March 5, 2018

Dear family and friends,

This week has been so full of amazing miracles!!! We were calling all of our investigators on a Saturday afternoon to see how they were doing. Sister Smullin had the idea that we should check-up on Victor. She calls him and this is how the conversation goes. 

Victor: I can't believe it!! I can't believe it!!

Sister Smullin: What? (panic in her voice)
Victor: I'M ON MY WAY TO THE MORMON CHURCH!!!!

Sister Smullin: WHY?? 

Victor: Church starts at 3:00 right?

Sister Smullin: Victor it starts tomorrow at 9:00am

Victor: Well I was lost and thinking you had forgotten me and then you called!!!! I can't wait to see the church! I'm all most there!

Sister Smullin: Okay Victor, just hold on and we will meet you there and give you tour!

Victor: This is a God shot!!! I knew you cared! See you. Bye! (God shot means an unexpected blessing or sign)

Hangs up phone.... 

So Sister Smullin and I race out of our apartment to our car to hurry and drive to our church. We called almost every women on our phone to try to get a sister, so that we could enter the church with Victor. No one answers, but we finally get the impression to call our friend Sister Jessperson. She drops everything and hurries to meet us at the church! We ended up having an amazing church tour with Victor and he says he wants to be baptized in June. He cancelled all of his Sunday plans and came to church with us on Sunday. After the block, he told us that he felt cleansed and that it was a perfect way to start out his day. 

Allison is doing amazing. We have almost finished teaching her all of the lessons and she has continued to come to church! At church one of the members asked her if she was visiting or a member? She looks at me, winks, and says, "a member". This Friday we have a member driving us all to go see the temple visitor center! After she gets baptized she wants to make sure that Andrew can get a baby blessing. The change that I have seen in her is just so stunning. The gospel truly blesses lives.

I was on exchanges and we were knocking doors. We ran into Jason and taught him the first lesson. He said he would love to be baptized, but has not picked a date yet. We tried to text him to make sure that our appointment time for the next lesson would still work, but he had given us a bad number! Bummed, but determined, we still stopped by his house. His wife answered and said he was sleeping, but to try another day. Later HE texts us and apologizes for being asleep and asks if we could please reschedule a time and if we could take him on a tour of our church!!! 

It is soo cool how the spirit drives people to want to learn and feel so much more. I have been thinking a lot the past few days about how much this gospel really and truly blesses our lives. We know who we are! We know that we are sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and that we have divine roles here on earth and in the life yet to come. 

Two of my amazing role models passed away this week, my great-grandmother and my stake young women's camp leader, and even though I MISS them so much, I know that we will be able to see our loved ones again. They are here with us, just beyond the veil.  Always remember that the Lord's hand is in your everyday lives!

I love you all! Have a blessed week and remember who you are!

Love, Sister Howard