are Katie and Michael Gleason. Their mother is a member and so is their older brother. Sister Gleason has been a member for awhile but is inactive. She asked us to teach her children. Katie and Michael love the church and both have strong testimonies of the church but need some help with getting to church. Katie and Michael came to Mutual this week and it was awesome. As we asked the youth questions about the First Lesson, which is the Restoration, Katie and Michael were usually the first ones with their hands raised. We asked the youth if Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon. Michael shoot his hand up and said “Joseph Smith translated, not wrote, the Book of Mormon by the power of God.” We now know that it is time for him to be baptized. We are so excited for them
We went over on Saturday and Michael and Katie taught us the first lesson. They did such a good job, especially for not being members yet! We also went to a member’s house and had they 16 years old son teach us. He did a good job too. The greatest part of the whole activity is that the youth are almost forced to testify that the Book of Mormon is true which means they each need to pray about it. We committed the 16 years old son to praying about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. He has been a member his whole life but he doesn’t really know for himself if the church is true. We told him that it doesn’t matter how old you are or how long you have been a member, we need to be continually on our knees asking for what the truth is! We all need to be converted!
I love this gospel. There is no greater gift than being able to share this message with others. I am grateful to be His servant and I will continue to live worthy of His spirit. I know that through Faith we can accomplish all things. He is my Savior and my very best friend. My prayer is that all of us will be worthy of the blessings He is ready to give us!!!
Love
Sister Comte
Monday, August 24, 2009
August 23rd Email
Dear Family and Friends,
I am running out of time but I wanted to write you all one quick email. This week we taught an awesome lady the First Lesson. She has two small children, one that starts Kindergarten tomorrow and a two year old. They were all over us during the lesson. But when my companion shared the First Vision, the children were so calm and quiet. The lady really felt the spirit and recognized that something was different. She knows that she needs to put God first even though she is busy. I know that this gospel will help her so much. I hope that she will continue to feel the spirit and recognize it.
Well, I love you all and hope to get a better email off next week. I know that the church is true. I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. He restored the same gospel that the Savior had taught in its fulness. I am so thankful to know the truth of this life. Because of the gospel I am so greatly blessed.
Love
Sister Comte
I am running out of time but I wanted to write you all one quick email. This week we taught an awesome lady the First Lesson. She has two small children, one that starts Kindergarten tomorrow and a two year old. They were all over us during the lesson. But when my companion shared the First Vision, the children were so calm and quiet. The lady really felt the spirit and recognized that something was different. She knows that she needs to put God first even though she is busy. I know that this gospel will help her so much. I hope that she will continue to feel the spirit and recognize it.
Well, I love you all and hope to get a better email off next week. I know that the church is true. I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. He restored the same gospel that the Savior had taught in its fulness. I am so thankful to know the truth of this life. Because of the gospel I am so greatly blessed.
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
August 10th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been a great week. The only bad part was finding out that I had bed bugs. I have been getting weird bits and on my legs, back and everywhere. We were wondering how I was getting them and someone said that it might be bed bugs. So we went to the store and bought some bug bed spray killer. We sprayed in on and then let it dry all day. We then vacuumed the bed and the most disgusting thing happened. Bugs started crawling out. EWWWWW!!!! I immediately called the office elders and told them that I needed a new bed. They brought me a beautiful mattress the next day!!!! It is a wonderful bed!! This is a caution: Bed bugs do exist and they hurt. Be careful with your mattress!!
This week we had a new investigator at church. It was really exciting. He loved it and I know that he felt the spirit, even though he probably didn’t understand what was being said. Sunday School was combined because it was Ward Conference. Class was on the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. I pray that he wasn’t scared. This ward is wonderful and was so welcoming to him. We didn’t have to worry about him getting to class or sitting by himself because someone from the ward was always right beside him.
We also taught a little family this week. Sister Gleason and her oldest son, Chris are members. But her younger children who are 11 and 12, Katie and Michael are not members. Sister Gleason hardly ever comes to church. But I know that as she feels the spirit she will rearrange her priorities and come to church. We had a wonderful discussion with their whole family. The spirit was so strong.
I know that this church is true. I know that God hears and answers our prayers. He knows our righteous desires. He wants to bless us but we have to be obedient first. He loves us and He will always be there for us!!
Love
Sister Comte
It has been a great week. The only bad part was finding out that I had bed bugs. I have been getting weird bits and on my legs, back and everywhere. We were wondering how I was getting them and someone said that it might be bed bugs. So we went to the store and bought some bug bed spray killer. We sprayed in on and then let it dry all day. We then vacuumed the bed and the most disgusting thing happened. Bugs started crawling out. EWWWWW!!!! I immediately called the office elders and told them that I needed a new bed. They brought me a beautiful mattress the next day!!!! It is a wonderful bed!! This is a caution: Bed bugs do exist and they hurt. Be careful with your mattress!!
This week we had a new investigator at church. It was really exciting. He loved it and I know that he felt the spirit, even though he probably didn’t understand what was being said. Sunday School was combined because it was Ward Conference. Class was on the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. I pray that he wasn’t scared. This ward is wonderful and was so welcoming to him. We didn’t have to worry about him getting to class or sitting by himself because someone from the ward was always right beside him.
We also taught a little family this week. Sister Gleason and her oldest son, Chris are members. But her younger children who are 11 and 12, Katie and Michael are not members. Sister Gleason hardly ever comes to church. But I know that as she feels the spirit she will rearrange her priorities and come to church. We had a wonderful discussion with their whole family. The spirit was so strong.
I know that this church is true. I know that God hears and answers our prayers. He knows our righteous desires. He wants to bless us but we have to be obedient first. He loves us and He will always be there for us!!
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
August 3rd Email
Dear Family and Friends,
The highlight of this week would have to be the wonderful fast and testimony meeting we had! Last week my companion and I talked about missionary work. The bishop wanted us to speak the week before fast Sunday so that we could encourage the ward to fast for missionary opportunities. So a lot of the ward members were fasting for missionary experiences in their lives. I felt so united with our ward as we did this. It was a really neat opportunity!
We had a wonderful testimony meeting as well. There is a man in our ward that is from Iran. He converted from Islam about 15 years ago. He stood up and bore his testimony about the Savior and how the gospel had changed his life. He bore a very strong testimony of the divinity of God and Jesus. This was only the start of our meeting. Many stood up and told what the gospel meant to them. Almost every testimony focused on missionary work.
One of the last testimonies was so touching to me. The Deyoe’s, a family that Sister Stewart and I worked with in Lakewood Ranch, came to visit us because they wanted to see Sister Stewart before she left. Dave, who was baptized in March, stood up at the very end of the meeting and told what the gospel meant to him in his life. He looked us both in the face and cried while telling us thank you for the sacrifice to come on a mission. He was so grateful to have the church in his life. He told the congregation that if they felt they needed to check out a different church, to go and check it out. But no matter where they went the church would be waiting for them to come back home, because the church is true. He could barely make it through his testimony without crying.
The whole ward was crying by this time and you can only imagine what Sister Stewart and I looked like. The spirit was so strong as many bore witness of the truths that we know of. The ward here is incredible and I think it is because they are so unified. They all want to help each other and let others know about the gospel. There is a scripture in 4 Nephi verses 2-3 that talks about united. It is one that Sister Stewart shares a lot with our members. We can all have this kind of united if we all had the gospel. There is a lot of work to do and it is our responsibility to share the wonderful gift of the gospel with others.
We are still teaching Edward. We have committed him to baptism but he really wants and needs to study a little more before he can make that commitment. He is very serious about this, as he should be. But I know that because he is sincere he will know for himself that it is true. Any free time that he has off he spends reading the Book of Mormon. It is really neat to see the change in him this far. He loves what we teach and has nothing against the church. He also really likes his “angels.” (Sister Stewart and I)
Last Thursday we had a special musical fireside. They wouldn’t announce the special speaker because of the media. We were all so excited to see David Archuleta. I never thought I would get to meet him. The youth in our ward were ecstatic. It was hard because we were in the chapel for a fireside not in the gym for a concert. They did a really good job of keeping it under control. I never knew how little David was until he got up to speak. It was really neat to see him in his white shirt and tie. He was asked to speak from his heart, which is not his normal thing. He normally does a question and answer session. But he did a really good job. He is a really shy kid. You could tell he is a normal kid though. He kind of rambles and got off subject at times. But you could tell it was from his heart. He talked about how he knew God was using him to do missionary work, which he was doing that very night because there were a ton of non-members there.
We got to meet him afterwards and took some pictures. But they wouldn’t let anyone take pictures with their own cameras, so I don’t have any to send you but I will next week. When we took the picture he put his arms around us. The people in the room gasped and he dropped his arms really fast. He apologized profusely, he forgot the rules. He was so embarrassed. It was really cute!!!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. I love you all so much. This work is amazing. I love it. We talked this week at interviews how before the mission we wanted to have fun. But as missionaries know we want joy and we know where to find that joy. It is found in the gospel if Jesus Christ. I am filled with joy and hope I can take it into my life after the mission!
Love
Sister Comte
The highlight of this week would have to be the wonderful fast and testimony meeting we had! Last week my companion and I talked about missionary work. The bishop wanted us to speak the week before fast Sunday so that we could encourage the ward to fast for missionary opportunities. So a lot of the ward members were fasting for missionary experiences in their lives. I felt so united with our ward as we did this. It was a really neat opportunity!
We had a wonderful testimony meeting as well. There is a man in our ward that is from Iran. He converted from Islam about 15 years ago. He stood up and bore his testimony about the Savior and how the gospel had changed his life. He bore a very strong testimony of the divinity of God and Jesus. This was only the start of our meeting. Many stood up and told what the gospel meant to them. Almost every testimony focused on missionary work.
One of the last testimonies was so touching to me. The Deyoe’s, a family that Sister Stewart and I worked with in Lakewood Ranch, came to visit us because they wanted to see Sister Stewart before she left. Dave, who was baptized in March, stood up at the very end of the meeting and told what the gospel meant to him in his life. He looked us both in the face and cried while telling us thank you for the sacrifice to come on a mission. He was so grateful to have the church in his life. He told the congregation that if they felt they needed to check out a different church, to go and check it out. But no matter where they went the church would be waiting for them to come back home, because the church is true. He could barely make it through his testimony without crying.
The whole ward was crying by this time and you can only imagine what Sister Stewart and I looked like. The spirit was so strong as many bore witness of the truths that we know of. The ward here is incredible and I think it is because they are so unified. They all want to help each other and let others know about the gospel. There is a scripture in 4 Nephi verses 2-3 that talks about united. It is one that Sister Stewart shares a lot with our members. We can all have this kind of united if we all had the gospel. There is a lot of work to do and it is our responsibility to share the wonderful gift of the gospel with others.
We are still teaching Edward. We have committed him to baptism but he really wants and needs to study a little more before he can make that commitment. He is very serious about this, as he should be. But I know that because he is sincere he will know for himself that it is true. Any free time that he has off he spends reading the Book of Mormon. It is really neat to see the change in him this far. He loves what we teach and has nothing against the church. He also really likes his “angels.” (Sister Stewart and I)
Last Thursday we had a special musical fireside. They wouldn’t announce the special speaker because of the media. We were all so excited to see David Archuleta. I never thought I would get to meet him. The youth in our ward were ecstatic. It was hard because we were in the chapel for a fireside not in the gym for a concert. They did a really good job of keeping it under control. I never knew how little David was until he got up to speak. It was really neat to see him in his white shirt and tie. He was asked to speak from his heart, which is not his normal thing. He normally does a question and answer session. But he did a really good job. He is a really shy kid. You could tell he is a normal kid though. He kind of rambles and got off subject at times. But you could tell it was from his heart. He talked about how he knew God was using him to do missionary work, which he was doing that very night because there were a ton of non-members there.
