ALL ABOUT THAT JAZZ: SO MANY MIRACLES!!

Hello!!

Well! This week has sure been an interesting one... haha. We have felt like all of our investigators are just dropping off the face of the earth. For instance, we aren't teaching Becky as frequently because she let us know that the things that we are sharing with her aren't helping. But we know that that is because she isn't doing the little things like she used to. It seems like she just isn't trying anymore... Another prime example is Jessica. We hadn't been able to get a hold of her for a week or so. So finally we just decided to stop by. We talked to her and she told us she just "wasn't Mormon". (We were thinking "yeah... we know. That's why we're here.." haha) but she told us she really likes everything about the church but she just doesn't really want to be taught anymore... SO! We got her address she was moving to which is still in the stake (thank heavens) and told her we would drop by to give her a CD a member gave us for her. So yeah. That's that. THEN! We also hadn't been able to talk to Zeiahne for a long time. We finally stopped by at a time she was home. We invited her to church and she said she was going to a Catholic Church with another lady. But she told us we could still come teach her just like the Jehovahs Witness' do...

WHAT IS LIFE! Haha. We also invited O'Ryan to church. Then we called him Sunday morning and he said he wasn't able to come cuz he bit his tongue when he had a seizure the night before....

but yeah... that's my pity party! Hahaha! I still love being a missionary though! It's absolutely the best thing in the world! I wouldn't trade this experience for anything!

Along with all of those things however, came a miracle. Sister De Leon has been having super creepy dreams and stuff so I had been telling her she should get a blessing cuz it had been really bothering her. She just kinda brushed it off which we all do, ya know. Haha. It's normal. But Saturday night we were just stopping at the church so I could relieve my waters before we went to our appointment with this member family who asked us to teach them. So when we got to the church we saw that Elder Behr and Elder Davis were there too. Elder Behr asked how everything was going with the work because he's our District Leader so he knows our investigators and stuff. So we told him what was happening. Apparently I'm still terrible at hiding my emotions so he could tell I was a little discouraged and was beating myself up. (It happens too often, at least that's what I'm told) ☹️ He's so kind though. He told us we were doing incredible work and he kinda chastised me a little for beating myself up and stuff. Haha. He then asked about Sister De Leon and her dreams. She explained that it hadn't changed and then I mentioned to him that I felt like a blessing would totally help. We asked if they had time, they did. And it was another little miracle that our appointment had just been pushed back a half hour, which worked out PERFECTLY!

They gave her a blessing and it was a beautiful blessing! Ah! The spirit was so strong. It poked me to ask for a blessing too. I can't even tell you. I don't think a blessing has ever made an impact on me quite the way this one did. I felt SO much love and I felt that Heavenly Father was proud of me even though I felt like I had been falling short left and right. It was incredible. Because of that blessing, I was able to feel the fire burning again. I have had this renewed since of desire to git 'er done!

️ it was really powerful! I am SO grateful for the priesthood. But not only the power and authority that a priesthood holder has, but for the worthiness that Elder Behr and Elder Davis displayed. It's just amazing that these young men hold Gods power and that they are worthy of it. As President Marston would say, "they are the peculiar of the peculiar". But anyway! That was just a HUUUGE blessing this week. I didn't realize how badly I really needed that blessing. Man! So grateful.

As I have been pondering upon my week I have realized that so many miracles have come. Like yesterday, we felt prompted to see this less active girl named Gabby. Well, we had attempted to visit her before but there was never an answer. But today when we went by, we realized we had been knocking on the wrong house the past couple times! *face palm*

BUT! I do not believe in coincidences. If we had gone any other time but that time, we wouldn't have been able to talk to her parents first. Which was very important that we did so. Her mom is a less active member but her dad, we aren't sure if he is a member or not. But they talked about how she has autism and is very uncomfortable in big groups of people or anyone new. It was awesome to have talked with them and got to know them. So that was an awesome miracle.

So many of the miracles this week were so small. If my heart hadn't been touched so deeply by that blessing, I wouldn't have been able to recognize what the Lord had done for us. I would've just been throwing my own pity party and feeling like I am just running myself into the ground. Until I turned outward, I really was totally blind. Hmm.. it's funny when the spirit takes hold of your fingers and teaches you something as you are writing. Haha. It really has been a good week, despite all of the struggles.

This week we had a bunch of meetings. Our Stake MCM, meetings with President, district meeting, meetings to plan for these meetings! Haha. Meeting out the wazoo!! But the main one was our Mission Leadership Committee Meeting. That was awesome! I always love MLCM. It is always so enlightening! We talked about the Restoration which is ALWAYS amazing!! I never understood it or had a real testimony of the Restoration until I got out here. I didn't know what it meant to know the Book of Mormon is true, or that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, or that he restored Gods priesthood authority that Jesus had while He was here back to the earth. I could never testify with such a conviction and with power that those things were all true before my mission. I believed it, but I feel it. I have had so many incredible experiences with teaching the Restoration. In fact! One happened this week! I'll talked about that in a sec.

So Elder Clarke and Elder Dean invited us over for dinner one night because we were starving. Haha. So at this members house they were planning on teaching a 16 year old girl named Sydney. Her grandparents and parents were members and everything; she just had never been baptized. But at the end of dinner, Elder a Clarke turns to me and he's like "you're gonna teach her the 1st lesson...". I was like "oh you guys are?" And he's like "no... you guys are." Hahah!! He totally gave us 2 minute notice because they had another meeting to be to. But it went SUPER well. Here's what happened!

Sydney:

We were able both to have an incredible lesson with Sydney. The Elders shared the Prince of PEACE video with her and the Bensons. It was powerful for Sydney because she felt the hope that Christ brings. After the Elders left we talked about the Restoration. Brother Benson told us more about how Sydney was raised and her background. She did go to primary and YW but wasn't ever baptized. Though she had attended church a lot of her life, her knowledge of the restoration wasn't super solid. She understood what "to restore" means and a little bit about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. As we shared the first vision, the spirit was super strong. Sydney felt it. Sister Benson shared her testimony of the Book of Mormon and Sydney said it really meant a lot to her to hear how her grandma feels about the gospel. We read the first and last 2 paragraphs of the intro, Moroni 10:3-5, and 2 Ne. 33:10. We talked about having faith in Christ and believing that these are His words. We invited Sydney to read from and pray about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. She said she would.

So yeah! That's pretty much my week! It was a hard one but definitely what I needed. Heavenly Father is so good to us.

️ I love my Savior. He has given my strength that is truly "not known among man"..

Thanks for all you guys do! I love you! I pray for you! Have an amazing week!!

Love,

Sister Hood