Change in the Wind, Faith to Plant, and Miracle Growth! :)

March 10, 2015

Y'all,

The theme of this last week is faith. It has been tried a few times, with some difficult transitions and sad goodbyes and bouts of inadequacy--but I know the Lord knows me perfectly, because He's given me exactly the growth and faith I need every time. I'll share a few examples with you of how I saw that this week. :)

Wednesday came, and the winds changed as yet another transfer took place. Sending off dear Sister Porter was hard. Like, really really hard. We became best friends in our three months together. The first couple days after transfers were really hard. I felt unsure that I could carry on the good work we've been doing, and I really missed the close friendship I'd had with Sister Porter. But I'm glad to have Sister Rowley. Over the last couple days, Sister Rowley has opened up more and more, and we're becoming good friends. She's a great chef, likes to work hard, and she's got a great sense of humor. I sense a great transfer ahead of us! :)

This week we had a goal of finding three new investigators, which is becoming urgent since we haven't found any in a few weeks. Our urgent need turned into a miracle. On Friday night in my prayers, I promised Heavenly Father that I would invite five people the next day to be baptized. I asked Him to help us find three new investigators through that effort.

On Saturday, I extended three baptismal invitations, and we found some promising potentials-- but no new investigators yet. "Looks like you'll just have to ask two more tomorrow," Sister Rowley said. I hadn't thought of that, but I'm glad she had the faith that I could still finish my goal! So, I did. While out contacting, I extended two more baptismal invitations-- and Sister Rowley did one, too! It was great! By the end of the day, we had several return appointments and two new investigators. Both of these are men with families who can hear the gospel, too. I know the Lord blessed us because of our faith! 

Lots of miracles on my end. It's the Lord's work. :) I had a neat spiritual impression where I felt like I needed a shift in my attitude towards life. Instead of "I'll do the right thing because I know God wants me to and I know it's right and will make me happy", I want to shift my attitude to "What more can I do to serve God because I love Him?" I'm doing the right things right now, but the difference is a desire to give more of myself. I don't want to just wait for a calling and then do it dutifully-- I want to seek it out, magnify it, and figure out how I can pour the most love and thought into it that I can. I want to be proactive in my desires to serve God-- I want to serve to serve, not just to do the right thing. I don't know if that makes sense. But it was a breakthrough in my mind. :) It came during a meeting with stake leaders, of all places. The Lord can speak to us at any time, in any place, whenever we need it. I'm grateful that He does, because it means everything to me. 

The Lord is in His work! Hurrah for Israel! :)

Love,

Sister Taylor

Sister Emily Rowley and I. :)