Missouri – week #36

hello everyone!

I’m just going to make this email quick and to the point! It was kind of a rough week with dropping investigators and being dropped BUT it was also a really good week too! We can’t know joy without opposition!

We stayed very busy this week! We had our last MLC with the Vest’s on Wednesday, blitzed St Joe with our sisters on Tuesday, and had exchanges with some of my fav sisters from Far West on Friday!

We were able to go to the temple TWICE this week! Sister Dawson and I did an endowment session and I saw some of my favorite members from Blue Mills ❤️️ huge tender mercy. and on Saturday, we went with Brandt to do baptisms for the first time! He loved it. It was such a special experience. Before we got to be baptized, we were able to watch a returning member (he was inactive his whole life) do baptisms for the first time. He had a massive stroke about two years ago and is wheelchair bound. Two men verrrry slowly helped him into the font and he was able to be baptized for five individuals who have passed away. I can’t even describe this experience adequately enough. Although his body was weak and he couldn’t hold up on his own, he was still able to use his body to serve others and provide the opportunity for them to accept baptism. It was so amazing and I will never forget that experience, I’m sure Brandt won’t either. Temple work is so special and I will never look at it the same way again.

But of course, the hardest part of the week was being dropped by Aimee. Over the last few months, I have really grown to love her. She’s not ready to make the commitment at this time, but I have no doubt that she will in the future. The day she dropped us, I was reading in Jacob 5 about the allegory of the olive tree. The Lord of the Vineyard weeps with the servant when the tree brings forth corrupt fruit, after being planted in good soil. He asks in verse 41 if there was more he could have done to help the tree, and answers in verse 47 that there was nothing he could have done. Although this happens, he does not give up faith or hope in the tree. I was able to find a lot of peace and comfort while reading this and comparing it to our situation with Aimee.

At the end of our lesson with Brandt this week, he also said, “sisters, this whole week I have been prompted by the Spirit to tell you not to get sad, anxious, or discouraged. You are doing the Lord’s work.” Wow. It was so cool to see the Spirit work through him to answer our prayers! This happened again this week at church when our 70-something year old “Baptist Mormon” friend Jerry came up to Sister Dawson and I after gospel essentials. He’s not a member (just his wife is), and isn’t taking the lessons from us, but we have a really great relationship with him (he calls us his daughters haha). He said “you two are doing a great work. I know it must be hard to do what you do, to give up what you’ve given up, and so it is so inspiring to me that you serve the Lord to the degree that you do. Thank you for your example.” Sister Dawson and I talked about this experience later and said that it didn’t sound like the Jerry Naas we knew that was speaking to us, it sounded like our Heavenly Father.

I know that as His servants, we are being watched over, guided, and protected. This may have been a tougher week, but I have been able to recognize His love and tender mercies every single day. I am so HAPPY!! I love serving Him and I’m ready to work hard and see miracles this week again.

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Plz pray that Sister Dawson and I stay together this next transfer. I love herrrr