Hello from Missouri (everyone keeps calling it Misery?)

Hello Family and Friends!

Another weeks has come and gone! So fast....It is HOT and it is HUMID here in Missouri, maybe that's why everyone keeps saying misery? I don't know, but really Missouri is like the armpit of the U.S. when it comes to weather, the winter is bitter cold, but the summers are so hot and its smack dab in the middle so it can't make up its mind because it is getting peer pressured from all the states around it. No wonder it needs missionaries! (That was extremely cheesy I know...please forgive me).

Well this past week went quite well. We went into some deep waters with our ward roster. We went as far as contacting some DO NOT CONTACTS. It was actually extremely fun because no missionaries have ever wrote down why they are do not contacts, it just says that. And Brother Wagemann (Ward mission leader) said he went to a meeting a few weeks back and a Stake leader told them there is not such thing as do not contacts. So we went ahead and contacted them. We got to meet with two them out of a couple of them that we have contacted! They honestly were the sweetest people ever. They let us in, talked with us, told us why they weren't coming and said we can come stop by anytime and share messages, one of them even told us that they want us over for dinner! You know what, don't mind if I do, thank you very much!

This week we didn't get to meet with any of our investigators so we focused on finding and Less actives (as you can tell). We have a couple return appointments this upcoming week! So stoked. Actually a HUGE miracle that just made me so happy this week.....well a lot of the miracles happened on Thursday. I just realized that. Hmm...Thursday was a day for miracles! Any ways we were tracting and it was HOT and we were very hungry and tired to say the least. We were having district meeting later that day at 3:30, and it was like 1:45. So we decided to tract because every other plan fell through for that time. We were walking down miracle st. (just kidding that wasn't the name of the Street, but it might as well have been).

Well the first few doors didn't answer and then we got someone who did answer! We bore witness to her and she seemed receptive, but she wasn't ready to change at this time, We bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and invited her to read it and she accepted a copy. So we keep going down the street, we are knocking with little success. We were going to try to go somewhere else and visit a potential, but we just decided to keep trying the street. We knock on the door and low and behold we know this lady! We do service with her twice a week at loving hearts, and better yet, I have been wanting to teach her for a while now I just didn't know how to go about asking her where she lives and if she wanted to take the lessons (its not as easy as it sounds). But God dropped her right into our path!

We talked and she asked us what we were doing, and we told her "well this is what we do all the time! We try to find people who we can teach about the restored gospel!" and we asked her if she would like to learn more, and she said of course! So we will be going back to visit her tomorrow! I am so excited for her! She is a God send literally. She is ready for the message we have to share. She is ready to become a member of Christ's church!

Well then we were off to District meeting. And It was president interviews so we got to have those! I just love that man. He is such a good solid Disciple of our Savior! He knows what is right, and he is led by the spirit constantly. I love him and Sister Morgan. The meeting went well. I always love district meeting because you get to hear all of the success stories that are going on in your district! Its incredible. People are really accepting the gospel into their lives! I promise you.

Okay so then on our way back from district meeting we were passing by a potential investigators home. And I was like hmmm....you need to go see them now. So I told Sister Errington. So she goes ahead and turns the car around and....BOOM. (Just kidding it wasn't that scary) but we hear a curplunk and next thing you know we are in a ditch....People are stopping and this lady is frantic trying to help us as we are just sitting there like....guys it really isn't that scary. Why is everyone freaking out? Anyways this lady is all like I am going to call someone, and we were like uhhh...? So she calls a towing truck company and tells them to come. Meanwhile we are on the phone with Elder Batchelor the vehicle coordinator and he is telling us that we just need someone to push us out. And Sister Errington turns to the lady and says "our boss says no to the towing truck". HAHA this lady grabs the phone and starts sass talking to Elder Batchelor (he is probably the most chill person ever) and so he just gives in, and tells us that we can call him when the tow guy gets there so he can pay for it.

Well the lady leaves and we are sitting there directing traffic, keep in mind the cars back wheels are like 12" off the ground and it looks like we got in a wreck. So people are asking us if we are okay, finally some guys come from a house us the hill and tell us they are going to try to push us out. So we let them, and the car comes out easy as pie. God was seriously watching over us. So we drive away and call Elder Bachelor and ask him what to do about the Tow truck and he says "GET OUT OF THERE! Don't let him see you!" I just had to laugh at that. Shawn you know Elder (or President) Batchelor.

Well then we had to decide if we were still going to try this Potential. Keep in mind we have still not eaten.....we were hungry shaken a little and pretty tired. But we did it! Seriously I think Satan was just holding us back. Because this family is never home, but they were ALL home when we went over and they got EVERYONE (six kids) to come listen to our message! So exciting! We taught the restoration and they were all receptive and they want us to come back we just have to wait because they will be on vacation for the next 4 weeks. BUT WE CAN WAIT! We left them with Books of Mormon to read. And it felt sooo good to just teach and testify! I loved it.

We went home and finally ate after that, but what a good day it was! One of the best so far on my mission. I loved it. I had a wonderful week. I hope you all did too! I love you so much. #missionlife is treating me well.

I want to invite you all to read "forget me not" by Elder Uchtdorf. Its a well known talk and you will probably just say, oh I have already read that before. But I want you to read it again. It really helps us know our divine role here on earth. It helps us see exactly what we need to improve on, and even what we may need to let go of! It brought so much peace to me. I read it along with Alma 56: 47-48 that I read in the Book of Mormon.

“When a parent’s teaching and helping job is done well and when there are receptive children to receive the message, then we encounter those marvelous situations such as the one involving young men in the Book of Mormon who had been taught so well by their mothers [Alma 56:47–48]. …

“The reliance, of course, by these young men on their mothers is touching and profound, but the mothers first had to know ‘it’ in such a way that the young men, observing them closely and hearing them (as is always the case with children observing parents), did ‘not doubt’ that their mothers knew that ‘it’ was true”

I felt a profound peace and love that my Heavenly Father allowed me to be a part of a family where my parent new "it" they understood it and taught me so that I could come out here and bear witness that I know it, the gospel of Jesus Christ is once again restored. It made me want to continue to learn and grow more and more! I learned that I am only able to convert others whether it be my investigators, or future children, as far as I have been converted. I can only give them what I myself have! So I need to keep getting a lot more!

Well I love you guys! Please read that talk.

Have a great week. Always remember who you are and what you can become!

Love, Sister Haderlie

I hope you all have a good week.