We got to meet him afterwards and took some pictures. But they wouldn’t let anyone take pictures with their own cameras, so I don’t have any to send you but I will next week. When we took the picture he put his arms around us. The people in the room gasped and he dropped his arms really fast. He apologized profusely, he forgot the rules. He was so embarrassed. It was really cute!!!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. I love you all so much. This work is amazing. I love it. We talked this week at interviews how before the mission we wanted to have fun. But as missionaries know we want joy and we know where to find that joy. It is found in the gospel if Jesus Christ. I am filled with joy and hope I can take it into my life after the mission!
Love
Sister Comte
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
July 27th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been a really good week. Monday we went on exchanges with the sisters that are serving in Tampa. I stayed here and Sister Walton came from Tampa. We had so much fun together. We tracted into a really nice man named Edward. A lot of people tell us that they will come to the church and learn more. Most of them you never see again but Edward actually came. We were so excited. He is really interested and accepting of our beliefs. He is also a man of his word; when he says he will be there he will be there! I love it!
On Friday we went to an investigators home for dinner. His wife is a member and he has been taking the lessons for over a year. We are going to start re-teaching him and committing him to do things. I think that he will go far if we are sweetly bold with him. He is more active than some of the members of the ward. He is from England and has a wonderful accent. I hope we can explain the importance of being urgent in keeping God’s commandments.
On Saturday we had a pioneer day activity. We had almost 700 people there. It was amazing to see. We had a really good time together. It was good for all of us to remember what the pioneers did for us. What they did has to be done by all who are in the church. The pioneers left the life that they knew, the comforts they enjoyed, and their own comfort zones to do what the prophet had asked of them. Each one of us must too decide for ourselves if we believe in the prophet and are willing to do what he asks of us. I am sure there were many who thought the prophet was crazy for the things that he asked them to do. But some knew he was a prophet and followed what he said, whether crazy or not.
Yesterday my companion and I spoke on missionary work. I wanted to say something that people hadn’t heard before. But I am sure they have heard it all. But I tried to convey that sharing the gospel is done out of love. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy but to be happy we must look outside of ourselves. A great way to do this is to always be looking for someone that needs the gospel and thinking about how you can share it with them. It is easy with God on our side!!
I know that this church is true. The Book of Mormon is another testament of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What a wonderful message we have to share with others, that God lives and that He has called a prophet to lead and guide us in these days!!
Love Sister Comte
It has been a really good week. Monday we went on exchanges with the sisters that are serving in Tampa. I stayed here and Sister Walton came from Tampa. We had so much fun together. We tracted into a really nice man named Edward. A lot of people tell us that they will come to the church and learn more. Most of them you never see again but Edward actually came. We were so excited. He is really interested and accepting of our beliefs. He is also a man of his word; when he says he will be there he will be there! I love it!
On Friday we went to an investigators home for dinner. His wife is a member and he has been taking the lessons for over a year. We are going to start re-teaching him and committing him to do things. I think that he will go far if we are sweetly bold with him. He is more active than some of the members of the ward. He is from England and has a wonderful accent. I hope we can explain the importance of being urgent in keeping God’s commandments.
On Saturday we had a pioneer day activity. We had almost 700 people there. It was amazing to see. We had a really good time together. It was good for all of us to remember what the pioneers did for us. What they did has to be done by all who are in the church. The pioneers left the life that they knew, the comforts they enjoyed, and their own comfort zones to do what the prophet had asked of them. Each one of us must too decide for ourselves if we believe in the prophet and are willing to do what he asks of us. I am sure there were many who thought the prophet was crazy for the things that he asked them to do. But some knew he was a prophet and followed what he said, whether crazy or not.
Yesterday my companion and I spoke on missionary work. I wanted to say something that people hadn’t heard before. But I am sure they have heard it all. But I tried to convey that sharing the gospel is done out of love. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy but to be happy we must look outside of ourselves. A great way to do this is to always be looking for someone that needs the gospel and thinking about how you can share it with them. It is easy with God on our side!!
I know that this church is true. The Book of Mormon is another testament of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What a wonderful message we have to share with others, that God lives and that He has called a prophet to lead and guide us in these days!!
Love Sister Comte
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
July 20th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been another fun week here in Florida. Sister Stewart and I have been working really hard. We are still looking for people to teach but we know that it will come soon enough. We know that we are working on the Lord’s time and not our own.
We went to zone conference this week. We talked about our purpose as missionaries. By knowing our purpose better we will become better missionaries. This goes for life as well. The better we know our purpose for life the better people we will be. This is because our purpose directs our actions. I encourage all of you to think about your purpose in life and decide what actions need to be taken to fulfill that purpose!
Thursday night my companion was really tired and we had been tracting for awhile. No one seemed to be home so we decided to go do something more effective and come back when more people were at home. We started walking down this street and I stopped because I knew we needed to tract at least the one side of the street. My companion agreed and said she had the same thought. So we tracted the street and at the last house we found a wonderful women. Her father is a member in California. She was really interested and we are going to teach her tonight!
I am so thankful for the spirit and the Saviors help in strengthening us!
Love,
Sister Comte
It has been another fun week here in Florida. Sister Stewart and I have been working really hard. We are still looking for people to teach but we know that it will come soon enough. We know that we are working on the Lord’s time and not our own.
We went to zone conference this week. We talked about our purpose as missionaries. By knowing our purpose better we will become better missionaries. This goes for life as well. The better we know our purpose for life the better people we will be. This is because our purpose directs our actions. I encourage all of you to think about your purpose in life and decide what actions need to be taken to fulfill that purpose!
Thursday night my companion was really tired and we had been tracting for awhile. No one seemed to be home so we decided to go do something more effective and come back when more people were at home. We started walking down this street and I stopped because I knew we needed to tract at least the one side of the street. My companion agreed and said she had the same thought. So we tracted the street and at the last house we found a wonderful women. Her father is a member in California. She was really interested and we are going to teach her tonight!
I am so thankful for the spirit and the Saviors help in strengthening us!
Love,
Sister Comte
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
July 13th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
I arrived safely in Valrico on Tuesday. It is beautiful here with tons of trees and nature. Some of our area is country and some is really residential. The country is beautiful and we went to a miniature farm on Saturday to lay sod. A lady in our ward, who just lost her husband, Sister Brozak, asked the Elders to come help and they told her the Sisters would love to help. It was hard work but it was a lot of fun to get dirty! Some of the elders in the neighboring areas came and helped us. It was fun to work hard together. Sister Brozak was so appreciative and said to love to hire the missionaries because she knew they would come with good attitudes! We loved it!
This week we went on splits with the sister in one of the Tampa Wards. I got to tract with one of our newest Sisters in the field. She is amazing. Anyways while we were tracting we knocked into a lady named Kasey. She said that they just moved here and maybe in awhile we could call them to set up a time to meet them. I wanted Sister Stewart to meet them so we went over there yesterday. Her Husband was home and her two year old daughter. They invited us in and it was a wonderful opportunity to bear our testimonies to them. They are really busy for the next couple of weeks but want us to come back in August! I am so excited for this little family. The husband is in the Air Force and I loved talking to them about all their adventures.
The ward here has never had sisters that they can remember. They are a newer ward though. They are so excited and everyone wanted to meet us yesterday! Everyone here is so talented and wants to share their talents with us! We met a member this week that is originally from England. She wants us to come over on a P-Day for a Tea Party! I am so excited for all the fun things we will do here in this area!!!
We visited a family who was going through a hard time but we didn’t know it. My companion read to them Heleman 10:5. The wife cried as we read it. It talks about doing the Lord’s will.
His will, will always make us happy! I pray everyday for the courage to accept His will because He has a bigger picture and He will lead me safely home!
I love the Lord and I will do whatever He asks of me!
Love
Sister Comte
I arrived safely in Valrico on Tuesday. It is beautiful here with tons of trees and nature. Some of our area is country and some is really residential. The country is beautiful and we went to a miniature farm on Saturday to lay sod. A lady in our ward, who just lost her husband, Sister Brozak, asked the Elders to come help and they told her the Sisters would love to help. It was hard work but it was a lot of fun to get dirty! Some of the elders in the neighboring areas came and helped us. It was fun to work hard together. Sister Brozak was so appreciative and said to love to hire the missionaries because she knew they would come with good attitudes! We loved it!
This week we went on splits with the sister in one of the Tampa Wards. I got to tract with one of our newest Sisters in the field. She is amazing. Anyways while we were tracting we knocked into a lady named Kasey. She said that they just moved here and maybe in awhile we could call them to set up a time to meet them. I wanted Sister Stewart to meet them so we went over there yesterday. Her Husband was home and her two year old daughter. They invited us in and it was a wonderful opportunity to bear our testimonies to them. They are really busy for the next couple of weeks but want us to come back in August! I am so excited for this little family. The husband is in the Air Force and I loved talking to them about all their adventures.
The ward here has never had sisters that they can remember. They are a newer ward though. They are so excited and everyone wanted to meet us yesterday! Everyone here is so talented and wants to share their talents with us! We met a member this week that is originally from England. She wants us to come over on a P-Day for a Tea Party! I am so excited for all the fun things we will do here in this area!!!
We visited a family who was going through a hard time but we didn’t know it. My companion read to them Heleman 10:5. The wife cried as we read it. It talks about doing the Lord’s will.
His will, will always make us happy! I pray everyday for the courage to accept His will because He has a bigger picture and He will lead me safely home!
I love the Lord and I will do whatever He asks of me!
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
June 30th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
Hola! Como Esta! I am doing good and as you can tell the Spanish is coming one phrase at a time. On Tuesday nights we hold a class for Spanish speakers to learn English. I learn a lot of Spanish from the people that come. We laugh so hard because of how I pronounce things. But it will come with time!
We started teaching a young girl this week. Her name is Saida and she is 11. You pronounce that Sa-da. It is Spanish for Sarah, I think. She is a really sweet girl and is very smart. On Sunday she told me “If I have to speak one day I know what I would speak on. I would talk on the Prophet Joseph Smith.” She loves him and wants to learn all she can about the gospel. I am so excited to teach her. She has a wonderful spirit about her!
This week I read Alma 24. I loved this chapter and encourage all of you to read it. It is amazing! In this chapter the Anti- Nephi-Lehies bury their weapons of war for peace. There are many things in our lives that we do that cause contention in our lives and the lives of others. We need to bury these so that we can have peace in our lives. Some of the weapons that I can see in the world is gossip, negativity about self, others and situations, and sometimes how we treat others. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies buried their swords to avoid the temptation of falling back into their old ways. Bury the temptations to hurt others so that you can stand up against Satan!
Yesterday we had a wonderful Sister’s Conference. The Assistants to the President came and talked about the culture of our mission. I thought about what the cultures of our lives are. What is our lifestyle portraying? One thing we talked about , and I think that this happens throughout the church, is the –ite problem. We develop groups and won’t let others come in. Just like in the Book of Mormon, we separate ourselves into the Lamanites, the Amulonites, and all the other –ites. Why can’t we all just be friends?
Remember to always listen to the Spirit and do what He is saying. I love you all!!
Love
Sister Comte
Hola! Como Esta! I am doing good and as you can tell the Spanish is coming one phrase at a time. On Tuesday nights we hold a class for Spanish speakers to learn English. I learn a lot of Spanish from the people that come. We laugh so hard because of how I pronounce things. But it will come with time!
We started teaching a young girl this week. Her name is Saida and she is 11. You pronounce that Sa-da. It is Spanish for Sarah, I think. She is a really sweet girl and is very smart. On Sunday she told me “If I have to speak one day I know what I would speak on. I would talk on the Prophet Joseph Smith.” She loves him and wants to learn all she can about the gospel. I am so excited to teach her. She has a wonderful spirit about her!
This week I read Alma 24. I loved this chapter and encourage all of you to read it. It is amazing! In this chapter the Anti- Nephi-Lehies bury their weapons of war for peace. There are many things in our lives that we do that cause contention in our lives and the lives of others. We need to bury these so that we can have peace in our lives. Some of the weapons that I can see in the world is gossip, negativity about self, others and situations, and sometimes how we treat others. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies buried their swords to avoid the temptation of falling back into their old ways. Bury the temptations to hurt others so that you can stand up against Satan!
