Week 5:  Miracles in Missouri

Mom's Favoriet Quote of the Week:  When life gets too hard to stand, kneel.  Our Heavenly Father needs strong servants in his war against the devil.  How are we supposed to get stronger when life is comfortable? ... I am thankful for my trials because they have made me a stronger servant of the Lord; I would not be who I am without them.

This week has been nothing short of miracles!  We have been able to grow our teaching pool tremendously and Sister Fisher and I definitely have our work cut out for us!  We saw tender mercies as almost all of our appointments were cancelled on Wednesday so we were driving home trying to eet with our investigator when I saw an enderly woman sitting on her front porch.  Her face was flushed and it looked like she had been weeding her flowerbed.  I told Sister Fisher that we should pull over and go help her and she kind of looked at me like I was crazy because I was wearing a cream colored skirt and cream colored shoes and they would get all dirty. We finally pulled oer once we were around the corner and as we came walking up to her she said to us, "You're nissionaries, aren't you?"  We said yes, and then she told us to come and sit down and teach her about Jesus.  Well we definitely weren't expecting that!  I replied by saying, "Well, while Jesus Christ was on the earth, he went about doing service, so that's what we came to do!"  She actually put us to work!  Most people tell us that they don't need any help because we're in skirts and we probably shouldn't get the dirty.  Well I could care less about getting dirty! As we were working the woman said to us, "I didn't even ask the Lord to help, but he sent you anyway.  Goes to show that he knows what we need better than I do!  Cause I was just wondering how I was ever going to finish this by  myself."

This Friday I went on exchanges for the first time.  So I went up to Columbia with Sister Sperry.  That evening we were able to teach a family of seven.  The unique thing about this is, they spoke Thai and Burmese!  So I have been able to experience all types of culture right here in Missouri.  When we taught the faily about the First Vision, their reaction was, "Wow."  I love seeing the spirit touch people's hearts.  It was a miracle.  They later told us how they wanted to be baptized.  It made me sad that I can't be there to continue to teach them!  But it was an amazing experience.  Another investigator that we taught while on exchanges was Dod.  He was feeling that he has been stuck in a rut and has done everything he can to get out of it.  It was azing to see Sister Sperry litterally be the mouthpiece of our Father in Heaven.  I have never had an experience like it.  Sister Sperry is near the end of her mission, with only three weeks left and she said that Friday tops all the days that she has had.  It was Amazing!!!

Saturday was my one month birthday!  It is crazy to think that I have already been out for a month.  I came back to Fulton and we were visiting some less actives.  We met a less active who told us that she did not have any faith and didn't really want to build faith.  That broke my heart.  She continued to tell us of how she got in the situation she is now in.  I know that life is not easy for any of us.  But for me, the only way I have been able to get through those hard times is by praying.  When life gets too hard to stand, kneel.  Our Heavenly Father needs strong servants in his war against the devil.  How are we supposed to get stronger when life is comfortable?  In Women's Conference, Sister Reeves said that, "This is the time to prepare to meet God, not receive all his blessings."  We will be blessed as we overcome our trials, but those blessings are only the beginning of what He wants to give us.  He loves us.  And he weeps with us when we weep.  He wants to help us and He will.  I have felt it. God created us to be happy.  I am thankful for my trials because they have made me a stronger servant of the Lord; I would not be who I am without them.