Nothing better than Happy Hour at Hardees

What a week.

On Monday we met with a man named Michael. It was a super intense lesson and was one of those where by the end we all just wanted to flip the table and say "THE CHURCH IS TRUE!". But hopefully we made some breakthroughs.

On Tuesday we met with Roberta and taught her about fasting. She agreed to fast with us and we had members fast too. We are hoping this helps her with some of her questions. She is sooooooo close! But her husband is still on square one. #ItsAlwaysTheHusband

On Wednesday we went volunteered at the Fondulac Rehab Center and helped out at their Valentine's party. It was great as we all sat their singing "Let me be your Sweetheart" with all those sweet souls. But the real miracle wasn't that we made it through the whole party with only one minor meltdown, or that Al gave his teddy bear to Victoria. it was that before it started we ran into Hylands Stewarts wife (the man from the Bourbonnais ward i met at Christmas time when I Ran into him at Wallmart) and she told us she has been looking for us for weeks and she WANTS TO GET BAPTIZED. So we reffered her over to the Elders in Peoria and are excited to see how things go! It has been super cool to see all the "coincidences" that led us to find this woman and connect her with the Elders in Peoria. 

On Thursday this sister training leaders came and we went on exchanges in our area. Sister Bair and i went to Secor. We met a former there but it wasn't a good time for him and he was a bit emotional. This may have been for many reasons, either the grumpy old toothless man, or the charcoal black pop tarts and toaster on his porch. But before they could shut their door their pit bull came bolting outside. (Obviously not as smart of a dog as their boxer who was sitting alone in a car with a bumper sticker that said "My Boxer is smarter than your honors student) So we attempted to chase him down but he was super fast. So the next thing we know there's our former investigator chasing down his dog in a golf cart down the dirt roads of Secor..... what a place.

On Friday it was HAPPY HOUR AT HARDEES. We were going to eat lunch at Subway but we would have to Jay Walk. So we decided to follow the law (if jaywalking is even a law in Illinois. WHO KNOWS.) But we walked down the street and Hardees was closer and it looked like Carl's Jr. So we gave it a try. While we were there for 30 minutes We contacted a former college professor, met a lost less-active member, got a potential service opportunity, invited a man named Tyler to church (and he actually came), and we gave out a Book of Mormon to a man trying to sell us Make up. It was crazy.

On Saturday we had another lesson with Sue. She taught us how to make paper cranes again and we taught her about the Plan of Salvation. She is still having troubles accepting one true church. We also got word that Sister Stiener and I will be staying together and I will get to finish my mission here in Morton. Hooray!!!!

On Sunday it was a pretty typical day. We talked with one of our potential investigators named Phil. I like him. He works at Kroger. He promised to read the Book of Mormon if we would tell him why he can't go in our temples. So that's exciting.

And that's been my week! 

Love,

Sister Corbett

"Why doesn't everyone want to read the part 3?!?!"

This week was a good one! We have been staying pretty busy!

We taught a student we met when we set up a booth at the College and he is actually from Kankakee! So hes a cool guy. We taught him the restoration and he understood it very well. He said how "if Joseph Smith really saw Jesus Christ in 1820 then Why is everyone still fighting? The debate should be over!" When we talked about the Book of Mormon he said "Why doesn't everyone want to read Part 3!?" I don't know Le'anthony. I really don't know. 

We also taught Sue Teegarden again. I can't remember If I mentioned her before. We found her tracting. She is so sweet and is interested in the Book of Mormon! She has a pretty short attention span, but she is really fun to teach. She was planning on coming to church yesterday. But the snow ruins everything. Anyway, we had a pretty good lesson with her were we went over parts of the restoration again. She has trouble accepting that there could be only one true church, but she will come around. She gave us some homemade bread and granola. It was delicious.

The work continues to move forward! I love you all!

- Sister Hannah Corbett

 

Come unto Him

I have studied the sacrament a lot on my mission. And yesterday during my Personal Study all of my studies were coming together and connecting and I wrote up. Its slightly dramatic, But I really do love the Sacrament. 

Have you ever felt like your soul was empty?
It's a feeling we all have probably felt,  but it can be hard to describe.
You feel as though you have no value
As though you're starving and needing nourishment
As though your soul has become Completely barren.

Maybe you've gained the whole world but your soul is soul is still empty.
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt 16:26)

You feel as though you're in a dream.
You eat, but when you awake, your soul is completely empty;
"...Or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite" (2 Nephi 27:3)

You've been wandering off in strange pastures but the Shepherd has called after you and is still calling after you (Alma 5:37-38)
For the worth of souls is great in the sight of God (D&C 18:10)

So come unto him.
With your broken heart and your broken soul and be filled.

Eat and Drink of the Bread and Waters of Life Freely (Alma 5:34)
He has blessed and Sanctified this bread and water for YOUR Soul (Moroni 4:3)

Come unto Him
"It matters not what may befall,
What threat’ning hand hangs over you;
He is your rampart through it all,
Your refuge from your enemy.
Come unto him all ye depressed,
Ye erring souls whose eyes are dim,
Ye weary ones who long for rest.
Come unto him! Come unto him!" (Hymn 114)

And now the Preist bows his head
And breaks the sacred Bread
And now we take the Sacrament
"And silently we pray
For courage to accept thy will,
To listen and obey.
We love thee, Lord;
 our hearts are full.
We’ll walk thy chosen way." (Hymn 169)

