October 20, 2014

HOLA HOLA HOLA! 

SOOOO! Surprise, suprise! Sister Finnell is getting mid transferred to St. Ignatius and is leaving tomorrow and I now have a new companion, Sister Black. Sister Black came to our companionship last night after our stake conference and we were under the impression that we were going to be in a trio.  But President Mecham called us last night told us that Sister Finnell was leaving and I was keeping Sister Black.  Sister Black goes home in about 8 weeks.  She is from Price Utah and went to USU a little before her mission. Honestly I don't know that much about her yet, because I just got her. But she seems really cool.  But get this! Totally divine inspiration from the Lord to have her here.  We were at dinner at a members house last night and they had some new neighbors move in.  Apparently the wife, Amanda, had met with Sisters before.  We went over to meet her but haven't been able to catch them home.  At dinner we were talking about Amanda and her husband when Sister Black slaps the table with her hands and was like, "OH MY GOSH! I KNOW HER! I TAUGHT HER!"  Apparently in her last area they tracted into Amanda and gave her a Book of Mormon.  The next time they went by Amanda was in tears because she had been reading the Book of Mormon and already knew it was true.  They were teaching her and put her on date, but then she moved.  MOVED TO MY AREA! WHERE SISTER BLACK JUST GOT TRANSFERRED TO!!!!!!  Get out of here. There is no way that is just a coincidence.  Crazy, crazy, crazy!  

Yesterday was stake regional conference and Brenda, Larry Albert, and Karl all came. HALLELUJAH! Larry Albert just loves it all.  He is so prepared and so ready to make these changes in his life.  Brenda came for the first time to church but ended up leaving about half way through the meeting.  I think she was feeling really overwhelmed with it all.  She said that the vocabulary was very different and she was having a hard time understanding what they were talking about.  The first speaker spoke about hastening the work and the Abrahamic covenant.....plus there was a lot of sustaining of people, so that was kinda weird for her.  But she said she would come for all 3 hours next week. Cross your fingers! Karl came! Becca didn't....but afterward he asked to have  a blessing.  The blessing went really well.  Sister Finnell and I met with him and Becca and had a really good lesson.  The Bishop called and talked to Karl and we were able to talk to him as well.  We testified of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the redeeming power of it and his eyes filled with tears.  The Spirit was so strong.  That man has not missed a day of church since we have started meeting with him.  Although there are some things we need to work through with him I know we were led to him and that he can change.  This gospel changes lives. I have seen it first hand.  How grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Speaking of the gospel changing lives.  We had dinner with D___________ this week. This woman blows me away.  She has no contact with her mother or daughter, and she has a son in prison.  She never raised her daughter because she was so into drugs and alcohol that her mother took her daughter away and raised her herself.  Debbie was raised in an abusive home and married abusive men.  She made the comment to me at dinner that she grew up thinking that when your family hit you, it meant that they loved you. So when she got married she expected to be hit.  And man, has that woman's life changed dramatically.  She has reached complete activity in the church has been sober for many, many, years and is preparing to get her temple recommend. She reads from PMG and the BOM daily and eats up the Ensigns that come to her house.  Through the gospel she has found who she really is. And whose she really is.  This gospel motivates people to change and allows them to become all they were meant to be.  

GUESSSS WWHHHAAATTTTT!!!! We did it! Meet the Mormons has come to Great Falls! WOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!! It came on Friday and will be staying until this Sunday! Most of our investigators went to go see it this weekend.  And a couple potential investigators that we have went as well. I am so excited to talk to them about it and see what their thoughts were!  Successssss! 

I know I talk about how much I love Brother Bailey like every week, but I just love him! He just appears at our district meeting and got everyone doughnuts and he gave Sister Finnell and I a gift card to go get a manicure.  He has two daughters-in-law that served missions and he asked them what would be a fun treat for the missionaries and they both said to get our nails done.  Also, Sister Finnell was having a hard week and asked him for a blessing.  He is just like a dad to us.  He looks out for us and takes care of us.  I am so grateful for Brother Bailey.....and his delicious cobbler. Hahaha AND! He shares the gospel with everyone! EVERYONE! This man is wonderful. 

We had a really good lesson with an investigator.  Her name is Gentry. I don't remember if I wrote about her before or not.  But she is incredible. She loves God, and is very very spiritual.  We have to be careful how we approach new things with her because walls immediately go up and she gets really defensive. But we brought a member with us to the lesson that is a convert and has a similar background to Gentry's and it was AWESOME!   She tried to recognize truth and hear what we were saying.  If there was something she wasn't sure of or didn't agree with, she said she would pray about it.  WOOT WOOT! We are teaching her tonight. :)  I hope it goes as well as teh last lesson.  

There were two lessons this week where I was just overwhelmed with love for those we were teaching.  One of them was K_____________.  She was baptized 2 years ago and is very active in the ward. We meet with her regularly because she is working on getting a temple recommend.  She texted us the other night and said that she was having a hard night.  The pastor from her church before she was baptized came by to see her. It had already been a rough day and having him come and tell her she was wrong to be mormon made everything worse. We have been working on an addiction she has and instead of going out and relapsing she called us.  Once she answered the door I gave her this huge hug.  I was so proud that she called us instead.  We talked for awhile about her concerns and frustrations and I wish i could adequately describe the feeling that came over me.  But I had so much love for this girl.  And I could just feel the love that our Heavenly Father had for her.  How proud he was of her for the decisions she was making and the person she was becoming.  It made me reflect on how grateful I am for my Father in Heaven.  I am so grateful that he sees me for who I can become and not as what I am right now.  I am nowhere near where I should be, but I am grateful for the love my Heavenly Father does give me  and how much he pushes me.   Because he knows I am capable and able to do hard things and to be something greater than what I am now.  I hope and pray to one day reach what he expects of me and to become all that I was sent here to become.  He is the greatest. 

Yesterday we got talking with a woman outside her house watching her kids play.  We started talking with her and ended up giving her a Book of Mormon and our number.  There is something about giving out a copy of the Book of Mormon that makes you feel successful and fulfilled. She said as we began to leave that she has recently been looking at churches to join and said she would give us a call.  WOOT! WOOT!  I never thought I would say this, but I miss tracting.  I haven't tracted nearly as much as I did in Missoula and I miss it......hahahaha  

I love you all so much! I love this gospel and I love my Savior Jesus Christ.  He is my Redeemer.   As I have grown to know him more personally I have grown to know myself and what is expected of me.  This gospel is the good life.  There is not a lot that I know, but I know without a doubt that this is the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that we are imperfect but this gospel is.  I know that I may not understand why or how things are the way they are, but I know that God knows better than me.  I trust Him and I love Him.

Sure love ya! Moline's Rock! Missionaries Rule!!!!!

Sister mollllinsky