Monday May 2, 2016 - Back to the BIg City!

Alright sorry for the short, not very informative email last week. No promises this one will be better but I'll try.

This week was crazy and there was some sad points but it ended with a miracle filled Sunday! We had a mission-wide fast on Sunday and SO many miracles came from it!

Start off with Gita. She is awesome she is from Turkey and is Muslim but has been learning and reading the BoM for 3 weeks now and LOVES it. She's read from the beginning through Alma 11 in 3 weeks. But on Thursday we found out we're not allowed to teach Muslim people until they've been interviewed by our mission president to make sure their lives won't be in danger if they convert to Christianity, which she told us she would be so we had to stop teaching her. BUT then President Jensen came to our sacrament and interviewed her and we can continue teaching her and she's on date to be baptized on May 28th!!

Then we are also working with Marissa. She's a 17 year old girl and she was scheduled to be baptized May 7th, passed her baptismal interview with flying colors, but her aunts and uncles antied her the day after. So she told us Saturday that she didn't want to be baptized and didn't want to meet with us or see us again. BUT we went back on Sunday, because we're missionaries and we don't give up that easy, and we had a super great lesson with her, answered all of her questions that her family put in her head, and most of all helped her recognize the spirit. She said when people told her those things she felt bad and sad, but whenever we came over she always felt really happy afterward.

Yesterday when she started talking to us she wouldn't look at us and gave us 1 word answers, but by the end of the lesson (and a 17 year old girl vent session) she prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for helping her realize that this really is the path she should take to be most happy in life. It was the greatest feeling ever.

Alright now the pictures I'll attach them in a thread and explain each one individually. Most of them are people I said goodbye to in Cedar Rapids, and they all have amazing stories.

Christie  and Bro Hogan- Hilarious people always pulling pranks on us but
Christie' getting baptized in 3 weeks!!

Austin  & Merry& Amy- Austin couldn't get baptized because
his dad wouldn't give him permission.

The Manirakiza's- Pierre's family but Pierre was at work. I've told their story tons of times they're amazing! He's a stud and he wrote me a song on his guitar that he got for Christmas and I helped him string and tune it. I'm getting the lyrics from his mom it almost made me cry.

The Beste's- She's a recent convert and Ayden is crazy, and they were one of my favorite families