Hello!
This week I realized that sometimes being an adult kind of stinks....Where there is bad, there is good; trials bring blessings; having faith and listening to the spirit is key to success; Anthropology candles are the greatest things ever; heaters are a necessity to live here; we need to close our umbrellas and allow all the blessings from heaven to fall upon us; and lastly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true!
This week started out on Monday evening when we finished with P-day. We were heading out for the evening, and as we were heading out, we had NO clue what to do. We had a couple of people to visit but it just didn't feel right. It was about 7:00 p.m. and we knelt down and said a prayer for direction. Afterwards I felt like there was someone else we needed to visit. So, Sister Cox and I went to our board with everyone's name written on it. After looking through it a couple of times, I received this super strong prompting that we needed to go visit the Garzas AGAIN.
This is a less-active part-member family that we have tried a MILLION times to contact, and they are never home. So, we hopped in the car and drove 20 minutes to their house. Right as we were pulling up, they were pulling out. Sister Cox and I said a quick prayer and hopped out of that car so quickly (Thank goodness people in Alaska have mile-long driveways!) and ran up to the car window. The less-active rolled the window down, and we started talking with him (Creepy I know, but we had tried them so many times before and we finally saw them...we had to!), and it was so awesome! Seriously he is so cool, and we have an appointment to meet with him this Thursday. Such a miracle and blessing!
With faith, the Holy Ghost will lead you to those people and put you in their path at the exact moment you need to be! Such a testimony builder that following the promptings from the Spirit, even the littlest ones, is such an important thing. You never know what may happen from acting upon those promptings.
Then, on Tuesday, we broke our phone, and all of our plans seemed to fall through. Sister Cox and I were already pretty stressed because we were asked to present a training session in Zone Meeting, AND when we returned home in the evening our heater was broken! The temperature in our apartment was a solid 50 degrees! We woke up the next morning, and the temp had dropped into the 40s. So, we left for the day and had an awesome lesson with our investigator. She is progressing and wants to be baptized so badly. We are so excited for her. We returned home later that evening and our heater was still broken--so cold that our bananas were half frozen, haha. So we called the STLs and drove to Fairbanks to stay with them, which was a tender mercy. As we were driving there, the NORTHERN LIGHTS came out and covered the ENTIRE sky. I have never seen the Northern lights that clear and amazing!!
Northern lights
On Friday, Sister Cox and I gave our Zone Conference training regarding having faith to find investigators. We talked about how we need to rely on the Lord as we go out and find those people that are being prepared, and reading, and waiting to hear the Gospel. We need to include the Lord in every aspect of the work, which applies to missionary work, as well as in our everyday lives. We also always need to remember to include the Lord in all that we do. He will lead us and guide us on the pathways we need to go down. He will not lead us astray. This opportunity to study and share our thoughts was exactly what Sister cox and I needed. We had so much fun planning our presentation. We even threw in some of our favorite celebrities in our activities.
Sister Lake and Sister Cox
Missionaries in Sister Lake's zone
Visual Aids for Zone Conference presentation
Okay, and last miracle! So, since our phone broke, we had to return to Fairbanks on Saturday and have our information transferred to a new phone. This guy, named Theodore, was helping us. Long story short, by the time our information was transferred, we had taught him about the restored Gospel, gave him a Book of Mormon, and invited him to church. This experience was so cool. He told us that he had a friend who was a member and said he always wondered about his religion because he was always so happy, but never asked. He had so many questions, and we were able to answer them. Sadly, he is not in our area, but the other missionaries are going to be getting One Elect Investigator!! Sometimes Heavenly Father gives you trials and things that happen just so you have to go out of your way to be placed in someone's path. Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways!!
This letter is forever long. If you have made it this far, thanks for being a true homie. This Gospel is true. Our Heavenly Father loves us. He is aware of each and every single one of us. He will work miracles though you, keep the faith, listen to the promptings of the holy Spirit and act upon them, and you will be led and guided to those people that need you. The Book of Mormon is powerful, so powerful and so true. The more opportunities I have to share the book with others, the more I realize how powerful and true the Book of Mormon really is!
Also, if you haven't already seen the video, "A Shower of Heavenly Blessings," watch it here:
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2015-03-009-a-shower-of-heavenly-blessings?lang=eng
If you already have, watch it again. Our Heavenly Father is constantly showering blessings upon us. It's our choice whether or not we close our umbrella and accept those blessings.
Also, in 365 days from today, I will be on a plane heading home. Kind of a sad thought...my mission is going by way too quick!!! So, Sister Cox and I had to celebrate/emotionally eat our favorite bagels this morning.
Celebrating by eating their favorite bagels!
ANWAYS--I LOVE YOU ALL AND I LOVE THIS GOSPEL. GO OUT AND SHARE IT!
Love, Sister Lake
P.S. Tune into the 2017 IDITAROD race on TV today and look out for a bunch of missionaries!!
Mushers from around
the world gathered on Saturday, March 4, 2017, for the ceremonial start
of the 45th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage. They are
traveling to Fairbanks for only the third time in the race's history
because of better snow conditions.
About 2,000 dogs belonging to 72 mushers waited their turn to hit the trail this year. The race spans nearly 1,000 miles of Alaska wilderness, including the last stretch when the teams battle the frozen Bering Sea coast en route to the finish line in the community of Nome.
One of 72 teams of mushers with their dogs along the racing trail.
At our training to help with the Iditarod in Fairbanks!
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