Hey Everybody!!
Happy 4th!!! 
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅 
Well!! It has been quite the week! It was interesting because these past couple weeks we have been in the middle of one of those blocks you just get sometimes as a missionary. It was hard for Sister Whitesell because that was her first one and she blames herself. But really, a block sometimes just happens as part of a challenge of a mission! So I reminded her and myself, of course, that it happens to the best of us and it's not because we are doing things wrong or being disobedient.
It's just happens sometimes. We both felt like we were in a weird funk because of it though and felt like we needed to talk to Heavenly Father and get everything off. As a missionary, at least speaking for myself, I tend to just take on everything and hang on to it till I explode... haha.
Obviously that's not the best solution! But, I was able to unload everything and feel SO much better! Now we have been working so much better. The day after we both did that, we saw SO many miracles! Ah! It was amazing! We also found 4 new 'gators with a couple weeks of minding 1 each week. So it was awesome! Here's some of the adventures of this week!
So first, we tried to visit this lady who lives in a members laundromat. Yes, very strange I know. Driving there, I had passed the road.. as always. I really didn't want to do one of my famous U-turns.. and I almost didn't. I said out loud, "eh.. we can just see her later." The spirit jumped in and said. "Oh no you won't. You're gonna turn around." Yes sir!! Haha. 
Anywho, we got there we didn't find her. As we were walking out, there was a lady sitting right by the door reading a book. As I walked past her I observed this and made the assumption that she enjoys reading! Novel thought I know... (no pun intended! ) Well, the spirit and I often have conversations in my head! As noted earlier. (I'm not insane, I swear! It's just thing that I have developed!) I was thinking, "Hmmm. She obviously likes to read!"
The spirit just jumps in, "you have a book! Give it to her! Don't you dare walk out that door!" This was as we were half way out the door. I stopped and Sister Whitesell basically ran into me. I told her to go give her Book of Mormon to that lady who is less than an arms length away! She's awesome! She's just like okay and interrupts a random lady who obviously enjoying what she is reading.
We got to know this lady a little. Her name is Patty. She does indeed love to read. She was super open about taking the Book Of Mormon. We left her with our number and told her how much the Book mean to us and a little about what it is and carried on! It was awesome. That was one of the first strong promptings I had in awhile. Right place right time!!! WOO WOO!!
The next one happened like 5 minutes later! We were driving down the road. We found a roundabout! Oh man! If you know me at all, you know I love me some roundabouts! so, naturally we went around a few times just because sometimes you need to have fun!
I didn't know which way I wanted to get out though.. but Flume St. caught my eye so we headed down there. I remembered a referral lived on that street. We hadn't contacted her for awhile so we stopped by. I had to park a little down the road. So as we were walking up to this apartment building thing, this guy was sitting on a bench outside. We just kinda watched us walk up. We said hello and proceeded to push the button and talk to the lady.
We were treated by a "WHO IS IT!?" "The Sister Missionaries" "DO NOT COME BACK!!" typical! We just told her to have a good day and started talking to this guy in the bench. Well, it was super cool because he said he was interested in religion and that he was kind of looking for something but he doesn't really know what. He told us he would love to talk but his ride was going to be there any second.
So obviously, we were so stoked! Then, this old guy comes out of the building and starts talking to us. He told us that the Book Of Mormon doesn't go with the Bible at all. He asked us what happens after we die. I told him we go to what we call the spirit world and tried to explain more but he WAS NOT going to hear it. goodness me.
Then he was like well! Jesus, after He died, went to "hell" and taught spirits to release them. Then He was resurrected! *MajorFacePalm* I kinda laughed to myself because he literally just confirmed everything we tried to explain. But he was not going to have it. We tried to get away a million times. Meanwhile, the guy who actually wants to learn, is slowly moving away and a car pulls up. Sister Whitesell and I both just prayed that it wasn't his and that he would stay close enough.
Well, after we got done talking to that lovely gentlemen... we went back over to Ron (the guy who was actually interested) and walked with him over to the corner away from the other guy. We gave him a BOM and exchanged info. It was super cool!!!! Again! Right place right time! The best part is Satan did EVERYTHING in his power to make us lose Ron! BUT WE GOT HIM!!! Hah!!!! So satisfying! huge miracle! 
