Week 29

So, the amazing news from this week doesn't actually come from my area... but it comes from Poplar Bluff.

Do you all remember the family that I taught while I was there? A dad and his two kids? Well...

They are getting baptized!

AHHHH!

Here's how I found out! So, we were eating district lunch on Thursday after district meeting (we went to a Mongolian buffet. It was pretty good). And we got a phone call, and Sister Esterholdt handed the phone to me and said, "It's Sister Reed." To which my reaction was, huh? But the reason she was calling me is because they set a date with the family! Which is incredible! They are getting baptized on April 19, which is this Saturday. It sounds like they are quite excited.

On Monday, we had our zone p-day, and Sister Esterholdt and I got there on time... which meant that we were the first ones there and the ONLY ones there for about fifteen minutes.

After everyone else got there, we had an Easter egg hunt and watched a movie! Ephraim's Rescue! It was pretty good, about the Martin handcart company. Probably the only non-Church produced movie I'll see this year until Christmas!

Other exciting things this week... We taught our Bosnian investigator again. She says that she likes when we come because she gets good feelings :) which was great.

Then, I was craving pizza because it had been forever since I'd had pizza, so we got some Domino's pizza. Then, literally two nights in a row, members fed us pizza. After no pizza for months! There was a point where out of my last four meals, three had been pizza. Not healthy. Not healthy at all. oops!

We had some good lessons with members this week. One of the things that this bishop believes in strongly is having the missionaries help build the members. He believes that this helps build the kingdom, and baptisms will follow. Which seems to be working well for them!

The most exciting lesson this week actually happened last night. We set up an appointment with a less active member, and when we showed up, her non-member "boyfriend" was there. Except we think they got married? so her non-member husband. He is an ex-pastor, on disability now. So, we started talking (he enjoys talking) and we invited him to take the missionary discussions... and he said yes! He's not officially an investigator yet, because we weren't able to set a return appointment, but he seems very willing to learn. He has a lot of history with religion, and was obviously a pastor, so he might be an interesting person to teach, but he knows when he feels the Spirit! And he's had positive experiences with Mormons in the past.

As far as General Conference... I'd been hearing a lot about Elder Oaks' talk in Priesthood, so I went back today and read it. Wow! I liked this quote, of course: "When a woman—young or old—is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function."

I don't have the priesthood, but I have authority from God, to have power given to me by God, to preach the gospel. Heavy stuff! But great. It is amazing how God allows us imperfect people to help in His great and marvelous work. But then, He has always used imperfect people. I think that that can comfort us, and it reminds us that we DON'T have to be perfect! Thank goodness. I feel like as a missionary, there is a constant pressure to improve and become better. Which is great! But sometimes, when I hear that message, I feel like I need to be better so the work will go better. But it's not my work, it's the Lord's. And if I am doing all that I can, no matter how short I fall of perfection, the Lord will direct His work. The stone cut without hands will roll forward to fill all the Earth.

Paraphrasing Elder Bednar, "We need to appreciate that the Lord desires to strengthen us, heal us, enable us... It is not our job to carry along through sheer grit."

I hope you all have a lovely week, and that you have wonderful missionary opportunities!

Love,

Sister Barret