Yesterday we had a wonderful Sister’s Conference. The Assistants to the President came and talked about the culture of our mission. I thought about what the cultures of our lives are. What is our lifestyle portraying? One thing we talked about , and I think that this happens throughout the church, is the –ite problem. We develop groups and won’t let others come in. Just like in the Book of Mormon, we separate ourselves into the Lamanites, the Amulonites, and all the other –ites. Why can’t we all just be friends?
Remember to always listen to the Spirit and do what He is saying. I love you all!!
Love
Sister Comte
Monday, June 8, 2009
June 8th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
For all those who haven't heard, I am being transfered. I am going to Arcadia to serve with Sister Hofheins. I have already served with Sister Hofheins once so it should be fun. Arcadia is very small and a farming community. The church is small there so there is alot of work to be done!
This week flew by. We moved apartments this weekend and it was alot of fun. We have a great ward and it went fast because of the many hands. We stayed in the new apartment for two nights without any furniture. It was alot of fun!
This week we got a call for a very concerned member. Her friend was going through a really hard time and needed someone to go visit her. Her husband died 5 months ago and her mother died 8 months ago. She didn't want to hurt herself but she didn't see a purpose for living. So we rushed over to see her. She was crying and having a hard time talking to us. We talked to her about the priesthood and asked if the elders could come give her a blessing. She said that would be fine. While we waited for the elders we sang hymns to her. The spirit was so strong and the room was filled with peace. We had the elder's bless her home and give her a blessing. It was amazing. After we were all finished she felt so much better. She is going to learn more and is looking forward to restoring some hope in her life.
The Lord is so good to us. In all things He blesses us. I am so thankful for His guiding hand in my life. He is my best friend!
I love you all!!!
Love,
Sister Comte
For all those who haven't heard, I am being transfered. I am going to Arcadia to serve with Sister Hofheins. I have already served with Sister Hofheins once so it should be fun. Arcadia is very small and a farming community. The church is small there so there is alot of work to be done!
This week flew by. We moved apartments this weekend and it was alot of fun. We have a great ward and it went fast because of the many hands. We stayed in the new apartment for two nights without any furniture. It was alot of fun!
This week we got a call for a very concerned member. Her friend was going through a really hard time and needed someone to go visit her. Her husband died 5 months ago and her mother died 8 months ago. She didn't want to hurt herself but she didn't see a purpose for living. So we rushed over to see her. She was crying and having a hard time talking to us. We talked to her about the priesthood and asked if the elders could come give her a blessing. She said that would be fine. While we waited for the elders we sang hymns to her. The spirit was so strong and the room was filled with peace. We had the elder's bless her home and give her a blessing. It was amazing. After we were all finished she felt so much better. She is going to learn more and is looking forward to restoring some hope in her life.
The Lord is so good to us. In all things He blesses us. I am so thankful for His guiding hand in my life. He is my best friend!
I love you all!!!
Love,
Sister Comte
Monday, June 1, 2009
June 1st Email
Dear Family and Friends,
This week has been amazing! We have done alot of good things this week, including getting out of the car at a stop light and asking the people next to us to listen to our message. It is fun to talk to everyone, no matter where they are or what they are doing. Everyone needs to hear about the gospel so we must open our mouths to tell them!
We have been working with a family for awhile now. One at a time they are getting baptized. This week the family invited us to go to one of their sons performances. He has aspergers syndrome and is really shy. We have been trying to get him to warm up to us so that we might teach him. He is in a really neat program called Easter Seals for special needs children. This week they had an Easter Seals Idol. He was in the top three. He has an amazing voice and he would've won if he wouldn't have told everyone to vote for the other girl. What a good sport he is. He wanted it to be about everyone else not himself. He was so happy when the other girl won and he was so comforting to the one that lost. He showed a really good example of humility and love. He is never boastful about how talented he is.
Last night we went to a members home. The wife has been a member all her life. The husband joined the church when they were married. They have a little girl who is about 2. They never went to the temple to be sealed and now are less active. Last night as we talked they decided to seriously work on going to the temple. We helped them recall the feelings of their baptisms. The wife cried as she told us that nothing in this world is more important to her than being with her family forever. She is even willing to quite her job to go to church. What amazing faith she has!! We have the opportunity to go to the temple so much but we just don't take the time. When I get home I want to utilize the temple and go as often as I can because their is nothing more important to me than being with my family for eternity!
All three of us spoke in church yesterday. The spirit was really strong. We talked on missionary work, how members can help, and the covenants we have made to do the work of the Lord. I spoke on how members can help. Sister Downs talked about how this work is about eternity! I loved that because we aren't here on the earth to became something special here but to be heirs to the kingdom in the hereafter!
Well, I love you all! Remember to keep your heads high. Listen to the spirit. Make time in your lives to be quiet and just listen. I know He will help you!
Love
Sister Comte
This week has been amazing! We have done alot of good things this week, including getting out of the car at a stop light and asking the people next to us to listen to our message. It is fun to talk to everyone, no matter where they are or what they are doing. Everyone needs to hear about the gospel so we must open our mouths to tell them!
We have been working with a family for awhile now. One at a time they are getting baptized. This week the family invited us to go to one of their sons performances. He has aspergers syndrome and is really shy. We have been trying to get him to warm up to us so that we might teach him. He is in a really neat program called Easter Seals for special needs children. This week they had an Easter Seals Idol. He was in the top three. He has an amazing voice and he would've won if he wouldn't have told everyone to vote for the other girl. What a good sport he is. He wanted it to be about everyone else not himself. He was so happy when the other girl won and he was so comforting to the one that lost. He showed a really good example of humility and love. He is never boastful about how talented he is.
Last night we went to a members home. The wife has been a member all her life. The husband joined the church when they were married. They have a little girl who is about 2. They never went to the temple to be sealed and now are less active. Last night as we talked they decided to seriously work on going to the temple. We helped them recall the feelings of their baptisms. The wife cried as she told us that nothing in this world is more important to her than being with her family forever. She is even willing to quite her job to go to church. What amazing faith she has!! We have the opportunity to go to the temple so much but we just don't take the time. When I get home I want to utilize the temple and go as often as I can because their is nothing more important to me than being with my family for eternity!
All three of us spoke in church yesterday. The spirit was really strong. We talked on missionary work, how members can help, and the covenants we have made to do the work of the Lord. I spoke on how members can help. Sister Downs talked about how this work is about eternity! I loved that because we aren't here on the earth to became something special here but to be heirs to the kingdom in the hereafter!
Well, I love you all! Remember to keep your heads high. Listen to the spirit. Make time in your lives to be quiet and just listen. I know He will help you!
Love
Sister Comte
Monday, May 11, 2009
May 11th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It was good to hear from some of you yesterday! It is always good to call home! It lifts my spirits and helps me move forward to have so much support! Thank you for all of you and the many prayers that are said in my behalf.
We started teaching someone new this week. It is a couple that has a lot of health problems. The wife is a member and the husband is going to be baptized. They just moved here from Nebraska and the husband was meeting with the missionaries up there. Before we taught him anything we set a baptismal date with him. His whole life is devoted to getting baptized. He is trying so hard to stop smoking. His whole life is a prayer to God. It is really cool because he is so sincere in his prayers. Him and his wife are going through a hard time but they both know that there is only one source of strength and that is their Heavenly Father. In the middle of our conversations he will start praying because that is his only way of survival. We should all be more like this and make our lives more in touch with God!
Well, as always my time is short and I must close. I love you all and pray for you.
Love
Sister Comte
It was good to hear from some of you yesterday! It is always good to call home! It lifts my spirits and helps me move forward to have so much support! Thank you for all of you and the many prayers that are said in my behalf.
We started teaching someone new this week. It is a couple that has a lot of health problems. The wife is a member and the husband is going to be baptized. They just moved here from Nebraska and the husband was meeting with the missionaries up there. Before we taught him anything we set a baptismal date with him. His whole life is devoted to getting baptized. He is trying so hard to stop smoking. His whole life is a prayer to God. It is really cool because he is so sincere in his prayers. Him and his wife are going through a hard time but they both know that there is only one source of strength and that is their Heavenly Father. In the middle of our conversations he will start praying because that is his only way of survival. We should all be more like this and make our lives more in touch with God!
Well, as always my time is short and I must close. I love you all and pray for you.
Love
Sister Comte
Monday, May 4, 2009
May 4th Email
Hello to all,
This week has gone fast and so has my time on the computer! I don't know where the time goes! This Thursday we went to a really neat baptism in North Port. The lady getting baptized was someone I started teaching when I was in the area. She finally decided to be baptized. It was a really neat experience! I was so happy to see alot of the people I worked with when I was in the area! The lady getting baptized knew why she was making the covenant of baptism. It was a really neat thing to see her strong testimony! She was so excited to be baptized that after she came out of the water she cheered about being baptized. You couldn't wipe the smile off of her face.
This is basically all that happened this week. I still love the work and am thankful for the opportunity I have to serve. I love you all!!
Love
Sister Comte
This week has gone fast and so has my time on the computer! I don't know where the time goes! This Thursday we went to a really neat baptism in North Port. The lady getting baptized was someone I started teaching when I was in the area. She finally decided to be baptized. It was a really neat experience! I was so happy to see alot of the people I worked with when I was in the area! The lady getting baptized knew why she was making the covenant of baptism. It was a really neat thing to see her strong testimony! She was so excited to be baptized that after she came out of the water she cheered about being baptized. You couldn't wipe the smile off of her face.
This is basically all that happened this week. I still love the work and am thankful for the opportunity I have to serve. I love you all!!
Love
Sister Comte
Monday, April 27, 2009
April 27th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
Sorry about not writing last week. I ran out of time. Life is so busy when you are giving it all to the Lord. I am sorry for not writing more faithfully. This week has been another busy one. It is nice to have three sisters now. We all have different skills and abilities and we can get alot more done with all of our heads combined.
Last Monday we had a wonderful lesson with a man named Harold. Harold has been investigating since December. He is very shy and doesn't like crowds so church is hard for him. His wife is a member but has been very inactive. We taught him last week the ten commandments. Our fellowshipper made a really good point about bearing false witness. He said "Be loyal to the absent." I think this is one we can all work at and it will bless our lives and the communities in which we live in. I said the closing pray and prayed that Harold would know the truth for himself. After the prayer he looked at me and said "I already know it is true." I wanted to shout with joy but smiled widely instead. No it is only a matter of time before he makes sacred covenants with God!!!
This Saturday was a day of service for the South East states. Our ward took part in cleaning up a park. I wasn't feeling too well, nothing to worry about just an upset stomach from something I had eaten, so I stayed back with a lady from the North Port ward that was there for another project. We sat and talked for most of it but what do you know, I ended up on the playground making sure the kids didn't get hurt. I also pushed around the bishop's daughter in her stroller. She is so cute!! I couldn't believe the work that the wards did that were there. It was amazing to see the clean up job. It really brought the wards together because we served together! It was a wonderful opportunity!
On Sunday we had a "Why I believe" fireside. Our bishop wanted us to do it. We had some recent converts and the bishop speak about their conversion stories. It was really neat and the spirit was really strong! It was awesome for Sister Stewart and I to see Dave Deyoe, our recent convert stand up and bear his testimony. Both of us were crying by the end! He talked about how we had become a part of their family. He also talked about how he knew they had come to Florida to find the gospel! It was great and made me think about why I believed the gospel was true. I am so thankful for the gospel in my life. It has blessed me in so many ways. I know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ and the restoration of the priesthood I will be will my love ones forever!! I love you all!!! The Church is True!!!
Love
Sister Comte
Sorry about not writing last week. I ran out of time. Life is so busy when you are giving it all to the Lord. I am sorry for not writing more faithfully. This week has been another busy one. It is nice to have three sisters now. We all have different skills and abilities and we can get alot more done with all of our heads combined.
Last Monday we had a wonderful lesson with a man named Harold. Harold has been investigating since December. He is very shy and doesn't like crowds so church is hard for him. His wife is a member but has been very inactive. We taught him last week the ten commandments. Our fellowshipper made a really good point about bearing false witness. He said "Be loyal to the absent." I think this is one we can all work at and it will bless our lives and the communities in which we live in. I said the closing pray and prayed that Harold would know the truth for himself. After the prayer he looked at me and said "I already know it is true." I wanted to shout with joy but smiled widely instead. No it is only a matter of time before he makes sacred covenants with God!!!
