This Week Has Been Incredible

This week has been incredible! We can start out with the best news.....Kim is getting baptized on the 22 of March!!!!!!! We had a really powerful lesson about the plan of salvation and the spirit just touched her heart and she started to ask about her baptism. We told her that we had been really praying and we felt that she needed to have a specific date that she wanted so that she could start to prepare now and put the things in order that she feels she needs to before she is baptized. This day had been one of sadness for her because it is the anniversary of her father's death, but she really wants to have it be a day of gladness and rejoicing because she knows that now she knows that they can be sealed and they can be a family again. It has been absolutely incredible to see the changes that she has made in her life and the light that has come into her countenance. I feel so lucky to be able to see her change and to see those around her change as well. I have never felt true joy until now, and it is because I am watching (and get to be apart) of someone really accepting our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ. I love this "job"!!!! 

In other good news, Gracie is also getting baptized in two weeks (the 7th of Feb.) She is so excited and has progressed so beautifully. A lot of people around her were worried that she wouldn't be ready and that she is still not. It is hard to see that, because they are comparing her to Sophie and they are very different people. It is like comparing Katie to Hannah. Gracie is a lot like Hannah, she is spunky and doesn't sugar coat how she feels, but she means well and she has a good heart. Sophie is sweet like Katie and is always looking for the good in others. Also Gracie is a teenage girl and they really are only interested in themselves. So it has been frustrating to try and help those around her recognize that Sophie has really progressed in the gospel and is ready for baptism. She is just like every other young woman that I have met that is her age and why hold her back for something that isn't really in her control right now. 

Oh this reminds me, I don't know if you already have but, would you mind changing all of the names on my blog. I would just hate to have someone look at it who we have been teaching and see their name and somehow get offended. I don't think that I have written anything bad or super negative, but I don't want to give satan even the slightest chance to use that. 

Anyway, I just sent you a friend request, I couldn't find you for the longest time (even when I searched for your name) but I found you this morning. It is so weird that I am on facebook. I didn't think that I would want to be on facebook, but now it seems that there are some mighty miracles happening. 

Also CRAZY Dorie is getting married! And Erika is having a baby! WHAT THE HECK. I am excited for Dorie and nervous but excited for Erika. I wish them the best. 

Martin Luther King Day

Before I get started please pray for Sister Davidson and her family. President called her this morning and told her that her uncle had passed away this week. She is going through a hard time and is worrying about her family, so if you could all keep her in your prayers that would be great.

Other than This week has been good. President gave a great talk in our ward on missionary work and what members can do to start progressing the work in this area.  He then gave an amazing third hour lesson where he had members do role plays and really think of how they can do missionary. It was like a mini zone conference for members. The work is taking off here in Fleming Island. We are having a lot of success and so are the Elders, it amazing what can happen when you work together and with the spirit. 

Oh so I got the call this week that I will be a Facebook missionary starting Friday. I have four weeks of training calls and so that should be interesting. We also get iPads on the 3,4, or 5 of February so that will also be pretty cool.  At the beginning of my mission I didn't want to be on Facebook because I didn't think that it was very important, but I have seen a lot of miracles come through Facebook that could not have come by any other way. It is really amazing to see how the work is progressing and the ways that is is progressing.  Some missionaries have already received theirs and have actually had a lesson over Skype with one of their new investigators who couldn't be at an appointment. It is absolutely amazing how The Lord is doing his work these days. It seems now more than ever The Lord is really preparing the hearts of the people around us. There is this sense of urgency that is coming over the church about missionary work. There isn't anymore time to be casual about missionary work and living the gospel, because The Lord needs us to be ready now. I am so grateful that you are listening to the promptings do the spirit when it is telling you this, because not everybody is listening and they are missing the point.  

That makes me so sad that no one is putting forth the effort to help _______.  That is the problem that I think most wards have, people are just so comfortable in their own little groups and cliques that they do not want to step outside of their comfort zones and actually help others feel comfortable in the gospel. I think that is why there are so many less active members because they feel unwanted and they don't feel like they fit in. Thank you for all making that effort I know that it will help others feel more comfortable and it will also bring you many blessings. The Lord will trust you with more of his children if you take care of the ones already in the flock. 

