Tuesday was the BOMB! We started off with doing some service for Sister Leeman. Sister Leeman is awesome and she always so willing to bring people to church and to come to lessons with us. So we wanted to do something nice for her to thank her for all of her awesomeness so we swept and mopped her floors for her. Then after that literally all of our appointments except for two canceled. It's very frustrating when this happens. So we went to our first appointment the HopeSmith family who are some recent converts. We talked about temples and family history and they are all planning on going to the temple this Saturday to do baptisms. And they also set the date of April 12 to get sealed as a family. So you can assume that lesson was awesome!
Our second appointment was with the fantastic Paul, Charlene and Tyler. They also have set the date to go to baptisms in the temple for the first time on Saturday. So we contacted the branch president, Pres. Sternal, and we arrange a big temple trip for all of the recent converts to go to. It's going to be awesome because Saturday is a special recent convert day at the temple so they are having the temple president come and speak and they are going to make it very special for them. I AM PUMPED for them. But I am also slightly sad because we can't go because missionaries have to be in a 2 hour travel radius in order to go to the temple and we are about 5 hours away. But that's ok I can be there in my heart with them. (Ahhh, tender moment.)
Wednesday we had a great district meeting! We also go the coolest text from our branch president. He told us that a bishop from Michigan called him. Now let's back up a minute. Remember Brandon and Keesha who were baptized back in November? Well like a week after they were baptized they moved to Michigan because Brandon got a job there. We haven't been able to get in contact with them so that we could send missionaries there to teach them. Then our branch president informed us that missionaries tracted into them and now the bishop there is working with them. Haha you can sure run but you can't hide!! Just kidding, but not really. God definitely knows how to take care of His children that's for sure.
So they have changed how exchanges work now. It used to be that us and the sister training leaders would switch companions and go to each different area. But now we both go to the sister training leaders area and then go on splits with them. It was interesting having all four of us in the apartment. It was a party! But I didn't even get to the best part their area is Bangor!! Bangor is a "city" by Maine standards anyways. But Bangor has a mall, a target, an Olive Garden and so much more. So we took our dinner hour in Bangor and went to Olive Garden. It. Was. The. Best. Thing. Of. My. Life. No jokes, no jokes.
Thursday we were in Bangor all day. I was on splits with Sister Duncan. We went to do service at a thrift shop, then went and contacted and taught some members and less actives. Then we went to a members house. Well her dad isn't particularly found of us Mormons. But he was kind. This is what he said to us word for word "why don't you offer them something to drink. We've got whiskey and coffee!"
"Dad, we don't drink that kind of stuff in our church." The daughter said
"They didn't allow whiskey when I went to church but that didn't stop me from drinking." Then we looked at us and said "Shoot, you could have 3 drops of whiskey and you'd be out in the dooryard having a party." Then he asked me where I was serving and when I told him Milo he looked me right in the eye and said with all seriousness "Milo?!? What in the world could you have done that was so bad that they would have put you in Milo." He went on for no joke 20 minutes trying to figure out what I did that was so bad that I would get "sent" to Milo.
Milo isn't that bad folks! Haha geez!
Anywho I cannot forget to mention the absolute best part of my day. After were were done with exchanges we took our dinner break and went to the mall. Guess what was in the mall guys guess?!?!
A BATH AND BODY WORKS!!!!!!!
To make matters even better they were having their semi annual sale and everything was like 3 dollars. I felt like a man who has been lost at sea for 6 months finally stepping onto dry land again. There is a God there is a God. I got a new lotion, body spray, body wash, wallflower scent, two new hand sanitizers, some soap and some travel size body wash. I'm sorry mom, please don't ever mad but I couldn't help myself! It was FABULOUS!
Then we came back to Milo. Dirt roads, no stop lights, no shopping, hardly any people. We got back into our apartment and planned for the next day. We started getting ready to go to sleep. And I went pee. You know just like any other regular night. But when I went to flush the toilet... It got clogged. Now, how it got clogged I have no idea. I plunged and plunged and plunged. Nothing happened. Sister Jensen plunged and plunged and plunged. Then the toilet started over flowing and flooded the bathroom. So our landlord and her son came over. He plunged and plunged and plunged and it just kept getting worse! So two hours, two plungers,two pressure hoses, a ShockVac, some tears, and some frustration later we ended up with a broken toilet in our garage and no toilet in our bathroom.
