Tender Mercy Miracles

Just when I thought last week was amazing and that it couldn't get better... God proved me wrong!  To start off this week we were able to watch a world wide missionary broadcast!  I know for sure I have changed as a person because before my mission I dreaded going to any kind of fireside or morning side.... and if I went I was pretty good at folding my tie up as a pillow and falling asleep on it on the bench in front of me! haha! However, this time I took like 6 pages of notes and felt the spirit just pumping through me!  I never thought that with such a short time left I could learn so many things that I can improve on!  Heavenly Father is definitely keeping me busy and wants to fine tune me until the end!  Elder Bednar gave a really sweet instruction about the Role of the Holy Ghost in our teaching.  As missionaries we are the tools for the Holy Ghost and Heavenly Father to Convert these people.  Sometimes missionaries think it is the other way around and that the Holy Ghost is one of their tools to convince people.  Without the Holy Ghost it is impossible for some to learn the truth for themselves.

 

Another "God Smack" as my Recent Convert Sheila L** would put it...

In the Broadcast they talked about mining the Gold mine which is finding through Less Actives and Recent Converts.  We call them LARCS.  Elder Houghton and I have been relying on our own efforts of finding lately and we realized we needed to work through LARCS! We did it this week and found more than we ever have together!  There are always non members living in less actives homes and if not then most of their friends are non members!

 

So I went on Exchanges out of my area this week and God had some serious tender mercies planned out for me.  I was working in the Somerset ward in Lancaster.  Elder Parsons told me about this African family they were teaching so of course I asked which part of Africa they were from... and you guessed it!!!! They are from Sierra Leone!!!!  They didn't have a lesson planned with them for that day so I had him text them and ask if we could come anyway. They texted right back and said "come on over!" I BEEN TALK KRIO!  AYYYY BO! I Been so Gladi Teh I no able stop for show me teeth!  They lived in such a nice house and as soon as we went inside I saw the mom cooking in some pla sauce pots on the stove! I just yelled OW DI BODI! She turned and said OW DI BODI... and then I said BODY FINE, KUSHE KUSHE! She just burst out laughing and smiling!  She was so surprised to hear me talk krio!  We had a super great conversation! I took some pictures with them but it wasn't on my camera so hopefully I can send it tomorrow!  We read Alma 32 with Na Na.  The spirit was so strong. I forget how spiritually in tune Africans can be!  At the end of the lesson he couldn't stop smiling and said I just feel so happy!  "What do you think that feeling is Na na?" His response, "I know it is from God."  Me know say that God 'en spirit been de de!

 

Well, I thought for sure that had to have been the ultimate blessing for the day... but once again... God always has more in store!  We had a lesson planned with none other than J** C**!  He has been living in Lancaster for the last little bit and the missionaries have begun teaching him again!  He still has his struggles... but he is doing all he can at the moment to get baptized!  I gave him the biggest hug ever! It was so good to see him and catch up!  He is still just the biggest teddy bear!:)

 

J** M** is moving right along! She has gone 2 full days without a cigarette! This is the first time in 4+ years that she has done that! She wants to be baptized and her actions are proving it!  We have the freedom to choose. Our will power is stronger than the temptations of the Devil.  We will never be tempted above that which we are able!

 

On Exchange with Elder Tolutau I had this random spur of the moment thought.  We were in a rush to dinner but hadn't found a new investigator yet so my thought was this...  Why haven't we ever tried to contact someone while we are in our car?! We gave it a shot and the 2nd man we pulled up next to accepted a Book of Mormon, listened to us share the restoration, accepted a baptismal date, and told us to come back tomorrow!  Drive thru Restoration lessons!!! You can get an investigator in less than 7 minutes with the leisure of sitting in your car! hahaha

 

Saturday night at 8:45 we were in an area stopping by someone else when we saw lights on in this house we had received a referral for on Dec. 29th but had never been able to contact.  We felt prompted to knock on the door so we did.  J** and M** came to the door.  J** lost her 1 month old baby on Jan. 3rd.  She had never talked to missionaries before and had no idea who we were.  We have no idea where or who this referral came from but we both agreed that it was from God.  She was quite emotional but thankful that we stopped in.  She hadn't been to church for a really long time so she promised that she would go to church the next morning.  That is the amazing spiritual part. Now for the funny part... We texted her as sacrament meeting was starting and found out that she was at church!.... but She went to M**'s church in Lancaster! haha! So Close! We will go by this week and help her to understand the restoration a little bit better than she does now;)

 

This week we will be heading up to Mammoth Lakes to go on Exchange.

No better place to spend my birthday than in the mountains!:)

 

Love Elder Crandall the Vandal!