Sunday, August 7, 2016

We're all a Bunch of M&Ms


Loved ones,

It has only been one week but man does it feel like an eternity!  I totally spaced telling you guys this, but we found out pretty last minute too. Tuesday evening we received a "mini" missionary. Not sure if it was the whole mission, but our stake at least had ages 16+ young men and women go on mini-missions with missionaries all over the mission.  Our mini missionary was Rebecca Larsen, a 17 year old from Sanford.  If I didn't have Sister Mendoza with me I don't think I would have made it!  It was so hard to have someone with us who is completely inexperienced and is just thrown into a busy mission schedule, but somehow we managed!  We actually had one of the best weeks either of us had had on our missions. 

Wednesday after District meeting we had an appointment with a Bible referral Victorie and her significant other Robert. Just after we had started the lesson their friend Cindy walked in so she joined in too!  It was a bit of a hectic lesson cause we had us three, the member we took with us, and them three. At the end it was me teaching Victorie over here, S. Mendoza with Cindy, and our member S. Peavey with Robert haha Victorie and Cindy were very interested and understanding, but Robert was having a tough time with the Book of Mormon.

Wednesday evening we had one of the most powerful lessons I have ever taught with our investigators Tom and Melinda! We FINALLY had a sit down lesson with them and the best part was Bishop Winkley was with us. The Spirit was literally so powerful I was holding back tears the whole time.  Sister Mendoza and I both just knew that they are going to be baptized, but not in our timing.  We were both so in tune to the spirit in this lesson it could be compared to when Ammon perceived the thoughts of King Lamoni's father. 

Thursday we had another amazing experience. Remember Taylor? So we had a lesson with her on the Plan of Salvation.  I drew it out for her on a white sheet of paper.  She is so sincere and really wants to learn this time since she feels like she really didn't get it the first time.  After the lesson she said that she finally feels happy and hasn't felt that way in a long time.  She was so excited, she was going to hang up the sheet I'd drawn for her on her wall as a reminder that "I'm trying again.”  It was seriously one of the biggest answers to a prayer ever! You could just see that a wall had finally come down and in that moment she could feel the spirit. 

We had a lesson scheduled with the Smith Family but they canceled last minute so we ended up having a lesson with her mother Lisa Black and her husband came in at the end.  We taught the Restoration and her husband came in at the end to ask the question, "Why do you think your church is better than all the others?"  Well first of all we don't think that. The difference is authority. There are wonderful, Christ-like, incredible people out there that belong to every kind of church there is or maybe they don't even belong to one or even believe.  We testified to this man about the blessings we have seen in our lives because of the greater knowledge the Book of Mormon gives us. That there are greater blessings in store for us that our Father in Heaven prepared for us by calling a prophet named Joseph Smith to restore these truths.  We didn't really convert him to anything but it is my hope that he came away knowing that we do not think we are any better than anyone else.  We are just like all human beings, trying to find our way to make it back home. 

This week was exhausting, hard, frustrating, yet so full of miracles and blessings. There is so much I could have included but there just isn't the time.  Heavenly Father is so aware of us and knows how to carry us through.

Love Sister Dearden 

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