This week in the GKLM, it was a week of firsts!
So we are teaching the most awesome investigator and we call him baptist billy. He teaches Sunday school at his church and calls himself a preacher. I love going over to teach him. He is knowledgeable, he loves God and is willing to do what it takes to get closer to Jesus Christ. We had the coolest lesson with him. Billy believes in the rapture, whatever crazy doctrine that is (we ask, he explains, it makes no sense) and so we went to teach him the plan of salvation. He agrees with us all the way through earth life and then we blew his mind. We started to talk about the spirit world and this was where his doctrine couldn't back up his belief. We read 1 Peter 4:6 with him out of my quad and it read: "6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." I had the Privilege of watching his face as he read along. His eyes got WIDE and his jaw about hit the floor. He sat there astounded at what we had just read. He then handed me back my sticks and said "I'll be right back." He didn't believe that what we read was in 'his bible' as he likes to call it, so he had to double check. He then found it in his bible, sat there shocked, and said "ok, the two Mormon girls got me." It was so cool to see it all click for him! He is understanding! We told him that we would go to his church if he would come to ours as well. So this week we will be attending a baptist church.... It will be interesting! Billy will be getting baptized! Every time we go over he says "I feel something when YALL are here and I miss it when you leave." Billy, that is the spirit and it is a gift you can have. IF you act on the answers you receive!
We followed up with billy later on in the week and actually set a baptismal date with him. We were extremely bold with him and told him that it is either our church or nothing. We have the fullness; no other church in the world has this or anything close to it. He completely understood and said he would continue praying about it. We then went over yesterday and helped him understand recognizing the spirit. Billy has already gotten his answer that this is the true church, he just doesn't recognize it. He believe that the Book of Mormon is from God. He believes Joseph Smith is a prophet and so the next step is baptism. As we asked him if he recognized his answer he responded "nope, haven't gotten one yet." So we discussed the spirit and watch the patterns of light video by elder Bednar. As we pointed out the instances in the past few weeks that his prayers have been answered, he slowly started to connect the dots. Baptist billy will soon be Mormon billy! He practically already refers to himself as a Mormon too! Billy is seriously awesome! Billy will be baptized on September 12th!
After we taught billy (about the plan of salvation) and were not boasting completely in God, we taught our Spanish investigator, Estrella. She doesn't speak a drop of English and we had a wonderful member, sister Orantes, come with us to translate. When we walked into the lesson, I knew everything that needed to be taught. As we opened up, every single bit of anything that I possibly had was wiped from my brain. Everything. I didn't know what to say or do. I was literally confounded. I looked over at sister Starkey and she gave me the same look. We both had our mouths sealed. Lesson learned. Always boast in God. And it is true. We didn't confound baptist billy, the spirit did. We didn't show him the scripture, the spirit prompted US To bring that specific one up. Everything we do in this work is because God is in the details of our lives! Thankfully, we had a pamphlet in Spanish and English to read from. Thankfully, this will never happen again because we were pioneers in the GKLM this week! YES WE TAUGHT THE FIRST FACETIME (online proselyting) LESSON IN THE GKLM! Well, sister Starkey and I sat there and looked cute while Hermana butts taught Estrella in Spanish, but the point is, we were the first two companionships to use our online proselyting technology! It was incredible! :) the spirit was so strong as Estrella learned more about the church and made commitments to her father in heaven! :)
We were so pleased to travel up to Lexington for the third time in three weeks and hear from a member of the first quorum of the seventy, elder zwick! He is so rad. He and his wife along with president and sister Brough gave us so much counsel that I am still digesting it and trying to process it all! They all focused on 1. Obedience, 2. Change, 3. prayer. It was so powerful ,the spirit was strong and the meeting was so worth it! Well all missionary meetings are! :) shoutout to the awesome stettlers who drove us there and helped up save miles! I love you!
Power of prayer. So we are teaching Austin and Whitney. They are the sweetest couple set to be baptized in September! Whitney was interviewing for a job at zaxby's and asked us to come over and pray with her and Austin before her interview. We took this as an awesome teaching opportunity and taught them about the correct way to pray and why we do it like that and so on. Well we pray with them and then Whitney got the job! It was such a tender mercy! Later on in the week we were able to take Sister Goleman, the branch presidents wife, over to their place and taught them about the family proclamation. It was so powerful and we even bumped Whitney's baptismal date up to September 5th! She is so beyond excited and Austin will follow suit shortly after her on September 19th pending his doctors approval to put all his weight on his foot! Pray for this way rad & enthusiastic couple!
Sunday's are always a great day! I love Sunday's because of church! Yesterday we had four investigators with us and two less actives! It was such a wonderful harvest from all of our hard work! Austin and Whitney loved it, Sonia came again and our super sweet friend, Kat, came! It was a huge blessing! They all felt the spirit and loved the block! I have to say, I love Sonia's attitude about it all: "I wish it was longer, I could sit here all day and soak it all in. I don't think it's long enough." Yep. This is why I love Sonia! :) every one though I was getting transferred too. In a small branch, word travels faster than normal! I'm not kidding, every single person I saw was like "you're getting transferred?!" NO! I am never leaving Somerset! I love it too much! But I really have at least six more weeks and I am praying for another 6-12 after that! I never want to leave this glorious area! I love it so much!
The Lord is incredible! He brings about so many great tender mercies and miracles in my life each and everyday! I know that my savior LIVES and loves me too! "The spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true." I know this gospel is real and true without a shadow of a doubt in my mind! :)
The Lord is incredible! He brings about so many great tender mercies and miracles in my life each and everyday! I know that my savior LIVES and loves me too! "The spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true." I know this gospel is real and true without a shadow of a doubt in my mind! :)
Much love,
Sister hannah
Or Hutch, because every single person we meet or know calls us "Starskey&Hutch"
Sent from my iPad
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