Keep On, Keepin' On!

That is the favorite phrase of Burt, the 96 year old that we are teaching. He's awesome.  

Story time!  We had a couple amazing miracles happen this week so you get to hear about them! :)  So we have been teaching these two girls that have been meeting with missionaries for years.  Their mom and dad are divorced and their mom is super active and their dad is kind of anti and won't let them be baptized even though they both really want to be.  So missionaries have been teaching them for forever.  Well.  We decided that it was time for it to end.  God can do anything, right?  Including softening hearts, which has been happening to their dad, slowly.  So last week we had this amazing lesson about the miracles that Christ performed while on the earth and the faith of those that were the recipients of those miracles.  Then we talked about how when we show our faith that God can really bless us and give us those righteous desires that we ask for.  So we had them select a date to be baptized; taking that huge leap of faith.  (Don’t worry, we cleared it with their mom first before we did it).  They surprised both of us by picking a date super soon, really relying on the Lord to help them get to that date! Then we had a fast with them and a couple members of the ward that their dad's heart would be softened and that they could be baptized on the date that they had picked.  Last weekend they were at their dad's house and had planned on asking for his permission then.  So we were nervous for them all weekend, we really didn't want them to be disappointed.  But we didn't have to worry, the Lord always comes through!  They got permission to be baptized!!!!  It was the best moment ever; they have wanted it so long and now they can finally do it!  With faith, all things are possible!

Our other miracle happened that same day.  We have been teaching this guy who really likes what we have to say but hasn't been sure if he really wants to commit to the kind of lifestyle we live i.e. church every week, reading the scriptures every night, completely giving up his tea etc.  Why can't we just mostly do what God wants us to do? was basically always his question. Well we taught him the Plan of Salvation and nothing really special happening.  Just ok, that's cool.  So we left him with the pamphlet and committed him to read it and pray about it and set up an appointment with him the next day.  The next morning we get a call from him and he asks us if we could come by any earlier because he had something he needed to talk with us about.  Uh-oh.  Never good signs.  We honestly thought he was going to drop us (you become kind of jaded as a missionary...) but thank goodness we were wrong!  Apparently he had had the most amazing experience while reading the pamphlet.  You know last time I mentioned that there is always something that just clicks with people, like the light bulb has gone off?  Well that happened for him.  It was awesome, he got emotional just telling us about it; we saw him almost every day this week and he brought his whole family to church and wants to be baptized in a couple weeks.  It's amazing the transformation that happened!  The gospel is true!

But those were our really neat experiences.  Sis Sweany and I have both been sick this week so the past couple days we haven't been able to do much.  We drag ourselves to maybe one lesson a day and then sleep, but we are finally getting out of it.  Opposition in all things, I guess.  But bring it on if awesome things keep happening elsewhere!

Hope you all have a great week and enjoy the sunshine!
Love,
Sis. Rae

Jackson and Katie's baptism

Me and sis. Sweany