December 5, 2016
MERRRRYYYYY CHRISTMASSSSSSS time!
I can't even believe that it's already here. It's sick, really. It doesn't feel like it's Christmas time. Probably because people are decorating palm trees and it was 65 degrees yesterday. Tender mercies.
It was a crazy week of adventures, lemme tell ya. First off, we got to do some service at MARE. Mare is a horse-riding center for disabled children. It's adorable. But it's not adorable when you're shoveling poop in all the horse stalls. It's ok though, we had a lot of fun. The owner asks me, "Do you have experience with horses?" and I'm like "Oh tons!! I love horses!!" If riding a walking horse frozen with fear when I was 7 counts as a lot of experience then I'm golden. When I got in the first stall with a STALLION I realized they can smell my fear. No broken bones yet!
This week was Sister Ryans birthday! We were on exchanges and another sister and I decided to get birthday and Christmas decorations from a few members and decorate our apartment like crazy. It was an answer to prayer last week: "Christmas decorations would be so awesome but I'm sightly broke." Isn't the Lord awesome? As a missionary, you don't need money; you just need prayer.
Coolest miracle ever. So for the #LightTheWorld initiative, we decided that we are going to decorate people's doors who need some love and some light, and encourage people to spread the love and light too. Our amazing member friend Lavi (who I call Pocahantas because she is full of wisdom and knowledge but thinking back to the movie it was the creepy old lady who had all the wisdom but oh well) made everything for the doors and we've been going out a bunch this week.
On our first night, we were in the magical Button Willow gas station where Lavi works and lives (I think I have realized that if I step foot in that gas station, some miracle is gonna happen). We'd been praying that the Lord will bring his people to us because Sister Ryan can't go out much right now.
We got a text from a potential investigator saying, "I'm looking at four ways to commit suicide." And then right after that, our new investigator, John, walks in the door too. Sister Ryan talks to John, and I grab the phone and call this guy.
I LOVE promptings- right before we walk in the gas station I got a feeling that I needed to go grab a Book of Mormon, just in case. Well I sure as heck needed that when I was on the phone with our friend. He was struggling so bad. Even though Christmas time is such a magical time of year, when you don't have a job, purpose, and you're already depressed, it just makes everything worse. That's where he was at. He didn't want to live anymore because he couldn't provide for his family and he didn't feel like a man. We talked for about 30 minutes on the phone and then I asked if we could come over and meet with him. He agreed and we zoomed over there.
Before knocking, we secretly decorated his door and surprised him and his kids. It was so cool to see how an act of service and later a discussion about Jesus Christ and the Atonement could make someone go from wanting to commit suicide to finding a reason to live. We told him if he'd put God first and read and pray, miracles would happen. Last weekend he got a temporary job offer AND a random old friend gave him $250 bucks for gas to get to his new job. ALL BECAUSE OF THE LORD. So if you ever think someone might be struggling during Christmas time, they are. Reach out and spread the light.
Ooh, coolest thing ever! So yesterday Sister Ryan woke up suuuper sick. (That's not the cool part I'M NOT HEARTLESS.) We ended up not being able to go to church. We were in the apartment and I just keep getting this feeling, "Get out of the apartment and go for a drive." In my head I'm like uhhhh Sister Ryan is like dead on the floor, I can't drag her out to the car just to go for a drive. But the feeling kept coming, and one thing I have realized is that the spirit has a PhD and I am still at high school education level, so I'm like okay whatever, and I drag Sister Ryan in the car and we go for a drive. We came back and our apartment was completely in flames. Hahahaha just kidding! But later that night we were talking and Sister Ryan told me how that drive was an answer to a prayer she had the night before about something she was going through. GAH so cool. Also that day was the first time that someone has brought the sacrament to our house. It was so cool to have them come over and give us the sacrament, just for us two.
Okee, well I hope you all have THE best week everrr. Are you doing the Light the World challenge? If you're not, REPENT AND DO IT.
K byeeeeeeee!
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Sister Harmon
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