Sister Neel 10/4/21

 

Hello to my family and friends!! 

What an amazing time to be a missionary of the Lord! Each day is such a blessing and I'm so grateful to be a part of the Lord's work! Lets jump into the week shall we?

Highlights/ happenings of the week:

* We did chalk art at Joyner by writing some Bible verses and our number at the bottom letting people know we gave free Bible studies and to call us if interested. We had 3 people call us and we have Bible studies set up now! It was AMAZING!!

* I went to put the key into the lock at our apartment and I noticed it was unlocked. I opened the door and walked in to see a few panels from our wall missing as well as all of our kitchen cupboards open. I walked into our bedroom and saw the light on in the bathroom, following a loud thud. My heart was racing and when I rounded the corner, our maintenance guy was walking around the corner at the same time and we scared the crap out of each other. I've never screamed so loud XD. Apparently he was doing an apartment water pressure check and forgot to leave a tag on our front door informing us he was here ahaha!

* Sister Hansen and I got to watch conference with the Steelman, Glorious and Young family!! We were spoiled rotten with yummy snacks and the opportunity to gather with dear friends in the ward

We had quite the crazy situation/miracle happen on Wednesday! At district council, everyone had left to go grab lunch and bring it back to the church. Sister Hansen and I were the last to arrive back and were getting ready to walk into the church when an elderly lady approached us in the parking lot and informed us her granddaughter had been missing since early that morning and the last place she was seen was seminary at our church building. The police were now on their way and they were bringing their canine's to come sniff out her scent in the building and needed us missionaries to search the church building for this girl. We ran in and told the Zone Leaders and our district and immediately split up to find her. We checked every single classroom, closet, behind all the chairs and even the baptismal font. We couldn't find her and met back out in the parking lot to see the police squad arriving and beginning to send their canine's into the forest across the street to see if she was there instead. One of the officers approached us and asked if we could search the premises and the other part of the woods. Before doing so, instinctively and without question all 10 of us missionaries gathered in a tight circle and one sister offered a prayer, calling down the powers of heaven to find this little girl. I don't think I've felt the spirit more powerfully than in that moment as we prayerfully asked for God's direction and guidance. Amidst the chaos of phone calls, more police showing up, neighbors and relatives coming to the scene and the worry; there we stood in a circle praying together. The peace and reassurance that flooded our hearts is indescribable. God knew where she was, He was watching over her. As soon as we said amen we split off into the woods and returned unable to find her but later that day a member in our ward informed us she was found a few hours later safe and unharmed near the church. What a relief and beautiful miracle!

We had a lesson with Bradford and I had Sister Hansen teach the points on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. She's such a powerhouse! As I watched her recite the first vision and testify boldly about Joseph's Smith's role in restoring the gospel to the world, I couldn't help but be moved to tears. Although she was pretty nervous to teach 50% again I couldn't have been more proud! It's funny how in training we always expect the trainer to do the teaching but I always feel like I'm learning so much from Sister Hansen and her testimony. I feel blessed to serve with her! 

We taught Felipe and I had Sister Hansen begin teaching the Restoration, when he went off on multiple tangents regarding how we don't have agency and Jesus Christ forces our actions. Sister Hansen must have given him a really good explanation to his reasoning because when she finished he went quiet, cleared his throat and asked her if she would marry him!! Ahaha oh my gosh my jaw dropped. The worst part was he wasn't even joking. Sister Hansen was pretty caught off guard and I stepped in to take over and told Felipe we were going to wrap it up here when he went off about how close he and I are, how deep his love goes for me and how I deserved to be treated right so therefore he wanted to go on a road trip to the SLC temple. At this point I was over it and told him we would meet again when he was ready to talk gospel and not love haha. Such a strange lesson. 

One of the most powerful lessons this week was with Shauna! We went over Mosiah 18, talking about the fold of God and the importance of heeding the prophet's voice. We invited her to conference (specifically the Sunday afternoon session since she was available then) and I felt a specific promise come to mind as we closed our lesson. The words came out of my mouth without hesitation: "Shauna, as you prepare for the conference weekend with a question in mind, and have the needed faith and desire to know that God will hear and answer the longings of your heart; you will receive an answer in the second session of general conference on Sunday." The promise was bold and specific but the spirit was on fire in that room and Shauna's smile grew. We look forward to meeting with her on Wednesday and hearing how it went!

Speaking of conference...wasn't it such an amazing weekend?? I kid you not...Every. Single. Talk. Was an answer to my own personal prayer in one form or another. I was barely able to take notes as I was drawn in to what every speaker said and amazed at how God answered specific questions of my soul. Watching conference on a mission hits different and I'm grateful for the growing love I feel every time I get to hear the prophet and apostles speak. May we always remember as Elder Holland perfectly quoted: "God loves us too much to leave us the way we are." Keep growing. Keep believing. Keep trusting and KNOW God will shape us into the best version of ourselves. The process is beautiful :))

I love y'all!!

♡♡♡

Sister Neel