March 21, 2016

Hey everybody!

So this week is been pretty crazy! I've spent some time in the west
stake with sister Martinez and got to see some people that I used to
teach. Sister craft is still sick so that's no fun. Also the Provo
city center temple dedication was this week and that was amazing!I
also found out that somebody I used to teach in the tooele stake is
getting baptized on Saturday so I'm we pumped for that!!

So Julia is doing awesome! We saw her on Saturday and talked about her
baptism. She is planning on being baptized on either April 2 or April
9. She is super excited because this is something that she's been
waiting for but could notdo you because she was not married yet. But
her husband is super supportive of her decision to be baptized so
that's gonna be awesome!!

When I was with sister Martinez we went and saw one of my favorite
people from the west stake! When I left that steak we were helping
Julie get to the temple so she could do her daughters work. She didn't
quite ready yet so we were just kind of helping her prepare and get
ready. When I saw her this week, she said she was ready to move
forward and get the work done! Not only that, but her granddaughter
Hannah who is living with her, decided that she really wanted to learn
about the gospel! Hannah is almost 16 and really eager to learn! I
don't know if I will get to teach her again because she is not in my
area but I know she's going to do amazing!

We found a new investigator this week named Emily! She has been
meeting with missionaries before but with her work she got super busy
and was not able to meet with them anymore. She called us on Wednesday
I think and asked if we could set up a time to meet. We are really
excited about that! We saw her on Sunday and had a really good meeting
with her. We reviewed the restoration with you because it is been a
while since she had met with missionaries. She talked about how her
end goal is to be baptized. She really wants the Gospel for her and
her kids! We invited her to be baptized on April 23. So will continue
working with her and it's going to be great!

This week we also had the temple dedication of the Provo city center
temple. It was absolutely amazing! They did a live broadcast to all
the stake centers in Utah. This just happened to be the week that all
of our investigators and all of our less actives wanted to go to
church but could not because of the dedication so we're hoping that
next week is the determination to go! The dedication was pretty cool
it really felt like there was angels all over the room! All of the
sudden the room just felt super full and I looked up at the ceiling
expecting to see Angels but I didn't see anything but I know they were
there.

It's amazing how fast the Lord is hastening his work! I'm glad that I
get to be a part of it to be a missionary. It's a huge blessing to
have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and to gain so
many incredible experiences! It goes by so fast it's crazy! I know the
Lord has a plan for all of us all we have to do is listen. That
sometimes the hardest part, but it's really worth it! We are down here
to be happy and to find joy, and Christ makes that possible. I'm
grateful for the gospel and for my Savior Jesus Christ. I love you all
and hope you have a fantastic week!! Remember you're a child of God
and he loves you lots!

Sister Tomkinson

March 13, 2016

Hey Everybody!

Sorry it's been forever and ten years it's been a crazy couple of weeks! I have been transferred to the Tooele North Stake and I'm in a trio again! I tell you what it's been busy and crazy and fantastic all at once! I've met so many crazy awesome people already I'm just loving it here! Also fun fact I'm living in my first apartment again!

So going back to last week a bit, I got to meet Wendy. She is awesome! We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she loved it! She is in her 20s and two super adorable little girls! One of them pulled apart everything that was in Sister McReynolds bag. It kept her occupied enough so that Wendy could learn more. She is now on date to be baptized on April 9th!

Another one we are working with is Julia. She she has been taught by missionaries for a long time and wants to be baptized, but she was living with her boyfriend and needed to be married before being baptized. Well on Monday morning she called us and asked if we knew of anybody that could perform a marriage ceremony THAT DAY. Well let me see, we have 6 bishops to choose from...  So it was a crazy day planning a wedding, finding a bishop, finding a building, and all that other crazy stuff. All of this started around 8:30am and the weeding was at 6. So Julia was married and now trying to find a day to be baptized. She's trying to work it out with her sister who just had a baby. She said she wants to do it within the next couple weeks! So exciting stuff happening!

This week I also got to go on splits with Sister Martinez in the West Stake (my greenie area) and see some of my old people! I got to see Denise Ann and Kharyn and Cody! Kharyn and Cody are set to be baptized this month and are super excited! They've had some trials come up but are still determined to be baptized! 

Also we are working with Talon and his dad, Carl. Talon is 13 and wants to get baptized. Carl is working on being active again so that he can baptize Talon. So on Sunday, Carl got up and bore his testimony! It was so great! They are in the process of moving so most of their church clothes are packed up. Carl came in flip flops and a man bun. It was absolutely glorious! He just marched up there like a boss and bore his testimony! We were sitting there like GO CARL

So life is good, missions are great, and I'm of course loving it! It's amazing how blessed we are. I feel super blessed to be able to set so many wonderful people and hear and see how Christ has changed their lives. I'm really grateful for my Savior who made it possible to not only be with my family forever, but return to my Father in Heaven. Guys, the gospel is super cool and I love it! I honestly don't know where I'd be without it. Anyway I love y'all and hope y'all have a fantastic week!

Sister Tomkinson