Amite

In case you were wondering, it is pronounced [a-MEET] and it is in the Denham Springs zone and my area is about 40x40 miles. Luckily, most of this area was not badly affected. Doubling in is super weird. The previous elders did not keep the best of records, so we are nearly starting from the ground up. So, we have been tracting a lot. Usually I do not tract for more than an hour a day, but we have no choice, but luckily it's a lot easier to tell whether or not they actually are interested, so spend our time with those who are ready. I love how straight forward the people are here. Since the culture is so different from Luling, I feel like I am in another mission, but with the same mission president. 

Training a new missionary is pretty fun! Sister Scott is pretty cool, she is from California. Everyone was surprised when we, the sisters took over the area. To quote a member, "you don't sounds like the elders." I can't help but laugh, because I find these members it to be absolutely hilarious. One of the very first people who we called was the branch president, and he said that the Relief Society would be very happy to hear that we were here, and it's true, everyone one of them was thrilled! 

This weekend on Saturday and Sunday will be General Conference, which is where the Prophet and his Apostles talk to everyone of us here on this earth. I have found a lot of answers to my questions during these conferences, and I can promise you that if you have a noteworthy question, that it will be answered if you really listen, especially to the Spirit. 

Pictured below:

Sister Scott's first day in the field. Notice in the background, is a gigantic map, printed out on small pieces of paper and then tacked to a wall, made by a previous elder in our living room. Our apartment has a lot of random fun things in it :) 
Sister Toomey

Sister Scott's first day in the field.

Take Me To Church!

So, I just found out that I am going to be transferred after nearly 6 months in Luling. Where I am going, to quote Moroni, "I know not," but I do know that I am going to be training a new missionary, and I am going to an area, that has only had Elders in the past, and the Branch President has been asking for Sisters, so we will be "doubling in" and opening up the sisters area. Idk how much this will be from scratch, but I am absolutely thrilled and I feel honored to do this!! and tomorrow, I will be going to Baton Rouge to get my new companion!! Now I can finally see what all the Baton Rouge chaos has been about. 

I seriously love these people, and I am going to miss them, but the Lord wants me in other places, sobeit. 

This week, we gave out a lot more Book of Mormons than usual. We took out out Branch Missionary, but the appointment fell through, so we went tracting at this apartment complex in Bridge City, because it was the only thing that popped into my head of where to go with Branch Missionary, and I knew that we would for sure have at least one or more lessons. We ended up teaching 3 lessons within the hour we had with Him, and these people seem rather promising. I'm glad that he now likes tracting :) (he is planning on serving a mission in the near future). One of the people that we taught was from Porto Rico, and luckily he knew English, and I happened to know the details of the nearby spanish ward. Many of the people that we talk to, just go the the local church, and they just go to which ever preacher they like the most. 

Here is an awesome video, especially loved by recent convert, A:

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/shower-of-heavenly-blessings

Also, something I just remembered: Sister Bell and I were teaching at the English and Spanish zone conference in New Orleans, and we talked about inviting people to church. I have come to the conclusion, that people are mostly like to come to church, if a member extends the commitment, because they are always going to be there, and will have that automatic friendship. So what you can do, is invite all of your friends to church. You will never know if they are interested unless you ask them. I can't tell you how many people who I have run into, and they are surrounded by members of other various churches, and they are looking for a new church, but no one ever invites them. Feel free to email me how it goes :) 

I love y'all and take care! 

Sister Toomey

CPR

Sister Bell taught me this new saying that she had learned in the MTC:

Church

Pray

Read the Scriptures

and these are the key ways to not only save your life, but to save your soul. SOS! I have noticed that the moment that anyone stops doing any one of these things, is the very moment that they go inactive =>never stop! 

Life is exciting, and our investigators thrill me to the very being of my soul. I love these people! 

We have been continuing 'to weed out' our "Potential Investigators" and I have been praying that it will be very easy for me to tell whether or not so and so is ready and interested; and it really has been working. 

Also, something just popped into my head concerning goals: "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life." -Elder M. Russell Ballard 1981 (or PMG pg. 146). I know that if we make goals that can be measured, then these goals can achieved, especially if we allow the Lord to head it, and make the Holy Ghost the "senior companion."  There is literally no one else who I would rather have to head it. 

I hope that y'all have had just as awesome of a week!

Love ya!

Sister Toomey 

The District. Being an English-speaking Sister Missionary is very rare in New Orleans.

The District after playing "Signs" and each missionary signaling their 'sign'

 

Alma 34

So, a few weeks ago, I was a little sad because we had absolutely no one with a baptismal date. So, in week and a half, Sister Bell and I committed 7 people to be baptized with a date. We have also been better at extending the baptismal commitment on the 1st or 2nd lesson, which we haven't been very persistent in the past. We have also been sorting through the 30-40 potential investigators that we found about 3 weeks ago. 

Also, I drank soda for the first time in nearly 6 monthes (before the MTC). I introduced Sister Bell to the World Market store across the Mississippi river, and she stocked up on Japanese soda (the kind with the marble) and she gave me a sip, and it hit me that it was soda (it looked like juice). 

