Civic Holiday

So preparation day was switched to Tuesday this week because of the Civic Holiday. People don’t really celebrate anything on this holiday, but people do have work off, so there was a lot of people out on the streets yesterday :) Slowly but surely I am feeling more comfortable with talking to people on the street. It still is awkward.. most of the time it is awkward, but it is so worth it. Because why would I let someone go by with out hearing about this great message?!

So Elder DeWaal is in my zone! Or.. at least was, he may have been transfered out. (He was with two missionaries who are going home this week) But small world eh? Two kids from small town Herriman being in the same area in Canada?! It was awesome!!

I have been trying to find a good sushi place here... I can’t find anything! Well, there are some Sushi places, but they have been “all you can eat” and super expensive…I am trying to find just a cheap yummy place. I am craving Sushi!

I am so glad the boys went to EFY! I loved seeing the pictures the boys sent me of their “new friends”….especially the girls…..HAHA that is so funny!! it is weird seeing a boy and girl touch. That doesn’t happen in the mission field!

Hey I want you boys to know you are such  good brothers. You lighten everyone’s day. Don’t ever forget that.

 This week we had exchanges. Sister Felix came to Kitchener-Waterloo and I got to drive!! I haven’t been behind the wheel for more than 5 months! And that was strange! But it felt so great! I miss driving so much!! We had no appointments scheduled for that day, so it was a finding day!! Woohoo! I love finding with Sister Felix, it’s the best. The morning was so hot. We were sweating buckets by the time we came home for lunch! But when we went back out not even a half hour later did it start pouring!! It was like we were taking a shower!! The rain wouldn’t stop coming and no one would let us in! They just thought we were crazy people for tracting in the rain. But it was so fun!! We worked so hard and enjoyed doing it.

Something Sister Felix and I talked about is CPR. In the mission field CPR stands for Church Pray and Read. Just like CPR keeps you alive in the physical sense, CPR keeps your spirit alive. As a missionary I am always reading and praying and going to church every Sunday. But it is something I want to focus on a lot more. To make it more meaningful. Because when you make that your center focus, then you will be anchored on the rock of Christ. You will be able to grow closer to Him and Satan will not have power over you. No matter who you are, whether an investigator, new member or a long time member, we all need CPR to stay alive!!

Love yas!

Sister Gillins

Elder DeWaal and I! H-Town!! 

The Sister Training Leaders are usually late..
so we take pictures and wait :) 

Sometimes it down pours on exchanges.. :) 

AM I IN CANADA?

This week I was able to experience different cultures!! I love Canada for that reason. :)

Through out this week I was able to have authentic Brazilian and Filipino food! From Brazil we had crepes, but these weren't just any crepes. They were the most delicious crepes I have ever had!! They were made just like an enchilada but with a crepe.. It was so delicious!! I probably could have eaten 12! But I just had two instead ;) Then on Saturday we attended a full blown Filipino party!! There was so much fish I couldn't believe it!! They cooked it right over a fire and in banana leaves! Yummy!! I had my very first Sardine on Saturday, and it wasn't too bad. Filipinos are some of the nicest people I have ever met!! They are so friendly and treat you like family. I love being able to enjoy all walks of life while being here in Canada.

So in honor of Pioneer day on the 24th Sister Christenson and I decided we were going to walk all day and not use our car once! Which is partially because we are running out of K's (kilometers) But it was so fun. We sang pioneer songs and worked real hard just like the pioneers!!

We also have been listening to Christmas music all week. I am so grateful that I have a companion who enjoys Christmas just as much as I do! I have no objections to having Christmas in July :)

Sunday is the miracle day!! Literally!! We had another person randomly show up at church again this week!! It was a young man that we met as we were walking home last week. We invited him to come to church and meet with the YSA missionaries. As we walked into Sacrament yesterday morning he was standing at the door. We were able to talk with him and explain church to him. He stayed the whole 3 hours!! Neat eh? I gave him a Book of Mormon and he told me that he would read it and then give it back to me. I ensured him that it was free and to keep it. I really think he will read it. He is awesome!! This area is so prepared! All we have to do is live worthy to be able to have these prepared people put in our paths!!

Love,
Sister Gillins

HERE IS MY NEW ADDRESS:
                                       3-11 SECORD AVE.
                                       KITCHENER, ON
                                       N2B 2L3
                                       CANADA

(P.S. - family and peeps....I ATE THE FISH!)

      I got fish bones stuck in my throat though... icky.

THE MILK FISH

THE BIGGEST SARDINE EVER!

Sometimes while we tract we get caught in the rain.
(DON'T WE LOOK LIKE BLOOD SISTERS?...CRAZY) 

Kitchener-Waterloo

Isn’t that so fun to say? Kitchener-WATERLOO. Hehe, I love it so much. :) I love it here! It is so pretty. It is different from London. London had a lot of high apartment buildings. Where I am now it is more residential with lots of families :) The people here are super kind too!! It is a wonderful place to be. The ward is so wonderful and love missionary work! I can’t wait to be able to help them in it!

