out the Derby area is way bigger than I thought, and we have loads of
cute little villages, but most of the, are at least 40 minutes away by
bus, so we don't get to go often. But it was beautiful and I think it
was the closest thing to a hike you can get in our mission, it was
actually uphill!
Sister Nielsen and I have seen some amazing miracles this week. We
have been teaching a family called the Joseph's. The mom and dad
aren't married, and they have 5 kids together. The three oldest ones
are preparing to be baptised, but progress has been slow because they
are hard to meet with. The mom hasn't really been interested, but
the dad does want to be baptised. The only thing blocking his
progress is the fact that they aren't married. On Wednesday we just
decided to randomly call Mr. Joseph. He answered and he asked "will you
call bishop? We want to get married on February 13. And talk to Sister
Summerfield, she is sorting it and our baptisms."
We were freaking out to say the least, turns out they all want to get
baptised now and they want the kids to get baptised in December. So
everyone pray for that! December 12 is the first magical day.
Saturday was also a lovely day. We did some street contacting in the
morning, planning in the middle of the day, and service in the
evening. We got to feed the homeless in the centre of Derby, and ya
know what? The Lord works in mysterious ways. We were put on hot drink
duty. The options were hot chocolate, tea, coffee, and juice. We
brought a recent convert with us named Aleksandra, and I leaned to her
and I said "hey, how do you make coffee? I've never made it before."
She looked confused, showed me how to do it, and then said "I thought
you were joking when you said you've never made coffee before, but now
I realise you were serious!" So there we were serving everyone, and
the man helping us with the drinks was named Andy. He took one look at
my badge and told us that his brother just got sealed to his wife in
the Preston temple, and that he is a member too! He just hasn't been
to church in a few years. We had a great conversation and we'll see
him this week :)
On the streets as sister Nielsen and I walk along like the cool people
we are, we sometimes ask people what makes them happy. We stopped this
one guy named Robin, and he said "everything." He is just one happy
guy! We invited him to church, and he said he would love to come. He
is half Christian and half Hindu, and so we weren't sure what to
expect when Sunday came around.
Sunday morning, there he was! He showed up about 10 minutes late, but
he made it to church! He stayed all 3 hours and he loved it. I showed
him the Book of Mormon for the first time and he said "yes I need to
have a read of that!" It was so amazing to see how open he was, and
how well he fit in.
The Lord has many prepared people out there for us to reach out to. I
know that we are God's children, and that we are here because He loves
us. I said last week I'd include more about the Elder Ballard
conference, so here is a quote I loved from it. "When we have a tough
day, go to Gethsemane in your mind. Ponder and think of the life and
ministry of the Jesus Christ, our best friend. Our problems will
shrink, and strength will come, and our faith increases. Let your mind
go with him." He then pulled out a picture of the Savior and said "on
mornings I know are going to be hard, I look at him and think 'yep, I
can do it.' " let us always remember to "look to God, and live."
(Alma 37:47)
Much love,
Sister Slack
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| Sleepover for Elder Ballard |
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| Sisters at zone meeting. I love sisters :) |
