The darling couple that we cut grass for, Mike & Claudia, had an experience much like Lehi and his family this week. Sister Hill and I had a dinner appointment with them Tuesday, and right before we got there they had sent us a text letting us know they wouldn't be able to feed us and not to come over because they found out they were moving and had started packing and the house was a mess. We are so grateful we didn't see that text and went over anyway, they needed spiritual upliftment. They were very calm in the face of the move, in which they had to ditch half their belongings and their two dogs in just a few days due to employer complications. We found out they are so calm about it because they had been having problems with their daughter and were being withheld from their grandchildren, and compared to that, a stressful move is nothing. After they told us about the pain they're experiencing with their daughter, we gave them each a copy of the Book of Mormon - we explained how they can find direction by reading about Lehi's family. They are very excited to read!
Our ward then began a heroic effort in Christlike service helping Mike & Claudia move! The McMann's lent their trailer, Brother Watson drove the truck, the Sarmento's came to load the boxes, it was a good old fashioned miracle. Sister Hill and I had an appointment and weren't able to head over until two hours later on the day of the move and we anticipated there needing to be more helping hands; but when we got there, everything was taken care of! To add to the blessings, Mike and Claudia told us our prayers on their behalf must have worked, because their daughters heart had been softened virtually overnight and she opened their home to them as they found a new place to live! We are so happy for them, unfortunately for us, they will be living in Clermont- out of our area and out of our zone. They kept telling us after they were all settled in their new place they would treat us to dinner, and our hearts kept breaking. But all will be well, we're going to connect them with the Elders up there and keep in touch and pray that they love them as much as they have loved us.
Now, Jimmy. Over the past few weeks I've written many things home about Jimmy. We had a straightforward lesson with him about Church attendance and how it is a commandment from God. He reiterated everything he's said before about his not needing church/religion to worship and his trepidation in attending. We asked what he has gained from meeting with the missionaries and he told us that he's learned a lot of knowledge about who we are and what we believe. We told him we are on missions to do more than teach people about us, but to help people change and improve. We asked if he was willing to change and come to church in order to progress and he said no. We told him that if he wasn't able/willing to change at this time then we'd stop meeting with him regularly until he was ready. It was hard to put him on hold, but we hope he recognizes the difference of not meeting with us and the absence of the Spirit, and that it will cause him to seek it again. We also made sure he'd continue to prayerfully read and study the Book of Mormon. Keep praying for him, he'll make it someday.
Let me go back and cover some ground I don't think I established well enough, the members of this ward are amazing. I love them so much. They are so kind hearted, proactive and high functioning, and full of charity toward each other, the missionaries, and those we teach. They are so involved and make our lives so much easier. Wow, what a ward. My mission has taught me just how wonderful members of the church are, we truly are a light and a beacon to the world. I often joke about how much I love Members, and how I think there should be more of them, and then I turn to my companion and say, "Oh wait, that's our job 😎"
Health update: My allergies have been alleviated! A member in our ward is a professional bee keeper, and we went to their house for dinner this week. When they heard my nasally/congested voice, they got me hooked up with some local honey real fast. We now have a bottle of spring flower and ruby red grapefruit honey. Brother Allison prescribed a teaspoon of honey morning and night and by day three of that my sniffles were gone 👌🏼 The Allison's are neat, they basically have a small farm going on at their house and have some of most animals. They have 11 cats. ELEVEN. I was in heaven, oh my goodness.
Brandon and his wife Josette came to church again this week! I leaned over during Sacrament Meeting and told them they were lucky to come to two testimony meetings, and they said, "this isn't normal?" So I told them they would have to come next week to see what a regular Sacrament Meeting was like 😏 The best part of it was when Brother Brown (assistant Ward mission leader who was perfect in one of our lessons with Jimmy) got up to bear his testimony, they got super excited and said they knew him! After the meeting they got to chat and talk about how they know each other. Turns out they all do massage therapy, who knew? We are super excited to bring Brother Brown with us to one of our next lessons with them.
It was actually kind of a miracle that Josette came to church again, as most of our previous interactions with her have been somewhat short and a little icy. We were given the tender mercy of her accepting our offer to do service for her and help clean her home on Saturday night. It must have softened her heart! Before we left Sister Hill got the opportunity to sit and talk with her one on one while I was in the background entertaining and interacting with their baby. Sister Hill got to know more about her religious history and beliefs, and simply listened to her as she opened up. On the drive home, Sister Hill caught me up and we decided that we should give her a copy of the Family Proclamation.
Here is the real blessing of the week: In Gospel Principles, the lesson was about how families can be eternal and everyone received a copy of the Family Proclamation to the World and we read and discussed it. AND BRANDON AND JOSETTE WERE THERE. It was amazing! Definitely inspired by the Spirit.
Save the bees,
-Sister Olivia Petty🍯
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