June 27, 2017 "Anti- Mormon Picnic"

Anti Mormon Picnic

Hello family!

So contrary to your first impression of the subject for my week, we actually had an AMAZING week with SOO many miracles!

So last week I mentioned that we had this lego activity and all our people came and there was a 12 yr old kid Bren was like can I be baptized? Do you recall that?

well the story of that miracle just continued to unfold.

Tuesday night we were invited by one of our ward missionaries, Sister Hansen, to attend what she told us would be a "dinner and mingle" to which she invited all her nonmember friends and neighbors to come as well. So we're like sweet ok!

Little did we know this actually was a promotion/demo dinner of "How to Cook with Thrive-Life" (this freeze dried food company that another member in the ward sells).

You know when people have those "parties" to sell their jewelry or lula roe and stuff like that? Yeah that's what we had walked into. Sooo not super like missionary purposeful.. except that there were 6 of her nonmember friends there! So we're like ok well we can form some friendships here and so we did. We just chatted with the ladies and we're ourselves and all was dandy.

But the whole time I was just praying because I'm like ok Heavenly Father, you know our desires are to help people come unto Christ, and to find people to teach... and we have been here for an hour, so please consecrate our efforts and our time to thee. Please help us to know who will be receptive, or please let someone ask us questions."

As we were going to leave we were saying bye to all of the ladies there and this woman, Felicia (turns out she is Bren's mom) started asking us all about what we do as missionaries. She was blown away and just thought that it was the coolest thing! And basically we ended up getting an appointment to teach her and her family this week!!!!

But the miracle doesn't end there!!! Wednesday as we were on shift at the jail, I'm in the history room, doing a presentation. And from where I'm standing in there I can see through to who is coming in the door and GUESS WHO WALKS IN.

FREAKING BREN AND FELICIA WALK INTO THE HISTORIC LIBERTY JAIL!

Sister Draper was able to take them on a tour, give them a brief restoration, and gave them a Book of Mormon and a pamphlet! Felicia had a ton more questions but she will just ask us those when we come over is what she said :))

SO THAT WAS AMAZING.

Also that night the Russells (my fav family on the planet) had us over for dinner and arranged this whole lessons with a less active lady and her unbaptized children! We taught them the Restoration and the spirit was so strong!! We are still trying to see where they're at with wanting to progress and learn, but we're hopefully meeting with them again this week!!!

On Friday, we did a TON of service and had a couple appointments fall through, BUT we got to help out a members friend and potential investigator pack boxes at her house. So that was sweet ... but then straight from that we went to the Greens and Melissa fed us lunch, and since she LOVEESS to quilt - and she's a master at it - we asked if she would show us how to do something simple. So she showed us how to make pillowcases for a charity!! It was awesome because we got to hear her conversion story and really got a feel for how we could help her. I love Mellissa!

Ok now I can explain the subject line, haha.

So the same member Sister Hanson (invited us to the promotional dinner) ALSO schemed to have us come and have dinner with her that Friday night - which would really be us attending this Christian Society & Homeschool Club picnic .....

where Mormons aren't officially allowed to join. Sister Hanson is basically just this vicarious member (I don't really understand it all)

But sister Hanson was like trying to prep us and telling us to be super chill. She's like "do you think you could wear pday clothes? Do you have to wear your tag??"

UM .... yes.

Lol but anyways so we get there and we're tryna act all cool but like don't know what to do bc we can't proselyte and these people are like why the heck are you here....

Plus sister Hanson is like "oh I forgot about this lady who is a member of the club and she seriously is anti Mormon" ok so ya it was pretty interesting.

But we survive and minded our own business but was friendly... and this lady ended up coming up to us and asking about what we do and she said she actually had accepted a Book of Mormon from missionaries in the past!

So kinda neat.

Ok the last awesome thing this week was on Saturday we had exchanges and I was with Sister Wilkins! It was so fun. But that day on shift I had the best tour I literally have ever taken. The spirit was SOOO strong and we were just all crying together.

At the beginning I had shared a quote from a talk I really liked. It talked about trials and how any single hard thing in life is out there to give us the opportunity to "apply the teachings of Jesus. As we do so, we become more like Him."

I shared that as these college kids were joining the tour. (Ps. One of them was definitely in one of my classes at BYUI - he looked too familiar, but anyway)

After the history, one of the guys comes up to me and asked for the quote I shared, and then proceeded to tell me how just before this they had gone to the temple. In the temple he was reading D&C 121-123. And right before they came into the jail, he had stopped his friends and asked if he could just say a personal prayer. In that prayer, he asked Heavenly Father to help him to know why these men had to go through this, and why we have to endure trials. And then they walked into the jail, and he told me that seriously within 60 seconds, I had answered that prayer for Him.

People, the Spirit is real. It guides us and directs us and helps us to know what to do.

Heavenly Father knows what we need, and who needs us. He will consecrate our efforts, our desires, our afflictions for our gain. (2Ne 2:2)

As we try our very best, He unfailingly will make up the rest.

Love you all,

Sister Bleak

Things to read:

Article from this past ensign (July 2017) "Put the Savior First"

PICS:

BTW the Petersons took us to lunch last week on pday and it was wonderful