ALL ABOUT THAT JAZZ: SUPER MOTIVATING & TRUE!!

Hey-ohh!

Welp. This week was a tiny bit rough.. Hahah We didn't really meet with anyone on date because all of them are kinda bailing on us. But we did have some great things happen. I have this quote hung right in front of me as I study. It says, " you have the Savior of the World on your side. If you seek His help and follow His directions, how can you fail?" That's by Gary E. Stevenson from the April 2014 General Conference.

super awesome quote!! Another one I have by my desk is "I am a child of God. He, through a living prophet, called me on this mission to succeed, not fail!" BAHH!! I love those.. Super motivating and completely true!! Just because it gets rough and we want to curl up on the side walk and take a nap because 6:30AM is too early and our bodies do not want to go for our morning run, doesn't mean we should curl up on that side walk like a hobo!!! (And yes, I was tempted to do that...) A BUMP ON A LOG GETS NOTHING ACCOMPLISHED!! So... There's your motivation for the week!!

hahaha.. That's what kept me going.

And the icing on the cake was yesterday... So at church they have a dinner calendar they send around in Relief Society. It normally doesn't get to Primary or Young Women's so we asked the lady "in charge" of it if we could just run it over there. She said we could - so we did and left it there to go around. So we went back into Relief Society and sat down. Then she comes up to us and asks us to go out in the hall with her then she REEAAMMMED us.. Seriously.. I don't think I've ever been chewed out like that... Keeping the my mouth shut and not letting the SASS bust out was the hardest thing I have ever had to do... It took every fiber of my being.... Man!!

Ok! We did meet with Carlos. And we had Jesus come since he is now a member!!!! It was AMAZING!!! Ah man. It was awesome to see him in the other side of things!! THEN!! He also took Carlos to the Spanish Ward!! Ah! It makes me so happy..

But the highlight was seeing Sister Guest stick her head under a hose because it was so hot - HAHAHAH!! It was the most random thing of my life - Love her!! Then how we found our new 'gator! So Sister Guest was driving us home and turned down some random alley. And she saw some grapes hanging over the fence and stopped to admire them. Then she was like Ah!! We need to go beg for those grapes!! So backs back down the alley and pulls up to the house and bangs on the door and told the girl that she was there to beg for grapes. Long story short, the girl welcomed is in and she felt the spirit hard core and it was great!!! She invited us back! Then bailed.....

Also!! Sister Reid's daughter Courtney's boyfriend, Austin has agreed to meet with us!! O man. So we had dinner with them and we showed him the Because of Him video! (You need to watch it right now if you haven't seen it!!!) Sister Seely and I testified of Christ and asked Austin how Christ has helped him. Then I asked him if he wanted to meet with us and he was super excited about it. He said the gospel is just super powerful. He has been coming to church with them for a long time and he said that he has been interested for a long time but didn't really have an in until he met the Reids. But it's so cool! We could have him on date the first lesson I think. He is so ready!! So awesome!!

So. This is something Emily (a member who is my age) shared with us yesterday. It is amazing and it made me cry as I read it. I had actually been thinking about this a lot this last week. What would it be like meeting the Savior face to face... It is too much for my little mind to comprehend. All I know is I want to be embraced and feel what Melvin J. Ballard felt in his sacred account of meeting the Savior in the temple.

"I love to contemplate what it cost our Father in Heaven to give us the gift of His Beloved Son, that worthy Son of our Father, who so loved the world that He laid His life down to redeem the world, to save us and to feed us spiritually while we walk in this life, and prepare us to go and dwell with Him in the eternal worlds. … I recall an experience which I had … , bearing witness to my soul of the reality of [the Savior’s] death, of His Crucifixion, and His Resurrection, that I shall never forget. … I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night in that sacred building, the temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious personage, and, as I entered the door, I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious being my eyes have ever beheld or that I ever conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, He arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and He smiled as He softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile. He took me into His arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! When He had finished, I fell at His feet, and, as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. The feeling that I had in the presence of Him who hath all things in His hands, to have His love, His affection, and His blessing was such that if I can receive that of which I had but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I ever hope to be, to feel what I then felt! … I see Jesus not now upon the cross. I do not see His brow pierced with thorns nor His hands torn with the nails, but I see Him smiling, with extended arms, saying to us all: “Come unto me!” (In the Dec. 2014 ensign, titled "I Know That He Lives")

His unreal experience made me think about meeting Him. This lady that we met yesterday was also talking about meeting the Savior. How she said it has stuck with me. She said something like: "I would be so tickled to meet Him and I would just give Him a big, big hug until He tells me that I can stay..." I love that!!!! I can relate, as I'm sure we all can, because who doesn't want to stay with Him. I know that's what I want. We are so blessed to know what we need to do for Him to tell us that we can stay with Him. I think often times I take the gospel for granted. But man. It's so amazing and overwhelming to think about!!

I had another experience with telling someone they are a child of God. Her name was Emily. She is a members granddaughter that came to visit. She's 10 and has almost no exposure to the church. She was asking us what missionaries do and stuff so I told her that missionaries teach people about Jesus. And she was like "oh. I don't believe in Jesus anymore.. He didn't answer my prayer when I asked Him to heal my foot when I sprained it.." So I felt prompted to tell her she is a Daughter of God and that her Heavenly Father loves her so much. And that He doesn't always answer our prayers how we want. She just sat there and Sister Chambers was about to say something and Emily said, "Wait Grandma! I have to think about this for a minute!" You could see the Spirit working in her a little bit. Then she said, "No He's not. He doesn't have time to be ALL of our Fathers.." Then I told her that He does and He wants to be part of our lives and He will always have time for her. Then she just kinda looked at us and was like "Well I'm going over to Tina's house!".. I have noticed as I've been out here that when people feel the Spirit for the first time they get super uncomfortable. That's what happened with her. So we know she felt it.

Like I was saying last week, one of the best ways to bring the Spirit is to testify to Him and of His divinity. The Spirit was really strong. It is always awesome!! But it broke my heart that she felt that way. Everybody needs to know that God is not a mean God. He is our loving Father. If y'all haven't seen the video "Earthly Father, Heavenly Father" you need to go watch it RIGHT NOW!! I love the quote at the end that says something like 'of all the names there are to call God - He has asked us to call Him Father' AHH!! Everybody needs the gospel!! It makes me so sad that people don't know their Savior or their Heavenly Father! I invite all of you to get to know your Father in Heaven and your Savior better than you do now! Seek Him and as the Savior says in D&C 88, "draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you..."

Here is a quote from the Fourth Missionary that all of you should just soak in because it is amazing!! "Do you see that only in losing yourself, may you find yourself; only by enriching others, may you be enriched; only by giving may you receive; only in surrendering may you become free?"-Fourth Missionary

So yeah!! That was this week! It was alright!! Just had its rough patches! I also had interviews with President and I just love him so much!! He is great! He gave me some solid advice that answered prayers!! Also!!! Sister Lequia cut my hair! Shorter than I had hoped... BUT!! I think it looks cute!! And it's nice cuz it's so hot all the time! But yeah!! I'll shoot y'all some pictures! Love y'all!! You guys are ALWAYS in my prayers. Oh!! And momma, transfers are in August. It's pretty hot but I'm good. My foot is still cooperating. Me and Seely have fun!

lots of funny moments!! Welp! Have a good week family & friends!