Email: 30 April 2012

Hey everybody!

Oh how I love missionary work! It is the best thing ever! I love the area, I love the ward, I love the bishop and His wife, I love my district, I love my companion, I love the Gospel, and I love my Savior. That about sums things up. Talk to you next week! Just kidding. ;) I want to share as much as I can with everybody about whats been going on. I'm sorry if I repeat myself in the email. I don't remember everything I said in my audio update.

This week started out pretty.... yucky. Especially compared to the week we just had. We keep track of our miracles that happened during the day and on Wednesday our miracle was that we got a slushy from 7/11. (we decided to start a slushy fund. We have been collecting change we find on the street and put it in an empty film canister. We have 25 cents now. haha!) Sister Buckley and I weren't reaching our daily goals and it was frustrating for both of us because we were working so hard. On Thursday we went and knocked on doors for three hours. One of two things would happen. First nobody would be home or second nobody would want to talk to us. After three hours we decided we better go to Walmart and get what we needed for district lunch the next day. 

We were at Walmart and ran into Elder Christinson and Elder Edmunds. We talked for a couple minutes and then a lady started walking towards us. I recognized her as a lady sister Bowles and I had met a month ago. Her name is [name withheld] from Germany. She is atheist. Sister Bowles and I talked to her and bore our testimony of Christ. We gave her a hug and went on our way. Before we drove away, she ran back to us as we were in the car and she thanked us for the hug because she really needed one.

Well here she comes walking past us in Walmart. I said hi to her and her eyes just lit up! It was amazing! I gave her a hug and introduced her to Sister Buckley. We set up a time to meet with her again this week. :) She told us she is still atheist, but wants to talk about it. She told us she only wants to talk about it because she likes us. She is such a sweet lady! Sister Buckley and I left Walmart with goose bumps. It was such an incredible experience to be in the right place and the right time. I can't wait to teach her.

The day just got better! Sister Buckley and I were able to teach three of our investigators and each of those lessons we had members present and it was fantastic! Friday and Saturday were great as well! On Sunday THREE of our investigators came to church. That is the most I have ever had come to church in the 9 weeks I've been in OK! The Lord truly has been blessing Sister Buckley and I with members to come teach with us, people to teach, and people with baptismal dates.

We are teaching another young lady who is so excited to learn about the Book of Mormon. She told us how she knows God sent us to her to teach her about the Book of Mormon. She even told us she wants to learn so she can go teach others about it. She is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! We are also teaching her neighbor who came to church with us yesterday. Oh man oh man! I can't say it enough. I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY AND I NEVER WANT TO STOP. :D Its amazing that even though our week from Monday to Thursday was kind of disappointing, Thursday evening, Friday Saturday and Sunday were incredible and now I am so happy those rough days don't even matter. The Lord sure does love each of His children. :)

One thing I've learned in the last three weeks is how FUN missionary work is and should be. Sister Buckley has such a positive outlook on missionary work and life in general. I have a hard time describing what I have learned in the last three weeks with Sister Buckley. I have learned that as we obey with a WILLING HEART the Lord blesses us with miracles, and I don't think applies just to missionary work. As we do the things the Lord asks us to do with that WILLING HEART he will bless us even more than if we just obey because thats what we're supposed to do. It is something I'm still working on, but I know the Lord is really helping me to have the willingness to do the things he asks of me as His servant.

Today Sister Buckley and I read a talk by Elder Holland ("Lessons from Liberty Jail", Sep 2009). I love this talk too stinking much! Elder Holland talks about how "you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced." It's all about our attitude. We have the ability to choose who we want to be and what we want to learn from each and every experience in life.

I love you all so very very much! Thank you everybody for your prayers and support. I wish I could just share every little detail about how amazing being a missionary is and every single little detail about what happens and how the Lord is using us to share the Gospel with His Children. I love this Gospel! I KNOW it is true. I love the Book of Mormon and I know it is the work of God. :D

Love always, Sister Record