Week 39 - Feb. 25, 2014

Hello Everyone,

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE WEEK! Sis. Judd and I repeatedly turned to each other, jaws dropped, saying, "What is happening?!" in a good way. SO MANY MIRACLES!! I feel we're both really striving to be exactly obedient, and that's helping the work. We're best friends already, we work fantastically together, we have so much fun, we work our hardest, we're on the same page, and I love this transfer already! I love Sister Judd, I love Clark Lake, I love this work! 

We've also really been trying to implement new training we've gotten recently - especially shorter, more focused, more interactive lessons with the pamphlets. It's worked wonders! We went back to Christine after not seeing her for a while (an older, spunky lady the elders tracted into), she actually listened, and we taught the Restoration the new way. We asked her to pray to know if this is God's church at the end of the lesson - we meant out loud, but she did it silently. We just waited...for a couple minutes...then she looks at us and says, "So where's your church at?" !!!! WHAT?! She said she felt good and she wants to keep studying and praying about it. She committed to baptism on March 15 but she wasn't feeling well enough to come to church yesterday, so we'll change her date when we see her on Tuesday. But still, that experience was AMAZING! 

We received 2 referrals who are GOLDEN! Alison and Nancy. We reviewed the Restoration with Nancy and she already knows most of it - she received the first 3 lessons in another state already and WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED! She knows it's true already!! We have another lesson with her tonight and we're trying to help her feel the urgency of baptism - she wants to wait until June so she can be baptized with her family there. (some of her family is Mormon - MAN is she prepared!)

I've seen miracles from talking with EVERYONE we see. Sister Judd is really good at that. Even if it's just giving them a mormon.org card - we're still inviting them to come unto Christ. So much of missionary work is simply INVITING, whether or not they accept. 

Another instance of a miracle from talking with everyone: we went to check that Nancy was coming to church, but she wasn't home. As we were walking back to our car, Sister Judd spotted a family walking out to their car and went to go talk to them. Turns out the mother is a less-active member that recently moved in who wants to come back to church with her family. We have an appointment for Wednesday. WHAT? The Lord just keeps teaching me, over and over and over, that I can NEVER judge. I can NEVER tell who's ready and who isn't. My job is to invite EVERYONE. 

We had a wonderful lesson with Jessica and Martha T (member), mostly about the Restoration and living prophets. We invited Jessica to say the closing prayer and ask God if this is true, and if Thomas S. Monson is His living prophet today. She's prayed out loud before, but this time was different - there was a point where it got intense and real. Even though it was in Marshallese, I could tell she was really asking, and really feeling the Spirit. She started crying! The Spirit was so strong. She wants so badly to have an eternal family, to live God's commandments and be clean in His eyes, and to be baptized. After that lesson, I have no doubt that she will be baptized. And that is the best feeling :)

Sarah came to church for the first time in about a YEAR! Even before Sacrament meeting started, she had tears in her eyes. She was in a lot of pain (fibromyalgia) but she wanted to come, and she said it felt so good. :D

We've also been trying to work out how to really facilitate member and missionary work - how to work better together to hasten the Lord's work. Any ideas??

I know this is God's church. He lets me know through the scriptures, through prayer, through how it blesses the lives of others, and mostly importantly through the Spirit EVERY DAY. He has given us His power so we can be clean and be guided back to live with Him. He loves us and understands us more than we can comprehend. 

Hurrah for Israel!

Sister Hehl

Sister Hehl with Sister Kartchner- they changed this tire together in December all by themselves!

Sister Hehl with her last companion, Sister Swapp.