Week 81: "My journey has just begun."

This last week has been great! Things slowed down a little bit with our investigators, but their progress is sure and steady. We are currently teaching Jessica, Denise, and Mary. Jessica's mom had surgery so we weren't able to visit a ton this week, but we had an awesome Family Home Evening on Monday with her and her two sons! We talked about prayer, she made cookies, and a couple from the branch came! It was so great! We love her!

We went to the D.C. Temple Visitors Center with Denise on Tuesday, and she LOVED it! She is definitely a visual learner so that helped a lot. We also drew a map of the Earth and used it to explain where the Book of Mormon came from, and boy were the light bulbs turning on in her mind! She is the sweetest. I love that woman!

We saw Mary three times this week, and it was great. We noticed that we had been skipping over the opening prayer for our lessons, although we always pray just before going into investigators' houses. In any event, we realized we had been skipping the opening prayer because she loves to jump right into talking about what we are studying. So, we recommitted to say an opening prayer with her, and it made all the difference! The prayer of faith will change people's hearts. We were able to understand her better, she was able to express herself more clearly, and we were able to teach more by the Spirit, all because of the prayer of faith and the Holy Ghost that was invited by it!

Well, if you don't already know, I am coming home this week. I am filled with such tender feelings when I think back on the last 18 months of my life. There are certainly things that I feel I could have done better, but I have not one ounce of regret in serving the Lord for this period of time. It has been, by far, the most refining, uplifting, and enriching experience of my life. I cannot believe that my opportunity for full-time service as a missionary is about to come to a close. It feels like just yesterday that I read the words,

"Sister Lewis,

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You have been assigned to labor in the Maryland Baltimore Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months."

My mission has been far beyond anything I expected in the moment that I read those words.

I have often considered those words, "It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months." I am grateful for the precious opportunity that I have been given for full-time service for this period of 18 months, and now I look ahead with anticipation for the opportunities that I will have to be a full-time servant in many other capacities. As it says in D&C 4:3, "Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work." I know this is true.

My dear friends and family, I want to express my deep love and gratitude for each of you. Thank you so much for all you have done for me. I express gratitude for the prayers you have offered on mine and others' behalves. Thank you to all who have contributed in temporal and spiritual ways to make it possible for me to serve this mission with energy and zeal.

I love you. The Lord loves you. I know that there is a plan for us. Heavenly Father wants us to have joy and to become like Him. He loves us. He loves us. It doesn't matter how many times I say it, I just hope you feel it. He sent His Son to remove every obstacle that stood in our way to return to Father in Heaven. All He asks for is our faith and continual efforts to turn from the world and turn to Him. This is possible through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This life is a precious opportunity to be refined and purified, and we can and will find joy through that process. This life is the beginning of a grand and beautiful process of becoming as God made us to be. He knows who we can be, and His vision for us is far greater than anything we could ever dream we might be. His vision is clear and perfect.

Well, it has been a journey here in the Maryland Baltimore Mission, but, truly, my journey has just begun.

I love you! See you soon 

Love,

Sister Lewis

Week....Eighty.........what.

Well, this week was amazing! I can honestly say that we did not have a bad day. It was that way for a while on my mission, so it's good to be back to feeling that way! I've found that when I am feeling down, it is because I am focusing a little too much on myself and not hardly enough on others and the Lord. When I live in the service of others and the Lord, I am richly blessed with joy and peace. Even though our days are not perfect, I feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that our progress is sure and steady and that the Lord has used me as an instrument in His hands that day!

Also, as Elder Bednar said, "A grateful person is rich in contentment. An Ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment. (See Luke 12:15)" I love that!

One of the miracles that we saw this week was on Tuesday when we decided that we should just go get to know Jessica a little better. So, we decided to bake cupcakes with her and get to know her. At first, it was mostly just Sister Blosch and I telling her about our lives and our hobbies and stuff. She was still pretty quiet, as usual, but, eventually, she started opening up. We have felt from the beginning that the reason she is quiet is because she is not super comfortable sharing her past, but, in this visit, she finally felt comfortable enough to let us get to know her, and how grateful I am for that! She told us just a little about the things she has gone through, and I am in awe of her strength and courage as a mother and a daughter to break the status quo! She is beginning a legacy of faith and dedication to the Lord in her family, and it is against all odds! She is amazing, and I can't imagine maintaining the kind of faith she has after all she has gone through! It just goes to show that we can be molded by our trials and hardships. She has gone through the fiery furnace and has come out as an amazing mother, teacher, example, and mentor. What an amazing woman. She is living, breathing proof of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. After all, aren't we all?