This Saturday was a day of service for the South East states. Our ward took part in cleaning up a park. I wasn't feeling too well, nothing to worry about just an upset stomach from something I had eaten, so I stayed back with a lady from the North Port ward that was there for another project. We sat and talked for most of it but what do you know, I ended up on the playground making sure the kids didn't get hurt. I also pushed around the bishop's daughter in her stroller. She is so cute!! I couldn't believe the work that the wards did that were there. It was amazing to see the clean up job. It really brought the wards together because we served together! It was a wonderful opportunity!
On Sunday we had a "Why I believe" fireside. Our bishop wanted us to do it. We had some recent converts and the bishop speak about their conversion stories. It was really neat and the spirit was really strong! It was awesome for Sister Stewart and I to see Dave Deyoe, our recent convert stand up and bear his testimony. Both of us were crying by the end! He talked about how we had become a part of their family. He also talked about how he knew they had come to Florida to find the gospel! It was great and made me think about why I believed the gospel was true. I am so thankful for the gospel in my life. It has blessed me in so many ways. I know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ and the restoration of the priesthood I will be will my love ones forever!! I love you all!!! The Church is True!!!
Love
Sister Comte
Monday, April 13, 2009
April 13th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
What a wonderful week it has been? It has been wonderful to testify about our Savior and the sacrafice He made for us. It was great to tell people about the real meaning of Easter! We taught a little boy, he is four, this week about the true meaning of Easter. Before we started our lesson he thought it was all about the Easter Bunny. We made little cookies with him that go along with the Easter story and when they are finished they are hollow on the inside. They are really cool! At the end of the lesson we asked him why do we celebrate Easter. He said in a loud voice "Jesus." We then asked what did Jesus do for us. He replied in a peaceful voice "Life." We told him that was right. We celebrate because Jesus gave us life. What a sweet and simple testimony this young boy has. The spirit was really strong and touched us all so deeply!
It is transfer time again and I am staying in my area with my companion. But we are getting a third sister. Her name is Sister Downs. We are going to have alot of fun together!!! We have so much work that we need three sisters to carry it all!
I love you all!! Sorry it is short this week! I know that our Savior lives. I know that this is His work. I cannot do it alone. It is my Savior that keeps me going every day. I love Him and will tell everyone I meet about Him!
Love
Sister Comte
What a wonderful week it has been? It has been wonderful to testify about our Savior and the sacrafice He made for us. It was great to tell people about the real meaning of Easter! We taught a little boy, he is four, this week about the true meaning of Easter. Before we started our lesson he thought it was all about the Easter Bunny. We made little cookies with him that go along with the Easter story and when they are finished they are hollow on the inside. They are really cool! At the end of the lesson we asked him why do we celebrate Easter. He said in a loud voice "Jesus." We then asked what did Jesus do for us. He replied in a peaceful voice "Life." We told him that was right. We celebrate because Jesus gave us life. What a sweet and simple testimony this young boy has. The spirit was really strong and touched us all so deeply!
It is transfer time again and I am staying in my area with my companion. But we are getting a third sister. Her name is Sister Downs. We are going to have alot of fun together!!! We have so much work that we need three sisters to carry it all!
I love you all!! Sorry it is short this week! I know that our Savior lives. I know that this is His work. I cannot do it alone. It is my Savior that keeps me going every day. I love Him and will tell everyone I meet about Him!
Love
Sister Comte
Friday, April 3, 2009
April 3rd Email
Dear Family and Friends,
Sorry about not emailing last week. Too much had happened and I didn’t have enough time. But I will write a good one this week. Many wonderful things happened this week. It was amazing even though most of our appointments fell through. Conference was a big highlight even though some of the time I couldn’t hear over the children I was helping with. It is important to me that people that are coming back or are new to the church hear conference, even if that means entertaining their children. I had made little puzzles and other activities for the kids on P-days and I am glad I did because it helped a little.
The biggest thing I got from conference is 1. We can overcome trials, 2. That our homes need to be sanctuaries where the spirit can reside, 3. We need to attend the temple whenever we can. Even if you can’t go into the temple you should go and touch the temple until the temple touches you. Elder Christofferson said that we can succeed because of the promises that God has given us. But we first must make these covenants and then we must keep up our end of the deal. Elder Eyring said that “Jesus Christ chose to learn for Himself” (by coming here to earth.) He also taught that we are being prepared for eternal things.
I loved Gary Stevensen’s talked about the home. I think that is who gave this talk! He took a tour of a house and likened it to the temple. Our homes need to be evaluated and then some home improvement needs to happen. I also like the analogy of a GPS system to the Plan of Salvation. I always knew that GPS stood for God’s Plan of Salvation!!! We use this analogy sometimes in our teaching!
Last Monday we had FHE with the Deyoe Family. The wife, Sherree, had been inactive for years. The Husband, Dave, was baptized in March. Sherree’s daughter Mary is getting baptized this month. Sherree has two other children that are living at home but we are not teaching them yet. I love this family so much! I call them my Florida Family. We did a really cool FHE with an Easter egg house. It was a gingerbread house that we had gotten from Wal-Mart. We talked about how it needed a sure foundation to stand. We compared the icing to pray and holding our family together. We then talked about different things in our life’s that add color and decoration to our house. It was a really neat lesson and Mary loved decorating the house! It was fun but not that good to eat!
On Thursday we went and did a follow-up appointment with a Mexican Family that we are working with. We are working with two sisters and their boyfriends. Both sisters live with their boyfriends and both have children. The one sister, Arlett, and her boyfriend, Miguel, have two children. The other sister, Fabiola, and her boyfriend, Froy, have one little girl. Their children are sometimes out of control but I love them. The sisters are members and have been inactive for along time. They all speak English pretty well, we completely understand each other. Fabiola and Froy have baby bunnies because they didn’t know that their pet bunnies were male and female. They thought they were both males. Surprise!!! We got to hold the babies. It was really fun. We also went over and taught Froy on Saturday. Arlett was there as well. We watched the movie Finding Faith in Christ. We didn’t know how this would go with the three children. We were astonished when the children were glued to the TV and hardly made any noise during it. Froy wasn’t so sure that there is a God, but after the movie he said that he had chills up and down his spine. He said that he knew there was a God and that he had a son named Jesus Christ. It was an awesome moment. He said he had been reading the scriptures but I know it is hard for him to understand. He says he can’t put it down. We are so excited and he can’t wait to learn more!!!
I love you all so much. I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father! I am so thankful for the gospel. I know it is the truth and that we are greatly blessed through it. Please always live so that the Spirit can be your constant companion. It is well worth the sacrifice.
Love
Sister Comte
Sorry about not emailing last week. Too much had happened and I didn’t have enough time. But I will write a good one this week. Many wonderful things happened this week. It was amazing even though most of our appointments fell through. Conference was a big highlight even though some of the time I couldn’t hear over the children I was helping with. It is important to me that people that are coming back or are new to the church hear conference, even if that means entertaining their children. I had made little puzzles and other activities for the kids on P-days and I am glad I did because it helped a little.
The biggest thing I got from conference is 1. We can overcome trials, 2. That our homes need to be sanctuaries where the spirit can reside, 3. We need to attend the temple whenever we can. Even if you can’t go into the temple you should go and touch the temple until the temple touches you. Elder Christofferson said that we can succeed because of the promises that God has given us. But we first must make these covenants and then we must keep up our end of the deal. Elder Eyring said that “Jesus Christ chose to learn for Himself” (by coming here to earth.) He also taught that we are being prepared for eternal things.
I loved Gary Stevensen’s talked about the home. I think that is who gave this talk! He took a tour of a house and likened it to the temple. Our homes need to be evaluated and then some home improvement needs to happen. I also like the analogy of a GPS system to the Plan of Salvation. I always knew that GPS stood for God’s Plan of Salvation!!! We use this analogy sometimes in our teaching!
Last Monday we had FHE with the Deyoe Family. The wife, Sherree, had been inactive for years. The Husband, Dave, was baptized in March. Sherree’s daughter Mary is getting baptized this month. Sherree has two other children that are living at home but we are not teaching them yet. I love this family so much! I call them my Florida Family. We did a really cool FHE with an Easter egg house. It was a gingerbread house that we had gotten from Wal-Mart. We talked about how it needed a sure foundation to stand. We compared the icing to pray and holding our family together. We then talked about different things in our life’s that add color and decoration to our house. It was a really neat lesson and Mary loved decorating the house! It was fun but not that good to eat!
On Thursday we went and did a follow-up appointment with a Mexican Family that we are working with. We are working with two sisters and their boyfriends. Both sisters live with their boyfriends and both have children. The one sister, Arlett, and her boyfriend, Miguel, have two children. The other sister, Fabiola, and her boyfriend, Froy, have one little girl. Their children are sometimes out of control but I love them. The sisters are members and have been inactive for along time. They all speak English pretty well, we completely understand each other. Fabiola and Froy have baby bunnies because they didn’t know that their pet bunnies were male and female. They thought they were both males. Surprise!!! We got to hold the babies. It was really fun. We also went over and taught Froy on Saturday. Arlett was there as well. We watched the movie Finding Faith in Christ. We didn’t know how this would go with the three children. We were astonished when the children were glued to the TV and hardly made any noise during it. Froy wasn’t so sure that there is a God, but after the movie he said that he had chills up and down his spine. He said that he knew there was a God and that he had a son named Jesus Christ. It was an awesome moment. He said he had been reading the scriptures but I know it is hard for him to understand. He says he can’t put it down. We are so excited and he can’t wait to learn more!!!
I love you all so much. I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father! I am so thankful for the gospel. I know it is the truth and that we are greatly blessed through it. Please always live so that the Spirit can be your constant companion. It is well worth the sacrifice.
Love
Sister Comte
Monday, March 23, 2009
March 23rd Email
Dear Family and Friends,
This week has been wonderful! It has been very busy. We had seven meals provided for us last week which was a blessing. I don't know what it is but people must know I love strawberries because we had 5 cartons of them by the end of the week. They were delicious. It is strawberry season here. Yes, this means that is warm here.
We had 70-80 degree weather this week! It was beautiful!
Last Monday for P-day we went to the Circus Museum here in Sarasota. They actually have two museums and John Ringlings Mansion that you can tour. The one museum was a miniture circus. Everything was 3-4 inches tall. It was incredible detailed. It was just like going to the circu except for a little bit less movement. It was really cool to see though.
My companion and I have been praying for new people to start teaching. It is awesome how God answers prayers. On Tuesday we were helping a member move into her new house. A man came to the door with her persciptions and I ended up teaching part of the first lesson and giving him a Book of Mormon. It was a really neat experience. I am so glad I have a good testimony to share with people.
We also had a great experience of finding on Friday as well. We have a standing appointment with a Spanish family on Friday nights. The girlfriend is a member but her boyfriend is not. They have a four year old and a 18 month old child. They always fix us the best food. My favorite is something called sopas. It is thick tortilla's pilled with beans and cheese. They are amazing. This Friday we decided to make them food. So we made them lazagna. I had never done this before because my mom is allergic to tomatos. The lazagna turned out amazing!
Anyways, when we went to our appointment the girlfriends sister was there. She is also a member. She talked to us about her live in boyfriend. She said that he doesn't really believe their is a God, but he doesn't want to talk about religion with others. We told her that her and her boyfriend should stay for dinner and we would soften him before we talked about God. He soon came in from outside and started asking us questions about God. He has all the right questions and he is really searching. So we taught him and he still wants to learn more. The spirit is what taught him and he wants to meet with us as often as possible. By the end of the time teahing him he was believing that there is a God. It is a small step but one in the right direction!
Well, I love you all. Have a good week! Thanks to all the support you give me!
Love
Sister Comte
This week has been wonderful! It has been very busy. We had seven meals provided for us last week which was a blessing. I don't know what it is but people must know I love strawberries because we had 5 cartons of them by the end of the week. They were delicious. It is strawberry season here. Yes, this means that is warm here.
