Hey fambam,
Welllll how was this week? Up and down, as usual! There were some tough spots, but also some incredible, incredible miracles, so we'll just focus on those, eh?
So, first off, I am probably one of the few missionaries that has ever had the opportunity to go CAMPING on their mission! What? Unbelievable. I'll explain. So, our ward had a campout up in payson this past weekend. The elders told us that they had investigators that were going, and they asked president if they could go too, and he said yes! What?! So, we asked the same thing! And, well, we actually weren't allowed to spend the night (only the elders could because there are elders up there in Payson they could stay with, but no sisters), but he said if we got an investigator to go we could go up for the day (So, I guess it wasn't overnight camping, but I still think it counts). So...we worked hard the whole week to try to get people to go. We were batallando muchisimo, almost got the Sierra family to go, then they backed out. Then we couldn't find any members that had any space in their car, and no members going up for just Saturday during the day. So, it was Friday night, and we had given up, our plans were foiled. And THEN...at like 9:30 that night, our investigator Marta (the one that's paying tithing already) texts us and asks us when the campout is! We talk to her on the phone and she says she's good to go! So we scramble to confirm a ride, and then Saturday morning she texts us and says that her broken hand hurts too much, and she can't go. So we cancel our ride, disappointed. Then she calls, and we convince her over the phone to go! So we re-confirm our ride, and at 7:30 that morning, we were off...Marta, us two, and Pedro Vasquez, this recent convert from another ward. So we ride on up to Payson! Out of the 110 degree valley into the forest!! We struggled finding the campsite, but eventually we got there! When we first got there, Marta looked kind of nervous, because all the members were just hanging out, being buddy buddy, and no one she knew was there. But then we got the bishop and his wife to go on a mini hike with us four. It was really fun, we got to joke around and see the lighter side of the bishop haha. We were just playing on the fallen down logs and playing baseball with the pinecones, much fun. Then after we were just around the campsite, and some of the hermanas started talking to Marta, which was good. We just ate a little bit and found salamanders and stuff like that. Then we headed to the lake...but we could only stay for like 5 minutes, because we had to head back to be on shift at the VC. We didn't time ourselves too well, and ended up getting there a little late, but it was so nice. It was so nice to take a little roadtrip and switch up the scenery. I was nervous that Marta felt awkward, but at the end of it she gave us a big hug and said that she didn't feel bored or uncomfortable for one second. Yay! And the next day, she came to church! With her tithing envelope in hand (hahaha...still the mystery). She stayed all three hours, and signed up to feed us 4 missionaries on the 4th of july, and then after the elders gave her a blessing for her hand. So, it was great. We actually have like hardly taught her anythign at all..she very much is just like this random investigator that fell into our laps. But it's such a blessing! And she's so willing to ACT, and she seems very happy. So, good stuff!
Ok...next milagrito de la semana. CAITIE! From the VC. Okay, this miracle is like almost too good to be true...Sister Cottrell and I still don't know whether or not to believe it. So, Caitie is the one that learned about the church from her LDS doula. Well, we were in touch w/ her via email and phone, and found out she went to her doula's ward, and the elders came over and taught her and were basically like "you're amazing. We need to get your local missionaries to you ASAP." but they never came! So, we were talking with her from Arizona. The first time we talked to her on the phone, she had already read thru 2nd nephi! Whaaa? And so I invited her to be baptized at the end of our chat, and she was like "yes! this is the closest I've ever felt to finding the truth, after so many years. I've been offered to be baptized in so many churches, and I've always said no because it didn't feel right, something felt off. But I feel like I'm finding what I'm looking for." Ok, I cannot even express to you how crazy prepared she is...it almost sounds like a joke. She talks about how she feels "filled" when she reads the BOM, and for many years she loved reading the bible, but felt like parts were missing from it, or like things were lost in translation. She talked about how she always had the desire to be baptized, but felt like she could never find the church or person that had the authority to do so. She talked about how much she empathized with Nephi and his brothers that weren't believers, and how for years she's felt like that with her family. Ever since she went to church, she hasn't been feeling as sick w/ her crazy nausea. We committed her to read 2 Nephi 31 again, and she did and emailed us afterwards telling us that it brought tears to her eyes, and she knew it was all true. Then she adds that she finally got an appt set up with the local missionaries, they were coming over friday at 5.
So...we get a voicemail from Caitie on Friday evening saying "the missionaries just came over, and I have an interview with them again at 8 pm". We called her to follow up on what that meant, and were playing phone tag. Sunday morning we get a voicemail from her saying "I had my interview, and I'm getting baptized tonight at 6:30!" Whhhaaaatt??! So, we call her, and get the details. Apparently, the missionaries show up to her house at 5 on friday. She tells them all about her correspondance with us, and how she wants to be baptized. They tell her there's a baptism sunday night at 6:30, and someone was doing interviews for it that night. So, they come back at 8 pm, and the missionary interviews her. Also...one of the local missionaries she met with, she had actually met before! She had met him on the street one day, and they invited her to do something, adn she said "No, not right now, but I have a feeling I'll be seeing you in the future." hahaha. So, she passes the interview. They gave her a blessing that night for her pregnancy issues and stuff like that, and she said it was the first time she actually felt someone have the power to do that, and she automatically felt huge relief. Apparently, after the elders blessed her, one elder said to the other, "Did you feel that?" and apparently it was really powerful. The next day, they teach her ALL four lessons in one sitting, she says she felt like she had already believed 80% of it. She talked about how the Plan of Salvation made so much sense to her, about the spirit world and the three kingdoms of glory. She still drank tea, b/c the doctor told her to, but she decided to give it up and that night she did research to find out what would be good substitutes for it. Anyways, so this is Sunday morning she's telling us all this, and she's heading to her local ward for the first time, and then getting baptized that night. So, as far as we know, Caitie is a baptized woman! Crazy story or crazy story?!?! Yeah...we never need to put any cap on the miracles that the Lord can make happen. Craziness. I'll keep you posted on what all she says about the baptism.
So yes. Those are the highlights. Sister Cottrell's rash is STILL here. Fortunately, her stomach flu whatever thing is gone, but she still stays up at night because it itches so much. For fourth of july we have a ward breakfast, and other than that our plans are pretty normal. So life continues! Miracles every day. I'll just leave it at that. I love you all, thank you for your support...I need it more than you realize! Love, Sister Fors
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