Moar Miracles!

Missions are awesome and life is awesome and Laveen is awesome!! C:

 I promised to talk more about the family we're teaching. Mom's name is Merry, and she's awesome. My companion found her on a miracle last transfer. She's been working really hard at coming back to church, stopping smoking, and letting God back into her life. Lots of hard things are happening, and her problems keep growing, but I"m so amazed at her strength and trust in God. I really try hard to express that to her, because I don't think she realizes how strong she's being. She often feels down and discouraged. She knows God's there and that He loves her, but she also knows she can't take much more and frequently wonders how long God's going to wait. It's soooo hard, it's like in Casa Grande, I want to help so badly, but there's only so much I can do. I can....give you a scripture? Pray with you? :C I want to do more. 

 That family has had so many miracles, though. God has been with them so strongly, every step of the way. We helped a woman move out (FINALLY, someone lets us do something!! 8D it feels so good to actually do some hard work!) and she was moving out so quickly that she didn't know what to do with all her food, and she asked us, "is there anyone who needs food?" and we were like, "uh, yes, we have a family of six who need a miracle." So we brought them two big trashbags and a full box of food. 

 Trials are there, and they're real, and they're scary. But God is there, too, and He's even more real than anything that scares us. And it's hard to see sometimes, but He has so many tender mercies and so many little miracles. I just wish I was better at teaching and helping people see that. I wish I was better at communicating that the negative stuff you feel in the moment shouldn't redefine all the good stuff you've felt in the past. being a missionary is awesome, but I always wish there was more I could do.

 We're still trying really hard to find more people to teach. Finding people is really hard when no one is outside and you're in a car anyway. Every now and then we get a miracle and we get to teach someone, but they're not really interested and they don't want to meet with us again. We've been praying hard and working hard, and we have to trust tht this is the Lord's work and He'll help us find people who need Him.

 ....is this letter getting too negative? I feel like it's getting too negative. :)

 It definitely wasn't a negative week.....it was seriously one of hte coolest week of my life. Miracles always seem to come when things get the hardest.

 There's a family in our ward who owns a small farm, the Aramy's. The husband was less-active but has pretty much already come back. His wife isn't a member, but is studying the Bible and the Book of Mormon and praying and has been contemplating baptism a loooooooooong time. She actually asked the missionaries to stop coming by, because she doesn't want any pressure or sway from either side while she tries to figure it out herself. She didn't want a lesson from us until after she's finished the Book of Mormon. 

 Which is fine. We usually go over once a week anyway to help her out on the farm (WHICH IS SO FUN YOU GUYS YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME) and we talk a little bit about the Bible and Christ, and we just don't talk about baptism.

 ....she's basically Mormon, anyway. haha. She loves the CHurch, she comes every week, she even holds a calling as the emergency prep  and food storage specialist--and takes it more seriosuly than anyone in the church I've seen, except maybe an Apostle.

 One time she admitted that her BoM reading hasn't been going well. "I fell asleep last night somewhere in 2 nephi."

 "yeah, that's what we were afraid of."

 "not getting very far?"

 "No, not being able to get through 2 Nephi....lots of people can't. XD"

 So we set up a time and we're reading 2 Nephi with her, until she gets into Mosiah where it gets all fun and story-ish again....she wants to have lessons again! Which is awesome! :D

 Baptism still scares her, because her family really really really doesn't like Mormons, and she wants to be able to defend herself when they talk to her, but at the same time, she knows she shouldn't be putting it off when she really feels it's right.

 Missions are awesome and there are so many miracles. :) I know this is the Lord's work, and I love being out here to serve HIm and His children!

  I love you all! Stay awesome! :D

 -Sister Stratford