Happy Saturday! I hope it's been as good for ya'll as it has been for me!
 |
| With Maleek |
This
week has been one of the best on my mission thus far. So many miracles,
tender mercies, heaven sent strength, and laughs. I've pondered on this
all week, and boy. I am SO grateful I came on a mission to experience
all these things!!
I love my mission so much
that every morning during companionship study, after we are done
singing, praying, and reciting our purpose and the first vision, I
clench my fists, hold them up a little and half yell "I LOVE THE GOSPEL"
with gritted teeth. OOHHH I LOVE IT.
But first of
all.... HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE INCREDIBLE DADS OUT THERE! But
most importantly, my daddy!! Oh, how I have been blessed with the best
of the best! LOVE YOU DAD!
 |
| Found 10 pennies within a couple minutes.... Lucky day for sure! |
SO. This week :)
On
Monday, I had the WONDERFUL blessing of going on trade off's with
SISTER ROHWER! Talk about the greatest reunion of my LIFE! You guys. I
can't even tell you how much I love her. It was a bittersweet reunion,
but an awesome one at that. She's going home this week due to some
really aweful health issues. While serving in Callaway together, we had
talked about how awesome it would be if we got to serve on campus
together, and that we wished that we could be companions at the end of
Sister Rohwer's mission... little did we know that was going to happen!
And, like always, we had a miracle of a lesson together on campus. The
unity just clicked like we hadn't ever been transferred. It was so
awesome. I'm so sad that she has to go home, but it's for the better. I
love her.
Also on Monday night, I overcame my dislike for
dodgeball and represented the missionaries on the court. Terrified out
of my mind, I was left as the last one standing TWICE. What the heck
team?! And, Our investigator, Antonio, the miracle gator, was there and
on the other team. haha it was so much fun though. I love the singles
ward.
Speaking of Antonio, he. is. AMAZING. We have had the
most INCREDIBLE experiences with him. I am so overwhelmed that Heavenly
Father trusts me with him! He is so prepared, and so ready to accept
the gospel. He is extremely dedicated to reading the Book of Mormon,
praying correctly, he registered for BOTH institute summer classes, and
comes to ALL the activities. He fits right in to our ward and is just a
solid investigator.
We also got a new investigator this
week. His name is Joseph and he is from West Africa. He came to the
United States 3 months ago without knowing a lick of english. I have SO
much love for him! And admiration. His english is so awesome, he
struggles a little bit, but boy. Props to him. We have taught him twice
this week, and they have been the most spiritually powerful lessons I
have taught. The first time we taught, we invited him to say the closing
prayer. He happily accepted and prayed in french. SUPER powerful. THEN
we taught him again a couple days ago, and he pulled out a notebook in
which he had written two pages worth of notes about the Restoration
PAMPHLET. incredible! We started to read the Book of Mormon with him,
and he was more than willing to try to read in English. Which, he did
incredible. After we finished 1 Nephi 1 we asked him if he had any
questions. He went on to say, "So, if I understand it right..." then he
goes on to explain the chapter in the most simple, beautiful way. We
were both speechless. He totally understood it. We invited him to say
the closing prayer and told him he could say it in French again if he'd
like. He replied "I think I'm going to try to say it in english today."
........ The most elegant, beautiful, most powerful, sincere prayer I
have ever heard in my entire life. Tears. My eyes were FULL of tears.
What an experience.
We also had an almost scary moment this
week as well, nothing too bad, but we decided to get blessings just for
a little extra protection and safety. What an incredible blessing. oh,
how grateful I am for the Priesthood, and worthy priesthood holders.
Wednesday
night at a dinner appointment, I had quite the "lexa moment". The
member was trying to teach us how to throw cards so they would shoot
across the room. Of course, I was like SAWEET! So I grab a card, try to
flick it (being the only one to try) and what happens? I hit the
container of raspberries.... RASPBERRIES WENT EVERYWHERE. If there
hadn't been a wall there, they would have flown for MILES. Of course.
Only me. haha everyone DIED. Sister Rindlisbacher had to get up and go
crouch by the door so she wouldn't pee her pants. haha and the member
about fell out of his chair as well as the other member that was there
with us. SO. Embarrassing. It's been quite the laugh haha
Cool
note: FSU was holding US Open Playoffs! Say WHAT! So we got to watch a
little bit while we took a break! It was AWESOME! It made me crave
tennis. Those player can serve crazy hard! It was so fun! Sister
Rindlisbacher is such a good sport!
Tender Mercy moment: as
we were walking to the church (20 minute walk) we were sweating, so
hot, tired, and a little bit done with the day, a white car pulled over
and rolled their window down. A lady, Tori, said "hey!! are you mormon
missionaries?!" since we were, she said "I follow this person named Shay
Carl from Logan, Utah! I just want to tell you ladies that you are
doing an incredible thing. Keep going, don't get discouraged. You are
doing something that will change the world." I was overwhelmed to the
point of tears. I have SUCH a strong testimony that Heavenly Father is
extremely aware of us, and will send us words of encouragement in all
ways, shapes, and forms. Tori... She will never know how much that
simple decision to stop and encourage the missionaries effected us.
Also,
hello 100* at 9:00 IN THE MORNING and 8:30 AT NIGHT. I wanted to die
this week. My walks were full of pleading prayers for strength and
endurance to just make it to where I needed to be. That was a miracle in
itself that I stayed standing. I KNOW I got help from the other side of
the veil.
To end, I want to encourage you to read the
talk: "The Path to Palmyra" by Matthew S Holland in this months ensign. I
read it this morning in my personal study, and my testimony of Joseph
Smith was once again confirmed. I want to share an excerpt from it that
says,
"In spite of failure, mishap, and bitter opposition--and in many cases precisely
because
of those things--Joseph Smith got exactly where he needed to be to
fulfill his mission. So, if now or on some future day, you look around
and see that other perhaps less-devoted acquaintances are succeeding in
their jobs when you just lost yours; if major illness puts you on your
back just at the moment critical tasks of service seem to come calling;
if a call to a prominent position goes to someone else; if a missionary
companion seems to learn the language faster' if well meaning efforts
still somehow lead to disaster with a fellow ward member, a neighbor, or
an investigator; if news from home brings word of financial setback or
mortal tragedy you can do nothing about; or if, day after day, you
simply feel like a bland and beaten background player in a gospel drama
that really seems made for the happiness of others,
just know this:
many such things were the lot of Joseph Smith himself at the very
moment he was being led to the stage of the single most transcendent
thing to happen on this earth since the events of Golgotha and the
Garden Tomb nearly 2,000 years earlier.
"But," you may say, "my life and earthly destiny will never be like that of the Prophet Joseph."
Happy Saturday! I hope it's been as good for ya'll as it has been for me! 
On
Monday, I had the WONDERFUL blessing of going on trade off's with
SISTER ROHWER! Talk about the greatest reunion of my LIFE! You guys. I
can't even tell you how much I love her. It was a bittersweet reunion,
but an awesome one at that. She's going home this week due to some
really aweful health issues. While serving in Callaway together, we had
talked about how awesome it would be if we got to serve on campus
together, and that we wished that we could be companions at the end of
Sister Rohwer's mission... little did we know that was going to happen!
And, like always, we had a miracle of a lesson together on campus. The
unity just clicked like we hadn't ever been transferred. It was so
awesome. I'm so sad that she has to go home, but it's for the better. I
love her.
No comments :
Post a Comment