hurrah for Israel!

What a week it has been in Cherokee!

First of all, shoutout to my Cherokee ward members that confessed they read my blog. Guess I better be careful about what I say about all them. ha, just kidding:)

We had the blessings pour down from heaven this week. The last few weeks I kept remembering a quote from someone who came to speak to us while I was in the MTC and he said, "When all you need is a miracle, you're almost there." That thought was in my mind for weeks thinking about how I just needed to be diligent and do everything in my power and eventually something would happen and those miracles hit. The kids we've been working with since we got here are getting baptized in May. In Alma 5 when Alma's talking about "fasting and praying many days" rang true for us on this little miracle. We were so excited and we have met with them almost everyday and they are headed for the waters of baptism.

Yesterday after Sunday School one of our ward mission leaders came and found us and had a young man by the arm that we had met briefly a few weeks before when we were visiting his grandma who is a less active member in our ward. Brother Jenks said, "Sisters, this is "D". He isn't a member of the church. But he wants to be. And he wants y'all to teach him so he can get baptized." Tears filled my little eyes. It was such a testament to me that there are so many people who are prepared to accept the gospel and they are searching for the truth.

Oh. Also we met with this lady who was a referral from another investigator this week. We've been trying so hard to meet with her the last few weeks and haven't had success and we finally got an appointment scheduled that worked out. After we had a lesson together she paused for a minute and then thanked us for not giving up on her. She said, "If this is what the Lord wants me to do in my life, then that's what I'm going to do. I figure it must be important if you two young girls are here so far from home to tell me about it." Elect alert! We're so excited about her. She loooves the baptist church but like I said before, I never knew a good baptist who didn't make a real good member of the church:)

We spoke in church this week and loved doing it about as much as I usually do:) One day that'll become something I enjoy doing. We invited just about everyone and their dog that we're teaching to come and hear us speak. It was a good time to see faces in church that had never been there before.

We're working our little tails off in Cherokee and I'm doing my best not to get discouraged over things I have no control over. I know that as we are obedient and do as the Lord asks of us, the blessings from heaven will pour down upon us. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a part of this sacred work. It truly is a blessing to be here. I'm learning and growing so much everyday and I already feel like I'm a completely different person.

I love y'all more than you know. Thank you for all the love and support you send my way.

Love always,

Sister Webber

You Know you are in the south when.....

If ye love me, fill my mailbox.

What a week!

 

First, shoutout to my Katie dear. I sent that dern birthday card the second week of March. They need to do something about getting that mail to y'all faster. That is not okay. But I'm glad you got it and appreciated my humor. I've still got it baby;)

 

We were blessed with the opportunity to teach a lot of different people this week and see the Spirit work in their hearts and minds. We're trying to be all about teach when you find, find when you teach because the Lord places people in your path when you are prepared to open your mouth. For example, last Monday we went to the laundromat and usually we just sit and wait for our laundry but I said, let's go window shopping or something so we were walking around downtown Bryson City and went into a shop and the owner came out and was asking where we were from and what brought us to the area and we explained to him that we were missionaries and when he read our tags he immediately lit up. This man was dying to talk about God and Jesus Christ. He went on for a half hour about what he believed and how he doesn't go to church because no one believes what he does and when he finished talking I said, It sounds like we believe all the same things! He was so happy. It was like he had reunited with his best friends. It truly was a testimony to me of how the Lord has people prepared and if we are obedient and are ready and willing to open our mouths and proclaim the gospel, we will come in contact with the elect.

 

There was a lady we went and taught and at the end of our lesson we invited her to pray so she could know what we had shared was true and she looked at me and said, "Oh I know this is all true!" I was a little surprised by the response and we invited her to be baptized and she sat there and bore her testimony to us about how much she loved the church and all the people in it and how she knew it was all true and then said, "but I'm a Methodist." Those Methodist I tell ya, they'll be the death of me:) But we're still teaching her so I'll let you know how that goes.

