Dear Family:
Hot Springs is Zion. All this time we thought Utah was, but
actually it's Hot Springs! No one knows that though because it's a
very well kept secret. Everything here is going great. Wanna hear a
cool story? Okay. So on Thursday, we had to go to Glenwood for a
meeting with members and investigators. But we had about 20 minutes
before we had to meet a member to take us up there, so we decided to go
visit a less active lady that we hadn't met before. We drove up to her
house and saw her working in her yard with a young man, about our age.
We went and introduced ourselves and started talking with them. We
found out that this lady had just met this guy (named Stew) that same
day. She was driving and picked him up off of the street. haha. He was
going into some meeting and she saw him, stopped, and asked if he would
help her in her yard. Stew expressed to us that he didn't normally go
to the meeting at that particular time, but just decided to today. It
was cool because that choice allowed him to meet her, and then later,
us. We started talking with him about the church. Sister Gladden
handed him a Book of Mormon and said, "Do you know who this is for?"
And he said, "It's for me". As she handed it to him, it looked like he
was about to cry. He started reading the restoration pamphlet and this
look of astonishment and gratitude overcame him. When he finally spoke
he said, "All my life I've been searching for the right path for me to
take. When you handed me this book, I felt serenity. It already feels
right". Then I was like, "WHO paid you to say that??". Naw, just
kidding. But I was very surprised. I've never seen anything like that
before. It was amazing because the spirit testified to me at that time
that the Book of Mormon is true. And it really is. And Stew is going
to know that very soon.
It seems like experiences keep happening and my companion and I
will look at each other and say, "How on earth is this happening?!".
We are having a great time. It seems like we go out to eat a ton with
members and investigators...too much I think. But that's one good and
crappy thing about the mission. I really have pretty much no control
over what I eat, when I eat, and how much I eat because people pretty
much shove it down my throat. But they are so nice. Honestly, there
is nothing better than that southern accent. Example: We are teaching
this man named George McWhorter who is married to Sarah. Sarah has
been a member for 12-15 years. somewhere around there. He had never
had the missionaries til Sister Gladden and I came along. We have
grown to love this man. He calls us his girls (you gotta think
southern accent). Once he was telling us about how he had a question
in the Book of Mormon and was asking his wife about it. She tried to
explain it to him, but he still didn't get it. So he said "Sarah,
you're just a bad teacher. I'm gonna wait for ma girls". HAHA! I
mean, yeah, that's way rude to say to your wife, and if my husband said
that to me, none of us would be happy campers, especially him. But at
the same time, it was really sweet that he called us that. Now, there
is this other sweet lady named Sister Burnette. She is in
Glenwood branch who drives us around Glenwood to see George. Every
time we come out of lessons with George, Sis Burnette will say, (insert
southern accent) " Ohhh girls!! George is gonna get baptized, and then
him and Sarah can go to the temple, and then all of Glenwood will
get baptized!!" Nothing better. She has such a passion for
the gospel. If we could have a million sister burnettes in the world,
we'd be sittin pretty.
Well, I best be going, but I just wanted to say I love you all.
Thank you for your letters, prayers, packages, and thoughts for me. I
am more grateful for my family and friends each day. Heavenly
Father has been very good to us!
Love Sister Annalisa
No comments:
Post a Comment