Denise is doing well! She is slowly learning the doctrine of the gospel, and it is changing her! She just found out that her mother's cancer has spread, so her mom's as well as her own immediate future are a bit unpredictable. We are going to visit the D.C. Temple Visitors Center with her tomorrow! It should be a faith-building experience for her. I am so blessed to know and interact with these amazing people.

Well, I am almost out of time! Thank you so much for all of your prayers, love, and support! I pray for you all often, as well.

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lewis

P.S. - This week I found out that a brother in our branch is A DRAG RACER!!!!!!! I almost died. He let me sit in the dragster. 

Here is a picture of a rainbow that led to the Harrison's house. They are definitely a pot of gold. Haha, I don't really know what that means, but they are awesome.

 

Week 79

Things are going so well here on Kent Island! This week we visited with investigators almost every day! I don't think I have taught so many people on my entire mission! WOW what a week!

Some of the quick updates is that Jessica is most likely going to be able to come to church this Sunday. We are so excited!

I don't believe I've talked about Denise yet. She is a woman we started teaching about a month ago. She is our neighbor, and we came in contact with her through our friend, Dawn, who helped the sisters to get our condo a few years back. Anyway, we did service for her and really hit it off! Haha, sounds like a date. Anyway, she is super sweet, very outgoing, and bubbly, and we love her a ton! One day she started talking about how much she hates funerals, so we started talking about the Plan of Salvation. Now that I am typing this, I think I have already talked about her. Anyway, she left for Ohio for a couple weeks, and, while she was there taking care of her mom after surgery, she shared all of the pamphlets with her mom and let her mom have her Book of Mormon! This week she invited a friend, Jan, to meet with us! She is such a cool little missionary! This last week we felt like she might have been hesitating to come to church because she was nervous, so we gave her a tour, and she came to church yesterday!

We started teaching three new people this week:  Jan (Denise's friend), Sylvia, and Mary! They are all awesome. Jan texted us the other day to say she wasn't interested in the religion, so that was short-lived, but, hey, seed planted!

Well, I am out of time! Thank you for all you do for me and Sister Blosch!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Week 78

Okay, I actually left time this week to write my email, although it is not a ton of time!

This week was great! The past couple weeks, when I haven't been emailing, I have been dealing with one of the lows of my mission. Things have been crazy and a little...a lot stressful, but these experiences are not just something we are forced to get through, they are meant to teach us, refine us, and help us to "become something far greater than what we were" as President Uchtdorf shared in his talk this weekend.

Speaking of General Conference, wasn't that a privilege?! Holy cow, the talks were all very inspired and inspiring. I loved hearing from the living prophets and apostles. I have been studying and pondering recently the vision of the tree of life found in 1 Nephi 8. I really enjoyed the thoughts that were shared on this chapter during conference. One thought that has come to me repeatedly as I have pondered this chapter and this prophetic vision is that the iron rod (or the word of God, and particularly the Book of Mormon) will get us through any mist of darkness, no matter how thick or thin and no matter how long we are called to travel through it. As I struggled these past few weeks, I found peace and solace in the pages of the Book of Mormon. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I share a verse from the hymn, "The Iron Rod."

"And hand o'er hand, the rod along

through each succeeding day

With earnest prayer and hopeful song,

we'll still pursue our way.

Hold to the rod, iron rod!

'Tis strong, and bright, and true!

The iron rod is the word of God,

'twill safely guide us through!"

I know this is true!

Jessica is doing so well! We have found and taught a few new investigators these past few weeks, but they do not seem interested in answering our phone calls anymore haha!

Sister Moore watched conference with us at a member's house yesterday, and she felt the influence of the Holy Ghost as she listened to the inspired counsel of our leaders! I say a miracle is about to happen in the lives of her and her children!

Thank you so much for all of your love and support! Thank you especially for your faith which goes a long way in the work of the Lord!

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Week 77

Well, sorry folks. Another week of no mass email. Things are hectic on Mondays nowadays haha!

I LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS, LOVE, AND SUPPORT!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Week 76

Okay, I literally have no time left! I am so sorry! But, things were pretty slow this week anyway so you're not missing out on much. Quick update is that Jessica was interviewed for baptism and she is all ready! We are just praying that she will be able to come to church!

Well, I love you all and thank you for all you do for me and my companion!

Keep praying for our investigators! They need it, and so do we!!!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Picture: Saturday was social media split Saturday, and the elders challenged us to see who could get the most. Little did they know that I was trained on social media split in Woodstock which is the birthplace of social media split in our mission. Needless to say, we won and the elders have to buy us Chick-Fil-A on Wednesday. Hehe. This is one of the social media splits we did and also one of my favorite mission pictures ever!

 

 

Week SEVENTY FIVE WHAT.

Okay, this week was interesting! We went to the Washington DC Temple Visitors Center on Saturday with the Harrisons which was amazing! But, I left my planner there at the Visitors Center, so I can't seem to remember my name. I think I'm a missionary or something, but I'm not quite sure. Haha, that's really what it feels like when you lose your planner! That thing has my brain written down in it! Oy!

Anyway, I remember the trip to the temple, so I'll tell you about that! It was a little stressful getting there because we had to make sure all of us had a ride, but once we were finally there it was so worth it! Their family is AMAZING! I love them so much! It has been one of the hardest roads to help their family get to where they are now, and we still have a couple battles to win, but I have realized a few things throughout all of this with the Harrisons, one of which can be described in a verse of scripture found in the Book of Mormon. Mosiah 23:21-22 says, "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. Nevertheless-whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people." This is so true! I believe we see this in our earthly trials. As we put our trust in the Lord, we are lifted up. I am also reminded of a story from the Bible when the disciples were on the stormy sea and Christ was praying on the mountain. In Matthew 14:25 we read that, "in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them." The fourth watch was near 6am. The disciples had been toiling on the sea all night until the fourth watch when the Savior came to them. I find comfort in this and peace knowing that the Savior believes so strongly in the disciples, and in us, to labor all night long. I am absolutely sure that the Savior knew their struggle. I also know that because he loved them, he allowed them to toil, for a time. I am also sure that the disciples were strengthened by this test of faith. This is true in our lives as well! I know the Savior knows our struggle. He not only sees them but He understands them perfectly. I love Him. He loves you.

I am out of time, but I feel there is no better note to end on than the Savior. Please take 2 minutes of your time now to watch this video about the Savior and His Atonement. I know that He lives! I know that He can make us whole! Hallelujah!

https://www.mormon.org/easter/hallelujah

Love,

Sister Lewis

 

 

Week 74

So, Sister Blosch and I are both staying on Kent Island!! I was not really expecting that, but I am really happy and excited! Actually, I wasn't quite sure at all what would happen. Usually I get a gut feeling about what is going to happen, but, this time, the last thing I expected was for both of us to stay in the area. Goes to show I didn't have a gut feeling this time haha! But, again, I am super excited and so is Sister Blosch because she is convinced that she will stay again next transfer and she loves the island!

This week was awesome! It went by SUPER fast! I feel like I only actually went to bed about 2 times, but I definitely slept like a log every night! Haha, so we started out the week really well making two visits to investigators every day! We saw Jessica on Tuesday and Wednesday, and she is doing amazing! She decided she wants to be baptized on April 9! We are so excited for her!! She also had her baby this week! She named her Ava, super cute!! We haven't been able to get out to the hospital yet because it's in Annapolis, but she texted us this morning saying that she misses our visits and has a lot of free time at the hospital because her baby is in the NICU and she spends a lot of time walking around when she isn't with Ava. So, we're going to try to meet with her tomorrow! Anyway, she is making major progress and has questions popping up everywhere which is a great thing! Questions are the basis for learning!

We also visited a part-member family this week, the Moors. We've actually been visiting with them once a week pretty much since I came to the area. Anyway, this Tuesday when we visited, one of the sons who usually never participates came and sat down as well as the other two kids who always participate! We always do a skit from the Book of Mormon with them, and this week we asked them to pick between a few based on topic, and they picked the one that was about baptism! It was awesome! Anyway, we had a cute little skit then talked a little bit about baptism, and the son who doesn't usually participate piped in and said, "I want to be baptized!" It was awesome! We found out that all of her kids want to be baptized! So, we are just working to help her come back to church so her kids can get baptized and go on missions someday! We are excited about that, too!

