Wow, this has been another busy week for the Dodd family :) We've done it again! I love hearing about Austin going through the temple.. That's amazing. I wish I could've been there, but obviously would not wish to be anywhere but Brunswick Georgia for now.
Please tell Grandma thank you for her package she sent me this week. It was SO cute, it had a bag of cookies with a note attached that said, "for your tummy" and then a little lotion that said, "to make you smell yummy" and then a little lds book that said, "to start your day off sunny". Oh I love her :)
So this week, we dropped Tiger, Quay, and Tracey. They were supposed to get baptized yesterday but have kind of dropped off the face of the earth. They've been avoiding appointments and haven't been home or don't text back.. We finally stopped by and Quay answered the door. It broke my heart.. The light that we had always seen in his eyes was gone.. It was like he was afraid to talk to us. I don't know what happened.. Anti-mormon influence is really strong here in the south with so many denominations all over the place. Its hard because you fall in love with these families, you see the joy in their eyes and they acknowledge that they feel the spirit, but then don't follow it.. Hopefully they will find the church again someday.. I prayed about it a lot and I know that Heavenly Father is mindful of them.
We are still teaching Miss Jeneane. She is so SASSY and I love it :) We had a miracle happen this week. Jeneane has always been Pentacostal. The pentacostal church believes in speaking in tongues, that it is the language that only God can hear and its so scary. When they "feel the spirit" they do whatever the spirit "prompts" them to do, like run up and down the isles, scream out loud, speak in tongues, dance around.. And so Jeneane really struggles with the reverence found in our church, or that we take the sacrament individually and not all together. I bore testimony that we take the sacrament individually because Christ died for us and suffered for us individually. He died for every single person's sins, and it was very personal, so the sacrament should be too. As I teach sometimes, I am praying and praying and praying and saying Heavenly Father, I don't know what to say or how to express myself.. and I have felt several times the impression come in my mind, "Open your mouth" like from D&C 60:2. As I just open my mouth and testify of the Savior and of my testimony, the spirit can be felt, even though I sometimes don't even remember what I said after the lesson. And that's what it is.. The spirit is the true teacher. If I am prepared and living worthily, the light in my eyes speaks louder than my voice.
We taught Jeneane the plan of Salvation this week. I used the little felt version that you sent me Mom! As we taught it, she started to gasp and say, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" She then told us about a dream that she had had the night before. In the dream there were three giant steps. She started at the bottom. She could see that there was a big white temple at the top step. She climbed up to the second step, and said there were good people there. She asked them to come with her to the temple and they didn't want to, they didn't know what she was talking about. She climbed to the top step and it was beautiful she said. The trees were so tall and the flowers were so bright. She saw the Savior, and the trees bowed down to him, she climbed to the temple but she couldn't get in and she was so frustrated. As we showed her the three degrees of glory and the picture of the temple that says COVENANTS, she knew it was truth. She kept touching it and saying, "this is truth.. this is truth.." The spirit is the TRUE teacher. God answers our prayers ALWAYS.
We had dinner at the Greens last night and I love them. They are an old couple, They have such thick southern accents.. She told us a huge story about a baby squirrell that she raised and she had a big picture of it wearing a t-shirt in her house. She also had a christmas tree decorated for the 4th of July with red white and blue lights and big american flags sticking out. They have fiddler crabs in their yard and asked one of the elders from our ward that's getting transferred if he had gotten my home address. I high-tailed it out of there. hahaha ohhh the South, how I love it.
My scripture reading has consisted of Nephi this week. I love him.. He never complains. He just turns to the lord in trials and says, what can I do now? In 1 Nephi 19:1, he says "And it came to pass that the Lord commanded me, wherefore I did." I love this. It is so important for us to be obedient. The Lord commanded me, wherefore I did. He knows better than we do, always. As we strive to be obedient, He will lead us and shape us. I love this gospel.
Tonight we get transfer calls!! I am anxious to see what will happen. We are also teaching at girl's camp tomorrow, and I am so excited to teach these girls and to sing for them. I'm singing a song called Send Me, from the 2003 EFY cd.
I love you family. Thank you for your support. Stay strong! Be obedient!
Love, Sister Dodd
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