Hola hola!!!
So our theme for this week is "Hakuna Matata" and that has definitely been a help with all of the craziness that has happened this week! Well maybe it's more of a lack of craziness. Last week we had 13 new investigators... almost all of them dropped us before we could even get in a good couple of lessons. What can you do? hakuna matata ;) Almost every single night except for Saturday night, ALL of our appointments and back up plans have fallen through. I was about to the point where I'm like, "What's the point of even planning if nothing we plan for happens?!". (You think I would be used to this by now being out so long...), Well it's not so much the plans falling through as the fact that we have very limited miles, it's freezing! and it gets dark at 5. Crazy bipolar Alabama weather! So we've been biking and walking in the freezing cold all week. Everytime we leave the apartment I just say, "You crazy mormons!" :) We are crazy. It's gotta be true if we're willing to sacrifice our night to walk around in the freezing cold trying to find somebody ;) But! all of this has been a great learning experience for me. We're building character. We have gotten so desperate that we literally have been talking to EVERYBODY. The whole awkwardness factor of walking up to random people on the street, in the store, at the gas station hasn't necessarily gone away, but I've just gotten to the point where I'm like, "Yup, this is going to be awkward, but who cares!" :) We just laugh our way through it. I don't even know how many people we have given pass along cards to this week or how many book of mormons we have handed out.
I got to go to Georgia this week! We were over visiting someone from the branch with the most awesome Senior couple ever! (well kind of. They are from Huntsville on assignment here from the Stake President to strengthen our branch) and they took us over to the border. I have officially been to all 4 states our mission covers :)
Our BIFE came to church yesterday! woot woot! They seriously are a miracle! They seemed like they really like it. The youngest, Danny, thought that he was getting baptized on Sunday so he was afraid to come. Apparently he's afraid of water... So if any of y'all have any ideas on helping him overcome that, it would be appreciated. But! We are happy that they are talking about baptism. They really are preparing for the 9th :) I am just so happy for them! And Lee, the 12 year old, (my bff) he said while they were leaving, "I really like this." Bah! I just love 'em! They all have been reading!.. Except for the dad. But, we are working on him. He has really opened up since we first saw him so hopefully, with time, he'll see what a blessing it can be for him and his family.
Celia was baptized in Florence! She is so awesome. I tried to see if President would let me go but he said it was too far :( I'm really excited for her though. She is going to be such a strong member.
So, I had the greatest, what President Hanks calls "Emmaus experience" this week. If you don't know the story of the road to Emmaus, you can find it in Luke 24, but it basically is a moment when you look back and realize that the Lord was with you. I realized this week that my biggest "Emmaus Experience" hasn't actually happened on my mission, but before it. I realize now that the Lord really has been involved in every single detail of my life to get me right to this point where I am now. He has never abandoned me. He really is micromanaging every moment of our lives! I am so so so grateful that he has been pushing me in the right direction all my life even if sometimes I have been stubborn :) It's like what President Eyring said in last conference, "There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save." Wow! And I can see on my mission that miracles happen every day! Little "Emmaus experiences" every day. I can't even tell you how many times I have felt like I just "chose" to knock on a door, and then realizing afterwards it was a prompting. Our God is an awesome God!
You know what else? I've really come to realize that the mission is mostly for the missionaries. If anything, we will at least have 80,000 somewhat converts this year. All of them just happen to be members already ;) It's like Elder Bednar said, "The biggest convert on your mission oughta be you!". But that only comes by completely forgetting about yourself. Why else would the Lord send out a bunch of kids to do his work? It's so we can learn a thing or two on our way and hopefully bring some of that joy to others, whether before or after the mission. Like Elder Holland said, "Your mission is the MTC for your life."
Thanks for all the prayers and all of the love sent this way! I am definitely sending it back :)
Love you all!!!!
Con amor,
Hermana Decker
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