A Letter from West Richland: Monday, April 01, 2013

Subject: The field is white, already to harvest!

For the West Richland area that statement is so true!! We have been trying really hard to find the elect. And this week the Lord smiled down on us as we tried to do his will. We had receive a referral about two weeks ago from one of the senior couples that works in the office and told us to go and stop by this ladies house named Miranda. Well we kept going over there and knocking on the door and no one would answer. We talked about it and decided that we would try one more time and if she didn't answer than we were going to mark her has contacted and then try back in a couple of weeks. Well good thing the Lord knows best. We went over there, knocked on the door and again no one answered. We started walking away and just as we were about to open the gate and get back into our car, out comes Miranda from her house. Turns out she has been out of town all week and just came back. She was sick and so she couldn't meet then but we set up a return appointment to go back. I love how the Lord is in charge of this work. If it was my job, there would be so many things that I would miss and so many mistakes that I would make. So we go back and teach her all about the Restoration and she is just down right GOLDEN! She had taken the lessons when she was 14 with her mom who just recently passed away about a month ago. Her mom joined the church but she never did. She seemed to really soak it all in and really grab on to it. In the first 20 mins of sitting there talking with her, I asked her if she came to know that these are true, if she would be baptized. She sat there for a second and then said, "yeah, I would. I'm not against it in anyway." I couldn't stop smiling! Haha the Lord really truly is preparing hearts to recieve the gospel.

 

We met with Anne again this week and were about to help her understand more about the Word of Wisdom and how Jesus is the same as Jehovah. That was a really cool one to study and understand! We just need her to listen a little more and then her questions might just be answered as we go along. ;) She is so fantastic and things are going great with her!

 

We had another really cool experience this week has we were tracting. So last monday night we decided we were going to tract this street over in an area we just started to tract. We park our car, read some scriptures to get us more intune with the spirit and then get out of our car and start. Well as we are tracting, no one is answering their doors and we were just not getting a good feeling about being there. We all but ran to our car and drove away. We decided we would go back on Tuesday to finish when it was lighter outside. Oh how the Lord works in mysterious ways! So go back on Tuesday and after a little while, we are walking down the street and women walks out of this house. I say hi and tell her who we are and what not. She then starts to tell us about how she has been looking for a church to go to so she can help her kids. She is facing a lot of really hard life challenges and needs God in her life. We kept talking with her and set up a time for us to come back. She turns to us and says " Ya know, I know this was inspired. You were suppose to be here today. Look I've got the chills!" Sis. Duncan and I just stood there and all but cried. With our jaws all the way to the ground. We were suppose to meet Denise that day as we were tracting. The Lord will lead us where he needs us if we only listen to him.

 

Well family, I love you!! The church is true!!

 

Love, Sister Mecham

A Letter from West Richland: Monday, March 25, 2013

Subject: The Church is True!!!

Hello my wonderful family!! This week has been a great week!! There are days when I am out here that I look at the clock in the morning and think "for real?! 6:30 already?!" and then we get going and it is like all my days blend into one and before I know it, it's time for bed. haha it is a beautiful thing! On Wednesday we were able to go to the Temple. How it was absolutely beautiful! I was in heaven! After we went to the temple we had our District Meeting which always gets me excited for the rest of the week. Sister Duncan and I had a wonderful day planned and we just hoped and prayed that it all worked out.

 

So after District Meeting and lunch we went to our appointment that we had set up with a potential investigator. The Sisters before us had gone over and done a lot of service for her. She had moved from Idaho where she had previously listened to the missionary lessons, to West Richland awhile ago and one of her friends from a ward near by told her she should pick that back up again and start talking to the Sisters in her area. Well here we are! hah We walk up to the door and I'm just praying that we are able to get in and teach her and be able to know what she needs to hear. The beautiful thing about the Gospel is that it all centers on our Savior Jesus Christ. We get it and sit down and start to get to know her alittle bit better and start to answer some of her questions. We start to teach her about the Restoration and she brings up something about her not being able to let go of something that her ex-husband had done to her. It was one of those lessons where I knew that it wasn't me talking. It was totally the Holy Ghost. We pull about the Atonement and start helping her to understand that the Atonement covers EVERYTHING! We finished teaching her about the Atonement and tied it all back to the Restoration. At the end of it all, she looks at us and says, "I've never had it explained to me that way before." This is when I knew that she had gotten all that she needed to out of that lesson. We set up a return appointment to go back this week and watch the Joseph Smith movie with her. It is going to be wonderful!!

