This week I'm getting transferred from Fairhope to Atmore, Alabama, which is a little town about an hour and a half northeast from here. Words cannot describe how much my heart is in this place, how much I love the ward, the people, the places, and I will miss it so much- and I know that Atmore is where I'm meant to go next! I've only heard good things, so I'm excited to see what adventures lie ahead, what people God wants me to give my heart to there! I will miss Sister Evensen like crazy, and I'm excited to be companions with sweet Sister Russell who will teach me so much!
This week I've prayed for
opportunities to become more patient, and boy is there truth in the
promise,"ask and ye shall receive!" On Wednesday
of this week, Sister Evensen and I went to see if Tracy was home. For a
week and a half, she was MIA, not answering either phone and not at
home. This time, her fiance Dwayne was there, and told us she would be
home later that evening. However, when we came back later, no one
answered. We knocked some doors in the area and received a lot of
(mostly kind) rejection from fellow Christians. After about an hour in
the hot sun, with one last awkward conversation with a lady who clearly
didn't want to talk with us, we got in the car to head home, feeling a
little sorry for ourselves. So we prayed in our hearts for a miracle. We
soon saw a couple outside trimming their trees and bushes and waved. We
continued driving, but knew we had to turn around- so we did, jumped
out and offered to help the couple who gladly accepted. Leandro and
Elsie, an older couple from Cuba and Puerto Rico who told us they met
with three nice young men from our church last year! They invited us
inside, where we met a preacher Pedro and his wife who were staying with
them for a series at the 7th Day Adventist church they all attend. They
gave us water, Leandro played his harmonica for us, and we spoke of our
shared belief in Jesus Christ. It was such a refreshing experience in
contrast with the rest of our day! I was so impressed with the fact that
even though they didn't show super interest in our message, they showed
us true Christlike love anyway, welcoming us into their home, serving
us, praying for us. They were some of the truest Christians I've ever
met. Sister Evensen and I wondered, if I met two Jehovah's Witnesses,
would I let them into my home to show them kindness and generosity, even
if just to let them feel loved?
They agreed to do a church swap with us, so on Saturday
Sister Evensen and I went! The people there were so kind to us! Pedro
presented his study of health according to the Bible, which was
basically the Word of Wisdom! However, he backed the Bible verses with
scientific research on the harm of tobacco, alcohol, etc. It
strengthened my faith, knowing that God revealed this law to Joseph
Smith decades before people knew how harmful those substances are!
Back to Tracy- on Thursday
we decided to see if she was at the pizza place where she works. She
was!! We set a return appointment, had an awesome lesson where we
promised her that she would receive answers to questions at church, and
she and Dwayne came! They told us that on the way they had to stop for
gas. There, they met a woman who walked up to Dwayne (who has
dreadlocks) and told him, "After getting gas, I felt that I needed to
stay here a little longer and look for a man with dreadlocks- God told
me to tell you that your family situation is going to get better."
WHAAATTT??? And on their way to an LDS church service, nontheless! If
that's not a direct answer to prayer, I don't know what is! One of
Tracy's questions has been, "is this where You want me to be?" And also,
she has been pleading for help with her broken family. God's promises
are real, friends!! Ask and ye shall receive! God is simply waiting to
pour out blessings upon us- instead of putting up the umbrella, let's
let Him shower them down! All it takes is asking in faith and doing what
He asks of us. I love you all!
Here's the link to a video about receiving God's blessings that y'all should watch: https://www.mormonchannel.org/
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