Hello from Idaho!: The Good, the Bad, the Chickens, and Music

Well unlike last week, this week felt very eventful full of craziness! Good and bad.

This week, it seemed like everyone who had a baptismal date, dropped us....So as of right now, we don't have anyone ready. :( But even with all the disappointment, a lot of good happened this week too.

Monday: As a district, we hiked Camel's Back in Downtown Boise. It's a pretty hipster park. At the top, there was a dude chilling with his dog, listening to music, and enjoying the view. We struck up a conversation with him and eventually led it to a gospel discussion. We invited him to come to church with us.....and HE CAME! After we talked to him, we saw this other guy twirling sticks. We went over to him and asked him to teach us.....and he did! Eventually we had a gospel discussion with him. He's a total hippie too. Long hair, doesn't shower, tie die shirt, "Love, peace, etc...." He was awesome!!!

Tuesday: We had zone conference! I happened to provide all of the music: prelude, opening and closing hymns, and both musical numbers. haha For the two musical numbers I played the piano for some elders that sang. It was amazing. They both did a great job. It made me so thankful for the talent that I have because it invites the Spirit. Being able to invite the Spirit to meetings really warms my heart and I love it.

Wednesday: We went on exchanges! I was in Meridian for the day. In the evening, I was back with Sister Richards.

Thursday: Oh man..

In the morning, we got a call from the Spanish elders informing us that Rosselyn (my recent convert) was in the hospital because she jumped off a bridge. They were on their way there to give her a blessing. That's all we knew, so immediately, we left to the hospital. It seemed so unreal!! Rosselyn is one of my favorite people I have had the opportunity to teach on my mission! I would have had NO idea that she struggled with these problems. She hurt her neck, back, liver, and spleen, but most of the damage is in her neck. The first two vertebrae are fractured. If they had been damaged any more she would be dead. Thankfully though, she is doing okay. She told us what happened.

Since she was 16 she has struggled with thoughts of hurting herself. She's never done anything though. This week has been super stressful for her. (I'm sure some of her stress came because her parents and grandpa are in town from Venezuela and she is having to provide for them.) I admire her, because she turned to the Lord. She went to the temple to pray and find strength. She then went to Lucky Peak to read her scriptures. But SATAN IS STUPID and got in her head way too much. She decided to jump. I know that God protected her though. There was a man there who saw her jump and swam out to save her. She has said that she has learned the value of life.

Her parents, who don't know English, of course are struggling. They have been meeting with the Spanish elders. Rosselyn is the one who told them that these are trials we have to go through, but they need to trust in the Lord. The next day when we visited her again, her dad brought out his Spanish Book of Mormon to show us. He showed us 1 Nephi 3:7 and some other verses in the chapter that we couldn't understand because it was in Spanish. We shared that with Rosselyn. She asked us to share another scripture so we shared Ether 12:27. Her dad came over with his Book of Mormon to open up to whatever scripture we had. Then HE read it to her and asked for a pen to mark it with. It made my heart so happy to see how the gospel is helping them, and also to see the excitement he is having! Good is coming from the trials!!

Friday: We visited Rosselyn again.

We went to lunch with Sister Riggs! Always so good to see her!

We spent our whole afternoon and evening at the church building to weekly plan, have dinner, and then after, have a lesson. For dinner, I brought some gluten free "Just add water" pancakes. The kitchen doesn't have any frying pans, so I used a sort of cookie sheet to cook them on......They did not turn out the best, but they were still edible! haha

That evening, we had a lesson with Robert. Robert has been less active for a long time but he has such strong desires to come back to the gospel and repent! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. When we taught repentance, he admitted to some things that he has done, but hasn't told is Parole Officer. Right then and there he made the decision that in order to repent he needed to call his PO. He called his PO in the middle of our lesson!!! He's getting it! It shows that he is ready and trying to repent. That was cool.

Saturday: TOSHA GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!!

I appreciated the pictures that people sent me! Especially, pictures of me. haha

We visited some people that Sister Richards taught earlier in her mission. One of the families had chickens, and again, I can't resist chickens. haha It's just part of who I am, I guess!

Sunday: I performed 2 musical numbers--1 in the Elders ward, Savior Redeemer of My Soul, and 1 in my YSA ward--I did my own rendition of Joseph Smith's First Prayer.

Monday: Happy Memorial Day! For P-Day, we just played sports at the church building with our zone. And I got a hair cut!! Well, just a trim. :)

Ponderize: 3 Nephi 10:6

O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.

In these verses, the phrase "As a hen gathereth her chickens...." is repeated 4 times! The first time He said, "How oft have I..." The second and third time He said, "How oft would I..." and the fourth time he said, "How oft will I..." Chirst will always rescue us! NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE MESS UP, HE WILL ALWAYS RESCUE US. We have to have faith and repent and turn to Him.

From Idaho to you,

XoXo

Sister Carling