December 10, 2012

Hello!!!!

So many good things happened this week, I don't know how I am going to have time to write everything down!

So on the 7th, Elder Cook and Bishop Stevenson came to speak to the mission. It was sweeeet! We all got to shake their hands and we sat in the 2nd row. It was SO neat to be that close to an apostle and hear his personal testimony of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They talked about a lot of different things, mainly how we can be better misioneras. I will have to write you more about that stuff later.

Yesterday was the best day of my entire mission. Do you remember me telling you about Lori and J. S? They are nonmembers and their son in serving a mission in Italy right now. Well, I absolutely
love them and I have no doubt that they are one of the reasons I came to Arizona in the first place. Well, last monday we had a lesson with them and comitted them to come to church....and guess what??? They CAME yesterday!!!! That was a miracle. And that sacrament meeting was hands down the best I have ever been in. President Richardson (and past stake president that lives in our ward) talked about the wise men and how they know to come to visit our Savior. They traveled how
ever long of a distance and 'fell down and worshipped him.' He talked about how we all can be honorary wise men. A side note....he used the example of one of his daughters flying out to suprise his other daughter and how that act of service made her an 'honorary wiseman' (made me think of when Cristy came and suprised me :) He also used the example of the S's (he said their name over the stand and it was awesome!) and how their son serving a mission is an example of being an honorary wiseman and how he said a lot of things directly to them about their son serving and mission and it REALLY struck Lori hard. She started to tear up, J did too. Well he also said that we need to be like the wise men and fall down and worship our savior and follow Him. We chose to follow him before this life, but we have to make that decision once more ........another side note to this story. Each month we set goals as a companionship about how many baptisms we are going to have that month. This month we felt prompted to set a goal of 3. We have a lot of investigators that we could see being
baptized by the end (it is going to be a great month!) But yesterday during sacrament meeting Hermana L and I both knew that the S's were supposed to be baptized in december. After sacrament meeting, Sister L was talking to some one else and I was just sitting by Lori. I put my arm around her and told her "You know that the best gift you can give to your Savior and to your son serving a mission is baptism, right?" The spirit was so strong and through her tears she said she knew that. I asked her if she would be baptized on the 22nd of December. First she said no.....but then she said she would pray about it. She knows that it is true, she knows that she has had so many signs, but it is all up to her personal agency at this point. Yesterday she said that she knows Heavenly Father is trying to talk to her. Some one said her name over the pulpit, and she was sent someone with her first name to invite her to do these things (thanks for naming me Lori :)

After we stood up and left I told Sister L what happened and she was super excited about it, and she had no idea thats what was going on. Haha. It was the best day ever.

I also have a story to tell you about a guy named C. We talked to him for the first time in his garage about 4 weeks ago. Gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he would read it. Then we stopped by a
week after that to see if he had actually read it. He had and said that we should stop by later because he was busy right then. So we have been trying to find him at home ever since then and finally caught him there last night. When he came to the door he said that he just finished praying for comfort and then he heard a knock (coincidence? I think not) Well, he told us that he and his wife were
going through a rough spot in their marriage and that they were living in different houses a the moment and that he is moving up to scotsdale next week (which is not in our mission, I am super bumbed!) Any way, he said that his wife took the other book of mormon with her and he wanted another one. He said that he knows that it is a true book. He was so excited that his wife took it because he knows that it will help her out. Well anyway, he is golden. We are going to teach him
a lesson this week before he moves. The missionaries in scotsdale are SOOOO lucky:)

any way, I have to go, times up. BUT I love you all so very much. Sorry if this letter didn't make sense...I tried to hurry :) Love you all dearly and miss you mucho! It definitely does not feel like
christmas with the weather down here. It is pretty crazy. haha. LOVE YOU!!!