Monday, April 13, 2015

THE WAR CHAPTERS!!!!

Ahhhh, I love being on a mission you guys!M haha. Life is just really
great right now.

Pero, I am on an iPad today. :/ they're trying a new rule that we
can't use computers anymore now that we have iPads, and that includes
Monday emailing. But we're hearing rumors that that new rule will
change soon, anyway. We'll see. Emailing is a lot slower and clumsier
in an iPad and I make a ton more typos. Merp.

So funny story about Ramon. He's still one target to being baptized
this Saturday! He's so cool his life is just such a miracle, all the
things he's gone through and all the changes he's made to get here.
He's still reading the BoM and loving it!!! On day he was like, "I
finished Alma!" And we were so happy for him, that's such a feat. Then
when we saw him again and asked where he was, he said, "well, I was in
Helaman 5 or 6 or something, but I lost my place. I didn't want to
lose the context of what was happening, so I started back in Alma 50
again." And we were like, "lol whatever Ramon, we know you remember
everything you read. You forget nothing. You just wanted to read the
war chapters in Alma again." Which I don't blame him. I looooove those
chapters. Alma is my favorite book in the Book of Mormon. All the
stories that are parallels to my life.

But he keeps rereading those chapters over and over again, I think
this is his third or fourth time now. Sometimes he has trouble
hearing, but he comes to church anyway, and whenever it gets too hard
for him to hear, he just pulls out his phone and reads the BoM. And
it's always one of those last chapters in Alma. Last night we were
talking to him, and he was telling us about all these hard things that
are suddenly popping out of nowhere, "Im definitely getting attacked,"
he says. "Gods making miracles in my life and giving me strength, but
there's definitely something evil that doesn't want me to get baptized
this Saturday. It's a war, its a real fight. I love reading those
chapters at the back of Alma, because that's what I feel. I feel
outnumbered, and old friends are trying to turn against me, and I'm
being attacked, but God is with me. Those people were able to win
through the Grace of God, and I can too."

And then Alma became even more so my favorite. He just gets so much
strength from it. It's so neat.

Also, one of our teenagers we teach--I don't remember if I named the,
or even talked about the, yet, but there's this small pack of teenaged
girls we teach. They live in the same neighborhood and are always
hanging out. One of them is the girl whose mom wants her to go to
church, but isn't willing to come herself. This is a different one,
will call her McKay-- so we ran into McKay while she was by herself.
She was going through kinda a rough time....okay, so as missionaries,
we usually keep our lessons around 30 minutes, or less, however short.
But we stayed there for almost 2 hours helping her understand the
whole Plan of Salvation. Gah, I LOVE TEACHING THAT LESSON SO MUCH. She
was so interested, and asking all these questions--heavy ones, not
just curiosity ones--and she was coming to understand for herself,
without us telling her, what her role is, what she needed to do, what
she was to God, why we needed a Savior, why He cared about her, etc.
it was just the coolest experience.

Missions are the best. A lot more happened this week, but so many
lives are changing, and it's just so great to be here to see it. The
Gospel really does change lives. The Atonement is real, and Christ is
here to change lives. I knew that before, but knowing something is
different than really experiencing it. Like knowing that Russia is
cold, then actually being there. The Atonement is really something
that needs to be experienced.

I love you all!! Thanks for the prayers and support!m you're the best! :)

-Sister Stratford


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