HELLLLLOOOOO ABSOLUTELY AMAZING FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!! For starters I just wanted to apologize for not writing to you all for a hot second (and by hot second I mean like three weeks) life has been so crazy awesome down here in Rapid City and I just kept running out of time to write to you all. Anyways let's not dwell on the past, but instead focus on the wonder and amazement of the gospel with a short spiritual thought from Elder McMullin!!! How do you see yourself? When you look in the mirror do you look for favorable attributes or flaws? Do you see a divine child of God or a lost and confused homosapien? The world so often tries to sell us short through media, insecurities, and self judgment that happiness is unfathomable and can only be temporarily held by use of stimulated or polarized peer acceptance. This is truly the mother of all lies. You are all a divine Son or Daughter of God that posses an infinite amount of potential. Evidence of this is in each breath you take with a glorious body that houses your truly priceless spirit. Granted these spiritual homes aren’t perfect, but luckily home improvement projects are a thing. My sweet Brothers and Sisters, remember who you are and don’t sell yourself short. Everyone makes mistakes, fights with insecurities, and doubts their divine identity, but if you let both God and Jesus Christ prevail in your life and focus on them first and then on yourself, I promise you miracles will happen and divine changes will occur. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
So literally this week has been one of the most crazy miracle filled weeks I have EVER seen as a missionary! On Tuesday Elder Neilson and I were so pumped because we had five lessons with our friends, but by the time 2pm rolled around they literally all canceled. It was super disappointing, but we began thinking that maybe our lessons fell through because the Lord needed us to find someone. We decided to call all 158 people in our area book, both those currently being taught, as well as those who were previously taught. Immediately people who we were never able to get in touch with started answering our calls and texts and all together we were able to set up 15 appointments for that week and this upcoming week. One of the coolest contacts we were able to make was a super less active Sister in our ward who recently moved from Mexico who asked if we could help her set up a trampoline she recently purchased for her four unbaptized children. This was such a wonderful reminder to me that everything happens for a reason and that there is always a bright side to things.
So about the caption…gangsters are like crazy nice and surprisingly very family oriented. We just got done visiting a people we called in our miracle mass call session when both Elder Nielson and I felt that very strong impression that there was someone else here in the neighborhood that has been prepared for the gospel. We said a prayer asking Heavenly Father to help us find this person we should be looking for and that we could do so quickly because the son was starting to set and we’re not allowed to be on the streets after dark. As soon as we said amen cars immediately started driving into the neighborhood, people began walking around and talking to their neighbors, and gangsters started flashing the Crips Gang Sign to us from the windows. We started giving stickers to everyone and started asking them if they knew anyone that could benefit from a message about Jesus Christ. While doing so some pretty sketch guys with tear drop tattoos started walking towards us, a little nervous we started walking in the opposite direction. They then started to yell at us if we were the boys giving out stickers. We hesitantly said we were and they smiled and said could we get some for our kids and nephews, they see all the other neighborhood kids with them and would like some too. Shocked, we started giving them “I am a child of God” stickers with our phone number and Facebook page listed on the back. They sincerely thanked us and gave us pretty solid handshakes and told us we were welcome to come back and preach about Jesus, just as long as we don’t wear red (Elder McMullin was wearing red which is the color of the rival gang the bloods). Immediately after we said our goodbyes to our new gangster friends a lady opened her window asking if we were Mormons. We asked if she would like to hear our message, too, in which she said she didn’t believe in God, but that her neighbor from across the street who is a tattoo artist would probably like a message about God. Lets just say that we knocked on the tattoo artist's door, prayed with her, and have a return appointment for Wednesday. The Lord truly does work in mysterious ways.
FRIEND UPDATE!!!! What more can I say except that I love all the people we are teaching SO much and see the wonderful potential that I know God sees in all of us. Feather, Skeets, and their two sons are on date for baptism for June 1st and feel confident that now is the time to begin raising and nurturing both themselves and their kids in the gospel. Tommy and Lynda are so close to baptism and literally attend stake service projects and volunteer to help members of the ward with any yard work (as long as you can get them a ride). We are still working on getting them married and baptized in the upcoming weeks. Finally we were able to meet just two weeks ago our dear friend Leonard who is a retired chef and NYPD officer, who has decided that he wants to become Christian and that our Church is the right Church. I kid you not we gave him the Book of Mormon to start reading last week and he is on page 135 and still cruising along saying that “he feels like he’s home” when he reads it. Leonard is also on date for baptism for May 29th. Please keep all of our wonderful friends and future fellow members of the Church in your prayers, remarkable changes are happening in their lives.
Sweet family and friends I love you all so much and know that this gospel is true and the root of all happiness. I have met so many people and seen the miraculous changes occur in their lives as they recognize who they are and the divine destiny they have if they will let the Lord prevail in their lives. Love and miss you all so much, and a very special thank you to everyone that wished me a happy birthday!!! Without all of your love and support I know I wouldn’t be where I am today. LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!
Your favorite McM in the NDBM
Elder McMullin :)
Pictures!
1) A Cake I baked for a widower in our ward for his Birthday (Tommy and Lynda are also in the photo)
