So starting with the week of June 1-June 7...
On Thursday-Saturday
we had exchanges with our Sister Trainer Leaders and guess what! Sister
Jeppson came here to Woodstock! It was SO MUCH FUN! Reunited
companions. We had a ton of fun together but more importantly we worked
our tails off! Sister Jeppson has always been a super hard worker and I
am so grateful that I was with her for 3 months and got to go on
exchanges with her. She taught me, once again, that hard work can be
fun!
While on exchanges, we met with our
investigator Megan who wasn't doing pretty hot. She's been going through
some rough things. But, Sister Jeppson and I had an amazing lesson with
her. The member that came with us was perfect for that lesson and
Sister Jeppson and I just held hands all the way through (not literally,
we were just really unified haha). The Spirit was SO strong, and we
invited Megan to be baptized and she said yes! She decided to be
baptized on July 11.
Since then, things have kind of gone downhill with her, but it was
actually a miracle that we kept teaching her because she now has some
solid relationships with members of the ward that she can turn to
whenever she needs help and whenever she feels ready to start learning
again.
We also had a lesson with our friends
Jim and Sheila! I can't remember if I talked about them before, but they
are a couple living together and they LOVE motorcycles. Well at least
Jim does and Sheila likes Jim haha! But anyway, we talked about the Book
of Mormon and Jim has a TON of questions that we couldn't answer in a
short amount of time, but we were able to share our testimonies that the
Book of Mormon is true and as Sister Jeppson was bearing testimony that
this is God's church, Sheila said, "I believe it!" WOAH! It was crazy
because I thought she was distracted and confused the whole time! Haha
but come to find our she had really been feeling the Spirit!
Now on to June 8- June 14
So
after exchanges Sister Tripple and I did some serious real talk and
have been working really hard at becoming more unified! It has been
working out really well! in fact on the Thursday of that week, Sister
Tripple and I met a woman on her doorstep named Michelle. She is having a
REALLY hard time right now with her family life and has a very rocky
and rough past. She invited us in to talk with her and Sister Tripple
and we taught with more unity than ever before! The Spirit was strong
AGAIN! Michelle was kind of testing the waters with us at first but at
the end said that she felt comfortable with us! MIRACLE! She also was
kind of solemn and upset the whole time, but at the end we told her she
can improve the quality of her life. She asked how, and we told
her...through Jesus Christ! We asked her if she would start by praying.
When we asked her that, she LIT UP! She smiled ear to ear and was so
happy! She said she would =)
That week we also
started teaching a woman in her 60's named Anna! She was a referral from
her neighbor who is a less-active member of our ward. She was really
intrigued to learn about prophets so we left her with a pamphlet to read
bout the Restoration.
AND on the Sunday
of that week, we met a woman named Danielle. She was outside taking
some recycling out and we ran into her and ended up talking for about an
hour! She told us she has been searching for five years for a church
that gives her the same feeling as the one she attended growing up in
Maryland. We told her that feeling she was looking for was the Holy
Ghost and that she would definitely feel it at our church. We set up a
time to have a church tour with her the following Wednesday and she was
so excited!
June 15- June 21
So
we were on foot this week but it was SUCH a good week! Aside from
getting caught in a HUGE rainstorm (which turned my umbrella inside-out
haha! Dont worry it's not broken), the weather was pretty decent. We
also got quite a few rides, especially on Saturday because we went on splits! It was great!
So
on Wednesday we had our church tour with Danielle. She surprised us and
brought her friend who has been looking to get back into church! Her
name is Chloe. She used to attend church as a kid, and just had a baby
who she wants to raise with God in her life, so she has really been
wanting to get back into learning about Christ. It was amazing! We
didn't even ask Danielle to do that! So the church tour started off
pretty good and they were interested in what we had to say and they
learned a lot about Joseph Smith. Then when we went in the chapel where
the baptismal font is and where we take the sacrament, the Spirit was
really strong and they both said that they felt really comfortable
there. Danielle said this feels like it might be her last stop in
searching for a church. Chloe said she would love to be baptized and
Danielle wouldn't mind doing it again. We are so excited for them to
feel the truth more and more as they continue to learn! They didn't make
it to church on Sunday because Danielle was visiting family in MD, but we are hoping they will come this Sunday!
They were so excited to hear about the Book of Mormon as well. It made
so much sense to them that America would have a scriptural record as
well.
On Thursday we had a great lesson with
Anna. She is having a hard time accepting the idea of a modern day
prophet but is SUPER excited to read the Book of Mormon. Her mom ordered
one as a kid but never became a Mormon because her husband forbade it.
I'm excited for the day that Anna will be able to go to the temple for
her mom. I know that Anna will be able to gain a testimony of the Book
of Mormon as she reads and she is open to learn. I know her heart will
be changed! This is the most exciting part of missionary work: watching
people change! (including yourself)
Like I said, we had splits on Saturday,
and more than that they were social media splits! It went amazing! Altogether, 785 people in our mission posted pictures of missionaries
doing missionary work on social media! In one day! That's amazing! I
love this work!
This week is transfers and
Sister Tripple and I are both staying in Woodstock. We will be going to
transfers since it is President and Sister Richards' last transfer
meeting. I can't believe they are leaving. Like I said, I will miss
them. They are amazing. BUT, it will be exciting to meet the new mission
president and his wife, President and Sister Christiansen. Their 20
year-old (I think) and 11 year-old daughters will be coming with them!
I'm so excited to meet their family this upcoming transfer. Please pray
for a smooth transition in the Maryland Baltimore Mission. Please
especially pray that if President Christiansen outlaws naps, that Sister
Lewis will survive haha!
This
week I have been impressed by the gradual change that the gospel makes
in our lives and our hearts. We ran into a family of Jehovah's Witnesses
this past Saturday
that passed on a couple articles to us. They turned out to be
anti-Mormon literature, so even reading just a little bit of it wrecked
my spirit. I was so grateful in that moment for the Holy Ghost. I know
that the Holy Ghost brings peace and reassurance to our hearts. When I
read part of the article, I felt confused, my thoughts were hazy, and I
couldn't think straight. I knew the article was not of God. I am so
grateful that He has let me know through the Spirit that the Book of
Mormon is true. Because of that, I don't have to worry about spending a
lifetime analyzing every word and every phrase to make sure it is
correct. Rather I can spend a lifetime learning from the Book of Mormon,
living its principles, and seeing the fruits of it in my life. I look
forward to a lifetime of continuing to be changed for the better by the
gospel of Jesus Christ, the fullness of which is found in the pages of
the Book of Mormon.
Thank you for your love, prayers, and everything you do for me. I love each and every one of you. You are amazing!
Love,
Sister Lewis
