Hey Pilgrims

Hey my Pilgrims, Indians and such. 

It’s been a great week. Obviously my Thanksgiving wasn’t the usual but it was still great! I’ve got some metaphors, stories, and insights for you! Be grateful (hehe). 

 First lemme just say the work here is progressing so well! An investigator who went on vacation for a month came back. We had difficulties finding a time to visit him but found him while walking in the street and talked with him. Then he came to church that following Sunday! Yay for R! Then a random contact we tried talked about how interested he was in the Book of Mormon and we marked another time to talk more in depth with him about it and give him one. Snaps for T!!!  Lastly M has been receptive from the start. She loves the idea of the plan of salvation and came to church! She has been invited to be baptized on December 19th where our goal is to have a white Christmas and she accepted! (I hope you all understand that goal :) A question M had which I thought was interesting was, "why have you come to me now with this message? I feel as if I have lost 50 years because I didn’t have it before" (it was mostly in respect to the plan of salvation and how right now is our time to prepare to meet God) I tried to reassure her that we all have a purpose, that it’s not how much time we have but how we decide to use it. It reminded me of a parable (don’t remember where) that’s about a worker who works for the person years and years when along comes someone else looking for work as well, in the end, if I’m correct, they are paid the same amount. I believe this to be true in concern of M. It’s about our testimony! About our gratitude and action in this worthy cause. Christ is never going to cut someone short.  

Thanksgiving lunch was great! For dessert we had these homemade ice cream Popsicle things...super good especially cause you get to rip/break the little plastic cup off to eat the ice cream.. 

Some insights for this week: "you can’t buy something that isn’t for sale" this is about repentance and the atonement! Christ can’t pay for our sins if we aren’t willing to give up, or post a for sale sign. I never even thought of it that way before.  Some sins he isn’t able to pay for because we are either stubborn, ashamed or haven’t completely finished the repentance process. Use the atonement, it’s there. He's there! 

Lastly, during a prayer someone used the word "piece" which made me flashback to the movie Monsters Inc. where Mike repaired the shredded door until there was only one piece left, and guess what happened when they put the very last piece in? The light turned on. It worked and was ready to be opened. This made me think about, what’s that one piece forbidding me to open? Or we could have everything in line, all the principles of the gospel are firm and there in our testimonies but we aren’t applying the atonement. We are forgetting that Christ is the center to us all. 

This thanksgiving was wonderful. I had the opportunity to bear testimony in Sacrament meeting for our missionary work themed Sunday and even was talking too much that our ward mission leader who was directing it waved for me to end which made me smile. I am so grateful for this opportunity, my family, friends, testimony, health, personality, Savior and knowledge that I am a daughter of God. Let us put into place what is missing and be prepared to open ourselves in order to receive the greatest blessings only God can imagine. 

I love you all. 

Sis Oldroyd

(editor's note: Syd was not able to send any pictures this week. Next week)