Hilliard
is doing phenomenal, like I honestly cannot believe it. We are meeting
so many new people, which has a lot to do with the weather. This means I
have also had to talk to a lot of new, random people which is still
very uncomfortable, but gets easier everyday. Sister Speakman is
absolutely fearless and is just so sweet, I can't help but try to do the
things that scare me with her there.
It
has been fun getting to show Sister Speakman where everything is and
getting to introduce her to all out amazing investigators. Thank
goodness I learned a lot from Sister Hall or this would be a lot scarier
haha. It has been fun too getting to teach all the cool people Sister
Hall and I had found recently. There is a lady named Carrie who is very
active in her church and at the end of our first lesson with her we
asked if she would be baptized when the Lord answers her prayers about
the truthfulness of our message. Her response was definitely not what I
was expecting. She said, "You know, I have been thinking about that. I
am pretty upset that I would have to leave my church if I did find out
this was true, but the truth is more important right?" She doesn't know
it yet, but she is totally getting baptized very soon. And Mike is this
sweet guy who has so many wonderful questions. He has such a genuine
desire to learn and accepted our invitation to be baptized next month!
He has a long way to go, but it is wonderful what can be accomplished
with the Lord's help and a goal to shoot for.
We
have been biking a ton lately, probably more than I ever have while I
have been here. It's really fun when you are riding along a scary road
and some members of our ward drive by and cheer you on. I love when
people love us! And biking is honestly how we have been able to meet so
many people out an about lately. There was this lady the other day who
we were trying to talk to, but she was in a rush and just really did not
want to talk to us. She stopped just before she ran in her house and
said, "You know, Jesus and I are tight" and closed her door (definitely
the quote of the week). A few minutes later she runs back out of her
house, apologizes for not making time for the Lord's work, and asks if
she could pray with us. So we stopped right there on the sidewalk and
prayed together. How crazy is that?! And I had someone yell at me and
slam the door in my face for the first time this week, it was awesome.
We
just keep pushing on and I am loving life. I love being a missionary!
Something I have been thinking a lot about lately comes from the Book of
Mormon.
Ether 12:27
"And if men come unto me I
will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they
may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble
themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have
faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
There
are a lot of things about life that are hard, and sometimes we feel
that what is required of us is so much bigger than ourselves. Honestly,
it is probably true. The Lord gives us these challenges so that we will
remember to be humble, and if we choose to rely on Him through those
times we will be blessed. There are so many times throughout my day
where I remember that the work I am doing is so much bigger than myself
and I am merely an instrument in the Lord's hand. I can only be
successful if I rely on Him and I can see how much I am being strengthened and growing in the process.
I love you all, just keep smiling!
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| Sister Speakman and I |
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| Grocery Shopping! |