 P.S. I want the Seahawks to win, I like Denver, but Manning has too many Super Bowl rings already.

The weeks Fly By

I know what you mean about some days go so fast and then others just drag on and on. It seems that the days here are so long, but the weeks fly by. 

This week I have really realized how grateful I am to have been born and raised in the circumstances that I had. There are so many people out here who literally have nothing. I don't think that I ever realized how much I had until seeing those who truly have nothing. It makes me sad to see that these people who have so little are giving so much to others

This week we had a huge blessing when we taught our investigator Gracie.  Gracie has a baptismal date of Feb. 7 but we were not sure that she would be ready in time to be able to still be baptized on that date. When we went over to reteach her the Restoration we actually had her teach it to us. She taught the whole thing just about as good as we could have taught it and then she testified to us of its truthfulness and committed us to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. It was so amazing to see the change in her and the passion that she has for the gospel.

 It has been amazing to see the ward come around and start to get excited about missionary work and really get into it.  Thank you all for doing what you can at home because it is making a difference and you will touch a lot of people's lives.

So we also got word that Pres. Craig is coming again to our ward this next Sunday. He is going to be speaking and so is our Stake President.  It should be really amazing. Also Stake conference is the week after and it is going to be a broadcast done by the Quorum of the 12 about Hastening the Work. It's like the Lord is trying to tell his people something important about missionary work or something like that.

We also are going to play "beach"/sand volleyball today again in St. Augustine! It is so great to be able to have the opportunity to do such cool/fun things on P-day. The Lord definitely knew what he was doing when he called me to serve in Florida. I just love it here.  It is so different from what I was used to and what I was expecting; but now I am just in love with it. I love the people and the places and the things that I am doing. It is so funny you guys are never going to believe the places that I have seen when I get home.

Another Crazy Week

Well this week has been crazy! We have had so much go on! Sunday was really the biggest day of the week though. We got a text early that morning from the elders asking for a ride to church because Elder Greenlaw twisted his ankle pretty badly the night before and was on crutches. So we picked them up and decided that it would be better for them to have the car seeing as they can't really get around otherwise. When we got to church we saw Sophie, Kim, and Gracie walking in! It was great to have the whole family there! We then went to go get a program and we run into President and Sister Craig. We had no idea that they were coming to our ward, but it turned out to be amazing! We got like 5 shout outs during the meeting from members and a lot of them talked about the missionary work that they were starting to do! It has been amazing to see the changes that have taken place in our ward in regards to missionary work. President and Sister Craig came up and met Gracie and Sophie after the meeting and told us some much needed words of encouragement! It was the best Sunday so far in my mission! Then yesterday we had the big transfer call and guess what.....................Sister Davidson and I are together another transfer!   We will have been together for a third of our missions by the end of this next transfer! Can you believe it! By the end of next transfer I will have been out for a third of my mission, crazy!   Seems like we are doing something right! 

So of course on the week that we don't have the car it freezes over here in Florida! I have a crazy picture that I will attach so that you can see how cold it got. Yep, THANK YOU MOM for sending me a nice jacket for Christmas!

In regards to New Years it was pretty much a normal missionary day, except we did get to go over to our ward mission leader's house for a coordination meeting and eat dinner and watch Ephriam's Rescue. So it was pretty good. This was the first year I didn't stay up, I think I might make that a new habit :) 

Also we found out on the transfer call that the first week of Feb. we will be receiving our iPads! So that will be interesting and exciting to see how we can use them and how much of an impact that they are going to have. Also hopefully that means that I will be on facebook soon. 

 It is crazy how much missionary work is changing and the new tools and ways we have of finding and teaching people.  It is such a great time to be a missionary for the Lord. There are so many miracles that are occurring and I have the amazing opportunity to be a part of it. I am so grateful that you are doing all that you can at home to also help the work progress. I love you all so much!