So much happened this week!
On Tuesday we had exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders (STL) Sister Hill and Sister Alston! Sister Porter was with Sister Alston for the day and I was with Sister Hill. Sister Hill was my STL when I was in Dubuque, and so it was a lot of fun to spend the day together and see how much each other has grown in the past 9 months! During the exchange Sister Porter and Sister Alston were doing service at the Lisbon History center when Karin and Anthony (from heritage days) came into the history center to find information about their families so they could bring it to the family history center at the church on Wednesday night!
Wednesday morning we started out by visiting Mickey (a recent convert). She is preparing to go to the temple on her one year mark from her baptism, which also happens to be what would have been her and her husband's 50th wedding anniversary. So she is really excited that she will be able to be sealed to her late husband on that day! It was a really neat visit with her because she feels comfortable enough to ask questions to us and not feel 'stupid' and the spirit was really strong as we helped her!
Shortly after the visit with Mickey, Jeff drove up from Tipton, and we had a church tour with him and Sister Askew. It was my first church tour since the one that we had in Carthage like a year ago, when our investigator had major anxiety and ended up throwing up in the church building. . . luckily as part of our exchanges on Tuesday the STL's had us practice giving a church tour to them, plus Sister Porter has given plenty of church tours. Anyways, what a wonderful opportunity it is to help people to feel the Spirit that is in the building, and to feel more comfortable for when they do come to church.
Shortly before our dinner appointment we tried by Brooke's (a less active), but no one was home and so we decided to try a former investigator who lived in the same trailer park as Brooke. We located the former's trailer and knock. Some one yelled from inside "Who is it?" and then a man answers the door. Stacie wasn't home, but Fred who had answered the door asked if we were the Mormons. He and his cousin stepped outside and it turns out that Fred had met with the Elder's in Davenport about a year ago and he really liked it and would go to church and to the ward activities. Anyways, he wanted us to come back the next evening because Stacie would be home then!
The Spirit of Elijah is real and it prepares people for the gospel as they are drawn to find information about their ancestors! Wednesday evening we headed to the church and sure enough Karin and Anthony were in the family history center having a lot of success finding ancestors! Now our branch's family history consultant Sister Beeks is wonderful at relating family history work to the gospel and not being shy of sharing our beliefs. So by the time we dropped in the center to say hello, Karin asked if she could have a Book of Mormon to start reading that night and if we could make it a standing appointment to meet with her every Wednesday, because she wants to be baptized and go to the temple to have her family sealed together. . . Miracle? I think Yes!
Our week continued to be full of miracles and exciting things!
Thursday we had zone conference in Iowa City! I absolutely love mission meetings and especially ones that our mission president and his wife are at! We were able to meet the new 2nd counselor in our mission presidency, President Rick O'Neal. Turns out he is from Columbia, South Carolina and has known the Jensen's for many years, but a year ago he got a job transfer and moved to Iowa! He seems like a great person, and he gave a wonderful training about missions and how each missionary is assigned to a specific mission by revelation for the people/area, but more importantly each missionary is assigned to the specific mission president whom he or she will need! And how true is that statement! I am so grateful for the mission presidents that I have had and the influence they have on my life! We had many other wonderful trainings during the day as well!
Thursday evening we had dinner with V and then went and had a lesson with Fred, Stephen and Stacie! The lesson went very well, the only downside is that they are in the process of moving, and right before we came they sold their trailer, and will be moving by the end of the month. . . But, they told us that we could stop by Saturday to see if they needed any help, and then Stacie told us to come by this week because she and Fred will be there. Also, Fred said that they have to go to church here before they move!
Friday we were able to help Karin and Anthony with a yard sale that they were having! Karin was saying that she and Anthony haven't stopped talking about Wednesday and how happy they have been and how excited they are to come to our church. They were going to say their goodbyes at the Methodist church this Sunday.
While we were helping Karin and Anthony we got a text from the Eskelsen's saying that they were thinking of going to the British Pageant in Nauvoo that night and were wondering if we wanted to go. We called president and got approval so by 4:30 p.m. we were on the road headed to Nauvoo. It had been exactly one year from the day that I left Carthage and opened Dubuque with Sister Whipple. How wonderful it was to be back! After dinner we headed to the pageant grounds and one of the first people I saw was Brother Hunt from Hamilton, IL! I got really excited and he sort of recognized me, enough to know that I was only in Carthage for a short amount of time and that I had been with Sister Thompson! Anyways, we walked a little further and I saw Sister Whipple! She had come from Des Moines to see pageant as well! Our one year mark from when we became companions! It was so good to see her! The Davenport Stake youth were at pageant and so Sister Whipple and I saw Sister Barton who had been the Called to Serve young woman that was our companion for a weekend last year. President and Sister Jensen, as well as many other missionaries were at pageant that night! It was so much fun! Right before pageant started they had all the missionaries meet at a little kiosk where they told us that near the end of the pageant that we needed to be a part of the ending. Anyways, pageant was wonderful! It was the story of the gospel going to the early saints in great Britain and the testimonies that they had that led them to following the Prophet's call to come to Zion! Near the end when the saints were sailing off to America they had all the missionaries in the audience come up while singing Called to Serve Him, and once all the missionaries got on stage they lit up the temple and we sang Redeemer of Israel! What an experience!
Saturday was also another great day besides for the fact that we were running on a few hours of sleep, because we got back to Mt. Vernon around 1:00 a.m! Luckily we stayed busy throughout the day so we couldn't tell how tired we really were. We had lessons with a recent convert, some members, and a referral from a member. So it was a great day.
Sunday Jeff came to church and afterwards he said that "the experiment was over," which is sad, because how can you really do an experiment if you don't complete the necessary steps for the experiment to work. Anyways, we bore our testimonies to him of the things that we have come to know because of our willingness to experiment.
Anyways that basically sums up our week, which was full of miracles and tender mercies!
I love you all!
Love, Sister Call
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| Nauvoo Pageant with Sister Whipple, Sister Barton, and I |
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