Last week we started teaching a woman named Noreen, and she is awesome! When we visited her this week we asked if she had prayed about Joseph Smith and the Restoration, and she said she did and that she felt like God was really close to her when she did! When we shared Joseph Smith's experience when God and Jesus Christ appeared to him in answer to prayer, she started crying and said she hadn't felt that way in a really long time. She has a hectic life so it's hard to get in with her a lot, but when we do, the Spirit just fills the room! It's awesome!

We also took a day this week to contact some referrals from mormon.org in Chestertown and Rock Hall, MD...a really really long way away. we drove almost 100 miles that day...oh man. That was fun!

Well, I love you all and thank you for all you do for me and Sister Blosch!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Pictures: One time, Sister Blosch and I went to a super fancy restaurant by the Bay Bridge, and this was the view from our table. Needless to say, we had to share the crab CAKE (yes, singular) that we got for dinner haha.

 

Week 73

This week was awesome! I still haven't told you all about Jessica which I really need to do!

So, Jessica was visiting mormon.org 2 years ago and was interested in learning more, so she submitted her information to request that missionaries come by. Two years went by and no missionaries ever received the referral until, finally, in December, Sister Blosch and I received her information with a request to contact her. We tried by a couple times over the next several weeks but were never able to catch her at home, and a couple times no one answered the door. One night, we were planning for the next day and we weren't even going to be in Jessica's area, but we felt prompted that we needed to go by and see her. So, the next day in the afternoon we dropped by her house, and she was home! We found out that, although she had submitted the referral two years ago, she had moved away from that address shortly after and hadn't come back again until late 2015! Whoa! There is only one person who could've known that who is in charge of referrals: God! She had also gone through a ton in those two years and was being prepared to receive the gospel. We started teaching her that day.

Another awesome miracle with Jessica:

A couple days after our second meeting with Jessica, she texted us saying that she had been doing some research and didn't think that it was the religion for her. We were devastated, but we told her we'd love to come by and see if we could answer any questions she had. That day she let us know a couple of her concerns and said she needed some time to pray and think about it. After a day of silence, she texted us saying that she wanted to cancel our appointment for that day. We tried to reschedule but she didn't respond. We felt so strongly that this is the right time for Jessica to be taught, so we called our leaders and asked them to pray for her, and we also prayed for her with "all the energy of heart" as the Book of Mormon describes it. We decided to give her a couple days and try by over the weekend (which would have been about five days later). That night we were planning and she kept coming to my mind, but I shrugged the impression off because we were going to visit an area in our boundaries that we don't get to visit often and is pretty far away. The next day we made a stop about halfway to the area to try by a woman we had met a couple weeks later. We ended up knocking doors in that neighborhood, and a woman there let us in...and ended up talking to us for two hours! And I mean she was talking for two hours. She only took really short breaths, and we could only talk if we literally interrupted her in the middle of her two hour sentence. Haha, I was enjoying listening to her theories on religion, but Sister Blosch was getting a little stressed. Anyway, after that we went out to the car, and by that point it would have been very unfruitful to go to the area we had originally intended to by working in that day. We decided to head back toward Kent Island and, when we passed through Centreville, we would stop by some people there. Again, when we reached Centreville the impression pressed on me to stop by Jessica's house. I protested, thinking, "We can't go by Jessica. She just canceled an appointment yesterday and isn't interested. We also decided we'd give her a few days. We can't go by!" But, still, the impression persisted. Finally, the thought came that we could go by her house, and, if she didn't let us in, we would leave her with the last pamphlet so she could study it and make sure she was making the right decision. That idea gave me the confidence to follow the prompting (which I should have done the night before when I felt impressed to stop by.) I told Sister Blosch and found out that she was feeling the same impression. For a moment I thought, "Maybe this will be one of those amazing mission stories when the missionaries felt impressed to knock on a door and found someone who had just been praying for someone to show them the truth." Haha, so, with a bit of anxiety, we went to her door. She let us right in! We sat down and followed the Spirit! I remember talking about the Book of Mormon being instrumental in knowing the truth about Joseph Smith and how I came to know, and I remember Sister Blosch bearing sweet and powerful testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon. It was an awesome 15 minute visit! At the end of the visit, just before we prayed, she stopped us to say, "You know, I did want to tell you. I don't usually pray for signs because I know you're not supposed to, but I'm just so confused about which way to go. I contacted another church like 5 days ago and they still haven't called. Last night I prayed that God would send a sign today to know which way to go...and here you are."

