Another Transfer in JanesVegas 6/2/2014

The Janesville Trio lives on another six weeks!

We are killin' it out here.

I'm just gonna start with the best news:

DEIDRE GOT BAPTIZED<3

Literally, that girl is amazing.

Her baptism was perfect. Lots of ward members came and they put on a luncheon afterward and the Spirit was there and it was so good. She was able to FaceTime her friend that referred her to the church during the service, and that was really cool. The talks by Sister Nielsen and Sister Cook were SPOT ON. Deidre and I and Sister Jardine and Elkington and all of the elders sang, "I Feel My Savior's Love" and it was precious. Reminds me of the good ol' Appleton days<3

She's so cool. She got up during fast and testimony meeting and bore her testimony and told everyone that she made a decision to get baptized because she knows its true but that she had to do it alone because her family doesnt support her at all. And then the ward responded with soooo much love. Nearly every other testimony shared was geared toward her. Converts and life-time members shared their stories and how they were alone too, but how they are never TRULY alone and how they will be there for her. The Janesville Ward is AMAZING. hahaha, and multiple people even told her that they just thought she was another missionary. haha

So. Cool story:

 In-between baptism at 10 am on Saturday and confirmation on Sunday at 10am, Deidre prayed to know if she should go on a mission AND received an answer and is now "100% sure" (in her own words)  she is going to serve a mission in a year.

!!!!!

SAY WHAAAAAA?

She came out with us all day yesterday after church and testified to people about the Book of Mormon and why she chose to get baptized and how its changed her life and I LITERALLY had to fight back tears on so many doorsteps.

She texted us last night saying, "Hey, who's our ward missionary? I want to be one."

WHAT?

I love this girl.

So. My week has been awesome.

We had a crazy amount of lessons this week. Idk how it even happened.

Aja (aka, my homegurl) agreed to a baptism date! SHE even brought it up. The lesson in gospel principles last week was on baptism and when we saw her this week she was like, "So, ever since Sunday, I've been thinking that I need to be baptized." And we were like, "That is EXACTLY what we were going to talk about today!" And then her cousin and her cousins son were there and they agreed to work toward the same date. Yayyyyy(:

We saw another miracle!
Sister Pike is a less active sister that works overnight at Walmart. Like, her bedtime is 10am. Ever since she started working there 4 years ago, she stopped coming to church....because it starts at 10am. She is the nicest, coolest lady. She teaches us how to knit and make yarn and die wool and allllllll sorts of fun things, but she has not been progressing. We have brought up church before and she gets verrrrry defensive. But. We felt strongly that we either needed to be bold and help her progress or stop seeing her. So. Sister Jardine went in with spiritual guns blazing and Sister Pike agreed to receive a preisthood blessing for strength.

And so she got one.

AND THEN SHE CAME TO CHURCH!!

Friends. SO many miracles are happening in Janesville.

Oh! We were going to go set up an appointment with one of our investigators who we havent seen for awhile and as we were walking into the apartment complex, a lady asks me, "Hey! Are you mormons?" And I say, "Yeah! We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!" And she goes, "I used to be mormon." And our jaws dropped because thats the SECOND time we have had long lost less-actives who arent even on our records find US!

Her name is Alicia and she was baptized in Texas and is orginally from Mexico and she invited us in and fed us brats and Sprechers rootbeer and said she'd love to meet with us!
#miracles

(#ilovebrats)

It reminds me of one of my favorite things I wrote in my notes from my mission prep class 3 years ago at BYUI: "God cannot put us in the right place at the right time if we are not already going there". I dont know what I was thinking back then, but it was inspired! And I can truly testify now that it is true.

God is so good, friends.

Oh! We had exchanges this on Memorial Day and Sister Johnson is one of my very favorite humans. We had a couple small disasters, but she is a champ. We went to the Memorial Day parade and had a great time talking to people and chatting it up about familysearch.org.

James, one of our homeless friends with a baptism date now has a home! (: Yay!

I've been cross-referencing PMG with this past General Conference and it is blowing my mind. Also, my partiarchal blessing is blowing my mind right now too as a result of my other studies.

Also. I discovered something AMAZING.

Jeffery R. Holland once said: "True charity has only been shown once". We know that charity is the pure love of Christ. In essence, charity is the Atonement. Perhaps one of the most well known scriptures about charity is Moroni 7:44-48. I'm going to replace the word "charity" with "the atonement".

"if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have [the atonement]; for if he have not [the atonement] he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have [the atonement]. 45 And [the atonement] suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not [the atonement], ye are nothing, for [the atonement] never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
 47 But [the atonement] is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."
Isn't that legit?! I love it. The Atonement is the center of what we as missionaries teach, and yet we can never completely understand it. It is soooo multifaceted and unique for everyone, and yet is it pure and simple and for all mankind.
Anyways.
Now I'm kinda rambling.
I love you all!

Keep your head up! God loves you!

<3