Hello Family and Friends,
Its been a fantastic week full of surprises, adjustments, and miracles.
Stay tuned for the coolest missionary experience you have ever heard in your life! (Of course, I'm going to make you wait till the end to read it....)
The biggest news of the week is (drumroll please!) I am now in a tri-companionship. Yep. Its true. There are now 3 of us Sisters in Lafayette. Last Sunday (like 8 days ago), Sister Little's companion got really sick and was in the hospital for about 3 or so days and had to go home. So, Sister Little (mom, you know her grandma from curves) is back in Lafayette for the last 6 weeks of her mission. I love her so much.
Sister Little is a powerful missionary. She served 6 months in this area and then went to Crawfordsville for 6 weeks until her companion went home. And now she's back with us. I have already learned so much from her and I'm happy to have 2 fantastic trainers! I guess Heavenly Father is bringing in reinforcements to whip me into spiritual shape! :) But really, I feel so blessed to have two awesome missionaries to be trained by. They say that I don't need training - that I came pre-trained and that they are learning from me....but I know they're lying. :) I am so glad to be serving in a trio. It's going to be so cool and I love to have this chance to learn from 2 superhuman powerhouse spiritual monster teaching missionaries. Yep. I think I have the best trainers in the world.
So, mom next time you see Sis Little's grandma, make sure you tell her! :)
Anyways...moving onto other things....
Bro Charlie has a baptismal date for May 5 (I think I mentioned that last week) and he's so ready! He's so wonderful and he's so happy to have all 3 of his angels back in Lafayette. Sister Little was the first one to start teaching him a few months ago. And now she's back and gets to be here for his baptism in a few weeks. So cool. I love that man so much! He still kisses our hand and makes jokes about us being his angels. Yesterday, he was sad that we didn't sit next to him in church and he said, "Looks like Charlie's angels flew the coop." Here's another one of my favorite Charlie lines....we had a lesson with him last Tuesday and it was rainy. He said, "My angels didn't get their wings wet, did they?" or "I keep on looking for your halos, but they must be covered by your hair." Anyways...he's a fantastic man with a strong desire to follow and serve Jesus Christ. He paid his tithing yesterday for the first time - it was cool to see him walk up to the bishop so confidently and hand him the tithing envelope. Ah, the gospel changes lives. I love it. I love being a missionary!!!!!!! :)
The H* family came to church yesterday for the first time. If you don't remember, they are a part member family...the husband is a member but hasn't been active since his teen years. The wife is a member of another denomination. She's so beautiful, sweet, and a wonderful mother. Their children are Bible scholars....holy canoli, its incredible. Anyways, it was great to see Sis H* make friends with the ladies in the ward. And the meetings were totally directed by the Spirit. One of her concerns was that we don't believe in Jesus Christ (because of all the bologna misconceptions floating around these days) and sacrament meeting and relief society was totally focused on the Savior and his atonement. The Spirit is incredible! Moroni 6....our meetings were conducted by the workings of the manner of the Spirit (sorry...that's paraphrased I think). Anyways. Too, too cool. :)
Finally, the last story I wanna share. Pay attention...this is my favorite missionary moment thus far! Its incredible! :)
We went to see one of the potential investigators that we met tracting last week. Last week, we had a powerful lesson with him on the doorstep. When we knocked on his door that night, he came out and was obviously not doing well. He was emotionally and physically ill. He was shaking, he expressed that he had lost all hope and that he was on the lowest of lows. We talked to him. I hardly even remember what we said and read to him out of the Book of Mormon because it was so guided by the Spirit. The only thing I remember sharing with him that night was reading out of the liberty jail chapter in D&C 121 about "peace be unto thy soul, thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment....." By the end of the lesson on his porch and after the prayer, all 3 of us were crying.
Anyways...we went to see him yesterday. We walked up to his trailer and his wife (who was in the car) said, "Can I help you?" We walked over to her and explained we had met him and who we are. And then she said something along the lines of this: "I know exactly who you are. He told me that you stopped by. And girls..." [by this point, I was expecting her to chew us out or something....but nope...she started to cry.] "And girls, I don't know what you said to him that night and I'm getting emotional talking about it...but whatever you said to him and whatever you prayed for, whatever happened on that doorstep --- has changed his life. He is a different person that he was a week ago before you talked to him. His mental and physical condition has improved so much since last week when you saw him." Then, he came out of his trailer. We said hello and then we started talking to him. He said, "I need to tell you ladies that what you said and read to me on my doorstep has changed me as a man. From that night until now, I have felt so much better. I was able to go back to work. I feel like God loves me now. It was as if a burden was lifted off of my shoulders and it felt so good. What you told me has changed my life. When you came, it was like there were 2 angels standing on the doorstep. The feeling I had when you were talking to me was indescribable. I will remember that night for the rest of my life."
At this point, it was hard to hold back tears. We then asked him if he read the book of mormon that we left him. He has! Score. We asked him when we could come back and we have a return appointment with him and his wife on Friday. They said they wanted to listen to whatever we had to say because they know we are sent from God.
This is why I love being a missionary. The Spirit is incredible. There are prepared people who are ready and waiting to hear the restored gospel and our job is to find them. Not only can we be guided to them, but we can be guided to know what to say. We open our mouths and they are filled. I still don't remember exactly what we said to him and what we read to him on that doorstep...because we were teaching by the Spirit. And then, the Spirit acts on them to soften and prick their hearts. I am so excited to go back and teach them. I feel so blessed to have been able to participate in such a powerful interaction between the Spirit, a teacher, and an investigator. D&C 46 - we are edified and rejoice together.
I love Indiana! I love all of you too!!! Thanks for more birthday cards! You are all the best! I don't deserve such wonderful family and friends. :)
Keep smiling! D&C 4 is incredible! I'm memorizing it...you should check it out. :)
All my love (which is a lot of love...) :),
Sister Donaldson :)
Indiana parking job.....haha.
Sister Littles moving box. Sketchy, huh?!? :)
Lilies of the Valley from the H* family (part member family that we are working with) I love these flowers so much! Grandpa, they remind me of you and your back yard! I love you!
Trio! Sister Gillman, Sister Little, and Sister me. :)
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