Hi! Long time, no talk fam.
Next week my P-day will be Tuesday because of TRANSFERS. My goodness. This transfer went by way too quickly. Ten Sisters have just one transfer left. Three of those Sisters are three of my best friends...Sister Hansen, Sister McAlister, AND Sister Manwaring. Mission life will be strange without them. (This next information probably should not be made known publicly yet)...BUT I know my fate for next transfer. No more Sister McAlister. No more Traning Sister. No more Willowick. No more Visitors' Center. I will be serving in Loraine which is west of Cleveland. Far, far away from my little bubble here in Kirtland. When a Sister from the Visitors' Center serves in an area where she does not come in to the Visitors' Center at all, we call that "full proselyting". Honestly, I have wanted to go out full pros my whole mission so I am pretty content with it. It will be hard (I will be away from all the Sisters from Thanksgiving and, most likely, Christmas). It will be different (I have come in to the Visitors' Center pretty much every day of my mission). But I know it will be good (Opportunity to grow, change, etc).
This past week was crazy, as usual. More exchanges. Saturday I was with a new Sister, Sister Gamble from Utah. We were down in Hiram which is a rural area. It was so beautiful. We spent a good portion of the day tracting. I think we walked 18 miles...not really, but it felt like it. Near the end of our tracting experience, we met a little family. Mom, Daughter, Son, and the minister Dad. Oh man, he tore us apart! Generally, people are kind and respectful...but it seemed like this man just wanted to make us feel awful. Perhaps, that was not his intention but it sure felt like it. If this was his intention, it did not work. Sister Gamble is incredible. We were able to share with him boldly what we know to be true because our Heavenly Father has revealed it to us. No one can take that away from me.
A couple of months ago, Sister Hansen and I were teaching the Wickes (hopefully you remember them...couple in their 50's). We took a member from the congregation with us who is good friends with the Wickes, Brother Pedersen. Brother Wickes and Brother Pedersen get along so great. They are both intellectuals. Brother Pedersen could answer questions in a way that makes sense to Brother Wickes when we could not...you know me and my brain. (: Well, when Brother Pedersen was asked by Brother Wickes how he can know The Book of Mormon is true when science and history can not prove it, I was impacted by his response. He explained that science and history have been wrong in the past, that they are wrong now, and will continue to be wrong in the future about some things. Just like with science, he believes something when he sees accurate results for himself. For instance, we are told that water, when the heat is reduced, will turn in to ice. That is something that we can test and try for ourselves. (silly example...first thing that came to my mind) So, when he follows the teachings in the Bible and they make him happy...he knows that it is true. Same principle with The Book of Mormon. Once he has experiences that show him that The Bible and The Book of Mormon are from our Heavenly Father, the world nor history nor science can sway him. His personal experience has greater value to him than anything that the world can tell him...That made sense to Brother Wickes. That made sense to me. Hopefully I explained the experience in a way that makes sense to you, too.
When I was being talked to by that man on Saturday afternoon, he could not detour me from what I know because of my experiences that I have had with trial and success (AND trial and error when I do it my way...), The Bible is a real testament of Jesus Christ. I know that. So is the Book of Mormon. I value the words in these books as good and of God. Again, no one can take that away from me.
Alex came to church yesterday! I was not there because I was with Sister Scott (MTC companion) in Ravenna...that's okay though. Sister McAlister said he loved it. We are meeting with him Thursday so yay.
I love my life!!!! (:
Love,
Sister Spring
