Gaining a Strong Testimony

This week has been amazing! I am doing really well! I have had so many spiritual experiences! :) :)!! So I guess I'll just jump right into it! 

We did a lot of tracting, trying to increase our teaching pool, and we knocked on this door... This lady invited us into her home and there was an elderly couple sitting on the couch! Well all of the sudden they just start going off. IT WAS CREEPY. They were talking about how Joseph Smith isn't a prophet, and saying so many things about our church that were not true! And I guess they have a bunch of X Mormons in their families. They starting talking about really sacred things... that we SHOULDN'T discuss, and making fun of it!! It was so SAD! I just felt absolutely sick inside.... Until something amazing happened. This old man and his wife said something that I will never forget. He said " You have been so deceived girls, you see I know all of this about Joseph Smith because my grandpa was the judge that put Joseph Smith in jail!" WHAT!?!! isn't that crazy!! And all of the sudden, I felt the spirit SO strong! They were saying a million things that were not true, and were being so vulgar, I wanted to pull out my bible and correct everything! But I felt the spirit so strong and I felt like I should just testify. So that's what I did. I testified that Joseph Smith REALLY was a prophet and that the BOOK OF MORMON really is the word of God. It was a simple testimony... but it changed me! Everything about my mission got so real! Being in the presence of a descendant of someone who threw our loving prophet in jail, and having the opportunity to testify to them that Joseph Smith really is a prophet... Wow! I LOVE being a missionary. I love my Savior, and I love my Heavenly Father, and I feel so blessed to have the knowledge that I do about his beautiful plan for all of his children. I am changing on my mission, but it's so exciting! :) I walked out of that home  KNOWING with all my heart the truthfulness of this restored Gospel. 

 We also had an incredible lesson with Alieke. She was able to really open up to us! It was incredible to feel God's love for her, and to feel like his Gospel could solve all of her problems. How this Gospel could literally SAVE their marriage. Needless to say Alieke and Shaylind came to church, and WOW! EVERYTHING that was taught at church was directed for them! It made me nervous, but I know it was supposed to happen! We scheduled a baptism for the end of January! I feel so blessed to be working with this couple! And that God has trusted me to invite them to come unto Christ. 

I have learned so much this transfer. So much about this life, and what really matters. And who I am becoming, not just as a missionary, but for when I return home.  I hope this new year we can all strive to come closer to Christ, and truly hasten his work. I know that this journey I have been on is one I will NEVER forget. 

TRANSFER NEWS: I am STAYING in the Camarillo 6th ward with Sister C! And we just found out that in July we will be getting a new mission president.

I wish I could say more about this work! I work hard everyday and I am EXHAUSTED. But it just reminds me of cross country, when I felt like giving up (because i did ALL the time) I just kept focused and I kept pumping my arms and lengthening my stride, and when I did that, miracles happened. So this transfer, even though I feel absolutely shot down physically, I am going to lengthen my stride, because I need miracles to happen for my investigators.

I know that my mission is shaping me to become something really great! And I feel so blessed that I get to be on this 18 month journey of coming unto Christ, and inviting others to do it with me!!

NOW, on a silly note... I had the weirdest dream: I was in a plane with Jessica and Steve and Chris and we were being taken to an island where I would be force fed Doritos for the rest of my life, and I kept trying to jump off the plane... but then I realized that God wanted me to stay with my family! So I didn't jump out. But then we arrived in Israel and I looked out the window and fell out anyway. WEIRD!!! haha!

OH! And there is somebody that has been giving us a bunch of fruit! We have a mysterious bag of fresh fruit on our door step every DAY! HAHA! We have had pomegranates and oranges and avocados.... so I'm pretty much in heaven!! :) Whelp! the work is moving right a long! And I am SO HAPPY!!!!!! Keep up with the missionary work, family :) The first one to tell me an awesome missionary experience you have had, WINS!!!! :) ready, set, go! :) I Love you all!! And keep being amazing :)