We had 70-80 degree weather this week! It was beautiful!
Last Monday for P-day we went to the Circus Museum here in Sarasota. They actually have two museums and John Ringlings Mansion that you can tour. The one museum was a miniture circus. Everything was 3-4 inches tall. It was incredible detailed. It was just like going to the circu except for a little bit less movement. It was really cool to see though.
My companion and I have been praying for new people to start teaching. It is awesome how God answers prayers. On Tuesday we were helping a member move into her new house. A man came to the door with her persciptions and I ended up teaching part of the first lesson and giving him a Book of Mormon. It was a really neat experience. I am so glad I have a good testimony to share with people.
We also had a great experience of finding on Friday as well. We have a standing appointment with a Spanish family on Friday nights. The girlfriend is a member but her boyfriend is not. They have a four year old and a 18 month old child. They always fix us the best food. My favorite is something called sopas. It is thick tortilla's pilled with beans and cheese. They are amazing. This Friday we decided to make them food. So we made them lazagna. I had never done this before because my mom is allergic to tomatos. The lazagna turned out amazing!
Anyways, when we went to our appointment the girlfriends sister was there. She is also a member. She talked to us about her live in boyfriend. She said that he doesn't really believe their is a God, but he doesn't want to talk about religion with others. We told her that her and her boyfriend should stay for dinner and we would soften him before we talked about God. He soon came in from outside and started asking us questions about God. He has all the right questions and he is really searching. So we taught him and he still wants to learn more. The spirit is what taught him and he wants to meet with us as often as possible. By the end of the time teahing him he was believing that there is a God. It is a small step but one in the right direction!
Well, I love you all. Have a good week! Thanks to all the support you give me!
Love
Sister Comte
Monday, March 16, 2009
March 16th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
What a glorious week it has been!!! Life is good when you are serving the Lord. Good things are happening in Sarasota, Florida! This week a man by the name of Dave Deyoe was baptized. His wife is a member and we have only been teaching him for about 2 months. He loves the church and will do whatever it takes to live it. I know that he will be a strong priesthood holder! The baptism was small but the spirit was really strong. I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost and when I stood up to give it the whole thing changed. I just felt I should shard something else so I did. I turned out well though! This couple is really looking forward to being sealed in the temple in a year. Everyone at church loves the Deyoe’s. It is awesome to have a ward that will support recent converts. We spent a lot of time with them this week. We had fun watching Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. They liked it themselves!
This week was Zone Conference. We talked a lot about fierce finding and prayer. A lot of this work is praying like it all depends on God and then working as though it all depends on you! With God this work is easy and fun. I love this work and can’t wait to teach others about what I know. I think that some of the most sacred experiences are when people want to go to the temple. This gospel brings so many blessings to us. If each of us could fully grasp the eternal perspective of this life we would be so much better off. It is all about eternal life!!!
On Thursday we went and visited with a lady in our ward that I had an automatic connection with. We have been trying to see her for awhile and we finally did get over to her house. She is the sweetest lady and is going through kindof a hard time. Her husband is somewhat of an inactive member. But this lady is strong and continues to bring her three children to church even if he won’t come. This is hard but she knows it is the right thing to do. She talked to us a lot about giving up our fears and filling our lives with love. That is how she lives everyday! Not in fear but in love!
On Friday night we had a really fun ward activity. We had a fund raiser for girl’s camp. We had a spaghetti dinner and a desert auction. The spaghetti was really good but the best part was the auction. Sister Stewart and I had made truffles that looked liked missionary tags. But after they were made we tried some of the other truffles we had made and they were disgusting. We were embarrassed to take them but we did. They sold for 20 dollars. A lot of people were generous. A man in our ward that couldn’t be there gave me a hundred dollars that was to be spent. I had a lot of fun auctioning for him. Another person gave us 35 dollars for caramels. But the caramels went for $50. So we got him something else. It was fun to be with our ward family!
After the baptism yesterday, we went to a fireside. David Osmond spoke about overcoming adversity. He is related to the original Osmond’s. His dad is Alan. He has a really neat story about having MS and still finding joy. He told us that “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” It is all is the way we look at things. He has an amazing voice and he sang a little bit for us. He is a really neat guy. He quoted from the Wizard of Oz something that I thought was really profound. At the end of the movie, when the wicked witch is melting, she says to Dorothy “ Who would have thought that a sweet little girl like you could destroy all my beautiful wickedness.” We can all destroy Satan but we have to continue to press forward in the cause of righteousness.
I love you all so much and hope that you will take the things I write to heart. Thank you for the continued support. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love
Sister Comte
What a glorious week it has been!!! Life is good when you are serving the Lord. Good things are happening in Sarasota, Florida! This week a man by the name of Dave Deyoe was baptized. His wife is a member and we have only been teaching him for about 2 months. He loves the church and will do whatever it takes to live it. I know that he will be a strong priesthood holder! The baptism was small but the spirit was really strong. I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost and when I stood up to give it the whole thing changed. I just felt I should shard something else so I did. I turned out well though! This couple is really looking forward to being sealed in the temple in a year. Everyone at church loves the Deyoe’s. It is awesome to have a ward that will support recent converts. We spent a lot of time with them this week. We had fun watching Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. They liked it themselves!
This week was Zone Conference. We talked a lot about fierce finding and prayer. A lot of this work is praying like it all depends on God and then working as though it all depends on you! With God this work is easy and fun. I love this work and can’t wait to teach others about what I know. I think that some of the most sacred experiences are when people want to go to the temple. This gospel brings so many blessings to us. If each of us could fully grasp the eternal perspective of this life we would be so much better off. It is all about eternal life!!!
On Thursday we went and visited with a lady in our ward that I had an automatic connection with. We have been trying to see her for awhile and we finally did get over to her house. She is the sweetest lady and is going through kindof a hard time. Her husband is somewhat of an inactive member. But this lady is strong and continues to bring her three children to church even if he won’t come. This is hard but she knows it is the right thing to do. She talked to us a lot about giving up our fears and filling our lives with love. That is how she lives everyday! Not in fear but in love!
On Friday night we had a really fun ward activity. We had a fund raiser for girl’s camp. We had a spaghetti dinner and a desert auction. The spaghetti was really good but the best part was the auction. Sister Stewart and I had made truffles that looked liked missionary tags. But after they were made we tried some of the other truffles we had made and they were disgusting. We were embarrassed to take them but we did. They sold for 20 dollars. A lot of people were generous. A man in our ward that couldn’t be there gave me a hundred dollars that was to be spent. I had a lot of fun auctioning for him. Another person gave us 35 dollars for caramels. But the caramels went for $50. So we got him something else. It was fun to be with our ward family!
After the baptism yesterday, we went to a fireside. David Osmond spoke about overcoming adversity. He is related to the original Osmond’s. His dad is Alan. He has a really neat story about having MS and still finding joy. He told us that “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” It is all is the way we look at things. He has an amazing voice and he sang a little bit for us. He is a really neat guy. He quoted from the Wizard of Oz something that I thought was really profound. At the end of the movie, when the wicked witch is melting, she says to Dorothy “ Who would have thought that a sweet little girl like you could destroy all my beautiful wickedness.” We can all destroy Satan but we have to continue to press forward in the cause of righteousness.
I love you all so much and hope that you will take the things I write to heart. Thank you for the continued support. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
March 9th Email
Dear Family and Friends
I don’t know where the time has gone this morning and I hope I have enough to write all that I want to say! This week has been wonderful! On Tuesday during studies someone knocked on our door. This never happens unless we are expecting it. The man that knocked was selling prepaid legal and once we told him who we were he told us that we probably weren’t interested. But we did talk to him about the gospel. He said he would come to church and we are hoping to start teaching him!
We are working with a wonderful family right now, the Deyoe’s. The wife, Sherree, is a member but her husband, Dave is not. Dave is getting baptized next Sunday! Sherree has four kids that she has adopted, three of which live with her. The 14 and 15 year old are really neat. We have been trying to teach them for weeks. The 15 year old, Mary, wants to go to girl’s camp. The ward has really pulled together and welcomed them in. We had a break through this week because of the ward. The 14 year old came to mutual and wants to come again. This family is great and it is wonderful to see them embrace the gospel. We talked about temples last night and how they can be sealed for all eternity in a year. This is one of their goals now! It was exciting because they stayed for all three hours!!!
Just because I am on my mission doesn’t mean I don’t get to play with children anymore. I know that God has given me many opportunities to teach and play with kids here on my mission. This last week I made missionary tags for some kids in our ward. Their dad is our ward mission leader. They have some really cute kids. I am attaching pictures so that you can see them with their tags! I still love the children!
On Tuesday night a lady from our ward died. Her name was Crystal She was 45 but was suffering from many health problems. She was in a wheelchair and had a trach (don’t know how to spell it.) She was very sick and her living conditions were horrible. She was the only member of her family and was inactive for many years. It was just in the last 6 months that she decided to come back to church. She died at the spiritual high of her life. Her family though had a hard time with it. The funeral went well though. It was interesting because some didn’t agree to what was being said by the bishop and others from the ward. This lady could do here on earth what she wanted most to do. What she wanted most was to sing and dance. A lady from the ward was teaching her sign language and at the funeral signed a song for the lady that passed. I know that Crystal is singing and dancing in paradise today. What a comforting thought! I hope I go at my spiritually high point. Sister Stewart and I sang “Each Live that Touches Ours for Good.” It turned out really nice. It was a great missionary tool because it sparked people’s interest and we talked to a few people that want to know more about the gospel!
We had a baptism yesterday. A young boy by the name of Bryce was baptized. He is 12 and he loves the church. His dad is a member and so is his grandma. It was a great baptism with lots of people there. The spirit was really strong. The family, his dad, grandma, aunts and uncles, have been inactive for years but most are coming back now. It is awesome to see this family progress. Bryce wants to share the gospel with everyone he sees. He asked if we could come swimming next weekend with him and his friends We had to let him know we can’t go swimming so he decided that we could just come and sit by the pool!! HAHA
We had a wonderful training this week on prayer. I fully believe in the power in prayer! Someone said this “The most important appointment of the week is the one spent on your knees.” We must first spiritually create our day and then physically do it! We do something here on our missions called a mighty prayer of faith. We express gratitude and are very specific about those we are praying for. I encourage all of you to prayer whenever and wherever you can. I promise you that you life’s will be better. I know they will improve!
Thank you so much for all you do. I love you so much!! I continually pray for you all. I know that my Savior lives and the He love us! Keep on praying!!!
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
March 2nd Email
Dear Family and Friends
Its time for you favorite email of the week! I love this work so much. I think it is so much fun. It brings others a lot of happiness but it brings a lot of happiness to mine as well. The things people say to you are so funny. You never know what people are going to say to you. It brings me great joy to meet others and hear about their life stories.
This week has gone by so fast. We are now at the start of a new transfer. Sister Stewart and I are both staying together. We are really excited about it. The work is going really well and we are teaching a lot. Time flies when we are so busy. The last six weeks have escaped us and we are starting another cycle! It is crazy how fast time goes!
Yesterday was Fast Sunday and it was a pretty normal day. Nobody said anything weird. Some lady said that her mother had had an emergency this week. Her daughter has had seizures her whole life and when anything happened she would say “Make the safe call.” She meant by that to call someone in the church because they were always willing to help. Of course, if it is a medical emergency than you need to call the ambulance. But she likened this to spiritual emergencies in our lives. When we are going through trials, make the safe call to our Heavenly Father. He will always be there for us.
We are teaching a really neat family right now. The wife is a member and her husband is taking the discussions. They are like our parents. They are always watching out for us. The wife has adopted four children and has two of her own. The husband has no children but takes care of his wives. All the children are older, the youngest is 14 and they have a 15 year old as well. They are really cool. We hope to get them involved in Mutual. The kids want too especially the 15 year old. We taught Dave, the husband, about the Word of Wisdom this week. He was very accepting of it. He wants to be a member and has felt the spirit. It is really neat to see this family come together! I love seeing the beginnings of an eternal family!!