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Then! We met Alicia! We had tried to see her mom earlier. We met her last week but she missed our appt that morning. So we felt like we should go back! So we did! We didn't find Diane, it we met Alicia! she's super edgy! Green and purple hair, piercings, tattoos, ya know! All that stuff! She was like the nicest person ever!! We shared a message with her. She said she hasn't found a church because she feels like none of them accept her and come look down upon her because of her appearance. Well! We told her ours is very welcoming and don't care what you look like on the outside! What matters is what's in your heart! She seemed super grateful for that. She said she would come, but unfortunately, didn't make it. 
but! It was a miracle that we met her. ️ we have an appointment this week with them.
Last but not least, is Don and Jonella! Sunday we were finding just before din din. Something about an former investigators background info caught my eye. Weird because everything about it woulda normally turned me away! So we found this complex. It didn't have a number so we were planning on just tracting it because it was like 10 apartments! No biggy! Since it was fast Sunday, we were both a little less than energetic and weren't really feeling it. So I was going to look up another address, but my google maps just died on me!
Sooo! We talked about it and realized this is where we needed to be. So we started tracting and no one answered for the first couple doors. Then across the parking lot, a lady comes out. Well, you see, you don't have a second to lose! So I basically yelled across the parking lot to her! she was super nice! We talked and got to know her and then Don came out and he was hard core Catholic but SUPER awesome! We talked to them about things but they were just headed out. Jonella was like yeah!! Please come back! We want to know what you guys have to say! Don agreed so we set a time with them! After they left we knocked on a few more doors, no one answered except a guy who wasn't interested! So that's where we needed to be! ️
We taught Mariah this week! She is really struggling with her living situation.. She isn't able to find a place to live because she only gets 50 bucks a month, she's trying to find a job but no luck, going to school, taking care of Julia basically all the time.. so I think she is probably a little discouraged because if she isn't keeping the commandments she can't get baptized until we talk to President Ward about it! So that's the plan! We are praying that it will work out since they are not even together anymore.. so. Yeah. Pray for her. It's hard for her right now. She's so solid though! ️
Fun tracting story! So a week or 2 ago we went to this complex, knocked on this door and this lady answered and seemed interested. She asked the man there and he was super not nice... Haha. So we really wanted to go back to see if we could catch just her. So we went back. Welp, it was just him. for heaven sakes, it was so dramatic! So he opens the door and sees it's us and he's like "I don't believe I'm your (insert word here)!!! (Insert more words here.....) Go kick rocks!!!" Slams the door and punches it!
Wooooow! It was so amazing to me that two 20 year old girls with a certain name tag could make a grown man SO mad.. it was unbelievable! We just laughed it off though! Haha. It was the first time I had had the F bomb thrown at me 4 times within 10 seconds at the door. welcome to the mish! good rejection story though! Haha.
Well!! That's probably all the stories for this week! Everything else is going really well!! Mija and I are getting along great! We have deep gospel conversations all the time and get so much out of it! We have so much fun! I'm so grateful for her!
My spiritual thought today! Something I read last night triggered this thing I heard in Gospel Doctrine a couple weeks ago. (We go there when no 'gators make it...
) We were talking about the kingdoms of glory. They talked about who is going where. Something really struck me. We talked about how not all members of the church will make it to the Celestial Kingdom. There will be some we know, perhaps very well, that will not make it to the Celestial Kingdom. It made me realize on a deeper level that making and keeping covenants is essential.
When we are able to do our best to keep our covenants, which includes repenting when we fall short, we will be worthy to enter into the rest of the Lord! It is only through diligence, obedience, meekness and humility that we make it to our Father's presence. It's a scary thing to think about that just because your a member of the true church doesn't mean you get a free ride... OH no!
You are held to a higher standard! Now that you have the truth, you are expected to live it to the best of your ability! And of course we will mess up and fall short. Heavenly Father knows that and that's why He called our Savior, Jesus Christ in our pre-mortal existence. It's all part of the plan! But we have to pull our weight in The Plan to make it work how Heavenly Father intended it. My goal when I come home is to continue to be an instrument in the Lords hands and not take things for granted, as we so easily do as members.. anyway! Just food for thought. It really struck me and I felt like sharing. ️
I love you guys! Have a great week!
Love,
Sister Hood!
Let Him shine through you!
