Recognizing the Reality of the Resurrection and Other Cool Stuff

August 5, 2014

Hello family! Oh my goodness so much is happening here I don't even know what to say.
We are going to downtown Toronto today ​with our district for preparation day and will be going to the ​Aquarium. Am I stoked? YES!!!! I love downtown. I haven't been downtown for almost a year. (okay 7 months) But still...It's going to be great!

It is a weird thing when you get your flight plans in the mail....yikes. It's exciting but man it's sad and just about every emotion possible! But I'm glad you got them so I don't have to tell you the

​details :)

Thanks for ordering my text books Mom! That was nice of you...I'm going to be a busy in a few weeks (oh wait I already am) hahah. 

This week was so good. SO GOOD. So many miracles. So many people. So much fun. ...except I didn't tell you but on the night before transfers when we slept over in Brampton...I got a parking ticket...:'( And I had to pay it last week and it was just this MESS because I couldn't drive to Brampton to pay it because I didn't have a car, and none of my credit cards were working over the phone because they were American and the payment was due...But the office elder helped out with his financial help so that's good....but I HATE PARKING TICKETS! 

(Name) is amazing. We love her so much. She received a priesthood blessing the other day and she just loved it. She came to church for the second time in a row this last Sunday and seemed to have an amazing time. 

But yesterday we got this phone call...she told us this thursday she is leaving for brazil...for 2 months....:'(  So we are saying goodbyes. It is quite shocking because we weren't anticipating her having to leave all of a sudden like this. But she told us she needs to and we know that God has a plan for her. She promised she'd bring her Book of Mormon and read it while she was gone and that she will meet with missionaries when she returns. She'll be baptized one day...I know it! 

The (name) family are doing great! We had such a good lesson with them yesterday about temples and eternal families. The mom got a little sad because she said that her husband doesn't want to be baptized and she is unsure if she'll ever have a forever family...But then after that her husband walked in and he watched this temple mormon message video with us. The spirit was STRONG! And he agreed that we could come teach him this Sunday! YAAAAY! The teenage girl is very solid. She has a testimony of the gospel. She knows that she feels the spirit and it is so neat to hear her identify it. She's a sweetie! 

You know the awesome thing about being able to go to your old area? You get to stren​gthen and help people you love! I got to see my beautiful friend from Nigeria last week and she fed us. IT WAS SOOOOOOOOOOO AWESOME! I love that woman. What made me happier is she is going to the temple this month! She is so excited and doing so well. She has a nonmember boyfriend that was meeting with missionaries...until he got another job and isn't able to commit. Darn it. I hope that someone something can get worked out so he can be able to accept and learn the gospel. He's a good guy though! She is doing so well though. I love her!

....And we are also teaching (former investigators)!!!!! It's hard for the elders to teach her because she is single and so they always have to take someone with them to teach them. So we are teaching them now. She was so surprised to see me! Man I love them! And what is cool is that he has been praying ever since we met him and he is really good at it. His prayers are so sincere. Her heart is being prepared. When we invited her to church she said that she's not ready but there are moments where she feels like she is! She is getting there. I love her. 

....There was a cool experience yesterday. There was this less active couple I served last year and we bussed by their house and I thought of them. I felt that I should call them...I did and she just broke down and started crying because she had had a hard day and her husband is not doing well and so she just was so touched because she remembered me and was grateful I called. Even though we haven't talked for a long time it was a tender experience to bring a smile to her when she has been going through so much. 

(Name) is still in the hospi​tal...he got an infection that made him have to stay longer. BUT he is hopefully getting out tomorrow so he told us. Fingers crossed! We visit him a lot and he's been reading his book of mormon. It's been fun to hear him tell us how much he likes it. 

THEN...remember when I was in Toronto I taught a recent convert from St Lucia? Well...one day I was going through our ward list and I found his name...and I said, "Is this who I think it is?" Yesterday we were in his area and we called and got to see him and it WAS! He moved to the ward a few months ago. YAY!!! So I go to see him as well and we are going to be working with him to go to the temple. He also told us that he wants us to teach his sister! 

So if there is one thing you get from this letter it's that I love everyone here. They are amazing. A lot of them come from humble/difficult circumstances but they are humble as ever and rely on the Lord. They have great faith. 

This morning I read Elder Christofferson's talk last conference about the Resurrection of the Savior. I got a little teary eyed because it reminded me of what Christ's Resurrection really means....it is evidence that God is real...that faith is not a fantasy or a fairytale...that people actually saw the risen Lord and felt his wounds in his hands and feet...That Christ really is our Older Brother and is a real a person as you or me...He is the Son of God...I know that He lives...He becomes more real to me every day....I love him...He does so much for us and I don't think we can comprehend HOW MUCH He does for us each and every day.

I love you all! Thanks for being ​amazing! Know that you are loved!