WOW!!

Okay, this email has been so long, but our experience with Jessica has been a series of miracles! I feel so blessed to be a part of this work. I love the Lord, and I know that He loves each of us. Because of Him, there is a way for us to overcome our sorrows and our sins. We can live with God again in a state of never-ending happiness because of the Lord. How wonderful!

I love you all and thank you for everything you do for me! Keep praying for me!

Love,

Sister Lewis

PS We find out about transfers on Sunday so if anybody will be sending anything make sure it will get here no later than Monday, March 7th! I love you!

Week 72: The Week We Were Held Hostage

So, to explain the title...This week we went to visit a member that had just come up on the records about a month ago. We had tried by another time and no one answered, and another time we dropped by just before curfew and left loving sticky notes on the door but didn't knock. This week when we stopped by, a man answered the door. He was the woman's husband. He didn't seem very happy to see us but invited us in from the cold. He then asked us if we had our ID on us. We said it was in the car. He told us to go get it. So, Sister Blosch and I went to the car, grabbed our driver's licenses and ministerial certificates (certifies us to proselyte), and went back. When we went back in I asked him why he needed our ID's. He didn't answer but told us to give them to him. I asked again and he proceeded to rant about how the missionaries had been harassing them for three years even though his wife was not a member of the Church. I went to hand him my ministerial certificate and instead he reached and snatched my ID out of my hand and Sister Blosch's out of hers. Well, long story short they didn't want to sign a form for her records to be removed so it wouldn't happen again, the man was threatening to make copies of our ID's (very illegal), and we wouldn't leave until he gave our ID's back because we didn't want to get the police involved. Looking back, it may have been better to call the police the first time he told us to leave without giving our ID's back to make sure that he didn't copy them...oh well I guess. Anyway, we were pretty much held hostage until he gave our ID's back.

(A note for Mommy and Daddy: now we know why I needed to work for Theressa. It prepared me to be held hostage haha. But, I am safe and there was no harm done.)

Well, I am all out of time because lots of people love me and send me emails and I have no time to answer...buh. Haha! I love you all! Here are some pictures from the Harrisons' baptism!

Thank you for all you do for Sister Blosch and me!

Love,

Sister Lewis

 

 

 

 

Week 71: The Harrisons' Baptisms

Okay, unfortunately I left my SD card reader at the church so I cannot send any pictures of the Harrisons baptism, but I will tell you all about it so you can picture the beautiful image in your mind! And I will send pictures of it next week!

We had an amazing lesson with the Harrisons the day before their baptism! We walked into the house and things were a little tense...stress from preparing for the baptism, people stepping on each other's toes, and also Satan was working as hard as he could before they were baptized, as he always does. So, we sat down with them and we had a "companionship inventory" with them. For those who have not read Preach My Gospel, companionship inventory is the last step of our weekly planning session. Basically it's when we tell each other how awesome we are, set goals to improve over the next week, and ask for suggestions on how to improve. It's really awesome! We basically focused on the telling each other how awesome we are part with the Harrisons, and it was amazing! There has been a lot of hurt in that family, and to watch them seek forgiveness from one another and to forgive each other was amazing! We went through their entire family and talked about what we love about each person, and with every comment of love, the Spirit became even stronger. They are an amazing family, and after that exercise we were able to set some goals with them for their future in the gospel. Last night we called to set up an appointment and caught them right before they started their first solo family home evening! It was a tender feeling when we heard that!

The baptism was amazing! The girls grandma and great-grandma on her mom's side gave talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost, Katie and I sang, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives," the girls bore their testimonies, the Branch President shared some beautiful thoughts at the end, and President Christiansen came! There's another miracle there, too! There is a sister in our Branch who had a daughter pass away from the same disease as our mission president's daughter. So, we invited this sister to the baptism, and she was able to sit with and talk with President and Sister Christiansen! The Lord puts people where they need to be!

Well, no time oy!! Haha, I will update you more on Jessica and another woman we started teaching named Robin next week!

I love you all and thank you for your love, prayers, and support! I know it comes in many forms! Thank you for all of it!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Week 70

OH MY GOODNESS THIS WEEK WAS AWESOME! I only have three minutes to tell you about it so here are the highlights!

