Hey friends!
This week has been REALLY cold but REALLY good.
One of the highlights of this week happened on Saturday and Sunday and involves our new friend Fred and the Dalley family.
Earlier in the week, we had set up an appointment with Fred for Saturday. We tried really hard to find a member to come with us since he is a single man and we can't visit him on our own. On Thursday, we thought we should call one sister, who was unable to come. So we asked another sister. Who never got back to us. On Friday we were feeling a little more desperate. We literally asked 4 more sisters. No one was free. Saturday morning we were stressing. Sister Dalley texted us about this coming thursday when we are going to the family history center with our friend Mackie. We had just seen Sister Dalley, but it was worth a shot - we asked her to come to our lesson with Fred later that day. She said she could!
We got to the lesson and it was perfect. I havent been the best at having members present at every lesson, but this week I gained a testimony of it. It was one of the best 1st lessons I've ever taught. Fred is super prepared. And Sister Dalley is an awesome member missionary. She could explain things in ways that we never could. SHE invited him to church. And he came!
So the next day we are welcoming people into the building and up walk the Dalley family and Fred. literally, they looked like THE HAPPIEST people on earth.
Did Fred love church? YES. Did he say he'd come back? YES. Was Sister Dalley the person God needed us to take with us to teach Fred? YES. Is that why everyone else and literally their mom was busy? YES. Is God totally in charge of His work? YES.
17 months down and I feel like I'm finally starting to get a hang of this. haha. Sometimes...
We got to meet with Tessa again finally too. She came to church too. The lesson was crazy spastic and all over the place because there were like 4387345 other random people and children at her house and she was trying to braid extensions into her girls' hair. Did she teach me? Yes. It was the greatest thing ever. All of the little kids were like, "You know howta braid?" And I said, "Uhm, yeah. Does it look like I know how to braid?" And they laughed and said, "Noooooo, youre a white girl!" Well, I showed them. White girls can braid too.
Oh heavens. We also met with our friend Pat. We tracted into her a few weeks ago and we've seen her a few times. I love Pat. She is the nicest soul. This week, she dropped us. But I still love her. She sat down and told us that this would be our last meeting, that she thanked us for the things we taught her and helping her, but she cant see herself changing beliefs at this point in her life. Yet she said, "So what are you teaching me today?" and we had planned on reading the Book of Mormon with her, so we did. We read Moroni 7 which was PERFECT for the situation.
...
" 22 For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.
23 And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come.
24 And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.
25 Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ.
26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying:Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him willcleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angelsceased to minister unto the children of men.
30 For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.
31 And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.
32 And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that theresidue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men.
33 And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.
34 And he hath said: Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved.
35 And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?
36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.
38 For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made.
39 But behold, my beloved brethren, I judge better things of you, for I judge that ye have faith in Christ because of your meekness; for if ye have not faith in him then ye are not fit to be numbered among the people of his church.
40 And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?
41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.
42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.
43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.
44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and 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 charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.
45 And charity 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 charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But charity 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."
The spirit was so strong. She just kept looking at the page and we let there be silence for quite awhile. Sister Escobar asked her what her favorite story of Christ was, and she said it was the Sermon on the Mount. Even more perfect! I showed her where Christ teaches the Nephites the exact same things in 3rd Nephi. We read it together and it was so great. Pat still dropped us, but we got her to keep the Book of Mormon and to commit to read the rest of the chapters that cover the sermon on the mount in the America's. And it was awesome.
I was just emailing my cousin and he asked me how much more time I have on my mission, when I realized that today is january 12th and I got home on Feb 12th. AHHHHHHHHHH. Stress. Sadness. I want to do this forever.
missions are great.
go on one.
Love you all! Thanks for everything! I feel your prayers!
