May 27, 2014

Oh my family, how I adore you! I LOVE MY LIFE. This week was WONDERFUL. So many good things.  Ever since Sister Steck got here it has been a non stop exchange. She came on Tuesday and we did exchanges from Wednesday to Saturday then Saturday some sisters called and needed an emergency exchange then on Sunday the sister that hates white people had a blow out with her companions so we took her and still have her until tomorrow when she gets transferred to Bozeman. And another Sister finished her mission so her companion needed a companion until tomorrow when she receives her new companion so Sister Steck is with her. It has been wild but we are making it work.  So basically it has been hectic, but good.

We found 2 new investigators this week and had some SOLID lessons with them. The first is Cliff. He was washing his car one day and we stopped and talked to him.  He is in his upper 60's and was told he didn't have much time to live because of various health issues so he asked us what he needed to do to avoid hell.  Ha, he is hilarious.  I love him. He's told me a few times that I "radiate happiness" and he wants to feel the way that I look every time he sees me. :) Oh, tenders Cliff! Ha, I explained to him that I was happy and the reason I was happy was because I have allowed the Gospel of Jesus Christ to change me.  I know why I am here and I know that life is so much more than just living from day to day. I also gave him a BOM and said I was happy because the Book of Mormon tells me what I need to do to be happy.   As I was explaining all of this to him I really did feel this immense amount of happiness knowing all the things that I know. As I gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, I don't really know how to explain how I felt, but I felt such a deep love and connection to that book. As he held it in his hands I knew that it had the power to change Cliff's life. So I told him. I just felt this pull to say that the Book of Mormon had the power to change his life all he needed to do was start reading and the rest would come. 

The second is the neighbor of our Ward Mission Leader and his wife. They are a young couple with a little girl. The only time we could meet with him was while his wife was at work but the whole lesson he agreed with everything we were discussing.  He said that you would be a fool not to believe that God would have a prophet on the earth today. He accepted a Book of Mormon and said he was very interested in reading it and learning more about our church. He adores his family.....families can be together forever??  

We also did a ton of tracting this week. I am all about it. I love it. I kind of told you about this on skype, but we made up a list of survey questions like, what is your definition of faith? Is having a strong family unit important to you, why?  How do you feel you relationship with God is?  Do you believe in the bible? If there was another book of scripture that testified of Christ's role would you read it?  Do you believe that God could call a Prophet on the earth today as in Old Testament times?  yadda yadda yadda and so we go around and ask people to take the survey. IT IS GOLDEN. GOLDEN GOLDEN GOLDEN.  A majority of people are willing to take a survey and it opens people right up to talk about spiritual things and opens the door for us to bear our testimonies. I am obsessed with it.  I just love talking to people. I have met some really interesting people and been able to hear about their relationship with God, why it was the way it was and what their core beliefs were.  We have handed out copies of the Book of Mormon like candy. Any chance we get.  Also.....at least every 2 weeks some man opens up the door either shirtless or naked in a towel. WHY IS THAT A THING. PUT SOME DANG CLOTHES ON. This one guy answered the door yesterday without a shirt on and hid behind the door as he spoke to us. DUDE, DONT ANSWER THE DOOR SHIRTLESS IF YOU ARE ASHAMED. But the jackpot happened later in the day. hahahahahaha So we knocked on a random door and no one answered but then someone opened the 2nd story bathroom window.  How did I know this was a bathroom window you may ask?  Because the man behind the window yelled, " Sorry ladies I am in the shower, what can I do for you?"  Whaaaaa?  Yep, the man opened up one of those creepy shower windows while he was in the shower. We definitely had a full on convo while he was shampooing his hair.  NBD. I am not explaining it right. But it was definitely one of the highlights of my entire life. SO FUNNY.

The Sister I am with that black made a goal this week to talk to every black person she saw. She wasn't kidding. When she saw a black person she would run after them like there was no tomorrow.  It was fantastic. There have been times where we would be driving and pass someone on the street and she would make me stop the car so she could get out and talk to them. I have learned a lot from her just being with her for the past week.  She has no shame and talks to absolutely EVERYONE. I am fine when I am tracting or once I get talking to someone I have no problem bringing up the gospel, inviting them to church or to read the BOM but it is the initial contact taht killlllllssss me. So I have learned so much from her and fearlessness to approach people.  

We also contacted a less active this week that I have been trying to get in contact with since I got here. He was another one that answered the door in a towel when I first met him. Wooooo! My favorite.  But we saw him yesterday and told us that he dated a member of the church and her father baptized him but once they broke up he kinda fell away but has been has recently been wanting to come back and to associate with members of teh church again. He was SOOOOO friendly and asked us for our number so we could come back and help him come back to church. I JUST LOVE THE LORD. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. I LOVE MY LIFE. 

PS I am staying in MISSOULA! HALLELUJAH! I am staying with Sister Steck! 

This week was just full of spiritual experiences for me.  They happened mostly as I was bearing my testimony either in a lesson or to random people on the street. I don't know if it had any impact on the person we were teaching but for me it helped me realize what I knew to be true, it helped me acknowledge my love and admiration for my Savior and for this gospel.  One of these experiences came as we sang "I Believe in Christ" to a man that is not a member and his active wife.  The words, " I Believe in Christ He is my King! With all my heart to him I'll sing. I believe in Christ so come what may, with Him Ill stand in that great day" 

I believe in Christ so come what may. I know that anything that life throws at me that I can overcome.  Because of my belief in my Savior Jesus Christ I can and will succeed.  We came to earth to experience affliction so that we could become more than what we were, but I also know that we not only came to earth to experience trial but we came to overcome. We were meant to succeed, we were meant to prevail. And we knew we would. 

I love this gospel. I love my mission. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I love the Book of Mormon. I love being able to teach and to testify of what I know is right and true.  

I love you all so much! 

Can you believe May is basically over? Where the heck did it go?

Until next week! 

SURE LOVE YA MOLINE'S ROCK! MISSIONARIES RULE!