 

I don't know if you remember the three kids that were hoping to get baptized...but the two boys we haven't seen at church for about a month were there yesterday. We went and saw them on Saturday and asked where they had been and we told them we missed them and boom..sunday morning they walked in and I couldn't have been happier. They're 12 and 10 and I have become best buddies with them. If you could add them to your prayer list I would sure appreciate that. They want to be baptized so bad. We're just still waiting on mama for that one still.

 

Funny story for the week: I think Kate might be the only one to appreciate this but this week we had an appointment with Cherokee Joe again and he tripped and fell outside and then got on a tangent of all the injuries he's had and was telling us about how one time he had just woken up and stood up to stretch and interlocked his fingers and put his arms up in the air and then had a mighty sneeze and broke TWO ribs. I was laughing so hard and I could not stop. Just the visual of it was making me die. I wish Kate could be there while this gnarly guy tells stories.

 

The work is hastening here in Cherokee nation. We're having success and doing all we can to be exactly obedient so we can have miracles happen in our area. The people here are wonderful. Southern hospitality at its finest. Mom, I'm glad you got to talk with Sister Cutler:) She's is our mom in this area haha and she's the best.

Could someone please let Harrison Noble Webber know that I would like to hear from him before I get home from my mission? Thank you:)

 

I love y'all. I'm praying for you. If your eyes are reading this, write me a letter:)

 

Love always,

Sister Webber

 

Cherokeeeee

Holy macaroni! What a week! I don't even know where to begin! First of all, my dear Brenna Miller: Get better cutie! I'm praying for you and I love you! I hope you are feeling alright! Keep being the tough girl that you are!

This week was probably one of the hardest yet most rewarding weeks I've had on my mission. We had a rough start last week and had a few hard days but after some serious prayer, soul searching, and priesthood blessings, my companion and I hit the ground running.

We contacted a referral we had received from two different ward members who said that this lady needed to be baptized 50 years ago. Turns out they weren't kidding. We went and saw her earlier this week in the care center that she's living at and the minute she saw us walk up, her eyes got wide and she said, I know who you two are! You're lady Mormon missionaries! She went on and on about how much she loved the church and that she had a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and the prophet Joseph Smith. She told us that the missionaries first came to her house in the 50s and that her entire family of 8 siblings and both of her parents were baptized and that she was the only one who hadn't been baptized because she couldn't give up her smokes. Over the years she has gone from smoking two to three packs a day down to three cigarettes each day and explained to us that she wanted to stop so she could be baptized because she knew that is what she needed to do. We had a lesson with her about how if she prayed for strength and did everything she was able to do, the Lord would help her overcome her smoking addiction. She commited to be baptized at the beginning of May and she came to church yesterday. Everyone in the ward was so excited to see her there.

A few weeks ago we gave a Book of Mormon to a friend of one of our investigators. We call him Cherokee Joe. He's the gnarliest looking guy I've ever seen and every time we've seen him, he's been wearing the same clothes and the same taz devil bandana and without fail has a beer in one had and a ciggy in the other. We ran into him again on Friday and I asked how his Book of Mormon reading was coming and he surprised me by saying he had read all of Moroni. We had lesson with him yesterday and he said he is amazed that the history of the Book of Mormon "just makes sense" to him. We told him it was a history of his ancestors and he got a kick out of that.

We had exchanges this week! For sisters! Crazy huh? It's kind of unheard of for sister missionaries but President wanted us to have one. A sister came to Cherokee with me that has been out for 15 months. She's a powerhouse and really set an example for me of things that I need to work on. It was the best 24 hours. We had 4 really good appointments together and were able to share some really good things with one another and get advice on different things for our areas and our companionships.

We got transfer calls on Saturday and I'll be in Cherokee for at least another transfer. So you can continue to find me in the hills of Bryson City for a while.