I ponder over when the lord instituted the Sacrament
"He instructed and prepared the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper for His dearest friends as a remembrance of His coming sacrifice. It was so impressively portrayed to me—the overwhelming love of the Savior for each. I witnessed His thoughtful concern for significant details—the washing of the dusty feet of each Apostle, His breaking and blessing of the loaf of dark bread and blessing of the wine, then His dreadful disclosure that one would betray Him." (The Sacrament and the Sacrifice, David B. Haight)

"He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth." (The Living Christ:The Testimony of the Apostles)

So I came unto him,
And I partook of the Bread and the Water
Just a small portion of bread
And a tiny cup of water.
But, "It filled my soul with exceedingly great joy"! (1 Nephi 8:12)
"He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh." (2 Nephi 4:21)

I no longer felt empty,
Like I contained nothing,
Or as though I had no value.
I no longer felt as if I was starving and needed nourishment
But I feel as though my "Soul doth Magnify the Lord" (Luke 1:46)

Pictures:

1. There has been a lot of road kill lately. And its been troublesome for Sister Steiner. Not sure what this one was... 

Also here's a short story from this week -We contacted a man and after we said Hi all he he said back was "There's a dead Coyote right there." 

And there actually was. 

He was trapping them. 

There was also a leg from some poor creature... not sure where that one came from, because the other guy had all four.... 

2. We volunteer here every week and I love it 

3&4. Classy China Case + Classy people = Classy picture

When it rains it POURS.

I honestly just love being a missionary. This whole week has been such a blessing. I love missionary life. 

So it's hard for me to remember everything that's happened but I'll do my best.

S. Steiner was sick last weekend so we stayed inside a lot. And then we had new missionary training and district meeting. So we were pretty much inside from Saturday night - Wednesday Afternoon. So after that I was just ready to GO. To just go crazy and talk with everyone and just FIND TEACH BAPTIZE. 

and we did.

We had a lesson with a woman named Tammy in East Peoria. We found her tracting and don't have too much time to teach her when we first met her but when we came back she let us in. She told us she had recently been diagnosed with cancer and she had so many questions about our church! She said she has gone to a lot of different churches but she hasn't found one yet that she believes to be true. THAT'S BECAUSE THIS IS THE TRUE CHURCH TAMMY! It was a super special lesson. Sister Steiner finally got to teach a real investigator. 

We also went on exchanges this week to Bloomington and I got to be with THE Sister Summer Jagielski and we had SO much fun. We literally picked up right were we left off last May and it was just like old times. We talked to quite a few people that have a lot of potential and sang Hymn 243 as we strolled down the streets of Bloomington on the top of our lungs. Just like we were back in the Bourb.

Another miracle that happened this week was a man named Michael came to church! We met Michael a week ago and went on a super long walk with him all over Eureka. He has so many honest questions and was sincerely interested. We called him this week and were able to set up a time to sit down and teach him and we also invited him to church! And he actually came!!!!! He has a lot more questions he has been writing down and I am so excited to meet with him again.

So missionary work is the best and we are so blessed because the lord is just pouring out his blessings and we are having the time of our lives. 

The church is true.

-Sister Hannah Corbett 

1.  I love Sister Summer Jagielski 

2. I love those cobblestone streets 

3. Sister STEINER is the best.

4. Bloomington knows how to Graffiti 

5. One thing I like about Illinois is that no two mailboxes are the same. This one is HAND PAINTED. Wowza.

6. I forgot to mention that Sister Steiner and I put up a booth at a local college and displayed different translations of the Book of Mormon and we had a lot of fun and handed out 10 Book of Mormons! College kids - who knew?

Corbett + Steiner = Corner

Well I do my best to try and update you all on some things that have been happening down here in the Morton ward!!

So sister Steiner is my trainee and she is fantastic! I love her a lot. She is just who I need right now. I am super impressed with her an all she knows and does. She has such a strong love for the gospel. 

We don't have any progressing investigators right now since we dropped guy. We have met quite a few people on the streets though thay may have some promise. We were out contacting one day and ended up handing out 5 Book of Mormons in one day! Sister Steiner was able to hand out her first Book of Mormon all by herself that night and it was great. I love being able to relive all thes things that have become not as exciting anymore as I've been training. I just love the new missionary spirit everything is so exciting. We ended up running into this preacher man who had like a PhD in religious studies. He talked with us and we had a pretty good conversation. He ended it and told us we weren't going to heaven... But he said it in a very nice way... It was odd.

We also met a woman named Daisy and she is just the sweetest woman. We stopped by again and met her mom sue and she was determined to make us a drink so we told her we could have HERBAL tea. She was so funny I don't even know how describe this family to you. But we were teaching sue about prophets right as they were announcing  President Nelson to be the new prophet and I just felt the spirit so strong. I am so used to telling people our prophets name is Thomas S. Monson. But as I told Sue our prophets name was Russel M. Nelson I was just overcome with the spirit. 

We also had a super special lesson with a woman in Metamora. We had tried several times to confirm with her but she never got back to us... so I wasn't sure if we should try driving all the way to Metamora when we needed to be in Morton for a church tour not that much longer. But we went because God didn't tell us not to go. When we got there she was home, and let us in. And the man who We were going to have a church tour with never showed up. So it all worked out! We talked with her about the Book of Mormon and she showed us a Book of Mormon study guide she has bought. She said she bought it because her daughter who is living in Arizona is active and she knows she will want to go to the temple to be married and she hopes she can be there. So she wants to try and make it back to the temple! It was amazing. She didn't want to set up our next appointment until February, but she came to church yesterday! 

So, the church is true. I have no doubt about it!

Sister Hannah Corbett