Then Saturday night we come home expecting to see the usual no toilet but was surprised to see a brand new spanking toilet. But not only a new toilet but brand new floors too!!! It was so awesome!! I most definitely will never forget that night. Our landlord is awesome!!
I also got a sweater that say Wicked Mainiac. It's on fleek!
Well also on Saturday night we had dinner at Paul and Charlene's house. Right when we got there Charlene was showing us all the neat stuff they got on lds.org. She ordered a ton of pictures of temples and temple posters. She ordered a ton of church history books and DVDs. She also ordered for the Strength of a youth and a true to the faith book. They were all so excited for it! They can't wait to go the the temple and they have been finding their own family names to take to the temple! During dinner they were talking about familysearch.org and how Charlene has had to fix a lot of Paul's tree on there. Someone had put his grandpa in as himself and himself again as his own son. Then Paul blurted out "I'm my own grandpa!" I died laughing it was so funny!
Sunday was oh my gosh such a day full of miracles again! Ashley came to church again and right when she saw us she came running up to us. She was screaming and waving her Book of Mormon up in the air. "Sisters, I have been waiting forever to show you all that I have read in the Book of Mormon!" She read 7 chapters and highlighted all of the things that she liked. It was fantastic! With all the excitement going on I didn't realize that it was time for church to begin and no one was there to play the music. So, of course with all my luck, they asked if I would play the opening hymn. Thank goodness they let me change it to Sweet Hour of Prayer (otherwise known as the easiest hymn in the history of hymns) then the regular organist showed up in time to play the rest of the songs.
It was the most terrifying thing of my life. But it was chill, Heavenly Father definitely helped me out.
Later that night we had dinner at the Leemans and they invited Ashley over. Right in the middle of dinner Ashley's had shot right up in the air. "Guys ok Can you just tell me what I need to do to be baptized now!! I have been waiting so patiently, I just really want to get baptized!" My heart was so giddy with joy! So we told her what she needed to do and that we still needed to teach her some more lessons and we set her baptism date for February 27. Gahh!! I am so excited!
This week has been AWESOME!
So I guess I could share a spiritual thought now. This morning I was reading in 1 Kings 18. This chapter of freaking hilarious! So the prophet is Elijah in this story. So he goes to the wicked King Ahab who worships the false god Baal and tells him to gather all 450 false prophets that he has them meet him in the mountain.
So they all are in the mountain and Elijah wants to prove that there is only one true God. So he tells the wicked prophets and priests to build an alter and then pray to Baal to have him set the sacrifice on the alter on fire. So they do that and they pray and pray and pray until the middle of the day. They start cutting themselves and crying out to this pretend God and nothing happens. Elijah starts mocking them, which I think is hilarious. In verse 27 it says "And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked." So Elijah is just sitting there while these people are like cutting themselves and crying and praying and he's just laughing at them.
So Elijah tells them to stop and he builds his alter and then he tells the people to get four barrels of water and dump it on the alter. Then he tells them to get four more barrels of water and do the same thing. Then he tells them to do it again. So this alter is like floating in 12 barrels of water then Elijah says his prayer to God and immediately the whole alter like starts on fire. In verse 38 it says "Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench." Everything burnt up!! Then it says in verse 39 "And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God."
I want to testify to you that this story is true. And that that God is our God. The only true and everlasting God. He is all powerful and all knowing. But not only that He is a loving and a merciful God as well. And just like back in biblical times He still performs miracles as mighty and wonderful as that one I just told. I see them happen everyday. He can heal the deepest wounds, fix the most broken of all hearts, change the harshness and the anger and evil that we have in us. Because of Him our "mistakes don't define us, they refine us." As long as we are willing, and full of faith-just like Elijah.
The fact that I could actually read that story in the bible and understand it enough to tell it again is a miracle in and of itself.
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.
For with Him we can do all things.
I love you all so much!
Have a great week!
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