HALFWAY... O.O

Monday, 15 August 2016

Dear family and friends,

Yikes. I hit my 9 month mark tomorrow. On Tuesday, August 16th, I will have been in the mission field for 9 months!! It kindof freaks me out. But at the same time, I am so trilled that I have had this opportunity to make it this far! Halfway through, but never finished. Being a missionary never truly ends. :)

With great miracles comes great opposition. This whole week, we have had no car. It's been in the shop getting fixed from an accident that happened before I arrived. We've had a LOT of members helping us out! And to add to the fun, Sister Benedetti twisted her ankle last Sunday (not yesterday), so we haven't been able to walk anywhere besides when we have appointments. (She's doing better now!)

But you know what? There have been SO many blessings from this crazy experience! The Lord has given us so many tender mercies as we've sought to work diligently, despite not having a car. There have been some rough ups and downs, but we have been able to develop better relationships with the members, and we have been able to learn to trust more in the Lord.

One miracle that we've seen as we've worked with members a lot! We went on a teamup with a YSA recently. She's been struggling to know what to do with her life lately. While  we were on the teamup, she told us that she has been considering serving a mission! We were able to testify to her of how incredible it is, and she is now excited to serve! Her mom called us later and told us that she was so thankful for our example to her. The YSA has been working to change the way she acts and dresses lately, and it's been amazing to see her turnaround!

Another miracle! We tried to contact someone who was potentially interested in learning more that we hadn't been able to for a while, and when we stopped by, his wife answered! The member that was with us was immediately able to connect with her and because of it, she was more open to us teaching her! We were able to give her two copies of the Book of Mormon (one for her and one for her husband) to read on the plane while they travel! :) We are so excited to follow up with them in a few weeks when they get back!

Whoo! I love being a missionary! I love serving here! I am so excited to keep spreading the joy of the gospel with everyone! There is so much that all of us can do, whether we have name tags or not, that is sharing the light of Christ with others. We are ALL missionaries in the gospel! When you are living the gospel, you are a living witness of the truth! So go share your light with others--smile and serve! :)

My invitation to y'all this week is a little follow-up. :) In your next emails to me, tell me what you've learned from the challenges I leave with you, or that the Spirit has taught you as you've sought to live the gospel. I testify that as you do this little self-reflection, you will see the joy that you've brought into your life and others' lives from it!

Y'all are amazing and are doing incredible things! Keep it up and keep smiling! I love y'all! :)