Hey Family!
What a great broadcast! It was so great to see the Marriott Center filled with so many missionaries and to hear how the Lord is hastening His work! It really makes the work so much more effective when we work with the members, so keep up the good work! I am sure the missionaries there just love the going to the Stoker's house. Our mission president just emailed us and said our mission won't be using internet right away, but it is coming! I'm not sure how i feel about it, but it will all work out.
Turns out the Great Harvest here feeds the missionaries for FREE! We took a trip to Henderson last p-day to shop and get some bread. It smelled like home! They had a cool sign that said "Give us this day our daily bread" and i liked that it was their way of sharing their belief in God and in the Bible. Also, just so you are aware, I probably gained 15 pounds at Anna's this weekend. She made us garlic shrimp and also some crab shrimp stuff that apparently called for 6 sticks of butter...it was SO GOOD. I told her I am taking all of her recipes so I can impress you guys when i get home.
This week was so wonderful. We had a sister's luncheon/ training on Thursday- there are now 50 sisters in the mission (it just about doubled in the past 2 months) and we are headed toward 65 by September. It so fun being a sister- we talk to so many people who are just taken back that there are "girl ones"- not just the guys on the bikes. So naturally we use it to share our testimonies and invite them to church. Sister Lake and I started to keep track of all the miracles we see each day, and it is insane how much the Lord is in our work. The scriptures say He will labor in the vineyard alongside the servants, and he has been doing exactly that. We met a guy named Michael on the street and he invited us to stop by his house sometime and talk to him. He is a freemason and it was so cool to learn more about that. Turns out they don't just exist on National Treasure. A few days later we were getting out of an appointment at the other end of the zone and we were impressed to go visit him. When we got there, he had some company and so we just started talking to everyone- mostly clearing our own name and answering the questions they had about mormons. There was a girl named Sarah there who was basically clinging on to everything we said. She told us that just the week before she had been pondering some of the questions of her soul, mostly pertaining to the Plan of Salvation, and had some other doubts about her own beliefs. As we taught her what we know, she just seemed ecstatic and said that was exactly what she needed to hear. She also said she was having trouble accepting her own weak testimony and didn't want to claim that she knew things to be true when she was still struggling to know for sure. I was able to relate part of Elder Holland's talk with her and read the story from the New Testament about the man who had faith that his son would be healed but declared, "Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief." She said she had been struggling with that for so long but hearing that story completely reassured her that she isn't the only one who needs to rely on the Lord to help her in her unbelief. It was so cool to be an instrument in the Lord's hands- to be able to give her the comfort He would have given her if he were here. That is the power that comes with being a representative of Jesus Christ. We are on His errand, devoting 18 months to His work. Sister Nieder said, "Don't you DARE pass someone on the street without testifying of the Atonement and allowing them the blessings of it. Don't you dare." I love that! That is why we are here on missions. To allow others the blessings of the atonement. Also, if you ever need a pick-me-up, listen to the Bill Carpenter conversion story. It is the best thing you will ever hear.
It has been cool to be a part of the Book of Mormon challenge in the mission. We were promised that we would be able to relate the book to people we meet on the street or in their homes, or just in casual conversation, and it is happening! I met some guy on the street and he talked about how great America is, and so i whipped out 1 Nephi and read him the blessing of the promised land and how the Lord had a hand in guiding the settlers here and the wars and what not. Another guy we are teaching started reading Deuteronomy and the law of Moses and cut out pork and other food from his diet, so i read 2 Nephi 25:24-27ish with him. Cleared it all up. That book is MAGIC.
Well, I love you all. Oh and here is a picture of us at Great Harvest, enjoying a chicken n berry sandwich ( i think).
Love,
Sister Stoker
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