Shakin Things Up!

This week has been a crazy week!  Super busy with lots of new things happening.  First off, I met me little Greenie (picture included)!!  Her name is Sis Irwin from Kaysville, UT!  She apparently went to Davis High and we know a couple of the same people, small world!  But it's been interesting.  This is her first time out of the Utah Mormon bubble and has never talked to someone who wasn't a member about religion, I have a hard time even comprehending that! haha  She is really sweet though and has that greenie fire and loves talking to people.  It's weird being the only person that knows the area and the people... and getting to drive!  That's the best part ;)  But I haven't killed her yet, we haven't forgotten any appointments and I haven't called anyone the wrong name, so life is good.  Sis Ward was my memory so I actually have to start writing things down now ;)

The work is going fantastically though!  Saturday, we took the Hintz family up to the temple to walk around and had a little lesson in the lobby.  Since Karen was just baptized she can now go and take family names for baptisms and we hopped that seeing and feeling the spirit in the temple would help Earl get that extra little umph to pick a date to be baptized on.  It was fantastic.  We didn't know but most of our ward works there Saturday mornings and they saw us so they came out and talked to them and testified about how important the temple was to our families and the amazing blessings we can have in it.  Only through the temple can our families be together for all eternity.  The spirit was really strong and you could tell even the little ones could feel the difference in the temple.  So we have been praying and fasting for Earl for a really long time and the next morning (Sunday) as I was saying my personal prayers, I imagined Earl waving us over after church and telling us he wanted to be baptized.  I thought, well wouldn't that be cool and then didn't much more of it.  THEN!  After church...he waves us over.  Still didn't think much of it until he said, can you keep a secret??  Oh man, I almost started crying (ridiculous I know) because I knew what he was going to say!  He wants to get baptized on his wife's birthday and keep it a secret from her until the Bishop announces it in church the week before!!  It is moments like that that make missionary life worth it.  Bestest most amazing feeling ever!

So, now for a little random awkward story.  So we have been teaching this other family (the Hartze's, who btw are going to be baptized in February as well!!) and he has an older son from a previous marriage that is about our age and was visiting them yesterday.  We were walking the neighborhood and Scott calls us over to meet his son.  He son walks up to us and I go for a handshake but he ignores it and totally gives me a full on hug!!  I didn't even know what to do with myself.  Do you know how long it's been since I have given a guy a hug?!  So. Weird.  I'm a missionary, I'm a missionary, I'm a missionary. haha.  But it ended up being really good.  He isn't super religious but he was impressed with how much his dad (who hasn't been very religious either until recently) loved the gospel and wanted him to hear it.  So we have a meeting with him this week as well!  

It's so cool to see how God works in each of our lives.  The Church is true!  Well, I love you all and I hope you have a fabulous week!

Love,
Sister Rae