REJECTION!

I love missionary work!! It’s full of rejection, despair, heartache and trials. But I am truly the happiest I have ever been!!

Sometimes, I pretend people just don't hear me.. Because people don't care to listen to my testimony at all! We were teaching this lady Wednesday night. Everything was going really well. We were about the teach her about Joseph Smith and all the sudden, she started saying she doesn't like that there are things we have to do to get into Heaven and pushed the Book of Mormon across the table to us and told us to see ourselves to the door. I then started to testify to her that I know this Gospel is true and she put her hand up and told me to save it. I don’t understand why every time I try to testify, someone interrupts or they continually shoot me down. I was doing a good thing right? I was getting frustrated.

On Friday the same thing happened, we were having this great lesson and then it went downhill very fast and he started to get up to leave. I was like okay... I'll try bearing my testimony again... and guess what! He listened!! Tender mercies eh? He listened and smiled and said, "okay that makes sense, what else?" Woohoo!! It was awesome and strengthened my testimony that much more! :) He was worried about revelation and that we only listen to our priest and then….GUESS WHAT…. something Maddie Hollingsworth said came to my mind! That in our church we are allowed to ask questions, in fact we are encouraged to! That is how the gospel was restored, because a 14 year old boy asked a question. I was able to share that with him and continue to help him want to learn more. So thank you Maddie! :) SEE…our comments and thoughts and testimonies we share at church really do matter and help each other . We can plant seeds of remembrance and better understanding.

Have you ever met someone with out a belly button? I have :) People here love to show you their scars! Sometimes it gets a little scary according to where they are.. but hey! Any ways we are serving this old lady and she showed us that she doesn't have a belly button!! She’s like an alien or something :) She is awesome though! She didn't want us to teach or share a message with her but as we stayed and talked she asked us questions. It’s fun to see how Heavenly Father works :)

I hope everyone in the States has a great 4th of July!! Aw!! I miss family parties!! One of my favorite families in the ward is having us over for the fourth and we are going to have a BBQ and a fire and sparklers :)

Canada day is tomorrow it’s like their 4th of July.

Shout out to Elder Spencer Sharp! Yikes….

“Poor Spencer! That is so scary!! Hit by a car! Glad to hear nothing too serious happened. At least you get to add another story to your adventure!

I want to ride a bike so badly!! Maybe when I get into a smaller area I can :)

Love yous!

-Sister Gillins 

This is Crystal! She is our recent-convert.
 Kats sister-in-law. She is the best!

We were helping pull weeds for service, and then ALL THE SUDDEN..
 the person we were helping started to light them on fire! 

Our recent-convert sent us $72.56 worth of Chinese food!
 IT WAS SO YUMMY AND SO APPRECIATED!
(as we two girls sat there pigging out on all the food..we nervously thought...
"He must think we are piglets."... haha)

DRUNKS !

This week started off great! Zone Conference was amazing! I was able to learn so much and receive so much revelation!! President and Sister Scott are truly amazing people! President Scott talked with us about Light and Darkness. It is a subject he has been studying for over a year. He gave us many of his notes and scripture references and asked us to study and ponder the subject before we all met together at the conference. It was a spiritual feast.  I am so glad I have been able to serve with them! They will be returning home in the next few weeks. I am sad to see them go but I know President and Sister Clayton will be just as amazing!

Sister Wanlass and I are having a blast! We are working hard but have so much fun doing it! :) We have had the opportunity to serve many people. I know that serving people helps them feel loved. It helps break down that wall they have built up. Nothing is better than Christ like charity. We must love people like Christ loves them. If we didn’t, there would be no way that this work would move forward. We knock on doors but not as much.. we are working around names now. Like part-member families, formers, etc. Its a ward we serve, not a branch, but… only like 90 people come..including babies, and that is after sacrament. We need to help build the ward. I am giving a talk next Sunday…just pray that the talk I give next week will help strengthen the ward.

This week I have met the nicest drunks! HAHA! It is the World Cup so a lot of people go to the bar and watch it. They usually will stand there for a moment and listen to us and then say "I have had a few beers.. I don't totally understand you, can I have a card." Some of the nicest people I have met!! I just hope they will remember the card we gave them and actually look at the website…ya…

I am so excited to hear about everyones mission calls!! It makes my heart pound!! I know that this work is so important! Congrads McKay!! I know you will kill it in Honduras!! Better brush up on your Spanish ;) Karlie….I am excitingly WAITING! Wow…so happy! Missions are just training for the rest of your life!! It is amazing!

Love,

Sister Gillins 

The Book of Mormon, the key stone to our religion!  

at Zone Conference

"Hi its the Sister Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.."

On our hike (yes I am wearing a fanny pack)

I've been Brainwashed ?!

We just had the craziest weekend ever!!

On Saturday we had a good lesson, everything went smoothly and we taught really well together. We got out of the lesson and that's when things got weird….

We went across the street to ask this lady if we could help her with her garden and she looked at us in our skirts and was like, "really? in your skirts?.. you don't want to ask that, because this black women will put you to work!"  Ha Ha…she was great. So, we had this long conversation with her about, well, …I don't even know what... But I remember her telling us we needed a sign that said "VIOLATION" and "STOP, DONT COME ANY CLOSER!"