I love you all. I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve the Lord. He has blessed me in do many ways. It is because of him that I am who I am today! My companion and I have started a new thing where we sing to end each lesson. This brings the spirit into the end of the lesson that we will leave with them. It is the spirit that has a big job, not us!
Love
Sister Comte
Its time for you favorite email of the week! I love this work so much. I think it is so much fun. It brings others a lot of happiness but it brings a lot of happiness to mine as well. The things people say to you are so funny. You never know what people are going to say to you. It brings me great joy to meet others and hear about their life stories.
This week has gone by so fast. We are now at the start of a new transfer. Sister Stewart and I are both staying together. We are really excited about it. The work is going really well and we are teaching a lot. Time flies when we are so busy. The last six weeks have escaped us and we are starting another cycle! It is crazy how fast time goes!
Yesterday was Fast Sunday and it was a pretty normal day. Nobody said anything weird. Some lady said that her mother had had an emergency this week. Her daughter has had seizures her whole life and when anything happened she would say “Make the safe call.” She meant by that to call someone in the church because they were always willing to help. Of course, if it is a medical emergency than you need to call the ambulance. But she likened this to spiritual emergencies in our lives. When we are going through trials, make the safe call to our Heavenly Father. He will always be there for us.
We are teaching a really neat family right now. The wife is a member and her husband is taking the discussions. They are like our parents. They are always watching out for us. The wife has adopted four children and has two of her own. The husband has no children but takes care of his wives. All the children are older, the youngest is 14 and they have a 15 year old as well. They are really cool. We hope to get them involved in Mutual. The kids want too especially the 15 year old. We taught Dave, the husband, about the Word of Wisdom this week. He was very accepting of it. He wants to be a member and has felt the spirit. It is really neat to see this family come together! I love seeing the beginnings of an eternal family!!
I love you all. I am so thankful for this opportunity to serve the Lord. He has blessed me in do many ways. It is because of him that I am who I am today! My companion and I have started a new thing where we sing to end each lesson. This brings the spirit into the end of the lesson that we will leave with them. It is the spirit that has a big job, not us!
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
February 23rd Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been another busy week here in Sarasota, Florida. On Thursday we had a wonderful experience. We went and visited the Leavitt Family. Brother Leavitt is our ward mission leader. We had a really nice dinner and then had a meeting/spiritual thought with him and his family. He has three small children. His oldest daughter is 4 and her name is Savannah. Then he has a set of twins that are two, named Luke and Lily. They are all so cute. They tell us the funniest things some times. Savannah told us that she wants to be a vet, a dentist, and a missionary when she grows up. Brother Leavitt told Lily “The missionaries have to go soon or they will turn into pumpkins.” Lily looked at her dad and with a big smile on her face and said “Oh, Yeah!” It was so cute. Before we left the kids sang “I am a child of God.” It was so sweet and almost brought tears to my eyes!
On Monday we went and visited an inactive member off of our ward list. We found them home and were excited to talk to them. We soon found out that they were loosing their home and were moving into their van. Both Sister Stewart and I had an impression that we should go into their area for the day. I know that we were lead to them because if we would have come on Tuesday they might not have been there. We helped them move. They were so happy and thankful that they at least had a van to move in to. They are really funny sisters and we hope they come to church because we have no way of getting a hold of them now.
On Saturday we went to a birthday party for one of our investigators. He’s name is Bryce and he is 12 years old. His dad is a member but has been inactive for a long time. His dad is now active and wants his son to be baptized. He will be baptized in March! The party was a lot of fun. It was fun to be with all of their family. All of them are members and most are active. It was fun to laugh and play with everyone there.
On Sunday we went and taught Bryce his last lesson before he gets baptized. His mom lives in another part of Florida and he comes to visit his dad every other weekend. So we teach him when he is here. It was a long lesson and he really wanted to be out playing with all of his cousins. But he hung in there. He loves reading the scriptures and wants to read everything. He brought a friend with him this weekend and wants his friend to learn about the gospel as well. His friend seemed interested so we will see what happens.
Last night we helped the Spanish Elders with a baptism. The lady, Marianelli Rojas, that was baptized was Spanish but speaks ok English. She wants to be in our ward, the Lakewood Ranch ward, because it is closer to her. We are excited to have her. She has a really cute little girl that I finally got to laugh last night. It was wonderful to see her countenance change as she got out of the water! It was simple and beautiful!
I love you all and hope all is going well! Remember to write. I love your letters. I know that this is the true church of God. Through Him we can have eternal life. Keep holding to the rod and press forward. I know you can make it!
Love
Sister Comte
It has been another busy week here in Sarasota, Florida. On Thursday we had a wonderful experience. We went and visited the Leavitt Family. Brother Leavitt is our ward mission leader. We had a really nice dinner and then had a meeting/spiritual thought with him and his family. He has three small children. His oldest daughter is 4 and her name is Savannah. Then he has a set of twins that are two, named Luke and Lily. They are all so cute. They tell us the funniest things some times. Savannah told us that she wants to be a vet, a dentist, and a missionary when she grows up. Brother Leavitt told Lily “The missionaries have to go soon or they will turn into pumpkins.” Lily looked at her dad and with a big smile on her face and said “Oh, Yeah!” It was so cute. Before we left the kids sang “I am a child of God.” It was so sweet and almost brought tears to my eyes!
On Monday we went and visited an inactive member off of our ward list. We found them home and were excited to talk to them. We soon found out that they were loosing their home and were moving into their van. Both Sister Stewart and I had an impression that we should go into their area for the day. I know that we were lead to them because if we would have come on Tuesday they might not have been there. We helped them move. They were so happy and thankful that they at least had a van to move in to. They are really funny sisters and we hope they come to church because we have no way of getting a hold of them now.
On Saturday we went to a birthday party for one of our investigators. He’s name is Bryce and he is 12 years old. His dad is a member but has been inactive for a long time. His dad is now active and wants his son to be baptized. He will be baptized in March! The party was a lot of fun. It was fun to be with all of their family. All of them are members and most are active. It was fun to laugh and play with everyone there.
On Sunday we went and taught Bryce his last lesson before he gets baptized. His mom lives in another part of Florida and he comes to visit his dad every other weekend. So we teach him when he is here. It was a long lesson and he really wanted to be out playing with all of his cousins. But he hung in there. He loves reading the scriptures and wants to read everything. He brought a friend with him this weekend and wants his friend to learn about the gospel as well. His friend seemed interested so we will see what happens.
Last night we helped the Spanish Elders with a baptism. The lady, Marianelli Rojas, that was baptized was Spanish but speaks ok English. She wants to be in our ward, the Lakewood Ranch ward, because it is closer to her. We are excited to have her. She has a really cute little girl that I finally got to laugh last night. It was wonderful to see her countenance change as she got out of the water! It was simple and beautiful!
I love you all and hope all is going well! Remember to write. I love your letters. I know that this is the true church of God. Through Him we can have eternal life. Keep holding to the rod and press forward. I know you can make it!
Love
Sister Comte
Thursday, February 19, 2009
February 17th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
I am sorry about not writing last week, but all was crazy. We went to a member’s house. She had made us lunch and brownies. We had set the appointment and didn’t want to be late. So I didn’t get to my big email for all. I hope no one felt left out. Last Monday I didn’t write because Elder Zwick of the Seventy came to talk to our mission. It was an amazing meeting. The spirit was so strong. One of my favorite things that Elder Zwick talked about was the question Do you know Jesus? I think we should all ponder this question and try to live our lives so that we can be worthy to know Him.
The last couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy. But the payback is great. A recent convert is fixing us dinner tonight: T-Bone Steaks and Baked potatoes. I am so excited. The recent converts name is Ron Sartori. His wife’s name is Melissa and they have a four year old son named Ronnie! They are the greatest family. Ron was baptized on the seventh of February. He arrived early to his baptismal service. As we walked down the hall with Ron and Melissa, Ronnie ran out in front of them. My companion and I were behind them. Ron looked at Melissa and said “In a year, Ronnie will be ours forever.” I almost started crying. What a joy the gospel is!!! This is much better payback then steaks!
The area in which I am now serving is really big. It is huge. To get from one end to the other it would take about an hour and a half! With limited miles we really have to plan where we will be going each day. Yesterday, my companion and I had an impression to go out farther than normal to work and do some visits with less active members. The ward I am in has only been established for about 7 months, so we are trying to tell everyone about the change. We have a map with most of our members pinned out on it. We saw a name on the map and decided we should try and see them. When we knock on the door the person we wanted didn’t answer the door, but her sister did. Her sister is a member but is not on our wards records. We talked for a long time with this lady. We found out that on Friday they are being evicted and will be living in a van. So today we are going to help them move and we got a hold of people in the ward that can help. You can’t tell me that we were not lead to this sisters. If we would have gone and visited them in two days they would have been gone! The Lord is always mindful of us!!
On Sunday we went and visited a mother and a daughter that are members. We didn’t know them very well so we decided we would get to know them better. They have the coolest little house. They have a pond on their back patio. They are big fish and a couple of turtles in the pond. It seemed like a really relaxing place to be because there was tons of greenery around. The doors that lead into the house are one big sliding door, so you can open it and walk in and out of the house at your pleasure. The mom and daughter have traveled the world and have decorated the house in stuff that they have collected. The daughter always buys a doll from the country they are visiting. She has a really neat collection.
I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week! In my reading this week I read 1 Nephi 21:16! The Lord can’t forget us because we are in graven upon His hands. I know that the Lord loves us, no matter where we are or what we are doing! He wants us all to come closer to Him. His hand is outstretched if we will but reach for it! I am so thankful for this gospel!
Love
Sister Comte
I am sorry about not writing last week, but all was crazy. We went to a member’s house. She had made us lunch and brownies. We had set the appointment and didn’t want to be late. So I didn’t get to my big email for all. I hope no one felt left out. Last Monday I didn’t write because Elder Zwick of the Seventy came to talk to our mission. It was an amazing meeting. The spirit was so strong. One of my favorite things that Elder Zwick talked about was the question Do you know Jesus? I think we should all ponder this question and try to live our lives so that we can be worthy to know Him.
The last couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy. But the payback is great. A recent convert is fixing us dinner tonight: T-Bone Steaks and Baked potatoes. I am so excited. The recent converts name is Ron Sartori. His wife’s name is Melissa and they have a four year old son named Ronnie! They are the greatest family. Ron was baptized on the seventh of February. He arrived early to his baptismal service. As we walked down the hall with Ron and Melissa, Ronnie ran out in front of them. My companion and I were behind them. Ron looked at Melissa and said “In a year, Ronnie will be ours forever.” I almost started crying. What a joy the gospel is!!! This is much better payback then steaks!
The area in which I am now serving is really big. It is huge. To get from one end to the other it would take about an hour and a half! With limited miles we really have to plan where we will be going each day. Yesterday, my companion and I had an impression to go out farther than normal to work and do some visits with less active members. The ward I am in has only been established for about 7 months, so we are trying to tell everyone about the change. We have a map with most of our members pinned out on it. We saw a name on the map and decided we should try and see them. When we knock on the door the person we wanted didn’t answer the door, but her sister did. Her sister is a member but is not on our wards records. We talked for a long time with this lady. We found out that on Friday they are being evicted and will be living in a van. So today we are going to help them move and we got a hold of people in the ward that can help. You can’t tell me that we were not lead to this sisters. If we would have gone and visited them in two days they would have been gone! The Lord is always mindful of us!!
On Sunday we went and visited a mother and a daughter that are members. We didn’t know them very well so we decided we would get to know them better. They have the coolest little house. They have a pond on their back patio. They are big fish and a couple of turtles in the pond. It seemed like a really relaxing place to be because there was tons of greenery around. The doors that lead into the house are one big sliding door, so you can open it and walk in and out of the house at your pleasure. The mom and daughter have traveled the world and have decorated the house in stuff that they have collected. The daughter always buys a doll from the country they are visiting. She has a really neat collection.
