Whom The Lord Calls, He Qualifies

Hey y'all!

Well, so much to say about this week! Honestly, it was the best week of my mission so far! Amazing miracles are taking place left and right and I just feel so humbled and blessed to have this opportunity to serve. I wish I could express more of my gratitude for everything, but instead I am just going to start into my experiences, I think they will be able to get across what I can't seem to put into words...

 

On Tuesday of last week we went to dinner at a members home who doesn't go to church all that often, none of her husbands family are members and all speak spanish so it made the appointment extra fun! They were so kind and had a fun time with our broken words in spanish (hola & como estas was about all that I had to offer). After dinner she loaded us up a huge plate of leftovers to take home and we made our way to go find some people to talk to. We noticed we were out of gas so we stopped at the gas station to fill up the car, when we were in the gas station a lady started talking to us and she asked us to keep her in our prayers. We told her that we would love to come to her house and pray with her and teach her, she then, with tears in her eyes, told us that she is homeless and that she is living out of her car. She also told us that she is very happy with her church and that they are very kind and supportive to her. We gave her our card and told her to call us if she ever has any questions. When we got back to the car we realized we had this large amount of lasagna and realized that she needed it far more than we did, we took it back to her and told her that we want her to have it. She hesitated for a second and then looked at us, with tears in her eyes again and told us that it would feed her for a few days. We gave her a hug (and a book of Mormon) and left. What amazed me about this experience and what struck me was that even though there are hard moments while serving, I would never have these opportunities if I wasn't on a mission! Sure... I'm not always going to have a million baptisms and not everyone is going to want to hear more, but I get to serve people. That is a miracle in and of itself!

 

Another blessing of missionary work is working with people who don't come to church often. This is one of the most rewarding things and I know that it is of great importance! A few weeks ago we found a less active member by accident while we were tracting! Another miracle! She had some very tough things going on in her life, which was why she decided to stop going to church. This week, both Sister Hamilton and I felt prompted to go to her home... and when we knocked on her door she exclaimed "I was hoping it was you!" She said that her heart is getting softer and that she has been thinking about all of her experiences and feelings that she had at church, and knows that one day she will be ready to go back! She also said that she needed us the first time we came, and needed us that day as well because she has kidney stones and has been feeling very sick. It is honestly so amazing how the Lord works! We vistited her again, because we knew that transfers were coming up... she told us that she knows the reason we clicked so fast, the reason that we love each other already, the reason we are familiar to her... and it is because we met before we came to Earth and told each other we would find and help the other. She said then said the sweetest prayer I have ever heard and blessed us to be able to help people feel as loved as we have made her feel. I know that meeting Betty was a miracle, but at the same time it was planned event. The amount of love I have for her, even though I hardly know her, is unreal. How am I ever going to repay Heavenly Father for these amazing things that are happening to me? My heart is so full... and well, it doesn't stop there!

 

On Tuesday I got the phone call that I would be training.. Yikes. So let me explain what this means... I will be getting a missionary out the MTC and helping her become a missionary in the field! We will be companions for three months and basically I get to show her how to be a good missionary or a bad one. Don't worry.. I'll pick the first of those two options. Because of the large amount of Sister Missionaries coming into the field I am training at a VERY early age. In case you are wondering I have only been out for three months! I'm still green myself! Everyone has been telling me that I would train and I felt so scared and worried but after I got the phone call I had an overwhelming feeling of peace fall over me and the Holy Ghost told me that all would be well. So - that's good!

On Thurday I had a special meeting with everyone else who will be training and President Wolfert; after the meeting I felt even better about it and more confident that with the help of the Lord I will be able to accomplish whatever He needs! And as President Monson says, "Whom the Lord calls, He Qualifies". I'm certain I will have to tell myself this OVER and OVER again for the next three months! :) Please pray for me! I get to pick her up on Wednesday.

 

Well, the last miracle I want to include happened after that meeting... Sister Hamilton and I headed back into our area and went tracting (harvesting) .. We knocked on a door of a woman who was on the phone. Usually this means that you are not going to get in, but this time it was different! She hung up the phone and let us in to say the Harvest Blessing with her and her family. The Spirit was VERY strong and you could tell that they all could feel it! After I said the prayer we asked her if we could come back and teach her more in two days, she said yes and we introduced the Book Of Mormon to her and asked her to read the introduction. When we came back on Saturday to teach about the Restoration we decided that we would ask her, at the end of the lesson, if she would be baptized. I felt a little nervous about doing that, but knew that the Lord wanted us to. The lesson wasn't the best lesson that Sister Hamilton and I have ever taught, but the Spirit was strong.. and as it turns out, that is all that matters! The end of the lesson was coming close, and I knew that I had to ask her the question, "will you be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?" I tried my hardest to talk myself out of doing it.. but once again, knew that I needed to. So I did. And I expected her to say no. But she said YES. And then agreed to prepare herself to be baptized on AUGUST 10th. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face and neither could she! I said to her that we are excited... and more importantly the Lord is excited! This is our first investigator on date with a baptism in Johns Creek and I am just so grateful that the Lord is preparing so many people to hear this wonderful message!

 

I could write for days about other great events that happened this week but that would take much longer time than I have allowed! I have to conclude and let you all know that I am witnessing miracles and tender mercies daily. This is the most amazing thing I have ever done, sure, it's tough.. it is so GREAT!

 

This morning we got transfer calls... I already knew that I would be training but I was not ready for what I was told.... I will be leaving Johns Creek on Wednesday and not only going to a new area, but an area outside of this zone and OPENING IT. That means that I will do what we did in Johns Creek again, go in with absolutely nothing and hopefully be able to start up some great work with the massive amounts of help from the Lord! I will be serving in the Hickory Flatts ward which is in the Marietta East zone. I hear it's a little bit redneck and in the country! Remember when I said that saying will be one I live by, "Whom the Lord calls, He Qualifies". --- I wasn't joking! Please, please, PLEASE include me extra in your prayers! It is going to be so hard to leave Johns Creek.. this ward has been so amazing and the members and investigators have become my family. I am so blessed to have spent this chunk of time here and can only pray that I will be able to come back and serve here again. The other hard part about all of this is that I am leaving my trainer! Sister Hamilton is honestly the BEST Sister in the mission, infact, she is going to be a Sister Trainer Leader next transfer!!! She has taught me so much and is teaching those we are teaching so much! What I will do without her, I don't know! I hope that I can continue what she has has done for me, and teach my missionary as much as she has taught me in the past three months!

 

I love you all! Have a blessed week!

 

- Sister Beasley