Edgewood Ward

I’m still alive


Wow. These last couple months have been amazing. I’m still in Smyrna, TN I won’t even be able to express in an email the joy and love and miracles but here a couple of the huge ones 

☆ a couple days after I left Lawrenceburg 2 of my favorite people were baptized!! And a few weeks after that another one of my favorite people got baptized!! #eternalfamilies

☆  Jonathan has been taught for about 8 months and was supposed to get baptized in a month or 2. After our weekly Friday morning lesson we were sitting there thinking about how he is so ready and could literally be baptized today. The more we thought about it the more we realized he really could. When we walked outside and he was still in his car so we asked him if he wanted to get baptized that night. To make a long story short 7 hours later Jonathan was baptized and it was the best baptismal service I’ve seen!! Yall it was incredible!! For the next 2 weeks he would talk every day about how he still feels that peaceful and warm feeling he had at his baptism 

☆ we are teaching a family where the mom is a member but the dad and 4 kids aren’t. The mom doesn’t remember a whole lot about the church bc it’s been a long time so we’re basically starting from scratch! They are so amazing, the kids are some special spirits

☆ another part member family we are teaching is learning and growing so much everyday. They also are so special and the kids have expressed over and over how they just want to be closer as a family and they know this is the way. The parents are so set on committing to this and turning their lives around for their family. I love them!! Getting in contact with them in the first place was a miracle, the mom called us and said she hasn’t come to church in years and now her husband and 2 youngest kids want to get baptized! Great way to start a day hahah

Basically I’m just loving it out here and learning so much every day. These have been some of the hardest times and most rewarding times!! I’ve been learning a lot about the enabling power of the Atonement which is a game changer! The first 6 chapters of Mosiah have so much that help focus me on good – better – best and that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ my nature can be changed. We don’t have to be stuck in bad habits and weakness. By small and simple means we can be a little better today than we were yesterday. That’s been something I really needed lately. It’s hard to feel like since I’m a missionary I need to be absolutely perfect in every way. Obviously that’s not possible in this life but there’s been so much hope in knowing that’s not what I’ve been called to do and Christ will help me become what He needs me to become. I love this work!!! I love being a missionary and feeling even a fraction of the love God feels for His children!!! And I love you all!