Jesus: 1; Satan: 0

in case you were wondering what the score board was looking like big :) A, who I have been teaching for 3 months, was baptized, with the proper priesthood authority of God, on Saturday. It was AWESOME, but I have to got to say, it was really, really awesome how she was baptized, but the coolest part was watching her learn, and grow, and make changes to her life, and let the Spirit come into action. There is not better sight than to have front-row seats of someone who is allowing Christ to guide their life. I can't even type the words of how exciting it is to be one of the Lord's missionaries.  

I got a new companion, Sister Bell, who is from Alaska and pretty cool. I was really nervous to be taking over the area because of how large it is, and how many cities it covers, but I knew that the Lord qualifies those who he calls, and now I firmly believe that, because he qualified me to do this calling, and take over this part of the New Orleans area, which I am still convinced is still the promised land :)

Love y'all!

Sister Toomey

2016Jul2- baptism!!!

2016Jul2- waffles

2016Jun21- Alligator Alley

Agency

sent on 28 June 2016.

I have officially finished training and will be taking over the Luling area tomorrow. Also, our investigator A, will be baptized and official member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost to help her through out her entire life. You have no idea of how excited I am! I have loved having the front-row seat of watching people make huge changes into their life and come closer to Jesus Christ, because he is everything. I was reading in the book of Mosiah (in the Book of Mormon) this morning, and I have loved how King Benjamin talked about how everything is about serving the very God that created us, and how we need to dedicate everything to Him because He has given us literally everything that we have including, "by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another-I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants" (Mosiah 2:21). I just love that scripture!!!!! God has given us everything, including our agency (the gift from God to choose between good and evil, between right and wrong) and He wants us to choose Him because He knows that we will find true happiness.

I will have pictures of Alligator Alley next week.

Sister Toomey

2016Jun22

2016Jun22- tracting

2016Jun24

Why Families?

Why do anything? Why believe in God or a being that created the world? Why do strange miracles happen? Why are we here on this earth? What is our purpose for being here? You may be asking yourself, where am I going with this? Where did I come from?

I am asked questions like this, and even deeper questions like this all the time. But one, I had absolutely no answer to, yet it seemed so simple and basic. So I told her that I would take it to my studies. The question was, "How were our families picked to be together?" I looked everywhere for an answer to this question and I have come to one simple conclusion: the Lord loves us so much, that he GAVE us families; HE IS THE ONE WHO PICKED THEM TO BE WITH US BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT IT WOULD BRING US BACK TO HIM!! It have all been apart of the plan all along. God knows things that we don't. After all, He created this world, and he knows what is happening with it, and what will happen.

Also, this week, we went with a Recent Convert to the Family History Library and she found her mother. She was extremely happy and it got me thinking about my mother. And how the Lord chose us to be a family. No mistakes. I love my family, even though they have driven me crazy at times, I still choose to love them. God loves them, and I do to.

*Shout out to my Mom and Seesters in Utah and Finland*

As for the rest of you, I love you to! I feel like people don't say it enough. Can I challenge all of you to tell the people that you love, "I love you." It's simple, and yet it can make the biggest difference in the world in a moment in time.

See ya!

Sister Toomey

2016Jun18

General Authorities

General Authorities really are amazing, and they truly do bless the lives of those whom they serve. This week, the New Orleans Zone had the special opportunity to have a meeting with him and his wife. He came, with only one thing on his agenda, and the rest was a Question and Answer session. We spend about 7 hours (felt like 7 minutes) with him discussing only several questions. And it was one of the best experiences of my life. I felt that having Elder Kapiska come specifically to my Zone, was truly a blessing from the Lord.

One of the things that stood out to me, was how he said that it is better to act on 99 "promptings" and be wrong, than to miss the 1. Because those 99 things that you acted on show your faith, and it shows that you are willing to act. I have found, that finding that 1 is truly a blessing, and I have found that those 1's really are worth it, and they do add up, and it is so worth it, especially when you look back at the end of your day, and you just know that helping to guide someone back on the "right path" is the best feeling in the world.

We (meaning my companion and I) went on splits with the Kenner Spanish Sisters. It was exciting. I tried to learn a few phrases in Spanish, and then we went to a lesson, and read the phrases in Spanish. They really liked it, and appreciated the effort lol! I think that it is so cool for people to hear the gospel in their native tongue, and I know that it soften hearts, and allows the Spirit to give them peace and understanding. I learned that if you listen and watch extremely carefully, then you can figure-out what they are saying and see the peace that it brings to them.

Also, does anyone have a crepe recipe??

God Bless Y'all!

Sister Toomey

2016Jun20- NOLA Zone with President and Sister Hansen, and the Kapiska's

2016Jun20- biking

Cassettes

We got cassette tapes from a member a few weeks back, but we never thought that they were going to be useful, but for some odd reason, I knew that sometime we would be using them, especially knowing the area's culture. We found a cute older couple, and one of them cannot read, so we gave him cassette tapes so that while he is driving, or just sitting in his car, he can listen to the Book of Mormon. 

We also decided to start asking members for inspired streets to tract on, so we asked the Branch President(Bishop) for streets. We found 3 people to teach on the street. One of them had been taught by the missionaries like 10 years ago. We really are excited to keep teaching!!! 

Have a good one!

Sister Toomey

The Door.

This week, our investigators have been progressing more. I think that I have been getting better at getting my "foot in the door" not literally, but getting people thinking about why they need the full gospel into their lives. It takes time for them to be spiritually ready to make that commitment and make some major life changes to be closer to the Lord. A lot of people tell us that they already have the Bible, and that is it, and they don't need anything else (like in 2 Nephi 29...read it because it somewhat describes part of my mission). So, I have been working on getting past that and expanding their knowledge so that they can know more. Honestly, everyone wants to know more, but its a matter of whether or not they are willing to accept it and more forward. 

When I first got here, they made a new rule that you cannot drive until after your first transfer (6 weeks) and you get your Tiwi card. So I have finally gotten my Tiwi card, and now I can chauffeur my companion around! 

We have meet several people with scriptural names this week, Alma, Moses, Isaiah, and a few others. It's pretty cool! 

Love all of you!! 

Sister Toomey

Referrals

It has been a pretty good week.

We there was a crazy lightening storm a few nights, and there was a flash of lightening almost every second for like ten minutes straight. The tornado warning sirens were going off and we didn't get the call for lockdown until after the worst had stopped.

I figured out a new way to get referrals, and it works on most people, but they have to have a sense of humor. Idk why, but for some reason, I thought that I was suppose to be super serious, non-jokester person, and there is a time and a place for being like that, but I have figured out that at least here in my area of Louisiana, that everyone here loves to laugh. Sister Crane made someone laugh, and after we asked him if there was anyone who he thought would be interested in our message, he referred his own wife! I thought it was pretty awesome. So I have been trying to make people laugh ever since, to show that we really are human and are not just "recruiting" people to increase our numbers. So, out referrals have skyrocketed in the past few day, and this will definitely help us find people who are ready to change their life and commit to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I finally got to go into the Baton Rouge temple!! It was beautiful!!

Sister Toomey

2016May23- crazy lightening storm

2016May23- Baton Rouge Temple

2016May23-Sister Crane & I