Week 9!

Hey hey!! Glad it's another new week and another set of emails :) I love you lots!

 

All is well in Virginia Beach!  This week has seriously been crazy, but the good kind of crazy.  We've been so so busy and especially as missionaries that's always a good thing! So... BIG NEWS! Isiah was baptized!!!!! WOOO!!! Oh my gosh it was the best thing EVER!!!  So obviously this was a miracle because last week we were still unsure on his parents permission.  We had been praying and fasting like no tomorrow for him and the plan was that he was trying to get his parents to let him be baptized this coming Saturday (it's his birthday) but he really was hoping that his mom would be able to come (his dad had obviously refused to come at this point) and the only day she had off of work was this last Saturday and then wouldn't have another until January.  We found this out on Thursday and made a ton of phone calls to try to pull off a baptism in two days and then just prayed that his parents would be encouraging and see the light he has gained in his life.  Well on Saturday our branch did a temple trip, the nearest temple is D.C. so Isiah drove down with them and then walked around outside and went to the visitor center.  He called us on his way back and said that BOTH of his parents were coming!!! Oh my gosh I can't even tell you how amazing that was.  We prayed all day that there wouldn't be too bad of traffic and that they would get back to VB in time.  It truly was a miracle, they all said traffic coming back from D.C. is always terrible but this time the whole drive was open and no traffic!  Isiah's parents came and Isiah bore his testimony and it was one of the most spiritual experiences I've ever had.  He said "I know that God is real because I know I wouldn't be able to feel this happiness if He didn't give it to me."  He talked about how he was lost before and now he feels like he is home and he is loved.  It was so so great.  Love that kid to death!

 

On Tuesday we had sisters conference for all of the sisters in the mission! It was so fun! We had some hermanas from North Carolina stay the night with us so they didn't have to drive that far in the morning.  President and sister Baker and the assistants all gave trainings and they were really awesome and encouraging.  I got to talk to Sister Anderson in Portuguese the whole time too so that is always fun :).  President Baker talked about the importance of humor in our lives and I LOVED that!!  He talked about how humor not only helps, it heals.  Somethings he said were "spirituality isn't the same thing as solemnity" and "don't wear your religion like a headache" haha I really liked what he had to say and he told us some super funny stories from his life.  The Bakers are so awesome and love us all so much you can really feel it. 

 

Appointments this week all were so so awesome.  We were running around crazy but everytime we got in a lesson we just had this overwhelming feeling that is exactly where we needed to be and every person we talked to was amazed at how we knew exactly what they needed to hear!  Such a testimony to me that God knows His children perfectly and if we are living close to Him, we can help to do His will and be the miracles in the lives of those around us!  We taught Bobby about charity and it was a really amazing lesson.  He struggles so much with working with these amazing kids who have cancer.  We talked about how God loves us perfectly and sometimes it is hard for us to understand or to see His plan for those around us, but we have to have faith and trust that He knows best.  We talked about how he is a miracle and and angel to a lot of those kids.  It was one of the most amazing lessons I have been in yet.  The whole lesson was so guided and inspired.  At the end he was like "How do you always know exactly what to talk about?" It was so clear that the spirit had directed us! 

 

We fasted and prayed to find new investigators and totally had this crazy awesome experience yesterday!! But I am so running out of time so I guess cliff-hanger for next week :)  Be excited.

 

My thoughts this week:

make someone laugh today!! Laughing, like the word of God, heals the wounded soul! 

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Sister Brittany Westover