Week 72: Humbled and Full of Gratitude

Oak Harbor and the first snow of the season

This past week has been a fun week! I find that missionary work becomes more and more enjoyable as the days go on. The Lord is blessing Sister Lindsay and me so much! I am overwhelmed by the love my Heavenly Father and my loving brother Jesus Christ has shown me. This work really can't be done without them, and they allow us to find ourselves while we are helping others to feel of their love and come to the knowledge of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

One big thing that stood out to me this week is how much the ward loves us and wants to help us in every way they can. They have bent over backwards to make sure we missionaries have a good Christmas. I can definitely feel their prayers and the sincere love they have for my companion and me. It has humbled me a lot and has continued to remind me of the true meaning of Christmas.

Elle and Sister Lindsay with Hermana's Richy,
Blake, and Bunker.

Tuesday we went on exchanges with Hermana Richey, Blake and Bunker. They are working so hard and are not trying to find the easy way out of anything. The Hermanas are going to help so many people and other missionaries. They taught me a lot on the exchange, I walked away with a bunch of things that I needed to fix and change because of their example. They love this gospel more than anything and you can feel it and see it radiate from them. I am very grateful that I got to spend the day with them. I can't wait to see what they do over the course of their missions!! The church is true!!

 We decided we were going to spend more time finding investigators to teach instead of visiting LA (Less Active) and members. Wednesday we left the apartment hoping that at least one person would shut the door in our face. I guess that is a weird thing to hope for,​but it had been a while and we haven't been able to spend a lot of time finding and so that was the wish. Heavenly Father provided. About half way through the day we went to a formers house and he wasn't home and his neighbor stuck his head out their window to tell us he had just left. We​​ll​,​ teach when you find and find when you teach...so we started talking to this guy. ​He​ looked like ​he​ was about 23 but his mom was not very happy and came to the window and yelled at us and said she would call the cops if we didn't leave. So we wished them a Merry Christmas and walked down a couple trailers and were able to teach the Restoration to some guys on the street. It all worked out in the end and gave us a good laugh.

Sister Lindsay, Brother Beatty, and Elle

We got to go and help Brother Beatty chop wood this last week. There was a lot of it! So we asked Penn Cove and Oak Harbor 2nd Elders if they would come and help us. I LOVE chopping wood. It is hard work and very tedious but needs to be done. Also​,​ I think because we don't have to do it​,​ and​ we​ don't do it all of the time​, so​ it is more enjoyable for us.

Sister Lindsay, Elle, and the Elders chopping wood

We got some new investigators this last week. This last week we got a teaching record from Penn Cove for a couple that live in our area. It is a long story to as of why they had the teaching record but all is fixed now. It was a teaching record for a couple by the name of Aaron and Jordan Maeric. So Wednesday when we got the teaching record we called the number on it and Aaron answered, after we had introduced ourselves he said, "Are we in trouble?” HAHAHA He was at work and so he wasn't able to talk for very long and so he told us that he was going to talk to his wife and then he would get back to us about a time that we would be able to come over and see them. About thirty minutes later he texted us and asked if we would be able to come over Thursday at 7:30...well of course we can!!

Bowling on P-Day

Thursday came and we went over​. They were very nice​,​ let us in​,​ and when we were walking toward the couch there was a quad sitting on the table. Oh, dang ​this ​someone is a member...or so we thought. We were so confused because supposedly they weren't members but who owns a quad and isn't a member? So we sat down and they were a little confused as to why we had called and what we wanted. So between the question of "Are we in trouble?" and seeing the quad I didn't know what to do. I mean we went in there wanting to teach the Restoration but I had a feeling things were going to be changing. We explained that the Penn Cove Elders had told us about them and so we wanted to meet them and introduce ourselves. We asked them their religious background, Jordan she grew up Southern Baptist and lived around Mormons. Aaron didn't grow up religious at all but his mom considered herself Catholic and so he said you could say Catholic but nothing really. Whew! Neither of them are members that's a good/bad thing. So we talked to them a little and they said wanted to get baptized before but couldn't because they weren't married and life got in the way and so they stopped meeting with the Elders. But now they are married and Jordan just quit her job and wasn't sure why but she said that now she knows why. Her job didn't allow her to have any Sunday off and so she was never able to make it to church. A couple of weeks ago she woke up and decided that she was going to quit. So she did, then we called and everything started to make ​sense​.

They want to be baptized, have an eternal marriage, go to the temple and do temple work for their family. They have read the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants. Aaron wants the Priesthood and they want to get baptized. So we put them on date for baptism and they are so excited! God really does prepare peopl​e. ​I was reminded of this with Aaron and Jordan. We weren't the first missionaries that have talked to them but they are doing this because they know the Church is true and that this is what they need to do to live with Heavenly Father again. Heavenly Father loves his children, knows where they are at and what they need. I love the Gospel sooo much!!!

Friday it SNOWED!! Don't get me wrong I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the snow....but not as a missionary. We are not allowed to drive the car it is parked and doesn't move. So we walk​ed​ everywhere and if our plans and appointments are too​ far to walk we have to cancel and plan the entire day again. I don't thin​k I like that about missionary work at all. But it was okay because everything shut down with the inch of snow there w​ere​ a lot of people on the street! God provides and all is well.

But really​,​ God provides no matter what. So ​ Sunday right after church all of our appointment fell through at the exact same time.  We ran home and made new plans so that we didn't wa​ste time or miles. We went back out and saw the people that we planned. We got another new investigator! What!! Then we went and saw a Less Active that I have never met and he was so kind. At the very end before we left he gave us seven referrals....Whoa! Heavenly Father needed us to be somewhere else that evening and the only way he was going to get us there is if all of our plans canceled. It is so cool to see how He gets His work done! I am grateful every day for the opportunity that I have to be a part of it!

I wish that I could express in words the joy, love, happiness that I feel but just like Ammon in Alma 26:16, ". . . , I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." I love this work and this Gospel and I don't want it to ever end.

I love you all so much and hope that you have an amazing week!