Tuesday, April 30, 2013

And now, my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye ought to be beloved


To those I love with all my heart,

Sunshine and happy days! Springtime is the BEST. We went to the temple today. Which you know what that means: Miracle Monday! Once again, I have a testimony that miracles ALWAYS happen the day before the temple. Sister Sanchez and I are considering sharing this theory with President Mullen so we can go to the temple every transfer. Or every week...Shoot, I could use a miracle day like this once a week. 

But ok, ok. We do see miracles everyday. Even little things like people answering their door and letting us inside. But yesterday was topping the charts.

Melissa got baptized on Saturday which was so great and happy but that left our teaching pool pretty shallow. As in nobody. We didn't have any investigators in the Bowdish ward. So we've been praying pretty hard that we can just find SOMEBODY. In both English and Spanish truthfully cause we've been struggling. We went on exchanges last week. Did I tell you Sister Tippetts got transferred to an English ward here? SO happy to have her! And so she's the traveling sister up here and so we went on exchanges with them. I just love her so. Anyway, I'm giving a lot of back story just to tell you that on exchanges we walked a lot. The sisters only have a few miles to drive their car each day 'cause their area isn't very big so they walk a lot. The sun is shining so it feels great to be out talking to everyone. I walked more on my exchange than I have my whole mission. I was loving it! Of course, because we cover all Spanish speakers in the entire Valley, we are driving everywhere. We are constantly in the car. It can drive me crazy sometimes. So we decided yesterday that we'd park our car and walk more. Especially because we were trying potentials in our English area. Wouldn't you know that the day we decide to walk more it's ferociously windy and freeeezing!? But we walked anyway.

And we walked right past a garage sale that we would've zoomed past in our other circumstances. So we stopped to talk. The lady selling happened to be a less-active member and she wasn't too excited to talk but the guy buying came up to us. 

"Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons?"

"Mormons"

"Ok. I'll listen. What do you want to tell me?"

"Do you have time right now??"

"Yeah, let's go to the park."

Thankfully the park was about ten steps away. We sat down at a picnic table and the first thing Dusty told us was that he had a 3 year old daughter who means everything to him. He hadn't been able to focus at work that day so he took a half hour for lunch. Then he stopped at the garage sale and he'd been there for about an hour just mulling around until we showed up. He knew God sent us to him so he decided to listen. We taught him a powerful restoration lesson and promised him the peace and blessings that come from the Book of Mormon. He gladly took a copy and nodded his head in agreement. It was all making sense. Then we invited him to be baptized. For May 25th.

"If I know this is true by then, I will be baptized."

He'll know it's true. Because it is. There is a real peace in the Book of Mormon. He will feel the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and he'll change his life. 

Just like that. 

And we met him at a garage sale that we only stopped at 'cause we were walking. 

God is amazing at orchestrating these things. I see His hand, and His love everyday. I'm so grateful to be here and to be His missionary. On top of that miracle, we had: some members invite us for dinner on Thursday to teach their friends, a less-active we've had the hardest time getting a hold of let us in for a lesson, and Gloria Cooper couldn't get enough during our Plan of Salvation lesson and prayed right there to know if it was true. It was a really great day.

Typically week 3 or 4 is the miracle week of the transfer but we're up to week 6 and I know it'll be full of good things. It may be because it's probably the last week Sister Sanchez and I will be together. I have no idea what'll happen. I have no idea what I want to happen either. I'm willing to go where God needs me. But also that means send all mail to the mission office until further notice!

Well, I love y'all! The work is good. It's tough but good. I love my mission more and more everyday. I love this place. I love President and Sister Mullen just so, so much. I know God is there. He loves us. He knows us. We matter to him.

Keep up the good work, y'all!

Love,
Hermana Em

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