On Monday afternoon our mission president came to the area to meet with the Harrison girls, and he invited us and the elders to go out to dinner with he and his family! WHAT A PRIVILEGE! That doesn't happen a lot as a missionary. We got to spend 2 hours one-on-one...or like....four-on-four with our mission president, his wife, and their two daughters! We also had delicious seafood which was definitely an added bonus.  ;)

The Harrisons are doing so well and still right on track to be baptized this Saturday!!! Also....MIRACLE OF MY LIFE!!!! BROTHER HARRISON CAME TO CHURCH!!!!!!!! The same man that wouldn't sit down with the missionaries for YEARS....CAME TO CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND CRIED!!!!! HE CRIED ACTUAL TEARS THEY WERE FLOWING DOWN HIS FACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, so their youngest daughter Niki got up in church and shared with everyone how grateful she was that her dad was at church and just thanked everyone for helping her get there and talked about how excited she was to get baptized, and EVERYONE was crying it was the sweetest thing EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm out of time but we also started teaching a woman named Jessica this weekend! That was a miracle! I'll have to fill you all in about her next week!

I love you and thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers! They make the world of difference!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Picture: Sister Cousin It

 

 

Week 69: It's FABruary!!

This week was amazing! We weren't able to meet with Sherrie this week. She texted us on Wednesday before our appointment to tell us that she loves us and thinks that we are great girls but she has a lot going on right now and feels bad that she doesn't have time to read the Book of Mormon. We talked to her a little about how the gospel can help her to deal with the stresses that come in our lives, but we may have just confused her. Well, that was a little heartbreaking, but the good news is that there are no hard feelings and she is still genuinely interested but she doesn't feel like it's something she can fit in right now. We may still visit occasionally, depending on her circumstance and schedule, so that's good, too! We love her!

We did get to meet with the Harrisons this week, and boy was it a week with them! We need someone to send us a hose because they are ON FIRE! They learned a lot of stuff this week! Faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, church attendance, being a follower of Jesus Christ, the word of wisdom, the temple, and some other awesome topics were all discussed with them this week! We actually met with them FOUR times! It was awesome!

We have seen so many miracles with the Harrisons this week. Like I've said in the past, their parents are members of the church but they are not active. In addition, their dad, Ronnie, wouldn't visit with the missionaries for a long time and had some hard feelings to overcome for a long time. By some miracle, Sister Blosch and I have made a really awesome connection with him! THIS IS THE TIME FOR THIS FAMILY! Yesterday Sarah (their mom) was not feeling too great in the morning so she wasn't able to make it to church, but Ronnie got them up and ready for church and brought them there! This was HUGE! He said himself that he never would have done that even two weeks ago. We still wanted to make sure the parents are fully supportive, so after church we went over there and had the MOST AMAZING talk that we have ever had with the Harrisons! We honestly had no idea where to begin because there was a lot going on surrounding the situation, so we said a fervent prayer before we went into their house. Sister Blosch told Heavenly Father that we didn't even know where to start and we weren't even sure what to teach but prayed that HE would guide the lesson. The minute we walked in, the whole family started telling us that they had been having gospel discussion since the girls had gotten home from church! Ronnie told us that he felt wrong about just bringing the girls to church and dropping them off. He said, without even being prompted on the subject, "We need to come to church as a family. I'm hopin' and prayin' that things will start to turn around if we do that. There's something just tellin' me we need to go to church. I'm not sure what it is. I can't really describe it, but that's the way I feel."

.....

WHOA!! Ronnie has been pretty quiet since I came to the area so this was a miracle! He opened up about a lot of his feelings and fears about coming to church, and it was just AMAZING! Heavenly Father answers prayers. The girls are getting baptized on February 13, and the entire family is coming back to church. They have a goal to get to the temple to be sealed, and this is all just one amazing miracle. Jesus Christ changes people's hearts! He sure has changed mine.

I love you each and thank you for your love, support, and prayers. I have been thinking especially this week about those who have made the generous and loving decision to contribute to my mission fund. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot say it enough. This has been the best time of my life, and there is nothing I could ever do to repay you. This is the work of changing lives, and my life is one of them. Thank you!

