Week #18

Hey everyone,

Yesterday I completed 4 months in my mission! It is all going by so fast and I am sure it is just going to go even faster.  This week has gone by so fast.  Today I had to send home Hermana Nokes which was sad, but she lives in Utah so I will get to see her after my mission so that makes it a lot easier.  As for my new companion her name is Hermana Butler she is also from Utah, but I don’t remember what part.  I was really surprised because I really thought I was going to be with a latina this transfer, but it looks like the Lord has something else in plan for me than I thought.  I haven’t met her yet as transfers happen tomorrow, but I am excited.  I believe that she going home in like 3 weeks though, so I will be having another new companion here really soon.

This week we had divisions as Hermana Nokes had a lot of things to do her last week, so I got to learn from a lot of different missionaries which was really fun.  It was a little bit of a harder week for lessons, but I am excited to get working this week and hopefully find some new people to teach.

Belen and Jonathon-  They were going to move but now they aren’t ,and I am so excited that I have the opportunity to keep teaching them.  This week we taught Belen twice and she just seemed so different.   She is so happy and she basically said that this is what she wants for her family and she feels really good about it but she wants to wait until Jonathon is ready as well because it has to be a family decision. They are progressing so well and it has been amazing seeing the changes in their lives.  We had a lesson with a the president of relief society, with her, that went so well.  It was so cool to see how they were instantly friends. I was able to see what a huge difference it makes when investigators have real friends in the ward who can support them.  Belen told us that she was going to go to church no matter what this Sunday because things always seem to happen, but then their 6 month old got pneumonia and they were in the hospital with her Friday night so they couldn’t go.  Satan is working so hard against them right now as they have had whatever thing pass that has made it so they can’t come to church.  Please pray for them.

Jacquline-  She isn’t going to move either, which is really exciting.  Every time we teach she has been studying and praying a lot, but she still hasn’t asked if this true is true and if baptism is what she should do.  It is really hard because she can feel a difference in her life, but because her family is catholic she knows that to join the church would be a hard change.  I think that she knows it is true or she wouldn’t be going to church and studying the scriptures. She is just afraid because if she gets her answer she has to change a lot in her life.  Please pray for her as we try to help her to move past this challenge.

I had a miracle happen Saturday, that I would like to share.  As missionaries and as members in general we have the amazing opportunity to have lots of miracles, but we often just don’t recognize them because we aren’t looking for the Lord’s hand in our lives.  I have been working hard to look for the Lord’s hand in my life and I have realized that we have so many miracles that happen each week.  Earlier this week I lost the map of our sector.  I was so frustrated because I could not understand what could have happened to it and I was looking everywhere and could not find it.  I was praying that I could find, it as with transfers coming up I really needed it and with no success.  Saturday morning I prayed specifically that something would happen when we were walking in the street and we would find it.  Saturday it rained and so the streets were very muddy and when we were walking to an appointment, my companion found the map covered in dirt on the side of the road.  It had been there for three days and miraculously hadn’t been swept up by someone.  I know that the Lord answers are prayers and I am so grateful for his hand in my life.

I love you all so much and I hope you all have a great week and know that I am praying for you!

Hermana Stringham