July 11, 2013

So a neat experience as of late! Sister Mills and I met D, who is Catholic, and he is doing an internship here at the Community of Christ church. He gives tours of the Joseph Smith sites. He is awesomesauce! Sister Mills and I gave him a tour in the Visitors' Center a while ago and we established a contact with him and have been emailing him. He is reading the Book of Mormon but hasn't prayed about it yet. We invited him to come to the Pageant with us and he actually CAME last night when all of the sisters got to see it. He said we could call him at 6:30am on Sunday so he can make it to church by 7:40am! haha! He is so great! He just wants to learn a little bit more. I can see Heavenly Father working through us "by small and simple means" to bring about something "great" (Alma 37:6).
He liked the Pageant. good sign. :) I LOVE Pageant! It is the most powerful play ever!!!!!! Why? Because all of the events are true because of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ; that gospel being restored through my friend Joseph Smith.

This week my testimony was strengthened of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that Christ knows our hearts and desires. He knows what it feels like to sacrifice. In the True to the Faith, it talks about how with an eternal perspective, sacrifice doesn't seem like a
sacrifice at all. I have come to understand that so fully as a missionary and representative of the Lord. I am not sure how Christ felt about His infinite and intimate Atonement, but I know that He had a perfect eternal perspective. I know He sacrificed because He loves us. My favorite part of the week is partaking of the Sacrament each Sunday. That is the renewal that I need. There is nothing like it. Here in Nauvoo, during the passing of the sacrament, it is silent. Last year as I was thinking about the Savior's sacrifice, I listened to the cups dropping back into the trays. I closed my eyes and to me, it sounded like "great drops of blood" falling to the ground. That Hymn "This is the Christ" says, "How many drops of blood were spilled for me?". It always makes me wonder. I am so grateful to have a Savior and to know Him. How do you feel about Jesus Christ?

Gots to go! The church is true and I love you!
-Sister Zibetti

July 4, 2013

There are YPM's here (Young performing missionaries), and one of the Tech Elders just told me to tell you hello from him! His name is Elder Mortensen, and actually, his companion Elder Anderson served in Germany on his full-time mission and Kylen was his MTC teacher! Ha!

We had the Carthage Commemoration this week and is was so powerful! President Gilliland didn't even use notes as he addressed us!!!!!!!!!!! I love that man. The sisters had a special meeting in Carthage Jail after all the guests had left. We had a testimony meeting in the Martyrdom room. The Spirit was so strong you could cut it with a knife!! Some things I wrote down from the sisters testimonies goes as follows:
"It's not about the piece of plastic we put on every day, it's about painting that tag on our hearts." -Sister Holt
"Have sacred moments with the Savior." -Sister Gines
"How can we be more sensitive to the Spirit?" -Sister Kim
"[at the restoration] when the light pierced the earth it never left us and now we have a piece of that light within." -Sister Umphenour
"This is a moment that matters most." -Sister Ripplinger
"Would I exchange anything for this moment? Never." -Sister McInelly
"How DARE you forget the Savior in your missionary work? Remember your own nothingness." -Sister Hall
"Christ is the source of peace." -Sister Streeter
"I can go on faith. We can because He did." -Sister Richardson

Don't you love them?! I do! I love these Sisters!

Well, I only have like a month left of my mission and sometimes Satan tries to make me feel like I am a terrible missionary, and that I haven't learned anything. That is kinda how I've felt recently.
For the past 2-ish weeks I have felt sick every morning and every night. It kinda goes away during the day. I feel like I want to throw up, but nothing comes out. I have just been pushing it aside and dealing with it throughout the day because I don't want my mission to be hindered, nor do I want the Lord's work to slow because of me. I know God is giving me the strength that I need to serve. Sometimes I think: "I can't do this!" And then I remember: "Oh that's right. I can't. Only Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can do it through me. They give me the strength."
So I am doing well! I absolutely love being a missionary. I have never been so happy in all my life. Every day I get to invite others to come unto their Savior. It is the most humbling thing I've ever done. I love wearing this tag.

Thanks for caring enough about me and all of the sweet sisters. This is the best mission in the world. I have never felt so much a part of a family of saints. I love Nauvoo!

I love you all!
-Sister Zibetti

June 24, 2013

I am so excited for you to all come to Nauvoo! Nobody comes here by accident! There are many reasons why Heavenly Father wants you to come. I'll make sure you are a part of everything you possibly can be. There is SOOO much to do here, and you have a limited amount of time, but we are going to make the best of it.

