It is me again, just another week in the Mission Field, finding and teaching despite the struggles and opposition that Satan throws our way, we were very blessed this week and have been able to see the hand of the Lord in this work. He has a sense of humor, because lately he has been putting us in the right place, at the right time, for people that we are trying to teach. even when they are avoiding us, the Lord will prompt us to knock on a door in another city and there they are... ha ha!! It is like the Lord is saying, "You cannot hide from ME!" People still unwisely use their agency, but it is still so cool. So much can happen in just 7 days.
Monday, we did the normal stuff. We did Zumba with the ladies in the ward. They are so funny. I also needed a haircut badly, so I went to Walmart for a cut... I look like a presentable person now. Yea! and then we started teaching.
The biggest miracle this week is Brian and Sabrina. I nick named them the Holy-Poleys due to their last name. They have been investigating very slowly for the last 4 to 5 months. We have put our sights on them. They have been in the back ground but with the business of work, and everything, struggle to meet with us. Well, we finally go to teach Brian on Facebook all alone, and we just starting teaching. I had been praying really hard lately because they needed a very specific but different formula of the lesson organization to progress. Some thoughts and ideas came about 3 weeks ago and I wrote them down. (Hint: Always write down spiritual promptings!! It helps!) We felt prompted to focus on the priesthood and the restoration. He understood everything and we got pretty deep, which is what he needs, because his brain is like a gospel sponge. We committed him to watch the 1 hour version of the prophet of the restoration. And then everything changed... The next thing, he texts us and we meet and he loved the movie so much that he watched it twice. Brian said that he loved the Book of Mormon, but now he loves Joseph Smith and said that he knows the Church is True!! We would baptism him in March, but due to a surgery, we have to wait until April. That's okay, he needs the surgery too. So, later in the week, we set up a church tour with him and his wife. They agreed and we showed them around. It was the first time they had been in a church for many years. Sister Seader played " I believe in Christ" on the piano in the Chapel. They opened up and asked a few questions, and without us knowing they decided to take us out to dinner and we got to know them more. They are really cool... and they really need the gospel. Both have had many crazy difficult things in their lives. They also came to Church. Both came for first hour, then went to more. We took the Ward Mission leader over that night and had a good lesson. Brian loved it. Sabrina is feeling the Spirit, but is still confused about many things. Brian said he will most definitely be coming to Church! People that come to church get baptized!!! Woop Woop! Still going to be a slow process with certain commandments, but we will get there. Huge miracle for us. It is not every week that you have a breakthrough with investigators. Go Brian!
Another miracle... the Spirit led us to an apartment complex in front of the Church and we have been tracting there lately and finding some super cool people. We are trying to work with schedules, but the people we found are sweet. First, we found this older lady who let us right in. She is a Methodist, but loves Mormons and had actually lost her copy of the Book of Mormon. So I gave her a new one and she was so happy that she cried because she missed her old copy so much. She lives all alone and has lots of health problems, and has lots of questions about the afterlife. We should start to work with her slowly. Her name is Lynn and for a 78 year old, she is as bright and smart as a 30 year old. Fun fact, her deceased husband invented the windows for the space shuttles. We saw his 7 US Patents on the wall. Also, another fun fact, they went to a MENSA Meeting a few year ago (MENSA is the Super IQ Think Tank) and it has been scientifically proven that when a person takes their last breath, the body becomes lighter.. not weight wise, but energy wise. So, super smart people agree that the spirit leaves the body at death and goes somewhere... how cool is that???
Hmm, lets see. Jim, Rachel and Will are all doing great. Jim loves ringing the bell, and Rachel is pumped up with family history and is getting her patriarchal blessing. We also did 2 to 3 generations with Will for his family history and he loves it. He does it on his own now and he might even get a family history calling. He developed a sore on his leg, so he couldn't come to Church due to all of the pain.... the poor guy. He cried because he was so sad that he missed Church. And then in his prayer, he repented and committed to be there next week. :) If only everyone did that !!!!
Wednesday was kinda slower, we did some finding. and found potential investigators. I can't believe that last year, I was paralyzed to go knock on someone's door and talk with them. Growth! We did get to go down to Pennsylvania in a thunderstorm to the Cicotti's for dinner. It was awesome, we got to watch the storm in this valley in this log cabin with huge windows and ate cookies. If only I could have stayed there for more than an hour, I would have loved that!! :)
Thursday was exchanges with the Owego Sisters. I spent the day with Sister Hawkins, and she is really awesome. Quieter and super sweet! We did some finding again, and we taught two really cool older ladies again. I hope we can get in again this week. We then did more tracting in a snow storm... which is fine. Snow doesn't even bother me anymore. :) Also, we taught that family that we shoveled the driveway about 2 weeks ago. They let us in and were very nice. They preparedness for the gospel is kinda 'iffy' though. They love alcohol and are strong Baptists. But, we will see what happens. It is so weird, just being in someone's home, you get to know a lot about them.
I had a few interesting less active lessons, I haven't had a whole ton of less active success on my mission. That is why we try our hardest to have people really converted before we baptize them.
Friday was Jim's birthday. We took him out to eat at Denny's and it was great.... until later that night when Brian told us to never eat there again and several other places due to unhealthy kitchen conditions. (Brian is a manager at a Friendly's which is a restaurant out here.) Apparently Denny's got closed for 3 days 2 months ago for cockroaches, thankfully that is why we bless our food! LOL.
We taught Roger, a super social awkward yet super adorable 70 year old man. He loves the gospel, but is so afraid of going to Church, that he doesn't want to learn. Then there is Jeff, the super humble construction worker, that loves the restoration, but also doesn't want to go to Church yet... So many people are in the beginning stages. We do a lot of finding and dropping, but at least we are still teaching and not just picking our noses.. haha.
The Lord is good. I have been reading in 2 Nephi and I can understand about half of Isaiah now! Improvement!! Better than nothing! This week will fly by with MLC and a trip to Syracuse... but plenty of time to teach the gospel!
The Church is True!!
Love,
Sister Kylie Williams