Well, then this old man came up and was talking to her and gave her a hug and then looked at us and asked us what we do. We of course say we are missionaries! He was like, "Oh you are LDS. Your church believes in shunning don't you?" I have no clue what this man is talking about... so we say no. He goes on telling us that we shun people and he could never be a member of our church for that reason. Then, a girl from like 20 feet away yelled that she has been shunned. He went on to tell us that we have been brainwashed and we need to get out of this cult now while we had the chance. Whoa people, slow down… 

All we could do is try to bear our testimonies to him. But he ended up just walking away telling us we were crazy. After this fun moment in time, the woman with the garden was like..” Sisters, you are so strong I am sorry you had to go through that. When he comes back he will suffer the wrath of Robin!” So crazy…

Later that afternoon as we were walking along we stopped and talked to someone. While we were talking with him he told us that he was intoxicated about 5 times. But he wanted to learn more about the church! 

And, to end the Night… we knocked on a less-actives door, it ended up that she doesn't live there anymore but the person there was really nice! He gave us his tomato plants! He also told us that he doesn't have a name.. that he is just borrowing it. That none of us own names. Hmmm…Okay… He also taught us a lot about the law. And that he found Christ through studying law. Which was truly a cool story.

There is so many people in the world and we don't even get to meet like one millionth of them! It is so important for us to tell everyone we know about the gospel. Even if you are not a missionary. The gospel is part of your life. Share it with your friends, they do have the right to know.

Shout out to all the Daddies out there! Hope you had a wonderful fathers day!!

Shout out to Colten on his mission call! I am so excited for you!! Missions Rule!

Love ya's!

-Sister Gillins 

Sister Wanlass dropped her tweezers down the toilet
and had to go fishing!

Sister Perreira, the BEST WARD MISSIONARY EVER !!
She comes teaching with us like everyday!

TRANSFERS !!

My new companion is the best! Sister Wanlass is amazing! She has the sweetest heart and can make anyone feel comfortable. All of our investigators and members already love her and she hasn't even been here for a week!! She is just that awesome! She is from Bountiful, Utah and has been out for almost a year.

Ask me how many times we got lost driving this week. Probably around 78 times.. Even with the GPS.. we are just really good at taking wrong turns or not paying attention. But, somehow we are able to get to all of our appointments on time! Its like a miracle.

So this week our investigator Mike was baptized!! He is awesome! He has the most open heart and just wants to learn. The spirit was so strong at his baptism! Even when things seem to be going wrong and you are running around trying to get things organized the spirit can be so strong. That is why I love baptisms! No matter what is going on around you, the spirit is there and He will comfort you!

Sunday was the best! Mike and Kat were both confirmed and Adam got the Aaronic Priesthood!! Such an exciting weekend! :) We also got to teach Relief Society on Sunday as well. We taught about the priesthood keys. I am so thankful for the worthy priesthood holders in my life! They are able to have the power of God to be able to help those around them. It is amazing!!

Shout out to my fam for going on cool vacations with out me! Love you!!
Take lots of pictures! I love getting pictures from everyone!!

Loves,
Sister Gillins

 

SISTER WANLASS AND ME ON
MIKE'S BAPTISM DAY

WEDDING CRASHERS !

Transfers are here!

I’m staying in London! Sister Bodine is going to North Toronto. So,… like down town Toronto. She will do so well there. I am lucky and blessed that I had Sister Bodine. She is an amazing missionary. She was a great example and taught me many things.

My new companion is Sister Warnlass. I think that is how you spell it? I will meet her tomorrow. I am so excited!! New things to learn. I will make it as successful as I can and  I will make it as fun as I can. Missionary work can be so fun!

I heard she is great, everyone keeps telling me that.

Another wave of friends at home have their mission calls and others still waiting to hear! So exciting! Simply the best thing we can be doing in our Youthful Life! 

So….

Miracles in London 1st!

This was such a Great week! We had some really fun experiences! Monday was Sister Bodines birthday! She is so old now!! We had the sweetest ward members take us out for her birthday! It was so fun!

We also got to attend our investigators wedding and baptism!

Kats husband was a less-active and she got interested in missionary work when her family was having missionaries over for dinner. We were able to meet Kat and continue to teach her about the gospel. She is amazing in every way! Her main purpose is to live with Heavenly Father again. She has the strongest faith and just wants to follow Gods commandments. As soon as we taught her the law of chastity she started living it and made plans for when she could get married! We were able to attend her wedding on Saturday! She looked beautiful. The next day she was baptized! Soon her and her family will be able to be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity!

Kat is such an amazing example to me. All of our goals in this life should lead us to someday live with Heavenly Father again some day. And all he asks of us it to follow his commandments!

We also have an amazing investigator named Mxxx! He also is a great example of following Gods commandments in faith. He has been trying to quit smoking. He knows it is hard but with faith in Christ he knows it is possible!

I love how much we are able to learn from our investigators. We go in ready to teach them a lesson, but come out learning so much more!

We are able to learn so much, but we have to be willing to open our ears and heart to be able to learn.

Love,

Sister Gillins

Kat and Joey's Wedding Day
Sister Bodine, me and their son Josh

Kat's Baptism Day (2 great days in a row!)

Our Friend and New Investigator
(he came to Kat's Baptism)