May 1, 2017

Pina! .... Colada! Week #54?

Hi y'all. 

It's you're favorite Sister Missionary again. Haha, jussssst kidddding. How has everyone's week been? Mine was pretty darn incredible!! So many miracles happened this week, it was crazy!! Here are just a couple of my favorite that I want to share with you!! 

1. Katie. This miracle all starts with the Guerrero family, and it technically started last transfer. They are an active family in our ward but some of their kids just moved here and they are less active. They have family dinner every Monday night and they love having us come over to join them for their family home evening, in which we prepare the lesson. Just recently their son Gabe (less active) moved here from Texas with his girlfriend Katie. Katie is not a member, but she is just about the cutest human you will ever meet. About 2 weeks ago we had dinner with them, there were active members, less active members, and nonmembers there and we felt prompted to share the message of the Restoration with them. The spirit was so strong as we testified of Christ and how he is the way to find lasting peace in our lives. We could just tell that Katie felt the spirit but we didn't think she was interested at all. After the lesson/dinner we always talk to Sister Guerrero (mom) about what the next step is and how we can better help her and her family. We set up a time to have dinner with their family again, which would've been last Monday, and we had planned on teaching them the Plan of Salvation (we were going to go through all the lessons super slow with them) but on the drive over there we did not feel good about it. So instead we watched the Mormon message, "Mountains to Climb" and we testified that Christ is always there for us no matter who we are or what we are going through. Holy Moly, the spirit was super strong and Katie was tearing up, we had another appointment right after dinner so we didn't have time to talk to Sister Guerrero. Our appointment fell through and we had the strongest impression to drive back and talk to Sister Guerrero. While we were in her driveway Katie came right out and said that she needed to learn more about our message. She said that she felt something and she didn't know what it was.  We explained to her that it was the spirit, and that it was definitely what she felt! She was so excited to meet with us and to learn more!! We had a lesson with her yesterday and she is so prepared! She recognizes that she doesn't have the best relationship with her Heavenly Father and she is working on making that a priority so she does have a better relationship with him. She texted us later that night expressing her gratitude for us taking the time to meet with her, and that she just needs it in her life so much right now!! It was such a happy experience!!

2. Candi. We met with her on Tuesday and we finally were able to teach her the Restoration. When we first got there she was so depressed and so tired but once we started  teaching and we mentioned church and baptism her face lit up! She was so happy and filled with joy and she was so excited!! We set her for May 20th and she is so pumped to be baptized! Since she doesn't have a car we set everything up so she would have a ride to church this Sunday. We were so excited to see her yesterday, then we got a text at about 10:30 yesterday morning from the member that was supposed to pick her up saying that she was sick and she wouldn't be able to pick Candi up. We were pretty sad but next week, she will for sure be there! We are seeing her tomorrow so that will be super fun!! Candi is just the most incredible human that y'all need to meet one day!!  

3. Sandi. She is going through such a hard time right now but she recognizes that Christ is helping her, and that this is God's will for her. Her significant other is moving away to New York, and she refuses to go with him because she recognizes that this is where she needs to be and she knows she needs to be a part of the LDS church. So, they are breaking up after being together for over 9 years. She completely stopped smoking on Friday and she said that it has been so hard but she knows she needs to do it! We went to the Trail Center with her yesterday and it was so powerful being there with her! We committed her to be baptized on May 27th, and she was so happy and so excited and she knows that this is the only way to find true happiness in her life!! Sandi is so prepared, and every time we meet with her she just amazes me even more!!

4. This week we have tried singing in lessons more. We have been incorporating the song, "Gethsemane" into just about all of our lessons and it has been so fun! Y'all know that Sister Rook isn't the best singer... but somehow it has turned out okay! I just love singing so much, so it has been a little miracle for me throughout the week:D  

The subject of my email comes from yesterday while we were with one of our members,  Brother De Leon. He is One of the Most funniest humans I have ever met. Sis Monroe says he is a live version of Nacho Libre.  Yesterday we got on the subject of transfers.... and he told us that Sister Monroe and I could never be split up because we are like an orange.. and if we get split up then there will be a slice of the orange missing, then he nonchalantly added... or whatever fruit you both like best.... And since I LOVE pineapple and sis monroe LOVES coconut we both thought of pina colada. Hehe we thought we were so funny- missionary humor kinda goes down the drain after a while...  

This week in my studies I have been thinking a lot about the Doctrine of Christ, (Faith in Jesus Christ, and in his Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.) and how it has changed me, and how it can eventually change my investigators and the people we are working with  if they start to live it. I came across this verse in my studies today, "Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." -Alma 36:24.  I feel like this completely describes my mission! At the beginning of my mission I wasn't the best at living the Doctrine of Christ because I wasn't really sure how. But over time I really came to know how to truly live it and ever since then I have become so happy and filled with joy, and that has been my motivating factor! To help others feel of the same joy that I have felt!! So my challenge to y'all this week, is to find a way that works for you to start living the Doctrine of Christ in your life more fully. Whether that is praying to know how you can live it, or making some small changes so that you can live it better! I can promise you that you will be able to experience the same Happiness and Joy that I have felt, and you will be able to recognize the miracles that are happening in your life every single day!! 

Well, I think that is about it for this week!! Thank you for all the support y'all give me! Y'all are the absolute best! I love you all to the moon and back!! 

Love, 

Sister Rook  

Interviews with the President...pointing to some of the baptisms that occurred this year

We had dinner with one of our members, Sister Solko, and our job was to bring rice and beans and cinnamon twists  to dinner. This is us with our Taco Bell. Mexican food just makes my heart happy. #imahispanicpersontrappedinawhitepersonsbody :D 

This is us with our investigator Carrie, and we teamed up with Sister Smith! Sister Smith surprised us and Carrie with donuts. Carrie LOVES donuts! 

Us and our "boyfie's" (boyfriends) Sister Monroe always jokes about how she needs a boyfriend... this is our solution! I always have my scriptures with me, they are literally always in my hands, annnnd so is her water bottle! haha