I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week! In my reading this week I read 1 Nephi 21:16! The Lord can’t forget us because we are in graven upon His hands. I know that the Lord loves us, no matter where we are or what we are doing! He wants us all to come closer to Him. His hand is outstretched if we will but reach for it! I am so thankful for this gospel!
Love
Sister Comte
Thursday, January 29, 2009
January 26th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
The Lord is amazing and has blessed me so much! I am loving my new area. The work is moving along well here and I know it is because of the ward. I am afraid that some of the people here will be translated. They love this gospel so much that they are willing to share it with everyone they meet! The bishop is really good. He is a very humble man. He is so caring and his testimony shines through his whole body.
I have also been blessed with an amazing companion. Her life and mine have a lot in common. She has two older brothers and one younger that is on a mission. Her dad went on a mission to Denmark! She is a really good missionary and tries to follow all the rules. We are both really excited to serve together and feel blessed to be in this area at this time.
The first day I was here we had a wonderful Zone meeting. We talked about how the power is in each of us to succeed. Our district leader made an acronym for power. P is for personality. He told us to always be ourselves because everyone else is taken. O is for originality. W is for wisdom. E is for emphasis. What do you want to emphasize in your life? R is for radiance. We all have the light of Christ and we need to let that light shine bright!!!
We taught a man and his wife later that afternoon. The husband is not a member, but is going to get baptized in February. We were about 15 minutes into the lesson and the husband asked if I knew sign language. I said I knew a little. He then told me that his wife is deaf. I was amazed because she had kept up with the whole lesson. She is a master lip reader. I hope that I can practice my limited signing skills.
The husband said that years ago he was in a store shopping. Two people walked up to him while he was looking at something on the shelf. He recognized them as Jehovah’s Witnesses. They asked him if he knew what would happen to him if he died right know. He said in a straight face “ I would hit my head on this shelf and I would land on the floor.” The JW didn’t like that answer and walked away. I laughed so hard when I heard this. What a good, peaceable way to deal with something that could have been contentious.
On Friday night we went and visited a little family. The woman is a member but her boyfriend is not. They live together and have two children. They are both from Mexico. As soon as we set down, the woman’s dad came out and made us food. My companion says that they always feed us even if we just show up. The dad made the most wonderful beef with onions and tomato’s. It was really good. The boyfriend doesn’t know much about the gospel but we are teaching him. We taught him how to pray this week. He has never prayed before. He was so excited to talk to God.
Saturday we had a movie night with the lady that is deaf and her husband. We made Carmel popcorn and watched the Testaments. The husband and wife were so happy together. The spirit was really strong and both were crying by the end. It is really neat to see how the gospel has changed this family’s life. They both have a desire to go to the temple and are willing to do what ever it takes to get sealed to their little boy. I love this family so much!!!
Sunday was amazing. The ward here is amazing. There is a lady in the ward that was living in Wurzburg, Germany in 1987. She was in our branch there in Germany. What a small world it is! The ward is so wonderful and I don’t think I have ever been in a ward that was more loving and caring than this. There is a lady that is dying but she still comes ever week in her wheelchair. She has a thing in her thought because of all the years she smoked. She was having a really hard time yesterday. The lady that was sitting next to her rubbed her arm during all of Relief Society. She rubbed her back as well. The lady that was giving this service didn’t even know the name of the lady in the wheelchair. What a Christlike example that was? I was so touched!!
There is so much more to write but I am running out of time! I love you all and am so thankful for my blessings!! I know that the Lord loves us and is very mindful of each one of us!
Love
Sister Comte
The Lord is amazing and has blessed me so much! I am loving my new area. The work is moving along well here and I know it is because of the ward. I am afraid that some of the people here will be translated. They love this gospel so much that they are willing to share it with everyone they meet! The bishop is really good. He is a very humble man. He is so caring and his testimony shines through his whole body.
I have also been blessed with an amazing companion. Her life and mine have a lot in common. She has two older brothers and one younger that is on a mission. Her dad went on a mission to Denmark! She is a really good missionary and tries to follow all the rules. We are both really excited to serve together and feel blessed to be in this area at this time.
The first day I was here we had a wonderful Zone meeting. We talked about how the power is in each of us to succeed. Our district leader made an acronym for power. P is for personality. He told us to always be ourselves because everyone else is taken. O is for originality. W is for wisdom. E is for emphasis. What do you want to emphasize in your life? R is for radiance. We all have the light of Christ and we need to let that light shine bright!!!
We taught a man and his wife later that afternoon. The husband is not a member, but is going to get baptized in February. We were about 15 minutes into the lesson and the husband asked if I knew sign language. I said I knew a little. He then told me that his wife is deaf. I was amazed because she had kept up with the whole lesson. She is a master lip reader. I hope that I can practice my limited signing skills.
The husband said that years ago he was in a store shopping. Two people walked up to him while he was looking at something on the shelf. He recognized them as Jehovah’s Witnesses. They asked him if he knew what would happen to him if he died right know. He said in a straight face “ I would hit my head on this shelf and I would land on the floor.” The JW didn’t like that answer and walked away. I laughed so hard when I heard this. What a good, peaceable way to deal with something that could have been contentious.
On Friday night we went and visited a little family. The woman is a member but her boyfriend is not. They live together and have two children. They are both from Mexico. As soon as we set down, the woman’s dad came out and made us food. My companion says that they always feed us even if we just show up. The dad made the most wonderful beef with onions and tomato’s. It was really good. The boyfriend doesn’t know much about the gospel but we are teaching him. We taught him how to pray this week. He has never prayed before. He was so excited to talk to God.
Saturday we had a movie night with the lady that is deaf and her husband. We made Carmel popcorn and watched the Testaments. The husband and wife were so happy together. The spirit was really strong and both were crying by the end. It is really neat to see how the gospel has changed this family’s life. They both have a desire to go to the temple and are willing to do what ever it takes to get sealed to their little boy. I love this family so much!!!
Sunday was amazing. The ward here is amazing. There is a lady in the ward that was living in Wurzburg, Germany in 1987. She was in our branch there in Germany. What a small world it is! The ward is so wonderful and I don’t think I have ever been in a ward that was more loving and caring than this. There is a lady that is dying but she still comes ever week in her wheelchair. She has a thing in her thought because of all the years she smoked. She was having a really hard time yesterday. The lady that was sitting next to her rubbed her arm during all of Relief Society. She rubbed her back as well. The lady that was giving this service didn’t even know the name of the lady in the wheelchair. What a Christlike example that was? I was so touched!!
There is so much more to write but I am running out of time! I love you all and am so thankful for my blessings!! I know that the Lord loves us and is very mindful of each one of us!
Love
Sister Comte
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
January 20th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been another exciting week here in Florida. It was transfers week. I can’t believe that another 6 weeks has gone by. I thought I would be staying in Seminole. We had all made our guesses of where all the sisters would go and who they would be with. None of us were right though. I am now in Lakewood Ranch, which is in Sarasota. I am with Sister Stewart. She is from Idaho. She has two older brothers and one younger brother. Her younger brother is on a mission in Anaheim, CA. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? I think we will have a good time together.
We were supposed to have a baptism this weekend. On Sunday night the man that was to be baptized told his sister that he was only doing it for her. We were really disappointed but we knew that he had a testimony. When we met with him on Tuesday, he said he didn’t want to be baptized. He was progressing so nicely. He never really gave us a reason why he didn’t want to be baptized. We didn’t have to tell him the consequences of his decision; his sister did that part. She told him that he would be in spirit prison for a long time because he knew so much. She told him he better plead for someone to baptize him here when he is gone. I thought it was a little harsh but it is the truth. It broke our hearts.
Saturday was a long and wonderful day. To start the day off we had a meeting with the ward mission leader. His father-in-law owns part of the company named Mona-Vie. Mona-Vie is a drink that is supposed to cure all your health problems. I tasted some and thought it was the nasty stuff. I wouldn’t drink it if I was dying. Anyways, we had the meeting at his in-laws house. I felt underdressed as we went into their huge mansion. I have never been in anything near the size of that house. They had made us pancakes for breakfast. It was a really nice meeting.
After that we went with a less active family to the flea market. Tracting has not been working so we thought we would try a different approach while at the same time do some fellowshipping. We did get a lot of contacts, nothing promising but at least we got the word out. Some lady reached out and touched my tag and said very loudly “I LOVE JESUS!!!” I told her I did as well.
We also found out, on Saturday, about transfers. I wasn’t expecting what I heard. My companion and some of the other sisters had a hard time with the news. But I decided that I wanted to do what my Savior wants me to do. Some were upset because what they had asked President Colton to do was not what happened. I have decided that I will never ask for what I want because I want to do what the Lord wants me to do.
I also heard some of the best news from my beloved family. Saturday evening the president’s wife, Sister Colton called me. She said “Congratulations, Sister Comte.” I thought I had won something. She told me that Marley had been born. I was elated. I was so excited for Ryan and Sam. I looked at the pictures when we were making picture c.d’s this morning. But now that I am transferred I can’t look at attachments, so I will wait for more pictures that will hopefully come in the mail. Congratulations to Ryan and Sam. She is beautiful and looks like both of you. Sam, I am glad you were courageous.
Last night we went to say goodbye to a few people before I left. We went and saw the James family. Mia James was baptized a few weeks ago. A year ago her father was baptized and her mother has been a member all her life. They have two smaller children that are younger than Mia that I adore. Mia made sure that her mother bought me a card. There whole family had signed it. It was a wonderful card. They asked me to stay in contact with them. In the card was a picture of their family. I was so thankful for the picture. Mia had used cute scissors to cute around the outside. As I was leaving the father, Antoine, told his wife to give me a picture of the kids. She said that Mia had already given me one. As we got into the car to leave Mia came running out with something for us. It was a picture of her and her little sister. They had taken it right off the wall and insisted that I take it. I was so touched!! I love that little family. They don’t have much in material things but their love is wonderful!!!
Well, another week has already begun. It is really cold here now. I hope I can survive. I love you all and am thankful for each one of you! Have a great week!!
Love
Sister Comte
It has been another exciting week here in Florida. It was transfers week. I can’t believe that another 6 weeks has gone by. I thought I would be staying in Seminole. We had all made our guesses of where all the sisters would go and who they would be with. None of us were right though. I am now in Lakewood Ranch, which is in Sarasota. I am with Sister Stewart. She is from Idaho. She has two older brothers and one younger brother. Her younger brother is on a mission in Anaheim, CA. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? I think we will have a good time together.
We were supposed to have a baptism this weekend. On Sunday night the man that was to be baptized told his sister that he was only doing it for her. We were really disappointed but we knew that he had a testimony. When we met with him on Tuesday, he said he didn’t want to be baptized. He was progressing so nicely. He never really gave us a reason why he didn’t want to be baptized. We didn’t have to tell him the consequences of his decision; his sister did that part. She told him that he would be in spirit prison for a long time because he knew so much. She told him he better plead for someone to baptize him here when he is gone. I thought it was a little harsh but it is the truth. It broke our hearts.
Saturday was a long and wonderful day. To start the day off we had a meeting with the ward mission leader. His father-in-law owns part of the company named Mona-Vie. Mona-Vie is a drink that is supposed to cure all your health problems. I tasted some and thought it was the nasty stuff. I wouldn’t drink it if I was dying. Anyways, we had the meeting at his in-laws house. I felt underdressed as we went into their huge mansion. I have never been in anything near the size of that house. They had made us pancakes for breakfast. It was a really nice meeting.
After that we went with a less active family to the flea market. Tracting has not been working so we thought we would try a different approach while at the same time do some fellowshipping. We did get a lot of contacts, nothing promising but at least we got the word out. Some lady reached out and touched my tag and said very loudly “I LOVE JESUS!!!” I told her I did as well.
We also found out, on Saturday, about transfers. I wasn’t expecting what I heard. My companion and some of the other sisters had a hard time with the news. But I decided that I wanted to do what my Savior wants me to do. Some were upset because what they had asked President Colton to do was not what happened. I have decided that I will never ask for what I want because I want to do what the Lord wants me to do.
