Here are Sister Toomer's latest letters/emails:
I'm in Yakima and loving it! Companion is phenomenal! Super hard worker her name is Sister Gambel so ya we are gambeling with Toomers over here ;) Woot woot! When I first got here she had an appointment planned and members there! It was so cool! We have just been working hard so time is really flying. I can't believe it's already Monday!
We are teaching some awesome ppl. Bill and Ruth are a couple we are teaching and they are adorable they smoke but are cutting back. We taught them about eternal marriage and Bill purposed to Ruth and asked her to be sealed it was the coolest thing ever! I love it here! We are also teaching some teenage boys who are super legit and have great questions. I can so see them being a missionary someday!We have a baptism planned for the 28th of Sept so pray that goes through! It's Orlando he is 17 and loves the gospel he can tell it's helping with his happiness. He has had a hard childhood and claims independence so ya he's super cool!I love you all a ton! Keep being happy and doing the little things they make a big difference! We get to go to the temple this transfer so our zone is going next week the 16th at 8am! Can't wait! So I'll probably email you on tuesday instead of wednesday.Love ya!Sister Toominator
Hey! So this week was AMAZING!!! So many awesome miracles. First off, Bill one of our investigators bore his testimony!!!!!! It was so spiritual and he mentioned that he can't wait for baptism and he is preparing everyday! He's just working on smoking. You can just tell that he loves it and lives it! Also his wife wants to get baptized with him! I kinda got a glimpse of what Heavenly Father feels like when we do what is right! So AWESOME!
Our STL meeting was so good! We were instructed to strive to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ everyday and sanctify or repent regularly. It was so good cuz I need that! And my companion and I have really tried to do the Lord's work HIS way! We have seen the spirit working with people just by talking to people and that's what we are trying to do is talk with everyone!At first that concept really was scary but as you look at people the way Christ would and think of them as our brothers and sisters it's a lot easier.Also Olando is getting baptized Oct 12! I'm so excited for him. He is such a great young man and has had a hard life but you can really see the atonement play a huge factor. I know the atonement is real I don't know what I would do without it! I love this gospel and this work! It's so true!!!Keep having faith and I know the Lord will help you with anything and everything! Lots of Love,Sister Toomster!
Man where do I start!
So as you can tell I got to go to the temple today!! Wohooo! That's why I get to email you today instead of yesterday. It was so awesome my homies from Richland came and man that just made it even better! I got a taste of heaven with all the wonderful missionaries and the amazing members from the Crestview ward! I love them!!!This week was pretty good as well we got to have a way fun FHE with Bill and Ruth. They are super ready to become members they are just overcoming smoking but Bill is down to 0 mg of nicotine and Ruth is going strong. My companion and I told her we would give up something we love as well to support her at this time so we are giving up icecream...ugh it's a killer but I think I might have been addicted so this is good for me;) Also we went over to Bill and Ruth's on sunday because they couldn't make it to church and come to find out the sea halks were playing...let's just say Bill is a fan. We asked him what we could do for him before we left and it was pretty funny he was like could you leave so I could finish the game. I totally thought of dad but not;)Anyway, Orlando moved his baptismal date to Oct 12 so Sister Gamble might be transferred by then but it was because the members that introduced him to the gospel is available then..but good thing he is willing to get baptized!We have been trying to show our faith and find more ppl ready to hear the gospel and have been semi successful but we are for sure seeing the lord's hand in it all:) I love it!So being a Sister Training leader we go on exchanges with different sisters and this week we had two exchanges. I went to a place called Zillah for a day and worked with a Sister named Sister Dixon who is from New York she is super cute and just loves being a missionary it was a blast to work with her! And then Hermana Mohun came to our area and I got lost kinda a lot because I don't know the area and we taught someone just barely outside of our area but it was such a spiritual lesson. So ya still working on getting used to the area and have appreciated Sister Gamble for showing the ropes she is so awesome! I couldn't be more blessed!
This week was a roller coaster for sure I have never realized how much my faith has grown until I take a step back. So it started out awesome! We had lessons after lesson and they were all spiritually filled and I went on an exchange with a super cool sister that just has a great desire to work. On the exchange there was this Less active lady that just broke my heart because she had been through some really terrible stuff and couldn't believe there was a god that would do that to her and so the spirit totally was there and we could not deny that there was a God it was awesome!!
Then there was this guy that moved to Yakima from somewhere in the rainy part of washington and he had been meeting with missionaries! He's really solid and knows the church is true! He just needs time and it's always in the Lord's timing.And then we had a church tour with another one of our investigator and the spirit was amazing and he said this is the church for him and wanted to get baptized! He came to church before the church tour and came yesterday and said that he felt unwelcome so he doesn't want to meet with him anymore...ugh saten but it's okay cuz I learned a lot from that and I know he knows the church is true.But good news Bill and Ruth that are getting baptized soonish were not going to come to church cuz Bill has health problems then we came over and he said he felt better so we helped him get to church. And after he was thanking us! Man I love how the Lord works! It's the best to be a part of his work:)Hope all is good! I love you!Love,Sister Toomer
This week was super crazy fun! So we got to go the temple like you know...Then the next day was a surprise a sister we are over went to the doctors and found out that her ovaries are dying so she needed to go home that day. She did and is okay! Her companion is with us and we are partying it up working hard style. We had so many lessons! That was fun the spirit was super strong. We taught a guy about the restoration and you could just see the light in him. I love it! then he went to Church and it was the primary program! Oh ya it's looking good! There are so many ready for the gospel It's the best! I'm so blessed to be a part of it! There is a sister in our ward that just got home from her mish and she says it's the worst cuz she loved her mish. So we are taking her out tonight so that might help:) Members are crucial for the Lord's work we need you so don't be afraid to share what you know! Keep going strong! I love you all! Oh ya my new comp is Sister Smith and no she isn't related to Joseph or Will... but she's still cool!
Man what a great week! I went on exchanges again with an awesome Sister her names Sister Faulkner. She's so fun her humor is hilarious she's the type of person that cracks a joke but keeps a straight face and has a great desire to serve the Lord. It was fun! We did it in our trio so that was exciting. Actually it was really good cuz we went to one lesson to another.
There was this lady that we saw getting into her car and she said to come back and we did and we told her about the restoration. It was awesome she was like I'm 35 and I've never heard of this before and when we said the first vision she wanted to write it down. Then when we gave her the Book of Mormon she thanked us like 5times. It was so cool the Lord really is preparing people to hear of the restored gospel.Then Orlando our investigator that is supposed to get baptized this weekend but wants to do it next weekend ran to all his appointments and he lives like 6miles away. It was so cool to see the dedication and faith he had. He's so ready! He went to the priesthood session of General Conference:)Speaking of General Conference wasn't it so amazing!! I loved every single talk!! And we had a couple investigators come and listen. I totally trust in our leaders and I know they will progress even more! I thought it was cool how the sacrement was brought up a couple times. I love that we can renew each of our covenants and be better and better each week. He really is the bread of life and the living waters. It was so good!Oh ya transfers are this week. I'm staying in Yakima and Sister Gamble is headed to Moses Lake:) she was such a great companion and I'll get to see her at Leadership meetings so that will be good. I'm getting Sister Peatross she served in Richland when I was there so I know her and I'm excited to work with her. She is going to be a Sister Training Leader as well and I guess I have to show her the ropes. Guess we will see how that goes! I love you all and hope you have a great week! Keep doing the little things they make a bid difference!Love,Sister Toomer
