Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!! Yay!!! We woke up to a white Christmas this morning!!! I am so excited to skype you all today!! Oh wait....what? It's January 6?? Awkward....Happy Boxing Day I guess...
So many wonderful things this week,and difficult things, but let's focus on the wonderful!!
RAY HAS A BAPTISMAL DATE!!!! We are so excited. He might just be one of my favorite people to teach on my mission. He so readily accepts and understands everything that we teach! It has been kind of difficult trying to continue teaching Jeje and Amy but then also trying to catch him up. But this past week we started out our lesson by asking Ray about his Book of Mormon reading and how he felt about it. He started telling us how he has been reading and praying about it and that feels like everything that he reads is what he believed before, but now it is written down! Then he just pauses and goes, "I think it's true...." YES!!! IT IS!!!! Then we set a baptismal date for him right there for February 28!!!! [Now the trick will just be getting them all to church still...]
We had another miracle with another wonderful Marshallese family this week. So we have been teaching the Anitaks every week since I got here and we would always just go and read the Book of Mormon with one of the daughters and weren't really sure if it was helping much or not. Last week we were finally able to meet with her less active Dad as well and it was so great! I asked him about his conversion story and how he felt about the gospel. [pretty much it was just a whole bunch of questions to get him to bear his testimony. Such sneaky missionaries ;)] He bore such a sincere and strong testimony. We were so thrilled and were really hoping that would be the little reminder he needed of how much loves this and needs this. GUESS WHO SHOWED UP TO CHURCH SUNDAY!!!!! THE ANITAKS!!! It was so amazing!! We weren't expecting them at all. It gets better though. Last night Ramiro and Sandro had to cancel [which is unheard of for them] and so we just took that as a sign that Heavenly Father needed us somewhere else. After saying a prayer we both had the idea to go and stop by the Anitaks. In all ways it made no sense to us [time wise, mile wise, just saw them yesterday wise...] but we did it anyway! Thank heavens we acted on that prompting!! So we were reading with Baminda as we usually do but then half way through her aunt and uncle [at least I think that's how they're related....it is SO HARD to figure out the Marshallese family trees....] walk in and invited themselves to read with us too. What?!?! Awesome!! Her Aunt is an investigator that we haven't been able to meet with in a super long time and her uncle is a less active member that has never been real interested in us when we come over and usually quickly sees himself out of the room when we come. He opened up to us so much though. His heart was softened like butter. :) He asked us to pray for his family and we were even able to set up another appointment with him. THANK YOU HEAVENLY FATHER!!!! We were on cloud 9 driving home afterwards.
Both Sister Thomas and I are staying another transfer together! I am so excited. I have learned more from Sister Thomas than I think from almost all of my companions. There is still so much more work that we can do here together and we are pumped to see what will happen. Oh also, her Dad is going to Phoenix tomorrow and might call you up!! I gave her your numbers for him to call.
I love you all so much!!
Sister Amber Olds
Merry Christmas!!
Toledo South Zone!! [Still so weird to me that I am out in Toledo and not in Cleveland anymore]
Lima District!! I have loved having Sister Stringham out here with me!! But now she is being transferred :(
Brother Yule, Brother Parson, and Sister Pound with their knives. Yep, a pretty normal Branch Council!
Our apartment has a sword. A legitimate sword.
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