I love Sister Christenson!! She is so adorable and has such a sweet loving spirit. She is a hard working missionary too!! We look pretty similar, so a lot of people are going to think that we are literal sisters and that is alright with me, cause she is gorgeous!

The first week of transfers can always be a little rough. But it has been fun being able to get to know the area and the people. We were able to see some miracles this week! Our appointments here don’t fall through as much as ours did in London, so that is really nice. But one almost fell through.. That was an adventure!! We have an investigator who is Muslim and speaks Farsi. Her English is actually really good, but her mom does not speak a lick of English. So we set up a time for them to Skype with the Farsi missionaries. Our investigator was about 40 minutes late... But it all ended up working fine! We were able to get hold of the Farsi missionaries and they were all able to chat. She really enjoyed it and it looked like her mom did too. I love how much technology can help us in this work!! It truly is a blessing!!

This Sunday we also got a new investigator. She just kind of randomly showed up to church. She was participating in all of the classes so we thought that she was someone who was just visiting. But at the end of the lesson she stood up and asked if we would allow her to come back. The cute R.S. sisters were like… of course and gave her a book and everything! Sister Christenson and I set up a time to meet with her next week and I am so excited!!

(I sent some goodbye pictures from London....I wish I could have got pictures with everyone)

 Love yous!!

-Sister Gillins

The Pallidinos! One of my favorite families!!
They are from Italy and have 8 children!

I know I look icky...
But I love Xochitl so much that I just have to send this picture!!

 I love sister Barker with all my heart! She has a heart of a 14 year old!

TRANSFERS !

I’m leaving my home!!!! My birthplace! I am going to miss London like crazy!!! I have grown so close to the people here. This ward has been so amazing to me and the people here are so kind. But I know that the Lord wants me in Kitchener Waterloo. I am so excited to be able to start this new adventure!!

I am going to miss Sister Wanlass!! This transfer blew by so fast! She is amazing in every sort of way!! She makes grey skies go away!! I know that she will be the best Sister Training Leader ever!!!

So, Sister Wanlass and I decided that we take too long in the mornings to get ready, but we still wanted our hair cute. So we bought sponge curlers!! It is like old times! We looked so beautiful after and when we woke up in the mornings our head aches were not too bad ;)  (see the pictures..haha)

We were able to meet our new President this week and his wife, our mission mom. They are amazing people and you can feel their love. Even though neither of them have a personal relationship with us they still love us so much. I can’t wait to learn all I can from them.

We have some amazing investigators here in London that I am so sad to leave!! Xochitl is amazing. She cooked lunch for us this week and she is an amazing chef!! She has the sweetest smile and spirit that can make anyone’s day better. We also have a new investigator named Kevin who loves the Lord so much. His testimony makes mine grow! It is amazing how much you can learn from your investigators. You learn so much from everyone you meet!! Missions are the best places to be!! You are learning so much spiritually but it is also preparing you for your life.

I have learned so much about listening to the Spirit. There are so many things you have to do on missions that take you out of your comfort zone or things you don’t want to do. But, if the Lord commands it, then it is important!! It is so important to do as the Spirit says, because missionary work without the Spirit is dead!! And if you’re not going to listen to the spirit he’s just going to stop talking to you. I know the Lord will find a way to make all things possible if it is His will. We just need to trust in what he says!!



Love,
Sister Gillins

"BURYING OUR WEAPONS OF WAR"

SAD...WE ARE ALWAYS LOST

CURLERS..AND MORE CURLERS!

GOOD OLE' LONDON SIGN....
I'M GOING TO MISS YOU !

                                     

O' Canada! 'Merica!

I LOVE CANADA! But I still love America.. But I am not there at the moment. Canada Day was fun! To celebrate we went out for lunch and I had breakfast poutine :) Real Canadian eh?!

Poutine is a mind-boggling combination of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. A Canadian invention!

Breakfast Poutine is usually substituted with hollandaise as the ‘gravy’ and only breakfast ingredients. Basically an “American Skillet” dish you can find at any good ole’ Denny’s or Village Inn!

We had so much fun! We got to talk to lots of people cause everyone was out. Towards the end of the night guess who we ran into? More drunks! I love drunks! :) At first they were making fun of us, but then I told them that some day we will all be able to live again in perfect resurrected bodies. That got their attention ;) It was so cool to testify to them about how I know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can all live again. The best part I think was that they were actually listening! I know that they were drunk and I’m not sure how much they truly soaked in.. but I like to believe they were able to feel something.

We celebrated the 4th of July in style! We wore red, white and blue. :) And we sang the National Anthem for companionship study. Haha…awesome right?! But that is as much as we did to celebrate the 4th.

We have an amazing investigator named Xotchil! She reminds me of Xotchil from back home. She is so cute!! She is so willing to learn. She understands so much. The Spirit is so strong when ever we are able to meet with her. I love her to death!!

Advice: I know it is hard to give our will to Heavenly Father. But he can do so much more for us when we do :) watch the Mormon Message about the “Currant Bush.”

love,

Sister Gillins

PS- pictures coming....

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)