Dallas Letter 2/13/17

Hello

  
This week has been full of finding new people to teach which means a lot of walking and talking to everyone. Mom you don't have to worry about my 2,000 words this week even though I still want to talk at night. God blessed us with four new people to teach after we put a lot of effort into walking and knocking on doors. 

  
We had interviews with President Mullen! We are always given the opportunity to ask him one questions which I asked him"what he has learned from serving as a President?" He told me about the Doctrine of Christ which is Faith, Repentance, Baptism (Sacrament), receiving the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. He then taught me that the Angels only speak of the Doctrine of Christ which also includes me! He used Moroni 7: 29-31 to tell me that I am one of God's Angels. I am grateful to be serving with President Mullen and to be learning so much from him. 

  
The weather here has been so bipolar because one day it is sunshine and then the next day is hailing with thunder. We had a cool miracle with the Hail because right before it happened we ended up talking to a man working in his garage who invited us in his garage. While we were talking to him about the Gospel it started to Hail and rain in buckets. The man was not interested but at least he let us stay until it stoped hailing. I love miracles like these and my mission is full of them. 

  
I wanted to say thank you for the Olive Garden gift card because last Saturday I took Sister DiPietro there as a surprise to celebrate her baptism date of five years ago. I love being her companion and she has taught me so much in just 10 weeks! 

Love Sister Ogden

• Here are some of the weathers we went through
• me having fun while walking 
• we do a service of packing food to hand out for a church
• olive garden

Dallas Letter 2/6/17

Hello

  
Congrats on the new Puppy! I swear that you guys are trying to find animals to replace me! I guess that I am as crazy as having two dogs! I like the name Bo because it fits the hunting life it will have.

This week we were able to find two new investigators named Gary Wilson and Paris Navarro. We found Gary while seeking with faith (walking an hour and a half each day we do) and we were able to help move things into his house from his car. That small act of service really was what made him what to learn more of why we are out here. Sister DiPietro and Hermana Hernandez were able to teach him and he accepted the baptismal date of March 5 while I was out of town on exchanges.
  
Paris was unplanned finding opportunity because we were looking for her brother Zachary but instead we found her. She asked many questions about God and how He really is there in our lives which was cool to testify that He is! We also taught that prayer is the best way to see God in our lives which made her excited to say the closing prayer even though she has never prayed. She got very emotional. We were also able to work with a lot of less actives who actually came to church! It's been a very good week even though we have still have a long way to go to make this area ready to Harvest.

  
On exchanges I went to Riverside with Hermana Padilla. I was actually able to serve in Riverside for one day! It kinda looks like downtown Austin but without the creative or beautiful side. There is a ton of beautiful churches and since it was just a Chinese holiday is was decorated with a ton of Chinese decorations.

We did service of picking up trash and there was a small contest of who picked up the grossest trash. Hermana Padilla and I won because we found a dead dog in a blanket. All I could think about was Paisley with the raccoon skull.

We were able to find a new investigator and teach two lessons which I could not really teach since it was in Spanish but I was able to feel the spirit so much as she taught.

Love 

Sister Ogden

Dallas Letter 1/30/17

Hello

This was a spiritual experience between teaching appointments, exchanges, and learning more of the Gospel. We were able to pick up part of a family named Aide & Victoria Bandal! They were a referral from a member in Riverside and we were able to sit down with them on Tuesday and put them on date for February 26. We didn't plan visiting them but I thought to stop by since we went through everyone that we already planned. The Spirit always guides us in the right direction which was to the Bandal family. They have a lot of questions about the Book of Mormon but by the end of the lesson they were so excited to read it. Sister DiPietro continues to gain confidence in inviting someone to baptism which she was given two opportunities. It's so much fun training! It's hard but so worth it.  I learn so much. I learned from Sister DiPietro of the importance of asking for enabling power of the Atonement specifically to something she is about to do like contacting people of the street.

I had exchanges with Sister Harris in La Piedra which was fun but it's no longer a biking area. It was weird to be in the car going up the hills without dieing and out of breath which would be the case on a bike. I learned from Sister Harris to never give up no matter what, just keep working! As an STL we always have the responsibility to work with sister in anything that they need and we focused on having a more positive attitude. One of the things that help me is to see Gods hands in my day.  While being there I heared how all my converts are doing while at dinner with sister wells at Red Robin. Here is a list of how my converts are doing:

Davis- still going strong. Irma (wife) was called to the a librarian. David(husband) is teaching in elder quorum plus passing the Sacrament once in a while. Rueben is passing the Sacrament. The girls are active in young womens.

Zrofsky- They are both called to teach in primary. 

Eli Miller- Called into cub scouts

Gary- recovering from some heath issues.

   

I learned more of the Gospel in the aspect of Atonement and Repentance. I have been switching back and forth from studying the Atonement and Repentance because I need those two things every single day. In DC 38:4 it says "and verily, I say, even as many as have believed in my name, for I am Christ, and in mine own name, by the virtue of the blood which I have split, have pleaded before the Father for them" (DC 38:4). I love this scripture because it is by the Atonement that we can repent and it's by the life and prayers of Christ that I am able to become better.

