So Much To Do - So Little Time!

This week was a good week! Full of miracles!

 

This week the stl's decided to start a prayer week. So every week they pick someone for all the sisters in the 2 zones they cover to pray for a certain area. We were chosen for the first week. We asked them to pray for new investigators and to have a baptism this transfer.

 

It all started with Amanda. We've been teaching her pretty steadily for a little while. she's been taught off and on for about 6 months now. She's the one that has 3 kids under 3 and she's only 20. Well recently she went through some humbling things and kept saying that she just wanted to start a new life. We were able to teach her about the Holy Ghost and about baptism and she accepted a baptismal date! It was going to be on the 29th. This really helped renew our fire.

 

So on Saturday we had Sis. Murphy come out with us (the best member missionary I've ever seen my whole mission!) We tried a few people and nobody was there. We tried a former investigator Arlene. Thanks to Sis. Murphy we were able to get in and we were able to teach her and her husband a little bit. We were able to get 2 new investigators thanks to that lesson and to Sis. Murphy.

 

Then later we had an appointment with Gabriel. We talked to him 2 weeks earlier, he was a former investigator. He has recently been going through some humbling circumstances that has made him even more prepared to receive the gospel.

 

During the lesson with Gabriel he mentioned that lately he's been noticing something has been missing and that he was looking for something but didn't really know what. Then he said it made sense when we came by what he was missing. He was missing the gospel! We taught a really good lesson and invited him to church, and he came!!! That usually doesn't happen. He loved church! He downloaded the app! And reconfirmed our appointment for Wednesday! He's the most prepared investigator I've ever seen!

 

We saw Amanda yesterday and it turns out she's going to be moving on the 29th :( But we really think that Gabriel will be able to get baptized on the 6th.

 

It's really interesting how the prayers of everyone were answered. We had a baptism date within the transfer and then it didn't turn out. But at the same time we have a lot of faith that Gabriel is just that prepared to be a 2 week baptism! I know that Heavenly Father really does answer prayers! It's been amazing to see how the prayers of these other sisters and how their faith helped us and our area. We were able to get 3 new investigators and an investigator at church. We saw things that I haven't seen happen in this area for months! I'm so thankful that prayers work and that God is so willing to help us out and to reach out.

 

I read Pres. Uchtdorf's talk from the Women's Conference this morning. He mentioned that God is constantly pouring down blessings, we just put up umbrella's to block them. He's always reaching down, completely willing to help us with what we need. We just need to do our part and "put down our umbrellas) Stop whatever is blocking the blessings and ask for help. I know that He's always willing to help us. No matter how worthy we think we are, nothing we ever do will ever change God's love for us, it's simply always there. I know this church is true.

 

Love you all!

The Unexpected~

Well this week has been pretty great! I don't think there's a time that me and Sister Smith haven't been having fun. We actually were in the same MTC district, we've been waiting to be companions our whole mission, and then just when we thought it was impossible. It happened!

 

So here's part 3: The unexpected 

This is what I wish I would've know before the mission

 

1. Missions aren't the best 18 months OF your life they're the best 18 months FOR your life.

 

2. Missions are 90% attitude.

 

3. If you're bored, you're probably doing something wrong.

 

4. Some companions will become the sisters you never had.

 

5. If you don't get along with a companion, just remember that you aren't sealed for eternity.

 

6. If you aren't having at least a little bit of fun, you're doing it wrong.

 

7. You shouldn't wear flowy skirts when you're on a bike. They could get caught in your spokes and cause your bike to stop in the middle of a busy intersection.

 

8. There will be tons of awkward moments....

 

9. Elders are still just 18/19 year old boys.

 

10. If you tell the mission president what you think should happen, the opposite is most likely going to happen.

 

11. Sometimes sketchy things happen. But the Lord will always protect you, or at least give you a warning.

 

12. You never really recover from being tired. You just get used to it, then more tired, than used to that. And so on.

 

13. Whatever bad moments you have, will be heavily outweighed by the good moments. You will hardly remember that bad things that happen.

 

14. The mission will become the hardest thing you ever loved to do.

 

15. You will have "mission brain" and you won't be able to remember a whole lot from the world like movies and music.

 

16. Sometimes when things are slow your brain will convince you that your investigator is kidnapped and in the middle of the desert. That's probably not true, they're probably just busy.

 

17. You will come to love these people that are practically strangers.

 

18. Because you love them you will become so frustrated when they turn down the very thing that will bring them the peace and the happiness they're looking for.

 

19. You will come to understand the Atonement on a more personal level because you yourself will spend a few moments in Gethsemane.

 

20. Missions are completely worth everything you go through. Hands down the best decision you will ever make.

 

Well I love you all! Thanks for all that you do and for all the support!