Hello from Idaho!: Encountering Weeping Angels

It's the start of the new transfer--my LAST transfer!! Like, wut. I can't believe it, but it has been a good start and I'm going to be sure to make it a great finish. :)

Last week I talked about our visit with Dorthy and Harvey Olsen. This week they fed us sloppy joe's for lunch (bought gluten free buns and everything:) and we taught the Plan of Salvation. Again, Harvey can't hardly hear nuthin' so sometimes he'll be 5 minutes behind in the conversation and bring something up that we finished talking about. Or he'll just bring something up that's completely random and has nothing to do with the doctrine we're teaching. So, we were mostly focusing on Dorthy because she's more receptive anyways. When we were teaching the Spirit World, Sue--their less-active daughter--bore her testimony and started crying because she knows this is the Plan and this is how Heavenly Father shows his love to us. He is giving us every chance we will take to make it back to Him because He wants us back so bad because He loves us! It was very powerful. There were other parts in the discussion that Harvey kept arguing about something he thought is in Revelations, but it's actually in Genesis 1:2. He keeps saying the world will be "void and without form" after the Second Coming, but he's got his scriptures mixed up... haha So because of his old man stubbornness there was a time when Sue was speaking very loudly, practically yelling, 1) so he can hear what we're trying to say, and 2) out of frustration. It was quite comical for Sister Marshall and I. haha

When the weather is perfect we can't help but walk around and street contact in the neighborhoods. We shared #PRINCEofPEACE with everyone we could, including kids walking home from school! We met some cool junior high age boys who had lots of questions about our message. We've tried to contact them again but they haven't been home. We're hoping that their parents will agree to us teaching them... I believe that so many more young people would be baptized if their parents didn't put a halt to it. They are so eager to learn and understand truth!!!

We taught Kenny a lesson on Grace. We used Brad Wilcox's talk "His Grace is Sufficient." If you haven't read it, go read it. Awesome talk. He gives an analogy about mom paying for piano lessons and in return asking the child to practice. Practice doesn't repay mom, but to mom it is the way to satisfy the debt. This is like Christ's gift to us--we can't repay the debt He paid, but in return we can do what He asks: follow Him and keep his commandments. Anyways, after we read that story Kenny said it would be a lot cooler if it was karate so we should replace piano lessons for karate. So for the rest of the talk that's what we did. haha That's how Kenny related to it better, I guess!

We had an awesome lesson with our new investigator, Tyler! He is 18 years old. He has such a tender heart and is very open to the gospel! We invited him to be baptized and he said he'll think about it. Sooo, we committed him to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if the things we taught are true to know if he should be baptized! :) We are excited to continue to teach him.

Okay, CRAZIEST VISIT OF MY WHOLE MISSION.

It was 8:45 at night and we were trying to figure out who to go see. So we picked a name from our list. First off, her yard was filled with angel statues....Creeped me out due to Doctor Who episodes. (If you don't know what weeping angels are, that is okay!) The lady invited us in--she was friendly!-- and we could tell she probably hasn't been active.... ever or in a really really really long time. She then proceeded to tell us she does healings, holds the priesthood, speaks to spirits on the other side... Weird stuff. Then she was talking about my ora being very bright and she could tell I had been on a mission a long time. Theeen she apparently summoned her father! Okay, yeah, weird, right? It was strange, but once we got in the car Sister Marshall said to me, "I am totally okay if we never go back there again." Yep!! haha! So weird!!!! Kinda creepy.

IT SNOWED AGAIN. Freakin' again. Come to find out, in Fruitland, ID there is a little girl who has a terminal illness and won't make it to Christmas, so on Friday, the day it snowed, they were celebrating Christmas. So the snow in April was actually a Christmas miracle!! I found that out and wasn't so mad about the snow... Almost a white Easter. :)

This Easter was truly wonderful as my testimony of the Resurrected Christ is stronger than it every has been! I have begun to more fully understand the meaning of His resurrection.

Ponderize: John 14:27

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

This peace is able to come through the resurrected Christ. Without that final part of His Atonement, it wouldn't be complete! The knowledge of what He has already done for us and the blessings that are ahead bring peace!!

From Idaho to you,

XoXo

Sister Carling