My mission is amazing. Its hard but so worth it, plus because its hard it makes the rewards that much greater! I'm learning to see the Lord's hand in everything, and since I've been doing that, I see His influence all around me. He answers all of my prayers, I just sometimes don't recognize how He is answering me.
Miracle ~ Our investigator who just got out of jail wanted to come to church. We couldn't get him a ride for some reason! So literally as church was starting, we said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to help us get him to church. We then called our investigator about to tell him we couldn't find him a ride and the guy who was holding the door said, "Are you Sister's coming in?" We told him we had to call our investigator about church and he said, "I can give him a ride, just show me where he lives, I'll follow you." So we jumped in our car and quickly picked him up. Heavenly Father answered our prayer so fast! And we got him to church, just barely on time for the sacrament. We had to tug him in by his backpack straps, but hey, we got there! :)
We taught lesson four, the commandments, in record time to our investigator K. She is amazing! Everything we shared and testified of, it just clicked! We taught all of it and went through the baptism questions. She is so ready, its amazing to be apart of this. She knows that commandments are for our benefit and she is excited to make the covenant of baptism and open that gate to Eternal life! The Lord has prepared her to receive the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She is so excited for her baptism and has truly felt the Atonement in multiple ways. She shared with us how she repented and it was just like how Alma explained it in Alma 36:11-21. (Btw, random tid bit from Alma 36 that I learned... we have to repent & seek that forgiveness before we can change. :)) She also wrote down her testimony and conversion story. When I read it and saw "sister missionaries" written on the page, my heart was full. I could feel that God had used us, specifically prepared us, to teach K at this time. She has some extended family members who are members and she even said that missionaries had been to her home before but she simply wasn't ready. However, when we walked down her street and just started talking to her under her big cottonwood tree, testifying of eternal families and the Love of God, something stirred in her heart and she wanted more. She knows with all her heart that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true!!! <3 (She took a picture of her testimony for me to have, talk about a treasure from heaven! I'm keeping that forever. <3)
"Don't make me sing." Alrighty, so the elders asked us to sing at their baptism... and ya wanna know when they asked us? Monday at bedtime and the baptism was wednesday night. WHAT!? I was mortified and so was Sister McCallum. I don't sing in front of people especially last minute but how could we say no to a baptism!? Dang it, I wanted to say no but we knew we couldn't... so yeah... We were going to sing all four of us sisters together then the elders came to hear us practice and asked me to sing a solo.... A SOLO! 1st off, I didn't sign up for this. 2nd off, I don't sing alone! (I wanted so bad to call my mom and be like, Mom you sing like an angel, sing for me? I know if the elders would've heard my mom sing they would have asked her! But she isn't in twin... grr haha) :0 The song we chose to sing was perfect for the situation, "I need thee every hour." Yep, with this singing I kept thinking to myself, I truly do need thee when I sing. Oh I need Thee. Everyone needs thee in this hour when I sing. :P PLUS! President and Sister Curtis were coming to their baptism! AHH! So I prayed, prayed some more, then prayed again... For the courage to do something I've never done before. (The mission stretches you thats for sure.) As I studied & practiced the song, "I need thee every hour," I was to sing the 2nd verse which says, "I need thee every hour, Stay thou near by. Temptations lose their power when thou art nigh. I need thee, oh I need thee; Every hour I need thee! Oh bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee." Singing may not be that big of deal to other people, but for me its a big deal... so to sing the line, Stay thou near by, I could feel that my prayers were being heard and He was near. When we sang, He was there. The spirit was so strong that we ourselves had to keep from crying and seeing those listening to our voices, the spirit sang through us, there was not a dry eye in the room. <3 He heard my prayers and was with us. <3 Sister McCallum thinks The elders must've been inspired to ask to sing... Maybe ;) To say the least, I sorta overcame one of my biggest fears, singing in front of people but then I was told to sing more often and that we should sing at every baptism... I don't know hahah :P
We went on Exchanges this week. I was with Sister Lima here in Twin. (We got to drive up to Mountain Home & I got to see Sister Borgholthaus!!!!!!) Sister Lima a fantastic sister and her growth within just a few weeks is amazing! She has a strong testimony that changes hearts. We had an opportunity to teach the restoration. I let her lead out the lesson, she aced it! And I could see her confidence in teaching increase as the spirit worked through her, I love seeing that in missionaries, when they can feel they are God's chosen servants. She taught with power and when we testified of Joseph's smith's 1st vision... wow, our surroundings matched the reverence and power of our message... We were sitting at a park table, (I wish all of you could've been at that table with us! :)) near a busy road, but then all fell quiet. The wind gently whistled through the trees & sunlight peaked in through the leaves. In that moment, we all knew God was with us and that Joseph Smith's 1st vision is true... Joseph Smith says, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. As the light rested upon me I saw two personages, who's brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me calling me by name and said -pointing to the other- "This is my beloved Son hear Him.""
I know Joseph Smith truly did see God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and through him, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ restored their church once again back to the earth, in its fullness. I know we are God's children and He loves us. I know that anyone can come to know this too, if they are willing. God is watching over us whether or not we see it. The Lord wants all of us to return to him and He will never require anything of me that I cannot fulfill. (He will never require anything of you that you cannot fulfill.) Eternal life is within our reach because Christ's atonement is what made eternal life possible.
He made it in my reach.
Have a great week everyone!
<3 Sister Coats
PS: We heard we were on the news! :P See me?
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