WE FOUND THE ONE!!! We found really, really incredible people this week! Lots of families and young people! A young man from Nepal, a yogi, a Jamaican family, a Buddhist, a hunter with two cute daughters, a single working mother with 6 kids, and a sweet older woman raising her 14 year old grandson! We knew none of these wonderful souls last week and now we have such a deep love for them! We also found tons of people and families who said we could come back! This is what we are here to do! Bring the joy of the gospel into the lives of our brothers and sisters! The Lord is placing them in our path! He will always bless us for our righteous desires!

We have had so many incredible experiences this week! It has consisted of lot’s of tears- happy and sad, sushi, having the cops called on us again (turned out to be Ryan, we’re tight with him) moving couches and refrigerators, walking miles in the mountains, teaching people how to pray, helping with college essays, hours of door knocking, dancing in snow, slipping and falling on ice, so much laughter, singing hymns, meeting so many new faces, bearing testimony of Christ, special prayers and fasts, admiring beautiful sunsets and experiencing pure joy!

I have way too many highlights from my week, but I will just share a few:

Funny moment- we were out preaching the word on the streets of Manchester and a car of young Argentine boys pulled up. They said they were trying to make some new friends! I said, “That is wonderful, do you know Jesus?” We then proceeded to share our simple testimonies of the restored truth. One of them said “Oh, that’s cool. May I have your number,” I was like, “I would LOVE to give you our number!” *whips out pass along card* He said, “OK. I text you.” Then blew me a kiss and smiled hahaha. It was so funny! They had gorgeous accents. I wouldn’t mind marrying an Argentine man with a voice like that 😉

Miracles- SO MANY! 1- We met a super cool man named Nicolas and his 7 year old son when we walked past the gas station. His son looked sad- I told him I loved his cowboy boots. He gave me the sweetest smile. His father looked at me and said, “Thank you for noticing. Shane wore them for the first time today and was sad because no one noticed them.” Call me crazy, but that, my friend is the spirit of discernment! Haha! After, we got his name and number! We planned to stop by later that week, but he called and asked if we could come Tuesday because that’s when Shane would be home and he wanted to hear what we had to say! They are super cool people! Nicolas loves the outdoors and spends a lot of time in Utah!

Miracle 2- We saw Shamoy outside her trailer smoking. We walked past her because it was 9:15pm and we were tired and bit scared tbh. But as I opened the door to the car the spirit told me to go back. I did. We chatted. She said, “You girls have been parking next to my house for months and I’ve always wanted to talk to you, but it was never good timing.” We set a time to come back and teach her Saturday. We had a super rough day on Saturday- all our appointments fell through and no one was home. We tried a ton of people with absolutely no luck. We did a lot of street contacting and tracting with no luck. By 8:20 we still had nothing all day haha it was insane! It was almost a miracle that we DIDN’T have people to teach! We had one last appointment for 8:30. We went a couple minutes early and she wasn’t home. I was all, “Are you kidding me right now?” haha but just then she came up and brought us in her home and we taught her and her mother and they are so amazing and so excited to learn more! Very intelligent woman who loves the Lord and wants a better life! I already LOVE them!!!! SO MUCH!

Miracle 3- Another 8:30 experience. We just came out of a lesson and were going to street contact. We saw a woman on the sidewalk talking on the phone and walked towards her. She walked into the Subway, and so we followed haha! I had an evil plan to use the restroom there so we didn’t seem like complete creeps, then chat with her after. We did that! Turns out she works there and no one wanted a sandwich right then, so we got to know her! She has had a crazy hard life- 5 years sober form a heavy drug addiction, is raising 6 kids on her own 1-22yrs old. She has a belief in Christ, but doesn’t practice anything. She wants to develop a stronger relationship with God and expressed how worried she is about her kids in today’s world- especially her 17-year-old son. As we shared the wonderful gospel message with her and the stories of Christ and Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, her eyes lit up! She asked if we could come teach her family more about it! We were like, “Nah… sorry we’re all booked.” Haha kidding, we got her address and set up a time to come teach them! 😀 Blessings!

Miracle 4- We knocked on a mans door and asked him if he believed in Jesus Christ. He said, “Absolutely not!” and was ready to close the door when we said, “Why absolutely not?” He thought about it and said, “I was a faithful Roman Catholic for many years, but saw things there that destroyed my faith.” We shared about the great apostasy briefly, testified of Christ and about the experiences of Joseph Smith- That those truths have been restored and are available to us. He asked if we had any literature. We gave it to him and he said we could come back and share more with he and his family! God’s hand was in that for sure.

In closing, I would like to share a final experience with you that is very sacred to me! Friday morning was a hard one. I felt anxiety about my mother’s situation and fear for the future. I felt discouraged and like I wasn’t good enough. Sister Rodriguez and I sat on the floor and just cried and cried. We felt prompted to ask for a priesthood blessing. That night, we went to the Vaughns. I will not go into detail, but we received one of thee most beautiful blessings I’ve ever heard. It was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. They were long blessings- filled with the spirit of revelation. God literally spoke to us through brother Vaughn. He spoke of our pre-mortal existence, gave us comfort and counsel for current experiences, spoke of our spiritual gifts and strengths, prophesied of the future and the results of our righteous living. I felt as if my Savior was right next to me, holding me. I felt the spirits of my loved ones and others in the room, I had a glimpse into sister Rodriguez’s beautiful spirit and a glimpse of my own. I was filled with power, strength, love, peace and intense JOY. It was as if we were in the celestial room of the temple! No physical thing on earth can compare to the feelings of the spirit! I learned many new things about God and myself that evening. I later recorded pages of the blessing that I can recall and will always reflect on it throughout my life! I know the priesthood power has been restored! That was an experience I will NEVER forget. I am so grateful for worthy priesthood holders who bless my life so much and bring me closer to my Heavenly Father!

ALRIGHT! Sorry for the longest email of life. That is only scratching the surface my friends! Serving a mission is the single most rewarding thing I have ever done. I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be on the Lords mission! If you’re thinking of going- GO! GO GO GO! It is not easy by any means, but you will be shocked at how much more you receive than you put in. That is a promise.

This week, I admonish you to COUNT THE SMILES NOT THE MILES! Focus on the blessings you are given, don’t measure what you give. Give freely! Enjoy the benefits form giving freely! As I have let go of counting the steps I take and the miles I walk, and think of all the joys I’ve experienced along the way, a hope and happiness enter my life. You will find that hope and happiness too! Unless you are doing things with real intent and purpose, you wont get anything out of it. “Except a man do it with real intent, it profiteth him nothing.” Don’t be foolish and do things just to do them and get them over with! Do everything whole-heartedly and with purpose and intent! THEN you will reap the benefits! I love you all so much! Thank you for your love and prayers on my behalf and the behalf of my mother!

(check out this link if you are struggling with finding joy in the trials of life)

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/god-shall-wipe-away-all-tears?lang=eng