Love,

Sister Lewis

PS - This week had some challenges but ended AMAZING! Therefore, the theme of this week is: there are rainbows after rain! Some of you may also know that I love to dance in the rain...I'm learning that because of Jesus Christ, we can dance through our trials, too! Here are some pictures for you!

 

 

 

Week 68 I think

This week was awesome! First, transfer news! Sister Blosch and I are both staying on Kent Island! We were both so grateful for that because the Harrisons are getting baptized in a couple weeks and we have some investigators that are really starting to progress! Neither of us wanted to leave when the work is picking up so much!

Well, I forgot my other planner at home because I started a new one today so I'll just have to go by memory of what happened this week!

We saw the Harrisons every day this past week until the Historic 2016 Blizzard of the Mid-Atlantic started. And yes, that's a made up name. We were inside from 3pm to the end of the evening on Friday and also stayed inside all day Saturday and after 6pm on Sunday to stay safe! But, we were still able to see Sherrie and her daughter Emily yesterday which was awesome! Emily loves the Bible and wants to learn more about God so we are going to teach her as often as we can with her busy schedule and visiting her dad every other weekend.

Speaking of Sherrie! We went by one night this week, and her boyfriend Drew was home! We asked if we could sit down and talk to them about the Restoration again, and Sherrie said, "Oo yeah! You should tell Drew about that!" So, we did! It was awesome to see how excited Sherrie was to share with Drew! He has a lot of questions because he attended a ton of churches as a teen, and it confused him about God...that sounds a lot like Joseph Smith! He was willing to read and pray about the Book of Mormon so we are excited for the next time we get to sit down with him. He was there yesterday but busy doing laundry and running errands. That was too bad, but we will have another chance!

With the Harrisons, this week we talked about the Restoration, the Book of Mormon, and the Plan of Salvation. It seemed like they liked talking about the Book of Mormon the most! They said they sometimes open the Book of Mormon to a random page and start reading, and it's always what they need to hear! Just before we came over to talk about the Plan of Salvation, they had done that, and they opened to a chapter in the Book of Mormon about the Plan of Salvation and baptism! How awesome! They love reading the Book of Mormon and are so excited to get baptized! They were supposed to go to NC this weekend but had to reschedule their trip because of the snow, but Sister Harrison was telling us that if they had gone her grandma would have spent money on them for food and wouldn't have been able to make it up here for their baptism! So, as far as Sarah is concerned, that storm was god-sent! What faith!

Well, I love you and thank you all for your love, support, and prayers!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Week somethin' or other number two!

Time is getting by me so quickly here on the island! It's really true when missionaries say the days feel really slow but the weeks feel super fast!

As for this week, we started teaching two new people! Their names are Ashley and Sherrie. They aren't related...separate people...

We met Sherrie on my first night in the area and she set up an appointment for after the holidays because she was sick and things were crazy with Christmas coming up! So, we went back this week twice and taught her about the Restoration and the Word of Wisdom. (That's the guide to our health, a.k.a. do's and dont's of eating and intake.) She is awesome and has a nine year-old daughter who loves the Bible! That made teaching about Joseph Smith amazing! She loved it!

Okay, not a lot of time, in fact only a couple seconds!

Big news of the week! We started teaching the Harrison girls again and they are planning to be baptized on February 13!! They and their mom came to church on Sunday! That was huge!!!! Their mom, Sarah, hasn't been to church in NINETEEN years! She said it felt like coming home! They are so awesome and committed! They may face challenges in the coming weeks, but Heavenly Father is aware of them, and He is going to help them because they are so ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you all!!! Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers, love, and support! I mean that!! MIRACLES ARE HAPPENING, PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Sister Lewis

Week somethin' or other

Well this week was awesome! I have been waking up and falling asleep exhausted every single day! That is a good sign in the life of a missionary, but I still contend that I need to take more naps haha!

This week we dropped all of our investigators because we haven't been able to meet with them. Deirdre is hard to get in with, and Billy has been getting sick and, with his age, he really needs to get that resolved before we proceed in any fashion. As for the Harrisons, we are still working with them as a family because the parents are less-active! We will still be able to meet with the girls because we'll work with them as a family, and we actually hope to pick them up as investigators again tomorrow! We had an awesome visit with them on Saturday night, and their mom seems to be on the verge of a major breakthrough! There's one thing we do know- whenever that breakthrough happens it is going to be HUGE for that family! Sister Harrison told us that starting this new year has got her thinking about coming back to church. She said she told her husband on their anniversary (the 7th) that she was going back to church this year, with or without him haha! Go, Sister Harrison! She also told us that her daughters WILL be baptized by March! WHOA!!!! So, hold on for that one. There will be pictures!

