NOT SUMMER--BUT I DRESS LIKE IT IS!

This week we have seen a lot of little miracles. We have found several people to teach and even two families! That's what we have been praying for- two families who are prepared to received the gospel at this time.  Four families have fallen into our laps! Miracles happen.

Alexis Ramos and her family are one of the families.  We met Alexis while she was moving into her apartment two months ago.  We were going into the apartments to meet someone else there and started helping her move in.  When we asked her if we could share some of our message with her, she said yes, and for the past two months, we have been trying to contact her.  We taught her and her nine year old son, Colby, the other night while we were around her area and decided to try to catch her home.  They both said yes, they want to be baptized! We are trying to get back in with them, and are excited to meet the rest of the family.

About a month ago, we tracted right around our house.  Down the street a ways we met this family and talked with the mom, Heidi, for a second.  They had just gotten home and were unloading groceries and said to come back the next night.  Well, that's when we got really sick, so we couldn't come.  Since then we have been trying every chance we have but they are never home.  Since we didn't have their last name, we have been calling them, "Our family." When are we going to try our family again?" We'd  say. haha.  Well, we finally caught them home last night! We were out with the Gillett's, and the appointment we had fell through, so we went to try our family.  We were able to go in and sit down with Heidi and share the restoration with her.  When we shared with her the First Vision, she said, "How come I have never heard this before?"  Like, where has this been all my life?? When she was invited to be baptized she said, "Yeah!"  She has to talk to her husband before committing to a date, but she accepted a Book of Mormon and the Spirit was so strong. The Gillett's were able to share their testimonies, and it was incredible.  The missionaries knocked on their door a year and a half ago and they accepted the gospel and have been blessed so much since- they just want to help the missionaries every second they can and share their testimonies and conversion stories with everyone we teach!  Members' testimonies add SO much to a lesson.

Then last night we went over to Penny's sister's house.  She said beforehand, I'm not getting baptized! Haha, but she let us come over anyways.  We chatted with her and Penny and she toured us through her house because she said it is a museum, haha.  We looked at all her pictures and she told us how angels are looking over her house.  We sat down then and started to talk about God's love for her.  Soon she was in tears.  She cried and said she knows He loves her.  She just is going through such a hard time, and she just needs to keep going.  When we shared the First Vision with her, she said, "I know it's true.  I know it happened."  The same thing Penny said a couple months ago.  She is incredible! I know the church is true again and again when I hear the First Vision in the words of Joseph Smith.  The Spirit fills the room and fills my heart, and I know it's true.  It is exciting when others feel it too and desire to change because of it. 

This week we also had a couple lessons with Cory Clark.  I don't remember if I have talked about him yet, but he is the husband of a less-active girl, Shaya, who has recently come back to church.  She is twenty-two and he is probably late twenties.  Well, when we went over to see Shaya the first time, Cory was there and we taught the first lesson and invited him to be baptized.  He pulled out his research about the mormons and we just bore our testimonies and set up another appt.  Well, since we have been back he pulls out his Book of Mormon (completely marked and tabbed) and his Bible (the same) and his papers of quotes he has found online about Joseph Smith and charts he has made proving why the church is not true.  We try to teach, but it's quite difficult.  He is the nicest man though and truly believes that the church is not true because of logic and all these things he has found.  But, I can honestly say I have felt the Spirit so strongly in only a few other lessons before.  As we testify to him, the Spirit fills the room and we all feel it.  We don't argue, we won't even address the things he brings up because we have no clue what he is talking about, haha, but we invite him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon.  On Tuesday, he said no he would not pray about the Book of Mormon, but we know that he will get there at some point.  He is the coolest guy and his wife is AWESOME.  It's only a matter of time.  I know that the scripture in Moroni 10 is true- that anyone who reads the Book of Mormon, ponders it, and prays about it, will come to know through the Holy Ghost that it is true.  P.S. hilarious fact....he said he wanted to give us things to read if we were going to assign him things to read, so we were expecting anti-mormon literature or something.  He gave us HEBREWS! Hahahaha, we laughed forever about that one. Haha.

One of the highlights of my week/life are when our recent converts bear their testimonies and we see the changes that they continue to make in their lives since they have been baptized.  On Sunday, Nathan bore his testimony in Gospel Principles class.  The room was so silent as we all listened and the Spirit filled the room.  He said how three days before we arrived at his house, he had reached his all-time low and for the first time in his life had gotten on his knees and pleaded with God to show him a sign, some way or path to go. We started teaching him about a week later.  It's incredible how the Lord knows His children.  Us sisters were doubled into this area that week and the Elders in the area said, hey, stop by the Dalton's.  Her husband isn't a member and she recently started coming back to church....

I know that God loves all His children.  I have a testimony of that.  I am grateful to see that and to feel it.  I am grateful to see the power of the Spirit as it works on our investigators and recent converts.  

It's still cold in Montana.  I dress like it's summer and then I'm cold for the whole day.  I'm in denial, but I'm tellin' ya, it's coming soon.  SUMMER :)

Well, that's all for now folks! We have to leave the library now so I don't have time to write anyone who wrote me this week.  I'm sorry about that! I love the emails though.  Thank you for the time you put into them and all your love! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Hixson <3