 

We met with Anne this week and answered some more of her questions about the Book of Mormon and the Bible working together. We were also able to get in and meet with an investigator that I had only met once before. Her name is Angela and she is a teenage girl. She has been taught all of the lessons but for her, like most of us, repetition is key. We were able to share the Joseph Smith movie with her and talk about. The minute we hit play on that movie, the spirit was SO incredibily strong. We helped her to see things a little clearer and helped her to understand why we needed a restoration and not a reformation.

 

Well my dear family. I love you all so very much. I miss you and at the same time, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I LOVE being a missionary!

The church is true!

 

Love, Sister Mecham

A Letter from West Richland: Monday, March 18, 2013

Subject: What a FANTASTIC week!!!!!

Hello there!!! This week has been wonderful!! Did I mention how much I love West Richland?! Because I do :) Well this week we started out kind of slow. After Sis. Duncan and I recovered from the stomach flu we hit the ground running. Like I've said in the past couple of emails, we have been trying really hard to make sure that we are in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing. Really trying super hard to listen to the spirit and do what the Lord has asked us to do. We've been trying really hard to get in with members and share Doctrine of Christ messages and ask for referrals. We were able to meet with some awesome Less- Actives and get them to commit to come to church on Sunday! Something that was confirmed to me this week is that obedience really does bring forth the blessings of heaven. As Sis. Duncan and I were trying really hard to be obedient and follow the rules, the Lord blessed us. We went over on Wednesday and set up and return appointment with a potential investigator Anne, the darling lady that I told you about last week. We set up a return appointment for Thursday afternoon!  Well the next day came and went to over to Anne's to share with her the Restoration. As we met with Anne were were able to answer her questions and help her get over somethings. It was then that I was so happy to be apart of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was talking about how she had gone to so many different churches and how they all kind of taught different doctrine. When we explained to her that we believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are all separate beings she said to us " Okay you got one things right!" haha She is just the greatest! We challenged her to come to church and at 10:55 a.m who walks into church? Oh just our darling Anne! I could hardly move! I was so stunned to see her there!!! I was so happy!!!!! Hahah I'm sure I kind of freaked her out because I just wouldn't stop smiling. haha

 

That was really one of the biggest highlights of my week! The Lord really truly blesses us when we are trying so very hard to do what is right. Anyway, We have been teaching this Part memeber family in one of the wards and goodness do I love them! The Bowmans are fantastic! Brother Bowman is a less- active member and is the only member in his family. We have been teaching his daughter Lindsey who is a Junior in High school and his son Andrew who is in his 20's. Sis. Duncan and I felt really impressed to talk about the Doctrine of Christ last night as we met with them and focus on baptism... I always get nervous talking about baptism and extending that invitation. After sharing the messages and teaching there was just a long really quite spiritual pause and I felt like that was when we needed to ask Andrew and Lindsey to be baptized. So I just said it. haha I couldn't even control what was coming out of my mouth! haha After I said it, I just sat there and prayed that they would take it well. Turns out it is something that they would love to do but they just don't feel ready yet. They don't know when they will be ready but we challenged them to pray about when they should be baptized and focus on trying to do what the Lord wants them to do. After we left that lesson I was thinking really hard about what part of the gospel do they not understand yet that could be holding them back from making that commitment.  I came to the conclusion that it all comes back to the Atonement. They need to understand what the Savior has done for them so they will be willing to do all that they can for him.

 

I just want to all to know that I know the Atonement is real. I know that it is the infinite atonement and all things can be made right through it. I'm so grateful to know that!! I don't know where I would be without it. I can't wait to be able to go back and teach the Bowman family more about the Atonement and help them feel of our Saviors grace and mercy. I love you all!! The gospel is true!!!

 

Love, Sister Mecham

A Letter from West Richland: Monday, March 11, 2013

Subject: Hello my dear family!

