The Time is Now

The time is now!!

If I haven't expressed this enough I want you all to know that our Heavenly Father loves immensely. That has got to be one of my favorite lessons I have learned on my mission and I'm still learning and understanding it each and everyday. My heart has been filled with his love and joy, especially going over the past week.

 

Monday morning I helped Sister Jackson pack up and then dropped her off and the mission home. Like I said in last weeks email I was the placed in the Memorial area for the time being with Sister Bearnson until transfers on Wednesday. I loved Memorial SO much. I fell in love with the people instantly. Sister Bearnson and I had a lot of fun together and it just felt like we had become companions. While on exchanges I felt prompted to talk to this black lady that was outside playing with a baby. As I approached her she looked up at me and began to get very excited. She told us all about her life, and all the crazy things that have been happening to her. She said she's been looking for a new church and has been praying for God to place someone in her path to help her. We then taught her and she accepted to be baptized. She was super excited to ocme to church to learn more what her Heavenly Father has planned for her. I hope to hear soon how she's doing. Another lady we met only speak Swahili, the sisters have been teaching her through different ways of charades :)

 

Wednesday came and I got my trainee (baby) Sister Carisa Elliott. She is from Toelle, Utah. She is 22 and was going to school down at SUU and was actually good friends with my best friend Hailey Sprouse... small world. I love her so much!! She is a very hard worker and is willing to go out of her comfort zone and do the Lords work. I'm pretty sure she was already trained, because I basically feel like I am with a missionary that has been out for a year. :) :) Oh the tender mercies of God. Almost everyone in our zone is training, so we have lots of babies being trained in the ghetto. The best place to be trained.

Emily's new trainee Sister Elliott

 

Right now we have this super legit investigator named Craig. We have daily contact with him and he is getting ready to be baptized. The only thing stopping him is the Word of Wisdom. After we taught it he went from smoking 15 cigarettes a day to 2 :) MIRACLE! Yesterday we all fasted together that he will be able to stop smoking and be baptized in two weeks. I am so excited for him. He is teaching all of his neighborhood friends and we actually have lessons planned with all of them this week. :) He is doing very well and loves the Gospel.

 

 I mentioned President Ashton and God have asked that we focus more on the South part of our area. We went down there on bikes this past week and it was a huge trial of our faith. NO one was outside... but we didn't give up. Sister Elliott and I are pressing forward with faith. All the people that were outside rejected us instantly and told us they weren't interested or like a man did to us yesterday they yell in our faces and try to tell us we are wrong. I just find that to be the saddest thing on earth. Sister Elliott was a champ to stand through 20 minutes of a middle age man yelling at us and swinging his BBQ tongs in our face. Being respectful we stood and listened to what he had to say. We then shared short and simple testimony and invited him to pray for himself, and then we left. I think the main thing we will be working on is praying fervently that the hearts of those in the south part of the area will be softened and changed to be ready to hear the Restored gospel.

Emily and companion talked to these two little girls every day, they were finally baptized!

 

Saturday was full of bike riding and talking to people on the roads. I LOVE MY BIKE!! I just don't feel like a real missionary without it. We had a long day getting shut down by those in the South. We decided to get on the side of the road and say a prayer that Heavenly Father will place those that are ready in our path. After closing we pressed forward with faith riding in and out of the neighborhoods. Through the grace of God we ran into a lady who is from the Philippines. She started crying when she saw us and told us that it was fate that we ran into each other. She was on her way out to walk her dog. We walked with her and taught the Restoration. She was so excited to go home and read the BOM and to pray to know if it was church. We will be meeting with her this week, and I am so excited.

 

Emily in a members Camaro

A couple other things that happened this week were: we did service at the local food drive. It was kind of like bountiful basket, but for those who cant afford food. Because we were volunteers we got all the left of fruit and vegetables :) We also got a BRAND NEW CAR today :) its a 2014 Toyota Corolla and it only have 300 miles on it :) :) and the phone is bluetoothed to the card.. Coolest thing ever. I have no idea how to work new technology though.... good thing my companion just got here from the world. haha

I love you tons. I am excited for this week and to tell you all about it next week. 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Watkins