On Wednesday-Thursday we went on exchanges with Sister Jones and Sister Larsen. Sister Jones came here to Kent Island with me and Sister Blosch left the island for the first time...fly, little bird. Haha! Sister Jones is going through some similar struggles (nothing huge, really, just wanting to make the most of our time) so it was really great to have her here with me to share some advice and such!

On Thursday we also talked to the sisters about what we could do to love ourselves a little more. They gave us the best pep talk in the history of time and also shared with us some of their tricks. Sister Blosch and I have been looking in the mirror every morning and listing "I am" statements. For example, "I am strong!" It has been a very meaningful experience for both of us. Even though it sounds silly, that exercise (along with praying to see my strengths and to know who I was before I came here to Earth) has been very meaningful to me. The "I am" exercise always reminds me that "I am" is another name for Jesus Christ, so that is one reason it has helped me to more fully represent Him. I encourage all who struggle to try this exercise and see the difference in how much more you love yourself, those around you, and your life!

On Saturday we had an appointment with a woman named Marilyn Washington! She is an amazing woman! She is 70 years old, and she participated in the March on Washington! She has had an amazing life and has such a thirst for knowledge and truth! We taught her about the Restoration, and it really touched her because she is always wondering why there are so many different churches based on the same book. It was interesting for her to learn that those churches had been formed on the interpretation of man. She is so excited to read the Book of Mormon and find out if our church was really formed on the word of God! I've attached a picture of us together!

Thank you for your love, support, and prayers! I feel them every day, and I cannot go on without it! Thank you!! I love you!

Love,

Sister Lewis

 

 

 

Week 65

This week was awesome! Some highlights:

We taught Billy three times this week! We were supposed to go to the temple to visit the visitors center and to see the Christmas lights, but he ended up getting sick! Instead we had a lesson where we read from the Book of Mormon with him! It was wonderful! He is so sensitive to the Spirit, and he believes that the Book of Mormon is true! He really wants to be baptized! We are just trying to help his wife catch that vision, too! Please pray for her. Her name is Janet =)

Also, Sister Blosch and I have been praying about and making plans to help the members of the branch with their missionary work. We knew that it would need to start with the leaders of the branch, so we prayed really sincerely that we would have opportunities to build trust with them! Those prayers are being answered! We are going to start setting up family mission plans with members of the branch, and it's going to be awesome!

I am out of time. Here are some pictures. The first one is a man in Charles Town who Sister Feinga and I met and the elders taught and he was baptized! His name is David Rowland! YAY!

The other is the sunset off the Bay Bridge <3

 

 

 

Week 64: Island Fever!

I don't really know if "island fever" means that you are stir crazy and want to get off the island or you never want to leave...but in this case it means I never want to leave haha!

This week was amazing! We got to visit with Billy three times, and a member of the branch even came with us one of those times! He is amazing! He really understands and recognizes the Spirit! This week we asked him something about Joseph Smith (I can't remember the exact question), and he answered saying, "Well, I'm going to know if Joseph Smith is a prophet by looking into your eyes, because if you believe it, I'll believe it!" He always tells us that he can see it in our eyes and that he feels it in his heart. He knows that everything we tell him is true! He is still excited and committed to read from the Book of Mormon and pray to receive a personal answer from God to know if the Book of Mormon is true. We are going to start reading with him because he is super popular and everyone interrupts him when he reads haha!

We also had a chance to visit the Harrison girls on Christmas Eve! We talked to them, and I finally met their mom! We have been practicing for our next lesson with them since I got here to the island so whenever we are able to teach them what we have been planning and what the Spirit has told us to share, we are going to be SUPER prepared haha! Just keep sending your prayers their way! They are going to need an extra boost of spiritual strength to get to church and prepare to be baptized! The girls are still on fire and want to be baptized more than ever! We love them!

I also met our investigator Deirdre on Saturday! She is such an interesting woman, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way haha! Everything she shares is super interesting and just captures my attention! We're going to teach her tonight!

Well I am out of time! I love you all and thank you for your love, prayers, and suport!

Love,

Sister Lewis