Love Sister Ogden

1

Dallas Letter 1/23/17

Hello

This week has been kinda uneventful because I have been on lock down in our apartment with Sister DiPietro having the plague. I always seem to have companions that get super sick. We had to go to Urgent Care which was a field trip to me because we were out of the apartment. It has been raining all week to the point that yesterday our whole mission was on lock down for flooding after church. Sister DiPietro and I were exact obedient because we were already home. While inside, I was Nurse Ogden, Miss Ogden maid, and a very lost Sister Ogden.

Another field trip I had was going to Riverside for an STL meeting with President Mullen. President Mullen gave a training on how "relying on the Lord" is actually "relying on Heavenly Father". When we pray, we pray to the Father which He answers us through His Son and the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ is the one that gives us Strength through the Atonement and knows actually what we need to strengthen us. The Holy Ghost is how receive comfort from the Father. By President Mullen's training I feel that my prayers have become more powerful and meaningful.

Hermana Tobler (my STL companion) and I have a tradition of going to Blaze Pizza to have lunch every time we go to Riverside. I love going there because I am able to make an exotic Greek pizza that is gluten free!

I love you and have a fantastic week! I will emailing on a different day next week because I get to go to the temple!

Love Sister Ogden

1) Sunshine before it was pouring rain and lock down

2) Sister DiPietro was able to try the Mexican corn while we were walking 

3) The M is for Moreno Valley

4) Urgent care tradition picture. 

5) Sick Sister DiPietro even though she normally would not be smiling but kept smiling in all the pictures I took of her

6) I forgot to mention that the Rodriguez family came and not only brought us soup but they gave a huge care package that made me feel very loved. That was a huge tender mercy for the week! God always seem to find ways to take care of his missionaries!

Dallas Letter 1/16/17

Hello,

Sorry about last week`s letter. I thought I sent it in but it must have been still loading when I had to get off. This week has been full of many miracles. The first miracle was that we as a zone went bowling at the mall. I was close to winning which was a miracle since I was using my hands and not my feet. They should invent a bowling game that we have to use our feet! Since we were at the mall we went to Bath& Body Works for fun which became a missionary moment. One of our potential investigators named Judy was there and we were able to find a better time to meet with her this week. Missionary work happens in weird ways all the time.

We were able to find a new Investigator named Penny, who we found was while seeking with faith. She was on her porch and thinking about the many rough things she is going through which really softened her to our message. We testified about the power of the Atonement which brought tears to her eyes of hope. The Gospel always brings hope and light into our lives because of the Savior.

Then we have the miracle of buckets of rain which allowed me to wear my favorite rain boots. Thank you for the many herbal teas that you sent because they have been the best thing at night after a long rainy working day.
  
Then Sister DiPietro was finally able to invite someone to baptism which was Judy!!! It is always that first one that is tough but once you get your first invite under your belt you are not afraid to invite anyone to come unto the Savior. I have been studying lately about how, through Christ, we are able to repent. It's a blessing to know that through the Atonement my silly mistakes can be washed away as long as I do my part. It's cool to see others realize that truth and gift we are given by the Savior.

Then transfer calls happened but all is staying the same. I am going to finish Sister DiPietro's training in Moreno Valley which I am super excited for! It is weird though because this is my first transfer where nothing has changed for me. The work is progressing more and more each day which is only happening because of our hard work. President Mullen gave a training in DC 123:13 of how we must "waste and wear out" in missionary work each day or you are not doing the work right. We should come home exhausted from talking, walking, and teaching everyone that we see or talk too.  "Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven" (DC123: 13). I can tell you that I do come home exhausted but it's all worth it! Plus it does make me dream ten times harder which I do tell Sister DiPietro each morning. 

Love Sister Ogden 

1-2) bowling

3) our zone

4) relief society district 

Dallas Letter 1/9/17

I was not in my area very much but here are pictures of this week! I was in La Piedra again with Sister Keith. I was with Hermana Garcia in Perris.

Love Ya 

Sister Ogden

Dallas Letter 1/2/17

Hello

This week has been full of miracles and to tell you all of them I will have to go day by day:

Tues- I was on exchanges with Sister Coffeen and both of us were super hungry as we walked talking to people. Right as I was mentioned that I could eat a bear for dinner, we saw this guy who just got out of his car. We a tslked with him and without mentioning that we were hungry, he asked us if we wanted a slice of pizza that he just got. We of course said yes and enjoyed the slice of pizza.

Fri- Multi-zones are the best thing in the world! I learn so much from the training's given by President and Sister Mullen with the Ap's. the main thing I learned was that to really help people repent you must help them understand the blessing of repenting. No one wants to change unless they know that it will help them come closer to Christ. Then we had the spiritual experience of teaching Sonia who is one of our investigators. She has suffered the loss  her mother which we taught her about the power of prayer and how it can bring peace to her soul. She said the most humbling prayer which built my testimony of the power of prayer.

Sat-  For New Years as a zone we played Broom Hockey which was super fun. Many brooms were broken by the end but luckily mine stayed together. It been an honor to give up a whole year to the Lord in His work.

I love you!

Sister Ogden