Miracles!!

Happy Tuesday!

We didn't email yesterday because the library was closed. I have been really excited to write this email. Some pretty amazing things happened this week. First off, the weather has been BEAUTIFUL! I'm talking highs in the 60's. We have been on our bikes and walking a lot. It has been such a blessing. I think the "cold" weather and lack of sunshine had been getting to me. (I say cold, but I know Utah is a lot colder. Haha!)

Two Thursdays ago Sister Cooper and I were planning for the upcoming week. We read in Preach My Gospel that we should make goals of how many people we want to contact a day. So we made a goal but then adjusted it when we heard that Elder Ballard said missionaries should talk to 10 unplanned people everyday. That was an answer to prayers. We have been really struggling to get out of our comfort zone and talk to everybody we come into contact with.

Last week we didn't do so great at meeting our goal, but we were trying. We did meet a couple promising people though. I won't tell you what our average was throughout the week, it was pretty pathetic.

On Friday in district meeting our Zone Leader mentioned how somebody promised the current AP that if he talked to 10 unplanned people each day he would have a baptism every transfer, and he has (or so I heard). That gave Sister Cooper and I a boost of extra faith. Saturday we finally had miracles!

I believe it all started in companionship study. Sister Cooper and I practiced how to approach somebody and start talking about the gospel. That seemed to really help Sister Cooper know what to do. The weather was beautiful so we were out on our bikes for a few hours. Both of us would stop and talk to people and share mormon.org cards and talk to people about the gospel. By afternoon we had talked to seven unplanned people. We were pretty excited and felt really good. That evening we were checking on less active members to invite them to church. None of them were home, but we did talk to a few extra people.

Then we were walking and Sister Cooper stopped a lady who was getting out of her car. We got to talking to her about the gospel and the Book of Mormon. She was very excited because she is looking to make changes in her life right now. She wants to strengthen her relationship with God. It was so perfect! Sister Cooper taught her about the Book or Mormon. That is something Sister Cooper would've never done a month ago. She is improving so much! We set up an appointment with this woman for Sunday..... and then we went back on Sunday and she was home! We were able to teach her about the Book of Mormon and find out some of her goals in her life right now.

We took our relief society president and her 9 year old daughter with us. We gave the 9 year old daughter chances to testify of the gospel. The young woman we met loved it when she would tell her how the gospel has blessed their family. After the lesson, our relief society president told us that of all the people she has taught with the Sisters, she seems the most open and sincere.

Sister Cooper and I were obviously keeping track of how many people we had talked to. [Name withheld] was the 10th person we talked to. Not only did we find a solid new investigator, (something I haven't had since I got to Stillwater. Finding has been tough) but we also grew closer as a companionship.

Okay, that was the highlight of the week. We have another set of Sisters who work on OSU campus. They live about a mile from us. It is so fun to have them so close. On Friday morning Sister Johnson and I had to go on splits to drive to Edmond to go to the doctor. Afterwards we stopped by Pops, which is just off the interstate. Pops is a fun little place that sells hundreds of different kinds of soda. Thanks to Pops I have had cotton candy, lime, huckleberry and pear soda in the last year. It was a fun little outing. Since the sisters don't have a car and none of them are allowed to drive I get to drive them around. haha! On Wednesday Sister Pfister and I are going to Moore for a new trainers meeting (Sister Pfister is training).

I just found out yesterday that President Taylor opened up two new areas for Sisters. He opened up UCO campus and Woodward, OK. I am excited to find out who will be opening those areas. There are so many exciting things happening! It's a fun time to be a missionary! Serving as a missionary has been the hardest thing I've ever done, but it has also been the most rewarding. I love you! Have a wonderful week!

Love, Sister Record