June 10th, 2013

Dear Family,

 

My new comps name is Sister Henderson. She is awesome and beautiful and I think we're going to get along well. Poor girl, I just feel bad that she got stuck with me haha. She is from Pocatello Idaho. Something really cool that she did last summer was be a cook at Jackson Hole Wyoming for a camp/western show thingy. She's pretty awesome.

 

I'm pretty sure this has been one of the hardest weeks of my life. But it's okay. Because now it's all better :) Being a trainer is way hard and I'm terrible at it and super overwhelmed by trying to be a good teacher/trainer when I don't even know how to be a good regular missionary haha. But the Lord knows exactly what I can handle and knows exactly how to help me and I need this experience so I can learn how better to rely on him. I was reading in the Doctrine and Covenants this week and I came accross a beautiful scripture: 

 

"Therefore, continue your journey and let your hearts rejoice; for behold, and lo, I am with you even unto the end...therefore let your hearts be comforted; for all things shall work together for good to them that walk uprightly" (D&C 100:12,15).

 

It was exactly what I needed that day. And it made me get a little misty eyed (that's sayin something because for some reason I can't really cry anymore). The Lord is with us when we do our best.

 

But really this week has been awesome. We had some pretty neat experiences. And some funny ones ;)

 

On thursday we went to visit a less active. We have never been able to meet her, so on our way I told Sis Henderson-If she isn't there we are going to do a 5 point knock because there is a reason we keep on going there. She wasn't there. So we knocked the houses around and no one answered. ON the last house that we knocked we were walking away when the guy came around the side of his house. We said hello and began talking to him. It turned into a 45 minute conversation and he was super anti mormon you can get. I think he's read every anti mormon literature ever produced and it was awful! It's crazy how much it can hurt you when people say nasty things about the church. But about 20 minutes into the conversation he started to soften a bit. And we were able to bear testimony to him of what we do know. Poor man. He is so miserable. But we challenged him to pray to know if God is there-if he loves him. And then we left. About 3 hours later we were walking down the road it a completely different part of our area. We heard someone honk and this car flipped around (totally in traffic haha) and came over and pulled up next to us. It was this same man. He said-I tried to stop you earlier. I want to learn more about your faith. Wow. It was so amazing. We had prayed that morning that the Lord would help us talk to everyone and that we would find someone who wanted to learn more. And by 2 in the afternoon our prayers had already been answered.

 

Unfortunately he didn't set up an apt with us, but he took our number and said he would call us. He hasn't yet, so we're going to go back by his house tomorrow. And even if nothing further comes of it while we are here, we had the blessing of being able to soften his heart and touch him in some way. It was beautiful.

 

We were able to teach Sabrina and Keith this week (twice actually) and it was awesome. Sabrina is so ready. Her uncle passed away unexpectedly 2 weeks ago (he was in our ward) at a really young age. We were able to help at his funeral and attend the service and it was awesome. She (Sabrina) gave the eulogy (sp?) and it was awesome. Her uncle had actually talked to us 2 weeks before that about how he wanted us to teach her. And now we are. She has such a testimony already. It is so crazy to hear her talk about this decision to investigate the church and how she knows that all the events in her life these past few months have led her here. It's awesome.

 

Okay, I'm out of time.

 

I wish I could tell you a funny story about last night. Suffice it to say that I'm a wimp and when I think there is no one else in the house and then a light turns on in a room where no one is supposed to be I get totally freaked out. And now our zone leaders can laugh at us for it :) But we were all safe and it was way funny.

 

Okedoke.

 

Love you al! THe gospel is so true. Be men and women of integrity. The world needs it so much. We had a specialized(unexpected, spontaneous? Idk) training the other night all about integrity. Poor Pres Bubert. He is so great. I love him. I'm going to be so sad to see him go. But we get to have interviews with him tomorrow :) Yes! Life is beautiful and even when it seems sad and lonely and hard there is always Someone we can look to who knows exactly what we are feeling. Turn to Him. I know this gospel is true. It is the only thing that brings eternal, true happiness. And we have it!

 

Thanks for being awesome.

 

Love,

Sister Andelin