Oh, the times May 19th, 2014

This last week was very interesting, but very good!

Actually, the entire district got food poisoning on Tuesday and so that took me out for the day!  The next day wasn't as fun, either, but we at least got to get out! Annnd then the day after that, I was sick again and was back inside. haha! So hey, just livin' the dream (:

But! It really was the greatest week.  I have been learning so much about myself and how much I need to change.  How exciting!  I was just so humbled this week.  I have been trying to focus on really listening to people, to what they're saying, and listening with my heart.  Incredible things came as I began to strive to do that!  I felt immense love for these people here!  It changed me.  I just feel so blessed to be here and to have the life I have.  This soft skin can't even begin to fathom the weathered hands of those who have gone through so much!  I can't even describe to you what I feel when I say that.
I have been reflecting and asking myself, "what is my motive out here?" 

I was thinking about how much of my life I've been so selfish.  A lot of my motives were strictly about what would benefit me in the long-run.  Well, having that perspective, I jumped out of my skin, and tried to stay without myself for a while.  You know, forget myself and go to work, as President Hinkley told us.  Well, let me tell you this...it works!  Oh, the love you can feel and the capacities you can reach.  Who am I to complain?  Who am I to judge?  To even begin to feel the least bit sorry for myself?  I have had it SO good! So easy.  And it is not about me.  It never is and it never was.  And that is what is so great about this Gospel.  It is all about the Savior and His Holy Spirit which testifies of all things.  I am here to be as worthy as I can so that the Spirit can be with me and others might feel of that Spirit and desire to change. Ah! Just good things. Good things.

Oh! And this was really neat to me.  One of our investigators, Alma, was telling us the other day about how the Prophet Elijah is a name that whenever she hears, sticks out to her a lot.  She asked us what that means and she wonders why she feels such a connection to it.  I decided to read about Him in the Bible and in the Bible Dictionary.  It was such a powerful experience as I realized that it must be that the Spirit of Elijah is touching her heart: as in, the sealing power in the Temple!  Maybe her ancestors are calling out to her, I am not sure.  And we haven't talked to her about it yet, but I feel that this has everything to do with Family History and Ordinances, especially Sealing in the temple!  The Bible does say that the hearts of the children would be turned to their fathers in the last days...and these are ever-so-apparently the last days!  We need to prepare! Ah, so exciting! I just felt such a need to declare repentance as I studied that over. 

We also found another new investigator!  She is awesome! She said she has been studying the Bible and says she wants to be Baptized the way Jesus was and she only wants to pray to Him, not through anyone else (her husband is Catholic).  The first thing she said to us was, "Well, my main goal is to be baptized, so that's what I want to do"  It was incredible! (: I just feel like we have been so blessed lately!! (: 

Annnd on a side not, my companion attacked me with her nerf gun the other day! Psh. Watch out for those...

Shine on! (: Love.