Take a guess if He answered my prayer........OF COURSE HE DID!

Wow...the temple this week!....Talk about  a sweet, and tender experience! I am so grateful for a place of worship such as the temple.  I'm grateful that families can be made eternal in there, I’m grateful that we can make special promises with God  and receive great promised blessings in return.   And  I am so grateful that it is just overflowing with peace, love, and revelation! It truly is the Lord’s house!

 

This week we have had some really special experiences.   Just after going to the temple, that night we went and saw Nara (the NZ man in his 50’s who is super super spiritual) with our friend Brother Ta Paea (who dad, he reminds me so much of you! He is incredible) Anyways we went to Nara’s house and began to teach doctrine, when Nara had a “concern”  that needed to be addressed. We began to address it, when the spirit then moved our member Brother TaPaea to offer a priesthood blessing of comfort. That minute, Nara knelt down and Brother TaPaea layed his hands on his head to give him a priesthood blessing, using the power and authority from God to do so. When the blessing finished the spirit was sooooooo strong, that Nara was sweating like crazy! As soon as he returned to his seat, and the silence increased the spirit, Brother TaPaea said to Nara, “Nara, will you be baptized?!”.... after a little Nara replied and said, “just not quite yet” in the most sincere way. He is getting so close but has a few things to take care of first, but oh.my.goodness......the spirit and the priesthood are incredible! I’m so grateful for these experiences I am witnessing now, for I will never forget them! We again ended by walking to the yard and kneeling under the stars to pray...wow...I just can’t even put into words the feelings from the spirit that night. I know the priesthood authority is real, and I'm so grateful for Brother TaPaea for being ready and worthy to call upon it when it was necessary! The priesthood is a huge indication that Jesus Christ’s Church really is on the earth today...and not only is it an ancient church...but a LIVING church, how blessed are we?!?!  And I love that our members love missionary work, and love feeling the spirit! WE often kneel with them outside after lessons, in gratified prayers, because it seriously is insane the incredible spirit in the lessons when we work together as a team!

 

 

p.s.s    Elder Hamula is coming to our mission in March for a mission conference (which will be such a privilege) and has asked that we read the BOM from cover to cover before he arrives. That assignment puts us at about 15 pages per day, which I LOVEEEEEEE J I have already had some really special experiences while reading, and would like to share a couple of them with you! First off, I know that The Book of Mormon IS TRUE and that is really can answer any questions or concerns we have! This week while on exchanges I was encouraged by a sweet sister to ALWAYS take a question to “personal study” and so I have been doing it...k, seriously I have received the greatest answers from just reading the first parts of Nephi! The Lord has spoken to me and answered my questions, and just filled me with the spirit so much! Another cool thing is;  those we have been teaching are now loving to read The Book of Mormon, and praying! We have made special efforts to have a lesson with each of those we are teaching, on how to properly read and pray...this has sped up their conversion so much, and has literally CHANGED THEM! Yesterday Shakia was telling us how she loves that the Book of Mormon was written for HER! She is exactly right;) I also loved something else she said...She said, that when we come visit their family everyone is so much happier and there is just a better feeling at the house for the rest of the DAY...BUTTTTTTT...when the come to church, that feeling stays the WHOLE WEEK! Worshiping Jesus Christ on Sunday’s truly does bring a spirit and lifting to the week, that CANNOT be found anywhere else! I know that’s why the Lord has given us the commandment to keep the Sabbath Day Holy...so he can bless us when we do!

 

Yesterday at church was another sweet, sweet, experience! Our ward loves all our investigators and Recent converts who come, which is really really really good to see. But yesterday we took our 2 investigators up with us to bear their testimonies (one of them being Sue-anne, who is being baptized on Saturday) and wow...like EVERYONE was crying! It was the sweetest, most heart felt, and spiritual testimony ever! She testified that THIS IS TRUE! That this gospel really does bring more happiness than anything else, and that she is so excited to be baptized! Ahhh along with everything else she said, you could just feel the Holy Ghost working through her so tenderly! Speaking of church...the Coyle family was there 30 min. There all ready and excited for church, and they even fasted for their first time *including the little kids they have;)...IT was so cute, when Ethan (7yr. Old) partook of the sacrament (bread) he said, “that's my first meal of the day!” haha. Their family has changed so much!!! just want to cry thinking about it! I can’t wait for you guys to meet them one day, they are definitely one of the highlights of my mission! Less than 2 weeks till they are married and baptized, so Pleaseeeeeee keep praying really, really, really hard for them!!! J I know that things will be great though, and wow...I just am so happy for them and the changes they have made!

 

So in a few weeks, we will be out of baptisms...So yesterday I pleaded with the Lord to please help us find more of his children who are ready, and elect...Take a guess if he answered my prayer....OF COURSE HE DID! We went over to see an investigator last night (that we haven’t seen in ages cause we weren’t sure if he was super keen)...and his 18yr. Old daughter was there! K...cutest thing ever! They are from the Philippines and she is really strong in the Catholic faith, and has just the greatest relationship with our Loving Heavenly Father. Well we taught the restoration last night, and COMMITTED HER TO BE BAPTIZED!!! In her kneeling prayer that she offered at the end she told our Heavenly Father that she loved the Book of Mormon and knew it was true, “because this church as the permission”...she is amazing! Every response to our questions we asked her to check for her understanding, were spot on...she was so aware of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She is defiantly one of Heavenly Father’s elect daughters, and great things are in store for her!

 

Love,

Sister Ensign

 

 

P.S

I don’t really share funny things that happen a lot because the spiritual ones are just better ;) But i can’t wait to share them with you when i get home. But this past week i got a video of me scaring my companion..........oh.heck...............literally the funniest thing I have ever seen hahaha I can’t wait to show you;)