Chased by a MONSTER!

Hello! :)

(I told Kaylea that Jessica and Chris are taking Avery to Disneyland)

AWW that's so cute!!! I wish I could be in Disneyland with cute Avery!!! Which reminds me... JESS hasn't emailed me in forever!!! And I am getting VERY Avery deprived! so... heh hemm... Tell her she's in trouble :) 

HOLY smokes! I can't believe Sarah ran a marathon! I'm impressed..... Tell her she has to run one with me After my mission :):)  I don't know how coachie can run another marathon, he's  a running machine! :) 

Conman!!! YOU would be way impressed with me because I'm getting tan.... hahaha all that working at Turf-it maybe he will get up to my level!! Except my tan lines are pretty hilarious :)

This week was funny :) We had A LOT of good experiences!  We had some referrals to contact this week and something HORRIFYING happened!!  We opened up this gate, and knocked on this door...  well, the family wasn't interested, BUT they forgot that, their back door was open, so their dang pit-bull came RUNNING AT US!!!! And while we were trying to invite them to come unto Christ this was the same dog that had bee biting and attacking their other pit-bull.... The man kept saying " they're not nice." So here we were about to die... and I had two thoughts cross my mind.... Number one... RUN!!! Number two... Hold out the Book of Mormon!!! I have heard so many stories of the Book of Mormon deflecting crazy animals! Well... I don't want you all to think that I don't have faith... but I decided to just run and hop over the fence... BUT! THIS was the first time I have EVER been actually chased by a death seeking monster.... hahaha! You can't be a missionary without a dog story right?? So... I'm definitely a missionary!

We have an old lady in the ward that makes all the sister missionaries shawls... hahaha So this week I was privileged to get a custom made, cozy shawl that's purple! :) I'll have to send pictures of it! I draped it over our couch so that it made our home look more homey :)

OHHHHH! ONE more interesting thing that happened this week before I get into the AmAzInG stuff :)

I got the weirdest compliment this week... you hear the strangest things on your mission... So we were teaching this lesson and this man... who is about 40, says, "Sister Collings I have to tell you something... you promise you won't take it the wrong way! " hahahah ok here it goes... " So I just wanted you to know that your voice is so nice, it reminds me of when I was in elementary school, and when the school teacher would whisper an answer to the question in my ear, and I felt soothed... and excited, because I finally knew the answer!!" hahaha awkward. My only response to that was "hmmm, I always thought my teachers had boring voices... so BACK TO THE LESSON..." hahahaha Weird... Maybe i ought to be a teacher hmmmmmm??? :)

OHHHH WEIRDEST THING EVER! So everyone here in Cali can never guess that I'm from Utah! I have heard the weirdest things! Nearly everyone thinks I'm from down South... and I kind of get offended hahah! But last night we had dinner with a family and the father asked if I was french!? hahahah Holy smokes, I swear Cali people need to clean our their ears because I'm speaking English! 

NOW off to the really good stuff! This week has been one full of growth and a  HUGE change of perspective!  Coachie would always talk about "defining moments", I definitely had mine this week :) And I have to give all the credit to the scriptures :)
  Alma 37:36" Yea and cry unto god for all thy support, yea, let all thy doings be unto the lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the lord yea let all thy thoughts be directed unto the lord yea let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the lord forever."

Being a missionary can be stressful at times because you are always worried about others, and you are being shown every single weakness that you have... and for me, I have always gotten so freaked out about after the mission! About what God wants me to be, or if I'll even be a changed person at all! I would think about what career I needed to take, or who God wanted me to marry...  But when I read this scripture, I realized I don't need to think about any of that anymore! This is the only time in my life when I can really let go of everything and just cling onto the gospel with all that I have. So that's what I'm doing! Just letting go of everything! This perspective change that I had, I took VERY literally. I even went so far as taking down my pictures, and having the only thing on my study desk be my scriptures, Preach my Gospel, and a notepad! The more I devote myself to this work, the more I am changed, and the more I LOVE the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the clearer my view is for what Heavenly Father sees.

I had some great experiences! I think your prayers have been working! Because both James and Giani passed their baptismal interview! I love knowing that no matter how hard the situations these two are in, the blessings of baptism are going to help them! Giani will be baptized Wednesday! And James on Saturday!

We had another lesson with Mary and Leslie! Mary is a little 8 year old, and she wanted to do a play about when Jesus was born! haha! IT was the cutest thing... I was dressed up like an angel, Sister C was the wise-man, and Mary was Mary! We sang songs like Silent Night and Away in a Manger! Her grandma, who never seemed interested in us coming and teaching, came and joined us as we sang about Jesus. Leslie had the biggest smile on her face! And I felt so blessed that the spirit was able to touch them! That's something I LOVE about music, it always brings the spirit! We are still trying hard to teach their whole family! They have a family of 5... but no worries, we will get there! :)

We also were able to teach 3 powerful Plan of Salvation lessons! 1. Single man who didn't know what his purpose in life was.  2. For a single mother who has a daughter with mental illness, and was able to feel peace knowing her little girl doesn't have to suffer forever.  3. We taught a family of 12, and seeing their faces light up in excitement knowing that death wasn't a scary thing! That life on earth does matter! I am so thankful for the Plan of Salvation, and for the clarity it gives all of us about our purpose here, and how we can reach our destination back to Heavenly Father!

We were also able to have a visit from Elder Baxter who is in the 70!! He has a shiny bald head and a British accent! But what I loved most about Elder Baxter was his powerful testimony! His testimony was what ultimately made me want to be MORE devoted to this gospel! And to missionary work! :)  He said a few things I LOVED! "We can accomplish all! We get help from heaven only after we have done all we can do, We HAVE to do our part before heaven can to its." BUT! MY favorite thing was that I was able to walk up to him and shake his hand! Looking into his eyes was so powerful! Seeing a man set apart and dedicated to this gospel fueled  me to want to become like that! Having so much faith and love for his savior Jesus Christ! He asked me how long I'd been serving, and thanked for being a missionary. But then I really don't remember if it was him talking, or if it was something the Spirit impressed on my mind, but I'll NEVER forget it! It said, " Let this mission change you." SO perhaps that's why I want to give more of myself out here. I have never been happier on my mission! And I am so thankful for all the support that I am receiving! I promise that I am being changed :) and I know that it was hard to save my money for this mission.... but I know now why I needed to do that! Because this mission is worth EVERY cent! I am so thankful to be a missionary!!! 

OHH and get this!! Next week is TRANSFERS!! AND we will be getting a new mission president July 1st! CRAZY!!! 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! have a great week :):)

-<3 Sister Collings