I first have to say that I can't believe school has already started!!! Where in the world did summer go?!
The ward was pretty sad yesterday... it went from being about 150 people to maybe 50, and next week it'll probs be more like 30 or 40. I will admit I had quite the trunky moment saying bye to everyone leaving to go back to BYU!! Its been a hard week. It feels like with all of our members, also went all of our investigators. We are being exactly obedient and getting 25 contacts each day. Its hard, and very exhausting. And we have felt that all we are doing is getting investigators for other missionaries. But I just keep pushing through because when the Lord asks for us to do something, we do it! :) And I know that we will see the blessings. I have come to know that we have times on our mission where we are here to strengthen other people's testimonies, and the past few months I know that we have been nothing short of that! But we also have moments where the Lord wants us to strengthen our own testimonies. I am in one of those moments! And instead of wishing things would get easier, I have learned to be very grateful for these trying times :) It always brings me closer to my Savior, and I know that's exactly what He wants for me right now.
I had a thought come to me last week to consider going home the October transfer instead of the December one. For english sisters and the transfer dates, you either end up being just short of 18 months, or just short of 19 months & most sisters recently have ended up going home the earlier transfer. I had never even thought about it before, but it was consuming all of my thoughts and driving me nuts. So we were in our apartment one night and Sister Loo and I started talking about it. I had been praying and praying to know what to do, and it was getting me down because I couldn't focus on anything else! And I wasn't getting an answer. I was praying to even know if it was Satan giving me these thoughts or if it was HF trying to tell me something. So that night, I had a dream- and I think it was the only time I have ever received an answer to prayer in a dream. President Mortensen had us all there for our going home interviews, and he handed me a stack of papers, and at the top of that first paper was written 'Departure date: Dec. 3'. I remember waking up that next morning and just feeling the spirit come over me, letting me know that there is still SO much for me to do here, and I will not stop until I have accomplished everything I have been sent here to do! This is His will for me. & that is my greatest desire. I came to know very personally that Heavenly Father ALWAYS answers our prayers, and we have to pay close attention in order to receive those answers. I know that there is amazing things in store during these next 3 months- which also means that the opposition is only going to keep comin! And we just say Bring it!
So our miracle for the week- Sister Loo and I were walking around an apartment complex last night trying to get our 25 contacts. There were these 2 guys with beer in their hands in the parking lot, and our usual reaction to that, especially when its getting late, is to walk the other direction. Sister Loo looked at me and asked if we should go talk to them, and I couldn't even respond before my body just started walking towards them. It was the WEIRDEST thing in the entire world. I felt like I had lost complete control of where I was going and the Lord was literally bringing me to them. So we start talking to them and asked if they had ever seen missionaries before, and one of the guys said yes and the other one walked away. So we got talking with this guy, just to find out that he brother served a mission in Scotland, and his dad was a Stake president! He went inactive when he was 15, and said he is no longer a member. He kept saying how embarrassed he was that he was telling us all of these things with beer in his hands, and that he wasn't planning on saying anything to us but he felt that he needed to. The spirit was really strong, and he told us that he knows he needs to get back on the right path & that he wants to take the missionary lessons. SO COOL!!! It was such a neat experience and it is such a good feeling knowing that the Lord was in control of the entire thing. He leads us to those who are prepared and who so desperately need the gospel. Every day my gratitude for having this gospel, this truth in my life is increased. We are so blessed!
We had quite the experience going with Kwaku to the temple for the first time! We were all sitting there by the font, watching a group of people be baptized who were before us. So Sister Loo and I are just reading our scriptures, and Kwaku was sitting by some members that came with us. We heard the usual names that you hear at the temple, like people who were from england, and some that were more hispanic sounding, and then out of no where we hear "Broken Arm". We all looked at each other and was like, did we hear that right? So we all look up at the screen where they show the names to the person who is doing the baptizing in the font, and realized that we definitely heard it right. Following Broken Arm was Willie Big Head Man, Mister Sage Woman, Yellow Hair, Tall Tree Looks Behind, & Red Bird Hairy Man. And that was only the beginning haha. No one could contain themselves so Kwaku and them had to all run into the bathroom because they were laughing so hard. It was probably the funniest thing to ever happen. Welcome to the temple Kwaku! hahaha. We found out later that those names were American Indians from some tribe in Montana and South Dakota. Pretty cool! But definitely unexpected haha. One of those moments that you will never forget :)
We had zone conference last week and my brain is STILL fried. President is really drilling this master teaching into us! Its hard because we have had to completely reprogram our brains to this new method of teaching and completely forget what & how we have been doing it since the very beginning. We did an hour and a half long practice teach and all had pounding headaches after haha. But it was really good :) President keeps telling us that its supposed to be hard and awkward and we are going to really struggle with it, but the more we do it the more I really am grateful for it and realize how powerful it really is!
I know that there are people here who are prepared and ready to accept this gospel. I also know that God has a plan not only for those people here, but for us as His servants. Miracles happen when we give up our own will and accept His :) I want y'all to know that I love this gospel with all of my heart & I love this work just as much! This is His work, and there isn't anything greater or more important that we could be doing :)
"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
... I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you. And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; (Mosiah 2:17-24)
Transfers are next week so we'll see what happens because something is bound to happen! ahhhh!
I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
xoxo
sister huber
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