June 19, 2014

Hey Hey Heyyyyy

TIME IS SO FAST! I can't even remember what happened this week. It just zoomed on by. I do want to start by saying that my idol is Sister Stevens. I WANT TO BE THAT WOMAN. She never ceases to amaze me.  This week we received someone to go see by the name of Tony. We brought Sister Stevens with us and ohmygosh I could have just sat there and listened to her talk for hours.  The way she talks about the gospel is like no big deal. It's so natural and the reason it is, is because it is SO apart of her life.  She lives and breathes the gospel.  It is her life.  So talking about it to other people is as natural as talking about the weather outside.  I want to be that way!  She always says that the day she started living was the day she found the gospel. It has literally changed her life.  I still feel like I am not very good at noticing the Spirit and recognizing it's promptings, but when I am with Sister Stevens there is no doubt that she carries the Spirit with her as her constant companion.  Yesterday our Gospel Principles teacher didn't show up and Sister Stevens just went right on up there and taught the most Spirit filled lesson.  I just sat there in awe. Who is this person! This is also the same lady who brings copies of conference talks and BOM's on planes with her to hand out to people. She told this story about a man one summer taking his kids to the pool to teach them how to swim.  And one of his sons was an absolute mess.  He was flailing and screaming, not wanting to get into the water.  His son was just so nervous and anxious about doing something that he didn't know how to do, that was so foreign to him.  The father finally grabbed the song and took him to the edge of the pool and held him in his arms and told his son, "I would never let anything happen to you.  I am right here to be with you and make sure you are okay.  I promise I will not let anything happen to you." As he said this the son calmed down and the dad was able to teach him how to swim.  She equated it back to the gospel and how when we enter into trial we are so busy flailing and screaming and feeling so nervous and anxious about all this change that we can't see the purpose behind all the anxiety we are feeling at the time. Heavenly Father has his finger on it all.  He will never let anything happen to us that is not for our benefit. He knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows the end from the beginning.  I am not telling it as well as she did. But, I believe that with all of my heart.  He knows us. He knows us so well.  Everything in this life I know happens for a purpose and a reason and whether we recognize it or not. He is always near, He is always there. God is good. I love Him. 

BROTHER DEE HIATT! That man is incredible! Not only does he email me often but he wrote me a physical letter a couple weeks ago.  THEN he mailed me a copy of the Book of Mormon with his testimony inside to give to someone.  He said he was thinking about how he could be apart of the missionary work here in Montana and thought that was the perfect idea. I am so excited to find that one person that could benefit from such a thoughtful gift. He has helped me a lot on my mission. His testimony and his words of encouragement have helped given me perspective.  I think to myself, I want to find a Dee Hiatt to teach.  Someone that was so ready and so prepared for the gospel......and maybe I found him! Listen to this! Tender Mercies of the Lord.  So this week we went to the library to fill out some reports and there was a man standing outside the library stopping people to come and sign some petition.  We talked with him for a bit and told him we couldn't because we were missionaries and not from Montana.  Ha, he was like, "oh! You are Mormons! I just came from Salt Lake.  You are not in the right place.  Go to Salt Lake, there are a ton of Mormons there! So many! I have never seen so many people belonging to one faith in my entire life!" hahaha so we chatted for a bit and then left it at that. DUMB DUMB DUMB. I don't know why we didn't try and give him a copy of the BOM or something. I was beating myself up after we left because we just threw away a perfect opportunity to teach this man.  Oh well.  THEN! On Saturday we went downtown to contact people and low and behold there he is again! Talking to people.  Hahahaha he sees us and was like, " The Mormons! Hey Hey Hey!" He asked us why we have to wear our name tags everywhere we go then he said, "I am on the clock right now, but where can I get one of those books you talk about?  You people always seems so happy, and I am just so tired of leaning on my strength. I am getting exhausted."  Kelven say no more! BAM! I got a Book of Mormon into his hands so fast! Ha we gave him our number and he said he would look at it over teh weekend and call us.  KELVEN! I AM INLOVE WITH YOU!!!! I LOVE HIM! I LOVE HIM! Did I mention he was black?  Yeah, that definitely adds to my love for him.  So be prepared. This man is going to be baptized.  Ha.  It was just so cool that the Lord prepared another opportunity for him to receive the gospel in some way and gave me a second chance to follow a prompting.  P.S. really what are teh chances that we would see him twice in one week. FO REAL.

So Missoula is absolutely gorgeous. I understand why people live here now. It is breathtakingly beautiful. It also doesn't get dark until 9:30 at night.  It is so bizarre.  The sun starts setting around 8:00. I loooooovvveeee itttt! People are not weirded out by us being out and knocking on doors.  In the winter it would get dark at 5:00 and people would be really bothered that we were knocking on doors.  So it is much nicer when it is light out. Plus, people are just out and about. Speaking of which, Sister Steck and I were driving somewhere and passed an old lady weeding her lawn.  This woman weighs nothing, literally is skin and bones and is weeding her lawn with her oxygen tank chilling on the porch.  Not okay. Old people should not be doing that. SO we go over and we help her carry out some plants and finish weeding her lawn. She is 87 years old! And is SOOOOOO Sassy.  I thought Helen from Bozeman was sassy. Not even. This lady was out of control. hahahaha she was hilarious.  But it was moments like that that I was really grateful for.  I love meeting and talking to people. I love love love it.  I just love people.  

Yesterday I was reading in the scriptures and I was reading in Alma 37:47.  The last part of the verse says, " Look to God and live." It reminded me of what Sister Stevens had said about she didn't really live until she had the gospel in her life.  The gospel brings life into living! When we understand that we are divine spirits in a mortal body, when we understand who we are and the potential that we all have, we live. And we live happily.  Later on in Alma it says, "it mattereth not, for God knoweth all things"  It was speaking in reference to some uncertainty about the resurrection. But I loved that.  There are so many things that we stress and freak out about because we just want to know.  But it all boils down to President Uchtdorf's famous quote, "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith."  If we were meant to know everything there would be no point in faith.  We get so caught up in wanting to know what we don't know that we forget what we do know! We need to remember that "It mattereth not, for God knoweth all things."  Its okay if we don't know, because God does. Could there be anyone greater that we can trust?  Nope. I love the scriptures.

We met with the Indian family again this week. I LOVE THEM.  It is kind of hard to teach someone that has absolutely no Christian background at all.  But it was really interesting.  I wrote last time how they are very spiritually free.  And that they talked to their leader man, whoever he is, about coming to Montana and how they were going to be alone in their culture here.  And he told them, you are going to Jesus's land. Trust in him and love him, he understands and will take care of you. So interesting! They wanted us to pray how we do and then they would pray. IT WAS AWESOME. I am interested to see where this all goes.

I love my life! I love the gospel. It is true! There is nowhere else I would rather be at this time in my life. I have never been so happy and so confident in my future.  I love you all! 

Until next week!

Sure love ya! Moline's rock! Missionaries rule!

Love,

Sister Moliney