3/10/14

Hello family and friends!

We had a pretty good week. we had a very interesting lesson last week with a very nice family the Lewis'. they are very involved in their church and have a very firm belief. The father of the family is an attorney so i felt really intimidated by him. They have very hard hearts towards their faith and didnt want to hear. So i just would testify of the things i knew to be true and did my best to answer his questions. At the end he commended me for the job i did to understand him and answer his questions. i felt that we did a good job. We gave them a little thank you note and left it at that. we doubt they will ever convert but they were very nice and considerate. And they would make the BEST Mormons. 

We are teaching Kelly, she is kind of insane and she thinks there are people living in her walls. She is progressing though. she agreed to cut back on her smoking and coffee drinking and so we are hoping she will cut them out completely soon.  and progress towards baptism.

We had another miracle/tender mercy using our iPads. We recieved permission to skype with the Websters. the Part-member family in my last area. they are great and i love them so much. i found out they stopped progressing when i came to Sycamore and so we helped them get back on track. I hope she went to church and the whole shebang!  

I love the Suazos. they are a family here in the ward. and they are HILARIOUS!! they are both into acting and singing and brother suazo has been in a few movies including the RM and he is in a new one called "inspired guns" like "the RM" so go watch it and tell all your friends :) 

On Saturday we went to a baptism for a little girl in our ward. Sister Oliphant was asked to play the piano. while we were there the bishop and the ward music chair found out about my secret hidden voice and asked me to sing. So on sunday sister oliphant accompanied me while i sang the arragement of  "more holiness give me" that mom sent. a very beautiful song. I love that song. and the best part was sister Oliphant spoke right before that and she gave a beautiful talk about the power of music in our conversion. I loved it. a very beautiful sacrament meeting.  

I was also asked to sing at our district meeting and so sister oliphant just sat down and made up a beautiful arrangement for "joseph smiths first prayer" and i sang that. and then we had a testimony meeting focused on Joseph Smith and the restoration. SO POWERFUL! I loved it. My testimony was strengthened.

I LOVE being a missionary. I dont want to be anything else. I love being here in the Chicago Inland area and i love my companion and the ward i am serving in. and i LOVe bishop Malley. (he is one of my new favorite people). 

love you all!

Sister O'Neil 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL AND SARA! you will always be my favorite bagel and sumo wrestler! love you!!  have a good day and eat cake! :) 

 

3/3/14

HAPPY MARCH!!  

I can not believe it is March, I feel like time gets faster, i am sad. I dont want this special time to end. I did the math, and Wednesday is the very middle day of my mission. i have one more day before my time begins to get shorter.  I guess i better make it count. well everyday should count. :)  I just really cant believe it. 

I usually prepare a little list of things to tell you about each week, and i dont have anything on my list this week. - mostly lack of preparation on my part -It has kind of been a debrief week after the great intense things that happened last week.  

We have had many miracles! our member present lessons are improving (meaning we are having more of them!)  and we contacted a family that we are going to teach tonight. I am excited! they are very christian, and very involved in their church, and I hope that we can help them to see the true church is on the earth.  they are great! I cant wait until they are baptized into the Church!  "salvation is a family affair." - President Fenn. 

Another 5 inches of snow came down. I never thought i would be sick of seeing white. I feel like it has been here FOREVER and my days of sun with sister Pankretz feel like another life! #shoutout! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PANKAKE!

We had a very lovely sunday. It was such a good testimony meeting. the spirit was strong. and I loved being at church! :)  then we went to one of our investigators homes so that she could receive a priesthood blessing for her shoulder (which is hurt) and the spirit was so strong! It was such a blessing for me to be there as I watched the priesthood in action and watched as she felt her Heavenly Fathers love and felt that connection. It was amazing! we are hoping this will help her conversion greatly.  Her son (Tim Dewey) is a recent convert. He was baptized in august and a very strong member of the church. he is awesome! 

after last weeks events and stress, one song has truly helped my healing process.  "it is well with my soul." by Jericho Road. It has been playing in my mind all week and the words are unique but they are so great! It is well with my soul the things that have happened. I hope that these next few months i will be stretched and tried and i know that at the end it will be well with my soul. because i am doing the Lords work.  

the church is true! 

love you!

Sister O'Neil

p.s. happy birthday Hector! mom! make him cake! its tomorrow :)  

gettin ready for Easter! - HELLO KITTY!! :)