Oh my goodness!!! That World Wide Missionary training was AWESOME!! It helped light the fire for missionary work around the world! Wow, you were there? That must've been so powerful! I didn't get to see dad sing in it, but I could feel him there!
While watching that, I realized even more that missionary work isn't something "extra" that we do, it is a part of who we are and who we are becoming. This is God's kingdom on the earth, and now is the time to act. We ought to be eager to find qualified and repentant people for the Lord, and bring them into the fold and care for them as our own family. Someone at the broadcast said, "Wishing will not make it so. Action is required". That is so true! Even as a missionary! Just because some wear the tag it doesn't force them to act, we all still must choose. Elder Nelson said, "Missionary work comes alive when we hear stories of personal conversion". I think we should all share our conversion story, or parts of our increasing conversion, with all those around us! Every testimony shared makes that place or that soul holy. Let us not postpone sharing our testimonies until a handbook is written. After watching that, what do you want to do differently in your life?

After that training, Vocal Point, who is here in Nauvoo, did a fireside. It was SOOOO powerful! Wow! The sung and spoken testimony really touched my heart. I feel re-energized to Represent Christ with everthing I have and to do my best to honor Him.

Vocal Point in Nauvoo (we borrowed this picture)

This week I was calling in the Call Center! Over the phone, and online missionary work has already happened in Visitors' Centers around the world. A couple of weeks ago my companion and I met a man named at Wal-Mart in Keokuk. We established a contact with him and I called him last week. We talked for about an hour about the church. He had a lot of deep questions of the soul like: Where did I come from? what is the purpose of life? Why did my mother die? I was able to talk about the plan of salvation and many other random things over the phone. It is going well and he has become a friend through the gospel.

This week on Thursday June 27, we have the Carthage commemoration. That was the day that Joseph and Hyrum were killed years ago. We will have a powerful meeting at the base of the building. Afterwards, the sisters and President will spend some special time in the Jail and in the Martyrdom room. That was one of my favorite experiences last year. I hope you take a minute and think of Joseph and Hyrum that day. I challenge you to ready D&C 135, which is the account of that day by John Taylor.

So! Last year we had 20 sisters, this year we received one more recently and have 21. We were supposed to be getting 3 more sisters in August when some of us are leaving, but the MTC switched their times, so they are arriving on July 17! Right in the middle of Pageant. Things are going to be crazy. We will have 16 sisters in the Hatch house and 8 in Carthage. Heavenly Father really is going to use me to my fullest ability here and I can feel Satan trying to stop it. I thank you for your prayers and constant support. I love you all!

-Sister Zibetti

June 17, 2013

This week there is an Archeological dig happening in Nauvoo that we get to be a part of! We are volunteering there to help dig things up near the Joseph Smith sites. The Community of Christ is doing this dig, so we have had some great missionary experiences already. I'm going tomorrow for the first time.
I am going on an exchange to Carthage this week. We do exchanges occasionally and it is wonderful to get to know the different sisters so well.
An experience of this past week? ...Well. I was able to go on an exchange with a sister who is struggling in her companionship. We'll call her Sis. H. Her companion will be Sis. S. Both of the sisters in this companionship are amazing and trying to make things work. They just have VERY different personalities, but neither one of them want to hurt the other. So I was kinda in the middle of this because I went on an exchange with Sis. H. and heard some of the legitimate concerns. I am SUPER close with her companion, Sis. S., so it was really hard for me to hear some of their struggles because I love Sis. S. so much, but I feel for Sis. H. AHHH! It was really jarring to be in the middle of it all because they wanted me to fix it...but I can't. THEY have to fix it. I was just there to listen, give advice, and supervise and then I had to give them their space so they could figure things out. Which they later did.
It hurt so badly to be on both sides and feel for both sisters. It nearly broke me. I sat in the bathroom one night and just cried. I haven't cried much on my mission, but this was a hard moment for me. I'd never felt so alone. My heart literally felt like it was ripped open and was bleeding inside. I felt wet all over inside. I mean, I know that I am already wet inside haha! But it didn't feel so good. It hurts now even talking about it. I wondered "where is my Savior and why isn't He healing and comforting me right now?!"
The next day I had to distance myself from a best friend so things could work out. Eventually things surfaced and got better. My heart is better and healing, with a lo t of help from my companion. :) Sister Mills. She helped me talk it through. She helped me see the Savior's light again, which was always there, but I was just too blind to see. I know Christ is always there and I know He felt my same exact pain and poison. He is my "healing balm in Gilead".
Anyway, I hope that was not too sad. But it came to mind. I really am so happy; the happiest I've ever been in my life! This mission is the greatest experience ever. I got a blessing from President Gilliland and he said in the blessing that my whole mission will culminate together in these next 2 months; it'll all come together and I will have "mountain-top experiences"! So I know that the lowest of lows have an opposite and I will feel the highest of highs soon!
All is well in the Kingdom!
I love you! I've gotta go!
-Sister Zibetti

June 10, 2013

I am sooo sorry, but I don't have much time right now. I received an email from an Investigator in DC and had to respond. It took most of my email time.

