November 17, 2014

BBBBRRRRRRRRR!!!!! 

OH, how the cold is not for me. Ha, but I am surviving! it has gotten a little warmer this week which is nice and by warm i mean like 16-22 degrees. Isn't that sad?  That is warm! Ohmygosh. Who have I become. Haha

This week rocked though! There were two days this week where we were booked from noon to 9pm.  I LOVE days like that.  AND! We gained 3 new investigators this week. HOLLA HOLLA ERRBODY! The first! Sister Roberts.  She is the mother of a recent convert that was baptized in February. She asked us to check in on her mom and she is the sweetest woman.  We taught her the restoration and it went really well. I don't think she fully understood the priesthood though because when we invited her to be baptized she said she had already been baptized.  Story of my life.  that is the answer I get 90% of the time.  SO then we have to go back to the priesthood and explain it all over.  But she invited us over for next week. Cross your fingers. :) 

Investigator 2! His name is Mark.  He is one of Brother Bailey's tenants.  Apparently he went out with Brother Bailey to his ranch to help him with the horses and he asked a lot of questions about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith.  Later that night we taught him the restoration and answered a million questions he had.  It was honestly one of the best lessons I think i have ever taught on my mission.  He was very intrigued by Joseph Smith and said things like, "Well how could he have translated the Book of Mormon without the power of God?"  He was also so impressed by the fact that Joseph Smith died for his beliefs.  He again went on to say that he must have been a man led by God to have died for the beliefs he had.  Get out of here Mark! WHO ARE YOU! He even compared Joseph Smith's life to Jesus Christ's.  Saying that just as Jesus Christ was hated and killed for his beliefs and teachings so was Joseph Smith.  He completely understood the need for a restoration of the priesthood and he just got it.  I was so impressed.  We didn't even need to ask him to read teh Book of Mormon he said, " Well I better get on reading this then if I am going to learn about your church."  Correct mister mark. Correct.  Hahaha We are seeing him 2 other times this week :)  I have high hopes for this man.  PRAY! 

Investigator 3! One of our investigators Heather referred us to one of her friends who just lost all parental rights of her 1 year old son.  She called us and said that her friend was in need of spiritual guidance and wanted us to come over.  So we did! And it was awesome! Heather hasn't come to church but her friend Katrina did yesterday! And she loved it! YESSSS!!! We are seeing her again tonight :):):):) 

ALSO! LISTEN TO THIS MIRACLE! 

A couple weeks ago the Elders and I and my companion had another lesson with one of Brother Bailey's tenants.  His name is Dennis.  He had been talking to and asking questions to Brother Bailey about life after death.  He just recently had a brother pass away and was struggling with his loss.  Later that night we all taught him the Plan of Salvation. I forgot if I had written you about this or not.  But the man is an inspiration.  He bore his testimony to us about how he came to find God is one of the darkest times of his life.  He has an amazing love for our Savior Jesus Christ and loves talking about it.  One of the Elders invited him to be baptized and invited him like 3 or 4 different times and each time Dennis said, " I've already been baptized."  I could tell he was getting a little peeved.  But it all ended well.  He didn't show at our next appointment but two nights ago we were driving to see a member and we passed Dennis's house.  I got this small thought that we should stop by and see if he was still interested in meeting with us.  So I flipped around and knocked on his door.  He seemed a little surprised to see us but let us in.  He said, "I remember you, Sister Moline (kinda freaked me out). I have got a couple questions for you." He is kinda a rough looking guy, super sweet, but him saying that made me start to reach for my pepper spray....hahaha He asked me where I was from and then asked the names of my parents.....weird.  He said "well I will be darned! Did you know that there are Moline's in Montana!?"  He then went on for the next 15 minutes about how he has Molines in his line and that he wanted to talk to me again because I was a Moline.  He said I should ask you if you know of any Dale Molines, Chris Molines or a James Hardinbrook.  I don't know if that is how it is spelled and apparently they were big to do people in Geraldine Montana.  I told him I would ask you about it. Haha BUT that isn't even the good part.  The good part is he told us that this time of year is really difficult for him because of the death of his mother and brother. He began crying as he told us the heart ache he felt but the love he has felt from Jesus Christ. He said he was feeling really lonely and was praying to God and saying to him, "I know that you are there and are with me, but I feel so alone". Then BAM! We knocked on his door.  TALK ABOUT MIRACLE OF THE SPIRIT.  As he was telling us this he began to cry and kept thanking us for coming over and bore his testimony of his love for Jesus Christ. I asked him what he was doing for Thanksgiving and he said he was thinking of making himself a Thanksgiving dinner but that it seemed pointless. MY HEART BROKE! So I told him to forget about that and to come with us to Thanksgiving dinner.  He began to cry again and took my hand and said thank you with tears in his eyes.  No one should ever be alone during the holidays.  I am far from home and not with my family but luckily no matter where I am I will always have my ward family to lean on and take care of me.  I am so grateful for that.  So he is coming to Thanksgiving dinner!   WOOT! WOOT! For some reason he is apprehensive of coming to church or really trying to learn anything about our beliefs.  But hopefully Thanksgiving dinner will help soften his heart. 

LARRY ALBERT! I am telling ya, if there is one person I am so thankful I got to be apart of teaching on my mission, it is Mr. Larry Albert.  We met with him twice this week because of teh snow and they were wonderful! He is getting more comfortable with the people we are bringing from the ward.  I asked him if he was going to come to church and he said he wasn't sure because of his work.  He works nights and lately the girl that is supposed to take the shift after him hasn't been showing up.  So he has been getting home really late.  But this man rocks! And will still come and meet with us.  Sunday morning his ride went to pick him up but he didn't come to the door.  In the middle of Gospel Principles who walks in....that's right the rock star Larry Albert. I almost started cheering and crying.  The lesson was on Spirit Paradise and Prison. Afterward I went up to him and told him it was nice to have him there and he just said, "well I don't want to end up in Spirit Prison."  Oh you tease Larry! Hahaha you have to understand that he is super humble and quiet and sincere man, so his jokes come once in a blue moon and are pretty funny.....I guess you had to have been there.  But he said he got off work at 3am that morning and didn't go to bed until 5. But when he woke up he walked to church.  HE WALKED.  IN THIS WEATHER.  THIS MAN IS THE MOST WONDERFUL PERSON EVERRRRRR. I can't get over it.  Larry, you dawg. 

Anyway, this week was great.  I am loving life and just loving my mission.  I am so thankful I have this opportunity to serve.  The Lord is so aware of us.  I am so grateful for my knowledge of the restoration.  Lately we have been having members write down blessings tehy have seen because of the restoration and my list has gotten huge! We have so much because of the restoration of the gospel.  WE ARE SO BLESSED.  This gospel makes me so happy. I wish I could adequately describe to you how happy I am as I live this gospel every single day and give it my all.  It is so worth it.  

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!

Love you much!

Sister Big Sky Moline