6-30-14

MOLINATOR FAMILY!

This week feels like it didn't even happen! So fast! I cannot believe that this Friday I hit my 10 month mark! I just hit 9! Blows my mind.  So I realized that last week I focused on all of the terrible things of my life and I never told you about Sister Williamson. She is my favorite person of all time. I LOVE HER.  She is a convert of 5 years and she is married to a man who hasn't been to church since he was in High School.  They have two adopted sons and one of them has autism.  He is just the sweetest and at times can be a handful for her.  But Sister Steck and I have been visiting her regularly and she has come to church for the past 3 weeks! We text her a scripture everyday and she absolutely loves it.  She texted us one day and said, "So I have my scriptures out to look up the scriptures you send me everyday, but I was wondering if I am supposed to pray before I read my scriptures or not."  OH OF COURSSE! Pray all the live long day! Pray pray pray! Hahahaha she is awesome though.  I really do love her. Last week we stopped by her house to give her the scripture of the day in person and she had a friend over, so we shared Mosiah 2:41with her.  At church the next day she came up to Sister Steck and I with this huge grin and said, I asked my friend if she wanted to learn more! She said no, but! I still asked her! hahahaha I love Sister Williamson.  The Sister Williamson I met when I first got to Missoula is completely different than the Sister Williamson I am meeting with now. She is so much happier. I wish I could do a better job of explaining the difference and the kind of progress she has made. So much progress. She even signed up to feed us this week. She called us and was like, "okay Sisters, I know I signed up to feed you, but I have never done this before so what am I supposed to do?" hahah she is great.  

Also I read our Mission theme for this year in my scripture reading.  It is Mormon 9:27 " O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things so ever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation...." DOUBT NOT BUT BE BELIEVING. Aren't the scriptures just so wonderful. Oh, how I love them. We complicate so much more than needs to be complicated.  Just be dang believing Moline! 

This week I went on two different exchanges and had the time of my life! It was so much fun! In those two days I either reminded someone of someone or I was mistaken to be someone else like 5 times.  Someone asked if I worked in town because I looked really familiar, someone shirtless drunk old man came out and was like, " CHEYENNE IS THAT YOUUUU!"  No, sir, I am a little baby missionary.  Then two separate families told me I looked and acted like their daughter. Am I really that unoriginal?  I sometimes wonder if God runs out of faces to give people so he reuses ours. Case and point right here.  

I learned a lot on my exchanges though.  I am learning more and more that as much as I want to fix these sister's problems I can't. I am having to turn them more and more to their Savior.  I have not only see issues and problems dissolve, but I have seen stronger missionaries born from exercising their personal relationship with Christ.  I read a scripture that Jase sent me in my little medicine jar today in Psalm 56:4 "In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." and Psalm 45:10 "Be still and know that I am God"  GOD IS SO GOOD TO US.  We have no reason to turn to man and turn to the world for comfort and solace when we have God. He has the power to change us and help us become. He has the power to give us perspective and heal our wounds. Why would we ever want to give someone advice when we can give them the source of all good things?  Am I making any sense? Maybe not. But that was my thought today. 

On exchanges we went to a nursing home and got to paint old people's nails. I love old people! I love them so much. Painting their nails was the funnest thing I have done in awhile. I don't remember if I told you about Tony last week or not. But in a nutshell he was a referral we recieved but it turns out that he was in another area. The area I so happened to be on exchanges in.  So we taught Tony the first lesson and HE ATE IT UP.  He has two little boys and they are his driving force.  He wants them to grow up in a home with a religion and a belief in God. He agreed to read the Book of Mormon and he even came to church on Sunday. I wasn't there to see any of it, but the Sister I was on exchanges with told me all about it. She said he participated in Gospel Principles and told the Sisters that he was going to pray and ask God when he should be baptized. He said that this was the most God he had felt in a long time. YES YES YES YES YES! 

I also met a man on exchanges that is my absolute favorite person on this planet.  His name is Kenny and is getting baptized this Sunday.  Kenny is from North Carolina and has this deep southern drawl.  His neighbor offered him a Book of Mormon and before the missionaries even said hello he said he wanted to be baptized. That was one of the most inspirational lessons I have ever been in. I am pretty sure we spoke for like 5 minutes of the hour we were there. He went on and on and on about the Book of Mormon and the Bible and how they are meant to work hand in hand. How God has given us more scripture to learn from and to come closer to God.  I wish I could just play a video of him talking because his southern drawl makes it 10X better. But he began to cry as he said that God comes knocking on our hearts and we have to be ready to accept that call from God.  He said, "God has been knocking on my heart and I am ready. I am ready."  He also talked about how he knows that the Lord has something great in store for him to do and he can't wait for his baptism because he knows the Lord will tell him after he is baptized. This man has so much love for God. SO much love for God.  I cannot believe how ready he is.  I almost started crying in our lesson with him because of how strong his love for God was. Meeting with him helped me understand where my relationship with God could be. It could be so much better than what it is.  Kenny closed us with a prayer and he said, " Lord, we are united, me and the Sisters and you, we are united in declaring your word. Guide these Sisters to find your children, Let me help them in preaching your word...." KENNY. I love you. 

Sister Steck and I went tracking and met a really nice lady that seemed really interested in family history. We went back to her house yesterday and gave her the family history contact info. We gave her a Book of Mormon the first time that we met her and she told us that she read the chapter we had recommended but couldn't remember what it said. So we asked if we could read it with her then and she let us right in and we had this marvelous discussion about Alma 32 and experimenting on the word of God. Like I am talking a great discussion.  She was all in and agreed to what the scriptures were saying. It was wonderful. She asked a lot of questions about where the Book of Mormon came from and we offered to come back and tell her more about the Book of Mormon and she flat out said, "thanks girls but I don't think we should continue this." WHAT ARE YOU SAYINGGGGGGG! NO TO SALVATION!?! WOMAN YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MINDDDDDD! It was totally unexpected too, because the spirit was there and we were having such a lovely discussion. So dumb. Oh well. We tried right? I need to remember, " be still and know that I am God."  OKAY FINEEEE.  

But! Something kind of good happened! We followed up with another lady we found tracking and she was so kind. I LOVE NICE PEOPLE! And she was so happy to see us and said she read the chapter and that she had just started making dinner but to come back. HOLLA HOLLA! WOOT WOOT! At least she didn't say not to come back! Hahaha PERSPECTIVE! PERSPECTIVE!  It was good.  

The clouds have parted and Sister Bonn was mid transferred to Hamilton! Which is like 30-45 minutes away from Missoula. Can I get a Woot! Woot! I love her so much.  And get this nonsense.  So in Missoula we have 12 sisters and we also cover 4 sisters in Stevensville. President called one of the 4 in Stevensville to be a STL to help us out and we just got word that he called Sister Bonn and her companion to be STLs and help us.  That is 5 STLs in one area. Not sure what President is thinking.  But I won't complain because that has brought Sister Bonn that much closer! 

Anyway, I better get going. We are hiking the M again......whyyyyyy

I love you all! I know this gospel is true. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and we have a living prophet on the earth today.  Oh how good God is to us! He is the best. I love Him. 

Until next week!

Sister Magical Moline 

yep, I just said magical.