It's absolutely insane how quickly it has gone. I am so grateful for all the things I have learned, the people I have met, and the experiences that have changed me. Even if I haven't changed anyone else's future, mine has been changed. I am so excited for the next 6 months to really be the missionary the Lord needs me to be at this time. The hastening of the work is real and I am privileged to be a part of it.
This week was amazing. Of course there were hard moments but they are why the rest of the week was so good!
Patty is back from vacation! We met with her twice this week. First, she had decided to wait until November to be baptized and Sis Rod and I were crushed. Milt's daughter told her at the family reunion that she needed to wait until then so she could come! WE WERE SO FRUSTRATED and sad. That is a really long time away and, as Sister Murdock put it, Patty isn't getting any younger. The next time we went, Sis Rod was so bold. Patty needs to receive an answer from the Lord when she should be baptized. So she is going to pray about it.
Erin is officially getting married and then baptized on August 23! I know Carley getting baptized first provided her with all the motivation she needed to make the changes that she did. She brings her 3 girls to church by herself every week and they read the Book of Mormon together everyday. I wish you all could meet Erin and understand how amazing she is.
We've started teaching a lady named LaDonna Lee. She has MS and lives in a nursing home. Every time we go over she is watching BYUtv or some other religious programming. This week she was telling us all about the great work Kirk Cameron was doing. I thought you would all get a kick out of that one. "Sharing the laughter and love!" (My comp and I both know the entirety of that song!)
Last p-day we got to head up on the mesa as a district (minus the APs because they are always too busy to have fun). We rode in the 6th ward mission leader's excursion that says "Fezzik and the Brute Squad" on the back. They are obsessed with Princess Bride. It was a dream come true for me to ride in that vehicle. Their family loves geocaching so they had us find the ones that they have made....and they we drove up the scariest road I have ever been on in my life. And Sister Bonner is a crazy woman driver. Of course, I was slouching in my seat! The view was worth it and we took so many pictures, which I will send!
I went on an exchange to Fruita! It's the land of the dinosaurs! They have dinosaurs everywhere. I am sad I didn't snap any pictures of myself with my favorite extinct animals. The BEST part of the day was the sister I w as with, Sister Moody, got her visa to Brazil!!!!! She has been waiting for 9 months. We had just finished teaching a lesson to some people sitting on the asphalt (and we burned our behinds doing it because we sat down). We hopped into the car and the phone rang! Sister Peterson asked Sister Moody if she still wanted to go to Brazil!!! Oh happy day! We screamed and cried and cried and screamed! It was such a happy moment. We found an awesome new investigator for them to teach named Kerrie. She is from Texas! At first she said no to a return appt. after we had shared the first lesson. We testified of the power of the Book of Mormon again and this time she said yes! Hallelujah! I l earned so much from Sister Moody about being so excited about the work and doing the best with what you have. She is a top notch missionary.
This week I have been really trying to focus my thoughts on the Saviour. As I try to be like Him (and I am more aware of it) the more I am thankful for Him. It's really hard to do the right thing, and then add in thinking about positive and good things and I can't even comprehend how He did it. I am so grateful. I can't express it. Just imagine if there was no Christ. I don't think I would function. All of my guilt, shame, inadequacy, and sadness would make it impossible to do anything. There would be no hope. But there is and always will be hope because of Him. It is not easy to be like Christ but it is worth it. I love being guided by the spirit and helping people. The small sacrifices I can make are completely worth it if it means someone else can be happy.
Saturday we met Belinda and Clara! Belinda is a less-active who wants to come to church. She is blind. She prayed for us in Navajo. Clara isn't a member (yet). They are so full of good jokes. I am so excited to keep teaching them!
I've learned this week from my studying that prayer is hard work! Sometimes I forget that and just say the same things I always pray for. My prayers don't have as much meaning as they could. You should read Prayer in the BD. It's pretty awesome!
We are teaching Jasmine Fink again! I think I saw her 2 times when I was first here in this area with Sister Tew and we could just never catch her after that. On exchange day, Sister Rod and Sister Keavali taught her with a new member of our ward, Haley. Haley and her husband are both about 5 feet tall...I feel like a giant when I am with them! On Friday we had an awesome church tour with Jasmine. She and her husband, Bo, a la, a reading the book of Mormon together already. She had to work this Sunday but they are going to come this next Sunday!
We met an extremely closed man on Saturday night. His wife is a less-active and they have met with missionaries before. It's crazy to me how many less-actives we just run into without seeking them. I bore testimony of what I know. He has absolutely no desire to read the Book of Mormon. He told me that I would probably bolt awake that night at 2 am and say, "He was right!" People like him just strengthen my desire to live the commandments. I f eel so sad for his family. You could tell that the wife knows it's true. He could be leading and blessing his family instead of holding back their eternal progression. I am excited to see how the Lord will soften his heart.
Our Sunday was such a good day. We fasted as a mission so that all the members will be able to invite one person every quarter to meet with the missionaries. I received answers to my prayers and I know that God is aware of me. In RS a sister shared that a patriarch she talked to said that what he had noticed after years and years of giving blessings was that God only notices the positive. He knows who we can become! And there is no reason to focus on the negative. Plus our favorite child in the ward, Lincoln, said that his favorite thing about church was the sister missionaries! We made a less-active YW a Book of Mormon calendar with 1-D stickers all over it and she was so excited! She has some social issues and it's really amazing to see how the gospel is helping her change and be more positive. Also her prize for reading is dum dums. She's obsessed with them.
This week I am really going to try to be more accountable for my actions and for the things that I say I am going to do. I am so excited for the great week we have ahead of us and to see even more miracles. Hope you all have a great week too!
hiking
nightly planning
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