Today marks the start of my second transfer! Are you kidding me?? It still feels like yesterday I was getting dropped off at the MTC. The weeks feel like days but when I look back the days feel like weeks!
Ok well since my email was so short last week, I hope this one will make up for it! We are going to the beach after this to hangout and then have a fireside. Don't be jealous! :)
Alright well my miracles from last week. So last Saturday we met with this 15 year old kid. The kid is going to be a prophet someday. . While he may be 15 he has the knowledge and faith of a 30 year old. Especially with his parents being atheist. We contacted him on the street after having passed him once on one side of the street but then crossing paths on the other side of the street. He quickly recognized us as Mormon Missionaries and expressed how he had researched our religion quite a bit as well as had attended the baptism of his friend Hannah. He gladly accepted the invitation to re-look at the Book of Mormon and to pray to know if it is true. A couple days later he called to set up a time to meet with us expressing how he had some exciting news for us! As we met with him on Saturday he told us of the research he had done on the ancient inhabitants here on the American continent, including Incas. They made record of a great white God who descended in a white robe. In the hands and feet were the markings of nails. While he was here on the American continent he performed many miracles and taught many. As he did further research he learned more about Joseph Smith and the record of the Book of Mormon he translated that contained an account of Jesus Christ coming to the America. He expressed having received great enlightenment as he read of this information and testified to us that he knew the Book of Mormon had to be true. Not to mention how after meeting us on the street how he has been filled with the Spirit since and felt impressed that what we shared with him was true. We read with him 3 Nephi 11 in which solidified what he had previously studied on the internet. I then invited him to be baptized! He excitedly expressed how he would love to be soon but quickly informed us that his parents would not approve. They unfortunately are not supportive of any faith he has gained in God or Christ. While Logan may not be baptized as soon as he would hope he truly is a miracle and has amazing potential! He expressed how much he already wants to share what amazing knowledge he has been given of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I truly feel that he is a valiant spirit of our Father in Heaven seeking to gain all that his Father has for him! Pray for Logan!
We also have been teaching this man named Herb and Herb was actually baptized when he was 12 years old but he has never really been to church and knows very little about the church. He is probably in his early 60's. So we have been visiting him since I got here and we have been trying to get him to come to church. Welll he came to church!!! Me and Sister Aeschbacher were standing at the front of the chapel and I saw him and I said "Sister, Herb is here!" and then she saw him and we both were just so happy and trying to not be reverent but oh my gosh, I was so excited! Such an amazing feeling. :) Now we've gotta keep him coming!
Monday we had district P-day which was super fun! We went candle-pin bowling which I guess is a New England thing. I'll send some pictures!
Tuesday we went and did some trail-making again. Ok it's still gorgeous here! I'll send the few pictures I took. But after that we met with the bishop from our ward with the Elders. We talked about using the preach my gospel in the ward to help get more investigators. Preach my gospel is such an amazing book. President Stoker says that not only is it a guide for missionaries but it is a guide for life! They truly our scripture like you said mom! Bishop told us a story about the Stake Young Women's President in the stake. She was helping out with the trek but she had come way earlier in the trek then she needed to and one of the brothers asked her why she was there expecting for her to say something like she had to be because she was the YW President but instead she said, "Because I love the lord!" It just really hit me. Why am I on a mission? Why am I sacrificing so much to be out here? Because I love the Lord!! It should always be that answer. I love Mosiah 2: 20-24. We truly our here on the Lord's time using the body's he gave us! We are eternally indebted to him. After we visited with Bishop we were able to stop by and see Grace. Grace gave us a bit of a scare. WE had scheduled to see her last Saturday and she never showed up and then she didn't show up to church and wasn't answering any of our phone calls or texts but then we finally heard from her on Monday! She had some pretty stressful things going on so when we finally saw her on Tuesday she didn't look so well. We were able to give her some comfort and just remind her of the love that Heavenly Father has for her. I was prompted to sing "Be Still My Soul" to her. And then afterwards we had her read D&C 101:14-16. It says "And all they who mourned shall be comforted. And all they who have given their lives for my name shall be crowned. Therefore let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God." And as she read that last part she started to cry as the spirit was able to bear testimony to her of God's love for her. She is making so many changes and she has seen some hard times in her life. It was an awesome experience to be led by the holy ghost to help her feel of His love. We then had an amazing dinner at the McEvoys, a family from the ward. They have seven children too so it was fun to talk to them about my family and one of there sons was actually visiting and his name was Ryan! haha but he is not in the church right now and we were able to commit him to read the B of M by the end of the lesson! He was an awesome guy. And Sister McEvoy made this awesome chocolate cake that literally just melts in your mouth....I only had one piece though!
Wednesday we had district meeting and afterwards we had plans to stay in Nort Berwick, a town in our area but then all of our plans fell threw and we were both feeling like we should be somewhere else that night but didn't know where! We had been invited earlier that morning to go help out with the scouts at a members house but we didn't think we would be much of service so we weren't going to go. So we decided to pray and we both felt like we should go help out at the with the scouts but we had no idea why. So we made our way back to Sanford where we thought that the Sister who was hosting it was going to pick us up. We stopped by Herb's on the way and while there we got a message from the Sister that we would be able to get a ride with a nonmember who's son was part of the troop. So we went to the church and waited for her. The nonmember, Becky, has actually been meeting with the Elders so she was having a lesson with them before. So we rode with her there and while there I couldn't figure out why. We were helping prepare dinner but I just felt useless. But on the drive back we were able to have an amazing conversation and she was just asking us a bunch of questions about the gospel. And Sister Aeshbacher asked her is she had ever considered baptism and she said she hadn't until tongiht and the last 10 minutes we had been talking to her! And the I realized why we had been prompted to go that night. After talking to our ward mission leader, Brother Forbes we will probably start swtiching off with the Elders to teach her! She is such an amazing lady and I jsut have a feeling she will be baptized soon!
Thursday I had an awesome personal study. Every night I always ask Heavenly Father for something that I can work on to be a better missionary next day. And he had told me that I needed to be a more dependable servant. So I had decided to focus my studies on that and came across Helaman 10:4. It says that Nephi declared the word with unwearyingness and that he sought not his own life but had sought the will of God. I told Heavenly father that I would try to be a more dedicated servant and try to be like Nephi and wow what a miraculous day it was! I strived to be more dependable and to just open my mouth and be willing to do whatever was asked of me. We came across some amazing potentials who I know the Lord placed in our path because of the promise I had made with Heavenly Father. He knew I was going to open my mouth and I was going to do my best. It was such a humbling experience to see the trust He gives me if I only am worthy of it!
We met with Grace again on Friday and she is slowly coming along. We may have some difficulties with the Word of Wisdom still but don't know if she is telling us the truth. Pray that grace will have more faith in Jesus Christ and have the strength to completely quit marijauna.
Well, I here little spills about all the horrible things that our going on right now in the world. It truly is the last days. Right now is such a crucial time to be strong. Satan knows the gospel is true and he is doing everything he can to turn peoples hearts away from it! I see it everyday and it BREAKS MY HEART. Say your prayers, read your scriptures and go to church! The gospel is the only thing that will give us eternal happiness. It truly is the only way.
The one thing I have learned is patience and how it truly does affect our spirituality and is a good inkling of how selfless we are being. If we our impatient with ourselves we will be angry and sad inside, if we our impatient with others we are only thinking of ourselves way too much. So that is what I have set out to work on this week! Patience with everything and everyone. Impatience impedes faith!
Love you all and hope you have an amazing week!
Love,