I also heard some of the best news from my beloved family. Saturday evening the president’s wife, Sister Colton called me. She said “Congratulations, Sister Comte.” I thought I had won something. She told me that Marley had been born. I was elated. I was so excited for Ryan and Sam. I looked at the pictures when we were making picture c.d’s this morning. But now that I am transferred I can’t look at attachments, so I will wait for more pictures that will hopefully come in the mail. Congratulations to Ryan and Sam. She is beautiful and looks like both of you. Sam, I am glad you were courageous.
Last night we went to say goodbye to a few people before I left. We went and saw the James family. Mia James was baptized a few weeks ago. A year ago her father was baptized and her mother has been a member all her life. They have two smaller children that are younger than Mia that I adore. Mia made sure that her mother bought me a card. There whole family had signed it. It was a wonderful card. They asked me to stay in contact with them. In the card was a picture of their family. I was so thankful for the picture. Mia had used cute scissors to cute around the outside. As I was leaving the father, Antoine, told his wife to give me a picture of the kids. She said that Mia had already given me one. As we got into the car to leave Mia came running out with something for us. It was a picture of her and her little sister. They had taken it right off the wall and insisted that I take it. I was so touched!! I love that little family. They don’t have much in material things but their love is wonderful!!!
Well, another week has already begun. It is really cold here now. I hope I can survive. I love you all and am thankful for each one of you! Have a great week!!
Love
Sister Comte
January 12th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
Hi! I hope all is going well in Utah. Many people have told us that it is cold and snowy there. I hope all are well with the bad weather. Last week my companion and I went out tracting and it started to rain. We kept on going even though we were cold and wet. We found a really nice lady that is interested in the church. I know we found her because we were diligent despite the rain. After we found her the rain stopped. It might rain again today. It looks pretty gloomy here today!
We had a Stake Mission Conference on Wednesday night. It was really good. The high councilor who is over missionary work talked first. He talked about how missionary work is the life blood in the church. He talked about how we need to have an even pulse throughout our lives of doing missionary work. Then we watched a movie about member visits and member referrals. A lot of missionary work is done through the members. A person is 5 times more likely to listen and join the church if they have a friend that is already a member. We talked all night about how we can work together, missionaries and members, to do the Lord’s work. Please always be looking for opportunities to share the gospel. Imagine being in heaven, before judgment day and one of your best friends comes up to you. Your best friend, who never heard about the church, says “I can’t believe that you had the most valuable thing in the world and you never told me about it.” I don’t want my friends to say that to me. Always be an example and share the good news!
On Thursday for studies, Sister Anderton and I read some talks from conference. We read the talk entitled “Lift Where You Are Standing.” I really liked this talk. We can get so much more done if we will lift where we are. We need to build the kingdom in our own homes and communities. We also need to strengthen people in our specific callings. We need to fulfill our callings to our best abilities. We do not need to worry about someone else calling, we have been asked to do ours for a reason. Fulfill that reason!!!
We had interviews this week with the Mission President. We do training before the interviews start. We talked about member work again. We also talked about something called the refinement list. The refinement list has some of the rules we are suppose to follow. President Colton again reminded us that we are not out here to be on vacation but to work hard and follow the rules. I know for my self the following the rules, pays off. It is easy to be obedient and from this we will be blessed.
Saturday was a very special day because we had a baptism. My companion, Sister Anderton has served most of her mission here in Seminole. When she was here last year, she worked with the James Family. The wife is a member and a year ago, her husband was baptized. They just had a baby boy about a month ago and they have two older daughters. Their oldest, Mia, is 8 and she was the one that was baptized this weekend. Her mom and dad did the whole program except for a musical number that Sister Anderton and I did. Her dad talked on baptism and how it has blest his life. It was really neat for my companion to see his growth. Her dad then baptized her. The spirit was really strong. Her mom talked on the gift of the Holy Ghost. Both of her parents did a really good job. It was a small baptism but the spirit was powerful. The only people that were there were the Mom and Dad, Mia, her little sister, their baby, and the bishop and his wife. I felt bad that there weren’t a lot of people there but they all missed out on a great opportunity.
The James’s are Polynesian. After the baptism they went to a barbeque at an Uncles house. They invited us to come along. This was the second party that we have gone to with them. We had a really good time. The party was a great time to talk to non-members since the majority of people there were not members. Everyone at these parties seems to know who we are. Everyone loves us and we also are some of the first people to eat. They always ask one of us to bless the food. We love these parties!!!
We have a baptism this week as well. The man that is getting baptized is 71. His sister is a member. He is in an assisted living facility because he has dementia. He remembers most things we teach him. Every time we ask him what a prophet is he says that it is making money. We tell him every time that we are talking about a prophet of God not a profit. He laughed the other day and said he just wanted to see our reactions. Well he certainly got one. He is really funny and always makes us laugh.
Transfer calls will come this weekend so I don’t know if I will be here in Seminole anymore. But I don’t think I am going to move. I hope I get to stay. I really like it here. I won’t be emailing next week on Monday because it is a holiday. But I guess everyone at home will be busy with the new baby that will be coming!!!! I am excited to see Marley and hope that maybe on Tuesday when I check my email that their might be a picture of two that someone might send. I hope all is going well with everyone. I love you all!!!
Love
Sister Comte
Hi! I hope all is going well in Utah. Many people have told us that it is cold and snowy there. I hope all are well with the bad weather. Last week my companion and I went out tracting and it started to rain. We kept on going even though we were cold and wet. We found a really nice lady that is interested in the church. I know we found her because we were diligent despite the rain. After we found her the rain stopped. It might rain again today. It looks pretty gloomy here today!
We had a Stake Mission Conference on Wednesday night. It was really good. The high councilor who is over missionary work talked first. He talked about how missionary work is the life blood in the church. He talked about how we need to have an even pulse throughout our lives of doing missionary work. Then we watched a movie about member visits and member referrals. A lot of missionary work is done through the members. A person is 5 times more likely to listen and join the church if they have a friend that is already a member. We talked all night about how we can work together, missionaries and members, to do the Lord’s work. Please always be looking for opportunities to share the gospel. Imagine being in heaven, before judgment day and one of your best friends comes up to you. Your best friend, who never heard about the church, says “I can’t believe that you had the most valuable thing in the world and you never told me about it.” I don’t want my friends to say that to me. Always be an example and share the good news!
On Thursday for studies, Sister Anderton and I read some talks from conference. We read the talk entitled “Lift Where You Are Standing.” I really liked this talk. We can get so much more done if we will lift where we are. We need to build the kingdom in our own homes and communities. We also need to strengthen people in our specific callings. We need to fulfill our callings to our best abilities. We do not need to worry about someone else calling, we have been asked to do ours for a reason. Fulfill that reason!!!
We had interviews this week with the Mission President. We do training before the interviews start. We talked about member work again. We also talked about something called the refinement list. The refinement list has some of the rules we are suppose to follow. President Colton again reminded us that we are not out here to be on vacation but to work hard and follow the rules. I know for my self the following the rules, pays off. It is easy to be obedient and from this we will be blessed.
Saturday was a very special day because we had a baptism. My companion, Sister Anderton has served most of her mission here in Seminole. When she was here last year, she worked with the James Family. The wife is a member and a year ago, her husband was baptized. They just had a baby boy about a month ago and they have two older daughters. Their oldest, Mia, is 8 and she was the one that was baptized this weekend. Her mom and dad did the whole program except for a musical number that Sister Anderton and I did. Her dad talked on baptism and how it has blest his life. It was really neat for my companion to see his growth. Her dad then baptized her. The spirit was really strong. Her mom talked on the gift of the Holy Ghost. Both of her parents did a really good job. It was a small baptism but the spirit was powerful. The only people that were there were the Mom and Dad, Mia, her little sister, their baby, and the bishop and his wife. I felt bad that there weren’t a lot of people there but they all missed out on a great opportunity.
The James’s are Polynesian. After the baptism they went to a barbeque at an Uncles house. They invited us to come along. This was the second party that we have gone to with them. We had a really good time. The party was a great time to talk to non-members since the majority of people there were not members. Everyone at these parties seems to know who we are. Everyone loves us and we also are some of the first people to eat. They always ask one of us to bless the food. We love these parties!!!
We have a baptism this week as well. The man that is getting baptized is 71. His sister is a member. He is in an assisted living facility because he has dementia. He remembers most things we teach him. Every time we ask him what a prophet is he says that it is making money. We tell him every time that we are talking about a prophet of God not a profit. He laughed the other day and said he just wanted to see our reactions. Well he certainly got one. He is really funny and always makes us laugh.
Transfer calls will come this weekend so I don’t know if I will be here in Seminole anymore. But I don’t think I am going to move. I hope I get to stay. I really like it here. I won’t be emailing next week on Monday because it is a holiday. But I guess everyone at home will be busy with the new baby that will be coming!!!! I am excited to see Marley and hope that maybe on Tuesday when I check my email that their might be a picture of two that someone might send. I hope all is going well with everyone. I love you all!!!
Love
Sister Comte
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
January 5th Email
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been a good year and there is so much to look forward to in the year of 2009!!! Mom, I don’t want you to be alarmed, but I cut my hair this weekend. My companion is a hair dresser. I decided to try something new and put highlights in my hair. They are light brown. Pictures are attached. I hope they come through. I would have sent more but this computer is being really, really slow. I like them. I think it gives my face more dimension. Mom, don’t be upset. I won’t keep them in my hair forever.
On New Year’s Eve we went and watched the last sunset of the year. There were too many clouds and it wasn’t very good. We came home and we were both exhausted from the long day we had had. I had a personal countdown at 10:00 because my companion was asleep. I was asleep by 10:15. We didn’t even open our sparkling grape juice.
We went to a lady’s house on Thursday and picked grapefruit at a members. The grapefruit is amazing. I really have enjoyed them. They smell so good. We also went to a party with one of our investigators. It was a Polynesian Party. There was tons of food. We didn’t stay for the dancing because our investigator was leaving. We then went and visited with some other members of the ward that are less active. So all in all it was a good first day of the year.
We have been doing a lot of finding. We have decided to start teaching one principle at the doors we knock on. I love doing this. The people that we talk to can’t feel the spirit unless we open our months and testify. By doing this we are starting to teach a lot. People are really busy with the holidays but maybe know that they are over will want to come to the church and learn more.
I love you all!!! Sorry this is short but not much has happened this week. Maybe this week will be a little more exciting. I love this work. I know that my Savior lives. I don’t have to die for this religion but I do have to live for it. I hope all of us can set some good New Year’s resolutions and keep them!!
Love
Sister Comte
It has been a good year and there is so much to look forward to in the year of 2009!!! Mom, I don’t want you to be alarmed, but I cut my hair this weekend. My companion is a hair dresser. I decided to try something new and put highlights in my hair. They are light brown. Pictures are attached. I hope they come through. I would have sent more but this computer is being really, really slow. I like them. I think it gives my face more dimension. Mom, don’t be upset. I won’t keep them in my hair forever.
On New Year’s Eve we went and watched the last sunset of the year. There were too many clouds and it wasn’t very good. We came home and we were both exhausted from the long day we had had. I had a personal countdown at 10:00 because my companion was asleep. I was asleep by 10:15. We didn’t even open our sparkling grape juice.
We went to a lady’s house on Thursday and picked grapefruit at a members. The grapefruit is amazing. I really have enjoyed them. They smell so good. We also went to a party with one of our investigators. It was a Polynesian Party. There was tons of food. We didn’t stay for the dancing because our investigator was leaving. We then went and visited with some other members of the ward that are less active. So all in all it was a good first day of the year.
We have been doing a lot of finding. We have decided to start teaching one principle at the doors we knock on. I love doing this. The people that we talk to can’t feel the spirit unless we open our months and testify. By doing this we are starting to teach a lot. People are really busy with the holidays but maybe know that they are over will want to come to the church and learn more.
I love you all!!! Sorry this is short but not much has happened this week. Maybe this week will be a little more exciting. I love this work. I know that my Savior lives. I don’t have to die for this religion but I do have to live for it. I hope all of us can set some good New Year’s resolutions and keep them!!
Love
Sister Comte
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