Janae babay: Thanks for those vids of Sunday night dinner:) can't wait for those crazy nights with the Nonster again:)

Here's a funny story, family. My companion and I are helping with a temple prep class and all the people are in it are kin to each other so we just have it at their house because two are daughters in-law, two daughters, and one son who are all preparing to go to the temple. Anyway so last night we were having a lesson and it was about symbols and Brother C. (the dad) held up a picture of an American flag and asked what it symbolized and people called out; freedom, liberty, yada yada. and then I called out, Rosa Parks! (Meaning to say Betsy Ross) And then I started laughing and laughed so hard that I couldn't get the words out to correct myself and everyone was laughing and like..."okay Sister Webber".. and then Bro C. said, "what are some holidays?" and one of the daughters yelled, Christmas! And they all looked at her and Sis C. said, NO. 4th of July! What is wrong with you people? Rosa Parks and Christmas with the American flag? All this time, I'm laughing so hard I can't breath and it was like a classic family night with the Webber family. It made me miss our giggly times together:)

Well family, I sure love you. I pray for you each so very much. I hope all is well in each of your lives. Trust in the Lord. He's there to guide you in every decision you make. I know he hears and answers prayers and that He blesses us if we are obedient. Study the Book of Mormon. I can't tell you enough the strength and guidance I receive from studying that book.

Have a good week! and good luck to all my Colony and BYU loves with finals this week!

Love,

Sister Webber

Hi y'all:)

What a wonderful weekend! I could talk about General Conference for a week. You would have thought Santa was coming for a visit around here with how excited I was all week for conference. It was all so wonderful. During Sister Dalton's talk I had the thought that it would be her last. She did such a wonderful job. I am so grateful for her example and for the love she's shown to our family. She is truly one of a kind. I wanted to fist bump every speaker after their talk. They were all SO great. It was the most uplifting, motivating, and inspiring eight hours. I wish conference was every weekend. All during Elder Andersen's talk I wanted to scream, YAY for missionary work! I loved Elder Holland's, Bednar's, President Uchtdorf, everyone. They were all so wonderful. Such good counsel from men and women who are truly called of God.

We got a wonderful call out (mass voicemail) this last week from President Craven. The message went on about how our mission has been stuck in a rut for years and hasn't been able to hit over 35 baptisms in a month. 30-35 has been the average for years and he called us to tell us that in the month of March the North Carolina Charlotte Mission had 58 baptisms. Fifty-eight. We had Zone Meeting on Friday and our Zone Leaders went on about how our zone is leading out the mission. It's such a privilege to be part of it all. There so many people prepared to hear the gospel, we just have to be worthy of them. The Lord isn't going to place those people in our path if we aren't doing all we're supposed to be doing.

 We're working with a few great people right now. We're doing all we can to meet their needs. There is a big push in our mission right now about teaching people, not lessons. They say when someone has a baptismal date set up and doesn't get baptized on that day, it's because we as missionaries did not meet and address their needs. Woah. But I know it's true. So we're working our hardest with each of them to know what they need and know what gospel principles and fundamentals we need to focus on to strengthen their faith in Christ.

I know that when we rely on the Lord he'll bless us and help us with anything we are in need of. As Elder Holland said, I know that as we "come and cast our burdens" that God will send help from both sides of the veil. How true that is. Every word Elder Holland spoke yesterday pierced my heart. Hope on. Journey on. Be not afriad-believe. All things are possible for those that believe. As we trust in the Lord and rely on Him through our hardest times, He will be there to guide us and uplift us no matter the affliction we're suffering. This is Christ's church. He is the head of it and we are lead by prophets and apostles who are men of God. I'm so thankful fo rthe opportunity to serve! 65,600 strong with 26,000 more on the way. A literal army is preaching the gospel to every nation. What an exciting time to be a member of the church!

I love y'all. Thank you for the love and support and prayers you send my way. I'm praying for each of you.