Choose the Right! Search, ponder and pray!
Vocal Point is coming to Nauvoo soon! I am so excited to see them perform!
I love you all! The church is true and no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing.
-Sister Zibetti

June 3, 2013

Things are going well!
We did our Sociable/Fireside last Sunday. It turned out really well and very spiritually powerful. Sister Streeter and Holt were the directors and they did such a great job!!! Seriously. All of the missionaries who came to watch loved it.

Wearing the vest!

Clearing the trees

Last weekend there were 3 tornado's that touched down in Hannibal, a small city about 2 hours from here. We were able to go down there on Wednesday to do some clean up with the Stakes down there. It was awesome! I've never worn a "Helping Hands" vest before and I got to!!!!!!!!!!!! It felt so good to serve! There is nothing quite like completely forgetting about yourself and helping someone else out. Someone who is in a more dire circumstance than your own. We cleared fallen trees. It was so fun!

Loading the truck

 Mom and family, I cannot wait for you to meet all of my sisters here!!!!!!!!!! Just know that you will be adopting them all into your heart through me because they have each changed me in wonderful, spiritual and eternal ways! And a little piece of you is in them because of your influence on me. They all can't wait to meet you as well. I feel the same way about their families. This is one way that we can all become ONE with God. We must love the family we have here on earth. Each person we pass on the street is a child of God.
Elder Packer, President Packer's son, said that "If you don't love someone, you don't know them enough". I love that. And I know it is true!

I have to tell you this funny thing that my best friend Sister Streeter said the other day. We were talking about how we don't want to go home, nor give up the opportunity to be a missionary for the Lord and she said, "I just want this forever. Why don't we have Mormon nuns?!" haha! It was so cute. I thought ya'll would laugh.

Last Tuesday I served in the Lyon Drug and Variety Store! Love it! A family came in that I gave a tour to in the Visitor's Center. They are so amazing! I love them. I love seeing people more than once in the same little city. Heavenly Father is in each detail of scheduling so that we can meet the right person at the right time in the right place. After giving them a tour in Lyon Drug, the youngest boy, gave me a hug. It was the sweetest thing ever. He reminded me of a mini version of Dallin. :) It made me so so happy!

Mom, you have got to see if you can find this song in youtube or google it somewhere. I think it is called: "She Put the Music in Me". The song relates a daughter who's mother taught her all about the primary songs and it has made a huge difference in her life. It is so cute. You should look it up. It reminded me of you.
Love you!

Sister Zibetti

May 21, 2013

Things are going well here in Nauvoo! I cannot believe this 6-week transfer is already over on Thursday. This transfer went by sooooo fast. It felt like a week. I am so behind in my journal. Probably a month behind. ! ah! Yesterday in the VC (visitor's center) it was very busy. Almost the entire time we had someone to talk with. It was so great! I had some really great experiences.

 

 

We have a 12 Apostles display and I watched a young boy go over to it and start listening to the testimonies. I walked up to him and said, "Did you find the best one yet?" "No." he shook his head. "Do you know who these guys are?" "No..." "Do you know who Jesus is?" "Yes." I realized that this boy,  was not a member. He also had some sort of socially challenged disability. He wouldn't look me in the eye almost at all. I talked to him about how when Christ was on the earth, He had 12 men follow Him around. They would help teach, they would heal people and that is who these guys are today. I said, "Do you see that statue over there? That is Joseph Smith. He was 14 and he saw Jesus and Heavenly Father. How old are you?" He perked up at this, "Almost 12!" "Could you imagine in 2 years seeing Jesus and God?" "Yeah!" That was so sweet. I talked to him for quite a bit longer and he was smiling happy. I showed him on the map that he could go to the blacksmith and he could go on the carriage ride. So sweet. His grandmother came up to me after and said, "He is very shy. I've never seen him talk and open up to anyone like that before."

It was a neat experience.

 

So there was a "tornado watch" here the other day. We were driving back to Nauvoo from Carthage and we were right in the thick of the storm. We had no idea until later that it was one of the dangerous areas. It was pretty scary. We were in 10 minutes of severe pounding hail attacks and pouring rain. Literally. This rain is not like anything I've ever seen. Utah can't even SPELL rain after seeing this Illinois rain. We were driving slowly while the windshield wipers were going crazy fast; and we could still hardly see. There was thunder and lightening all around us. Literally right in front of the van. One crack was so loud that a sister screamed. I grabbed onto my companion until we were safe. One of the sisters prayed for safety and I know that is what brought us through.

 

-Sister Zibetti

 

Pictures:

1. Our turtle friend that Sister Richardson and I found by the VC. His name is Borris of course

 

 

 

2.  This car might have gone through the car wash with the rug on it's back haha! had to get a picture