The 3 people who were baptized in July, are still active in the church. ST, who hit her baptism year mark about a week ago, has been preparing to go to the temple, and luckily the temple is open again.

update on flood clean up:

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-helping-hands-flooded-homes-louisiana?cid=HP_MO_29-8-2016_dPAD_fCNWS_xLIDyC-2_

Alma 34. Learn it. Love it. Pray about it. Apply it to your life. It hits on a lot of gospel principles. 

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/34?lang=eng

Love ya'll!
Sister Toomey

Sundays over Sundaes

One thing that I love about Sunday, is that it is the one day that has been set apart by Jesus Christ to literally spend the entire time thinking about Him, and going to church, and resting (unless you are a missionary haha then it probably still your favorite day). But, there is one question that may have arised and that may be, 'how can I keep the Sabbath day holy?' I know that Sunday is the Lord's day, and that we should be willing to do everything that He wants us to do. Of course it is going to take a great sacrifice, but it will always be worth it. I've heard this quote from somewhere that say something like, "you have to open some doors to let something's out, to let in the blessing of heaven." I know, I totally just butchered it :) but, the important thing is that if you put the Lord first, then everything will fall into place, the moment you don't put him first, and you tell God what to do, is when your life all falls apart, because He has already told you what needs to be done, and it is your duty to follow through and do it. Here below are some awesome ideas to do on Sunday. I really like #25-doing a talent show for the elderly, is seriously really fun to do. I remember doing this with my family when I was little, and they absoluatly love it (it was treated as more of a FHE). I also love #16, #34, #35, #2, #17, #23, and literally all of them

https://www.lds.org/blog/80-ideas-for-more-satisfying-sundays?cid=HP_FR_26-8-2016_dOCS_fBLOG_xLIDyL2-1_

I hope that y'all have a wonderful week! I love you!

Sister Toomey

The Rains Came Down, and the Floods Came Up

sent on 15 Aug 2016.

Hey Y'all! Y'all have probably already heard about the major flooding going on. But luckily, my area is safe. It has been raining daily for weeks. But a few days ago, while Sister Bell and I were weekly planning, it started raining a lot more than it does normally. I heard that we got about 9" of rain just in that one day, but luckily, our parish (county) has good drainage systems, and the neighborhoods are spread out enough to have swamps in between which also suck up the water. I have heard of Elders and Sisters saving lives. Luckily, we are all safe, so no worries :) 

Lately I have been really focusing on reading the Book of Mormon, the New Testament and Isaiah. There are so many "nuggets" of golden knowledge in these books. Like wow. I have been trying to pick out the parts that will be useful for teaching. and Wow, they are literally everywhere, especially in the book of Mosiah. I also love reading about how Alma and Amulek begun their missionary work (Alma 11).

School started in the parishes down here, and sometimes when we go tracting, people think that we are teachers hahaha. We are not exactly the teachers they think we are. We teach the doctrine and principles of Jesus Christ, and the math we teach is for tithing, finding 10% of your income + all of your heart to show your love for Christ and to build up his kingdom. "We are the only tools that the God has to work with," -Brigham Young. 

Have a blessed day and be safe!

Sister Toomey

Even-Kelled

Hey Y'all!! Every week, we have this thing called missionary coordination, which is a meeting with us, the branch mission leaders, and the other elders in our branch. This week, we talked about having temperance, and how we need to be even-keeled. To be even-keeled on a boat, means that it is balanced, unless everyone and everything go to one side of it, then it will flip over and bang, everything is in the water, and you boat is flipped over. I think that we could all be more even-keeled and temperant. Read this beautiful talk by Elder Watson:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/being-temperate-in-all-things?lang=eng

I am staying here in Lulling for a 4th transfer now. I was warned by many branch members that people who start off their missions in Lulling, tend to stay there for a while, so it's not really a surprise that I am still here.

So far, we have been teaching a lot more than just the normal missionary lessons, we have been teaching ARP (Addiction Recovery Program) and newly as of this week, we have been helping someone try to get the Pathway program here in Louisiana. We are also trying to start teaching the Stop-Smoking Workshop. Most non-members here smoke, and they know it is bad for them, and they want to stop, they just haven't had that push to stop.  

While we were in Killona, we were about to teach H, but she had to let her dog out for a minute, so we went with her, and while we were outside, this guy comes sprinting down the street, and at first we thought that he was trying to talk to H, but he was coming for us, and he told us, "give me something to read, give me somethin' to read" and he thought that we were the Jehovah Witnesses, and we made it clear that we were Mormons, and he still wanted something to read, so of course we gave him something to read. We didn't have a Book for Mormon on us, so we gave him a Restoration and Gospel of Jesus Christ Pamphlet, and we got his name and address so we can go back and teach him. It was AWESOME!

Also, while we were in the same town, we tracted into someone, who already knew a member, and she let us right in, we taught from the Book of Mormon, and her grand-daughter, referred us to her other grandmother. We are really excited to see where this all goes :)

LOVE YOU!

Sister Toomey