Jail... and my purpose as a Missionary

 Family! It was really fun to talk with you all!!!!

This week has been.... interesting. haha. We were in Barbados Tuesday through Thursday for a passport stamp. And then I helped translate and tried to get Elder Reise into the country. (He is from South Africa and didn't have a Visa and France wouldn't let him in like me if he didn't have one. So I was in the police station half the night translating for him with the police. He never got in and spent the night in jail) That was a scary experience. ah!

So we didn't get any real work in until Saturday. A bit frustrating. I could tell that our area suffered from all of the time that we were gone because we didn't have anyone at church. But its okay. We are still sticking with our goal of four baptisms and its going to happen!!!!! 

Anyway, even though this week was a bit difficult We have a few lessons where I felt the spirit so strong. That is one of my goals this week. To try and have the spirit ALWAYS with me and strong. I have had it that strong a few days on my mission and it is just the most wonderful feeling to have the spirit feel like it is just emanating from you. So yes, that is my goal for this week.

We have also been doing a GREAT job at planning. Always having something effective planed every hour and good backups and rocks on our planners. I have such a strong testimony of good planning and how much that could help you.

It has been a while since I have helped someone get baptized. I'm not sure why that is because I feel like I am a better missionary then I have ever been. But about a month ago we didn't have any good investigators and I felt like Heavenly Father was just waiting, then the next week we set 4 baptismal dates. I feel that way now. We have great investigators and baptisms are coming.

I feel like I finally understand my purpose as a missionary and all of the little rules and things make so much more sense now. It like with the small things of the gospel. We hear then all of our lives. "If you love me keep my commandments" "read your scriptures every day" "faith produces miracles" you hear them and you "understand" them but until you either really live the principle exactly or have an experience where you really are shown what it means you don't have a testimony of it.

I feel like now I am gaining so many testimonies of every aspect of missionary work. Maybe it took me a bit longer than most missionaries but I am happy that i have gained them and that Heavenly Father is blessing me with the Spirit to teach me these things. For example I truly now understand that my purpose is to bring souls unto Christ by preaching repentance by the Spirit. I love it and with this knowledge and testimony I am excited and ready to bring people unto my Savior. I love the gospel!

Sister Katrina Hawkes