West Richland is still just as great as ever! Sis. Duncan and I have had a good week. We just got over the stomach flu and hope to be over the worst by now. We are still teaching and trying so hard to find new investigators. This week was a little trying for us but as to be expected. The Lord gives us challenges to teach us obedience and faith in him. So here in the Richland Zone, we have what we call, Mucho Monday's. We as a Zone decide on a goal that we want to reach by the end of the night to get us pumped up for the rest of the week and to not let us get lazy after P-day. Last week we set a goal of finding one new investigator. Sis. Duncan and I had a few people that we could try that could become new investigators. We went out with a plan and excited to reach this goal. Everyone that we tried either said that they were no longer interested or they weren't home... Gosh! We were trying really hard not to get down because than we wouldn't be able to see the miracles or receive that inspiration. After trying everyone we had down, we finally decided to go over and see this darling lady named Anne. She is an older lady but just as sweet as ever. We weren't able to teach her a lesson but she wants us to come back this week and is very interested in learning more. Although we did not reach our goal, we tried really hard. I went to bed that night knowing that I had not stopped. What a glorious feeling that was! The rest of the week kind of feel into that pattern of no one answering so what did we do?.. We went TRACTING! My favorite thing besides teaching lessons. Our Tuesday night was challenging but again, it all worked out because of the big man upstairs. After dinner we decided to re-evaluate our plans to make sure we were headed in to right direction for the night. After praying, we decided to read D&C 18 which is one of my very favorite sections in the Doctrine and Covenants. All about bringing one soul unto the Lord. At that point it was a time where I just wanted to throw my hands up and say "FINE!" haha the Lord knows how to get to us. He knows how to speak to our hearts and He will do all that he can to get us to listen to him.

 

I'm grateful for the challenges that we faced this week in learning how the spirit was speaking to us and how we can always improve in that area. I love being a missionary!!

 

Well my dear family, I love you all!!! The Church is so stinkin true! The power of the priesthood is real. I'm so grateful for priesthood leaders and the power of faith. I love my Savior and I know he lives and loves me. Love you all!!

 

Sister Mecham

A Letter from West Richland: Monday, March 04, 2013

Oh my dear family!! Can I just tell you that I love this place?!!? I LOVED Vancouver and it treated me really well. I cried when I left. I loved the people so much and I loved the beautiful weather. But this place... Oh gosh. hahha the work is happening!! My companions name is Sister Duncan. I love her to pieces! She is from Alaska. You can hardly tell she has been out for only 6 weeks. She is the bomb!! She has helped me in coming into this area and trying really hard to get to know it as soon as possible so that I can contribute to planning and ect. Good things are happening :)

Subject: Greetings from West Richland!

When I got here on Wednesday, the first thing I heard was that we had a baptism set for Saturday. I might have cried. haha We have been going crazy since the minute I got here. There are so many people and so many things to do. I feel like I can hardly catch my breath! But the baptism went great! The investigator that got baptized name is Rees Harrison. Gosh he is great! Elder Risenmay from the seventy, his older brother, Brother Rees Risenmay gave Rees a Book of Mormon 10 years ago and here we are.. 10  years later Rees gets baptized. Brother Risenmay ended up being able to come to the baptism and it was so powerful!!

We had some great experiences yesterday while we were tracting. One of the stories from yesterday was about a man named David. We knocked on Davids door and we didn't even get to get out who were before he started to shut the door in our faces. He told us he wasn't interested and we said goodbye and left. We kept tracting and ran into a darling girl named Rebecca. We asked her what her relationship was like with her Savior and she sat there for a minute and it got really quite. The spirit was so strong! Sis. Duncan and I each bore testimony of our Savior and the Book of Mormon. She was staying at a friends house and doesn't live in our area. But the good news is, is that she lives in Pasco... We got some great missionaries that serve there so we just pray that the missionaries knock on her door. We left her with a Mormon.org card and a Book of Mormon and went on our merry way. We kept tracting and as we were about to turn up this driveway we see David walking toward us. I started to get a little hestitant wondering what he was doing. After all, it was like 7:45 at night. He came up to us and told us he was sorry for slamming the door in our faces. He said that he had Jehovah Witnesses come to his door and he said it just gave him a bad taste. He then told us he would love to learn more about the church. Say what?!?!?! hahah I got the biggest smile on my face and I'm sure I looked like a freak. I was stumbling over my words and could hardly get out what I wanted to tell him. Luckly that is why the Lord says that he will send us two by two, preaching his word. Sis. Duncan came in and we taught him about the Book of Mormon. It was so awesome! We gave him a BofM and a card with our number on it to call us. We plan to go back and see if we can teach him more later this week.

I love this gospel!!! Doing the word of the Lord is amazing!! He truly is preparing hearts!! I'm so grateful for the gospel and the peace and joy that it brings to my life. Alma 25:26 :)

Love you all!!

Sister Mecham