June 3

Familia and Amigos,

 

Thank you for all your love and support this week! I have received so many letters and emails and it lifts me up so much! Its awesome that we have these rules not to call and email and write all the time, because it keeps me SO focused. I don't even think about home or life at home much at all, because Heavenly Father is helping me to trust Him, to focus on His children that need to know about the restored gospel! I love you all so much.

 

That brings me to my week. WOW. I have never experienced highs and lows like a mission. If the work is going well, you are so stoked! If it is slow, it gets rough. In regular life you have your family, friends, work, school, church, etc.. to focus your attention on. If one area is struggling on, you have those other things to look forward to. Not out here! You have one purpose and one purpose only, to help others come to Christ. But I love it! I am praying to love it and praying to learn how to be patient and I know God is answering my prayers, I can feel it. I don't know what I would do without prayer. Prayer is the key to our relationship with God. Will all of you try as hard as you can to have more meaningful personal prayers this week? Develop that relationship with your Heavenly Father more fully, and He will help you to feel the spirit, and know how you can improve and grow. 

 

One inactive member we worked with this week has to be given some time here today.. Her name is Justine and she is 65. She gave me two long dresses because she said they are too skinny for her, they are lime green and BRIGHT yellow. Can't wait to wear them ;) She tells the wildest stories, she has had one crazy life. She is this really tall black lady and is so sweet. We had an awesome lesson with her this week and she said she would start coming back to church. And she came! She comes into the chapel right before the sacrament starts wearing blue scrubs and has a huge plastic mug full of diet coke in her hand. I was leading the music in our ward and sister divis was playing the piano and I had to hide behind the piano, I was laughing so hard. I was so happy she was there!! I love the gospel.

 

Jeraldine is the one I told you about, the recent convert. She has all sorts of health problems, but it so sweet. We went over and read the book of mormon with her this week, she was really not feeling good though. She used to be a baptist, so I asked her if it would make her feel better if I sang a song and then she sang one of her favorite songs from her old church about Christ. We were out on their apartment complex's porch with me, Jeraldine, Sister Divis, and Kembrough, her friend that is about her same age, like 60ish. I sang I know that my redeemer lives and I stand all amazed. It was wonderful. She lit up. I have been trying to use my singing more often, in lessons and such, and it has really brought the spirit and opened people up. I know that I will use it even more as my mission progresses, I have been given that gift for a reason. She then sang one of her baptist songs called "Jesus oh Jesus". She has an awesome voice! Kembrough was singing the choir's part in the background, so she would sing, "Jesuuuuus" and Kembrough would do the little "Jesuuuus." in the background. I don't know how to describe it, but I was singing with them on the porch and I was wishing someone would video tape this moment of me singing gospel music with Jeraldine and Kembrough from Georgia :) These are the days.

 

Last time we saw Tracey, Quay, and Tiger, they were SO excited about getting baptized, to come to church, that they had found the true church on the earth.. This week, they have not been home for any of our appointments, they only respond to our calls and texts sometimes, and they didn't come to church.. I don't know what's going to happen. I am praying my heart out and hoping we can keep teaching them and that they still have the desire to be baptized. I don't know what happened to change how they feel.. Keep praying for them please :) Satan is SO real. I feel like we are going out in the world literally FIGHTING Satan for souls sometimes. He doesn't want our work to progress. He wants to drag us down, all of us, to be as unhappy as he is. I am so determined to grow closer to Heavenly Father and to have the spirit with me to be able to help this work progress. We are in the last days! I am working hard to spread the light of the gospel everywhere I go, to help people to feel a piece of God's love for them through me. LOVE is our most powerful tool. I can't hide the light of Christ in my eyes, and I would never want to.

 

I definitely see some STRANGE stuff here in the south. There are some STRANGE religions... Jeneane, who has a baptismal date, is Pentacostal. So she has been telling us all about speaking in tongues, how when you feel the holy spirit you can't help what your body does, whether that be running around in the church or laughing hysterically or dancing or screaming.. So she thought our church was a little different.. I pray to know what to say to people a majority of the time, cuz I sure don't have any idea what the heck to say at times. I am young and am not by any means a perfect teacher. I know that through Him I can do ANYTHING, if I have faith and make sure I am worthy and willing.

 

1 Nephi 3:7

 

We were not sent to this earth to fail. We were sent here to become like God, to choose GOOD over EVIL. Choose GOOD! :) Be righteous! I love the prophet! Read his talk from conference about obedience, it changed my life ;)

 

Love you all. Sorry this is so long.. Austin's emails will be like 3 sentences ;)

 

Love, Sister Hillary Dodd