First of all, We found a wonDEERful new investigator ;)
We
went on exchanges and I got to serve another day with Sister Herrera!
That is three times now! And whenever we serve together it feels like I
am being reunited with an old companion :) The Athens Sisters have been
running a little low on miles so we would be biking a whole lot on
exchanges, which is fine with me because I love biking! Well, one of
their investigators named Don asked us to come see him and it was an
eight mile bike ride one way to come see him. But of course we went. He
lives up this long, windy, very hilly and steep dirt road which made for
a very fun adventure haha. We ended up walking up a lot of really big
hills, got chased by dogs down a good stretch of the road and I managed
to get stuck in the mud. And we ended up having a wonderful visit with
Don. We taught some, got to do service and even ate dinner with him. He
absolutely could not believe we even attempted biking to his house, and
he was kind enough to arrange a ride for us back home :) It was a
fantastic day!
Another
amazing thing! A little while ago we were knocking on someone's door
who had told us he would like to talk to us later that day, but he ended
up not being home. BUT there was a woman sitting on the porch next door
and we were able to talk to her! It was actually her mom's house and
she isn't usually there (not a coincidence) and she was interested in
learning more and said we could come back! Our first lesson with her was
amazing! She talked about how she has felt something missing in her
life lately, and wants God to be a bigger part of her family's life and
basically that what we were sharing with her was an answer to a prayer.
She was excited to receive a copy of the Book of Mormon and when she
said the closing prayer for our lesson she asked to know if it was true
as well as the things we had taught her, without any prompting from us!
How awesome is that?! The other night we were in the area and we felt
prompted to go see her and we were able to do some service for her as
well as meet the rest of her family :) They are so sweet and it never
ceases to amaze me how involved God is in the details of our lives. He
always leads us exactly where we are needed, to the people who are truly
seeking for His gospel. I am so grateful to be a part of this great
work! I am grateful I get to meet such special people and help them come
closer to Jesus Christ!
The other night added
to my list of favorite experiences from my mission :) We had a lesson
scheduled with our little friend Aries who is getting baptized soon!!!!
When we got there, we were surprised to see so many people in their
home. There was about 7 kids in the house haha so we taught them!
Aries's little friends were so excited to be able to participate and
read from the scriptures. It was a sweet experience, and by the end they
were asking if they could come to church too. It was especially neat to
see how excited Aries was to tell her friends what she knew and to show
them what she was learning. She is so good at inviting :) It really
shows how much she does value her testimony and that this is something
that means a lot to her :)
I
would like to leave you with a thought about our Savior :) He who gives
us strength, whose spirit comforts us and teaches us truth, and who is
the founder of peace and the source of all the sweet experiences we have
in life. In preparation for Easter, I have been studying about Christ's
Atonement, and these words from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland have really
stuck with me.
"As we approach this holy week—Passover
Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross,
Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be
more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not
only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in
faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is
difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus
Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may
be in, even until death,” for surely that is how He stood by us when it
was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone."
Christ's
sacrifice is infinite and perfect. He stands by our side, unwavering.
The least we could offer in return is to try our very best to be
committed to Him, and when we start to waver to call upon Him. I testify
that each time we do He will come to our aide. It may seem like a
daunting task to commit to being that faithful, always and forever, but the blessings we receive will undeniably outweigh any sacrifice. As we
live our lives to stand for Him, as He has laid down His for our sake,
we will be able to stand a little taller, be a little better, and live a
whole lot happier.
I love you all, just keep smiling!
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| Still Raining!! |