Love always,

Sister Webber

P.S. Mom and Kate- We were teaching a lesson the other day in Dunkin Donuts and in the middle of me sharing Joseph Smith's account of the First Vision, Roll to Me came blasting on the radio and made me think of the two of you:) It was funny. Definitely not having a lesson there again..a few too many distractions. ha.

Methodists, Baptists, and Mormons

Hola mi familia,

Sounds like everyone had a good Easter and looks like y'all had nice weather! Hooray for nice weather! The Appalachians don't know what the sun is yet. :) It was a good Easter in Cherokee. It is a four day holiday outside of Utah! School and work all shuts down from Thursday-Sunday for Easter weekend so everyone we came in contact wished us a Happy Easter this week.

Each week that we're here, we improve.

Tracting here is a whole different ordeal than it was in Colfax. I thought Colfax was spread out until we got here. The houses are so so spread out but we do our very best. 9 times out of 10 the response is, "well girls...I'm a baptist but I appreciate what y'all are doing." I'd be one rich missionary if I got a penny every time I heard that. They all think that by telling us they're baptist that we'll turn away runnin. We ain't afraid. :) It's a common occurrence to say the least.

We had a few really good appointments with a couple that have been in contact with the missionaries since August or so. (they're the ones who sent that picture to you mom. we were in the middle of a lesson and Shirley whips out her phone and said, OH I always send pictures to the missionaries moms!) They're children are all members and they have a grandson on a mission in Utah and initially let the missionaries in because they wanted to see what their grandson does. The first time we saw them this week we asked if they had prayed to know if what they've learned from the missionaries is true and the husband said, "I pray every night!" And I said that's good! Do you pray to know what the missionaries teach you is true? And he said not specifically so we talked about why it's important to be specific in our prayers and how God will always answer our prayers. He told us he prays to be led to truth...*ding ding ding* we hopped on that and explained that the missionaries were led to his home for a reason and that missionaries pray and are led by God to where we should go and who we should talk to. His wife looked at him and said, "Oh!" and he took a while to respond but didn't know what to say. We had another appointment with them a few days ago and got hit by questions from Oz. He's been a Methodist for years and years and can't get past it. At our lesson with them on Friday we invited them to be baptized. Shirley said yes and looked at her husband and he sat there, deep in thought. When we left she walked us out to our car and told us to not give up and texted us later and said the same thing. We're praying hard that he'll soften his heart and be open to what God has put right in his lap. They'll progress. I know it.

We took the mighty trip to Charlotte this week for the training meeting. It was quite a journey but always a beautiful one. I learned a whole lot. We role play for hours at these meetings. I love to listen and see how other missionaries teach. There's so much we can learn from each other so it helps a lot. President Craven focuses a lot on "Today, Tomorrow, and Forever" principles. He always says, "we're more concerned about where you'll be in 5, 10, and 15 years than where you'll be at the end of 18 months and 2 years." He talks to us about our spouses at every meeting, especially with the Sisters. Pres. Craven wants to approve every one of our husbands. :) Also learned that next transfer there are 19 new missionaries coming in. SIXTEEN are sisters. Only three Elders. It is crazy. Lookout I'll probably be training my whole mission...and I didn't even get the last 7 weeks of training..something is not right about that. Pray for me. I'm still a brand new missionary who doesn't know anything:)

Happy General Conference weekend! I cannot wait. It's hard to believe that six months ago the place I'm now in was not a possibility. It's amazing how things can change so quickly. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary! The Lord's work is hastening and the elect are being brought into the gospel! Such an exciting time!

Fun fact about our mission. The average for baptisms in a month has been around thirty for years and years. In March we had over 50 baptisms. President said he got an email from Salt Lake asking if there had been a typo. The south is growing in the gospel. As tough as the Baptists and Methodists are....I never knew a good Methodist OR a good Baptist that didn't make a reaaaallly good Mormon. We're here to give them a new kind of heaven.

I love you all so very much. You're all in my prayers. Thank you for the love and support. I couldn't do it without y'all.

Love always,

Sister Webber