This is my favorite time of year. Back at home it would be because it's hunting season, and its beautiful and perfect. On my mission it is because it is the perfect time of year for harvesting. For the field is white already to harvest and lo he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not:) (D&C 4:4) And harvesting we are!!!!!!
I so wish ya'll could be here and witness and be a part of all the miracles we are experiencing! But i'll just have to share them with ya'll:)
So this week we have been very busy with exchanges, meetings, and going to the temple:).. i can always make time for the temple... speaking of which we get to go again this weekend with our recent convert April Pratt for her to do baptisms for the dead. She is very excited and she already has 30 names from her family to take to the temple! I know they all have been waiting on the other side for her to do this for them. And her family history started from nothing! She's done alot of work so she can have an amazing experience. ... ok back to what i was saying. We've been very busy driving all over the place for meetings here and there. I actually haven't been in my own area for more than half the week! But it hasn't stopped the work from progressing.
So the big news... We have a bit of baptisms coming up this next month:) yup! Nikki, The Hernandez family, and Anel Sisic. So we'll start wit Nikki. Nikki is the woman who stopped at the church to pray and referred herself and lives above us in our apartments. She's also going through a very rough divorce and is trying to get a new start in her life. She is on date for September 27 and is very excited! I'm so grateful that i have the privilege of teaching her and helping her. I know Heavenly Father has prepared me in my life with my parents divorce so that I will know how to help her and can empathize with her. As hard as it was for me to experience that in my family and throughout my life. I've learned to be grateful for my trials, because I've grown from them and have learned so much.
Next the Hernandez family.. I believe i mentioned them last week. I have grown to love that family so much in so little time. We have someone from the ward who speaks spanish come with us to the lessons because the dad, Juan does not speak english. He understands a little but it helps to have someone there to translate. They want to stay in our ward instead of going to the spanish branch though so we are going to continue teaching them. Besides, the spanish elders only visited them once and then never came back, so we took matters into our own hands. They are on date for October 4! The parents and the oldest child will be baptized, the youngest is only 3. But that family is so prepared and very elect, I'm so excited for them to embrace the gospel! The dad, Juan, does drink coffee and some beer every now and then, so we're going to address that tonight asap so he'll have time to overcome that addiction. So please keep them in your prayers that they can keep their commitments! TEaching them has made me wish i was a spanish missionary, I wish I knew my spanish better!!!! Mom do you want to double check to see if i still have my spanish stuff from high school?:)
ANd last is Anel Sisic. Anel is from Bosnia and married a member of the church. He grew up muslim but has been taking discussions from the missionaries and coming to church for a little over a year now. WEll i was on exchange when it happened, but Sister George and SIster Wilcox who was with her at the time asked him to be baptized on October 3. He accepted!!! He has been searching for a big answer from God.. an answer we're not sure about what it is.. His biggest concern or worry is that he'll get baptized and then later fall or slip away from the church. He's a guy that stays true to his commitments to God! He realizes that he will make baptismal covenants with God and he doesn't want to break those. So he wants an even bigger answer that this is what he should do. Well he knows that the book of mormon is true.. But he wants to KNOW like we claim to know. So our last visit we taught him the restoration, but also explained to him that we didn't get the knowledge and testimony that we have now instantly, as some claim they do. But it's taken much time, prayer, study, and pondering. But i also explained to him, that he should only think about the happiness he'll gain if he gets baptized. What's he going to lose if he does this? He's following his Savior's example, is living a righteous life, and if he believes in the book of mormon, then he should believe in the rest. That one book if proof of this restored gospel. So we told him that if he will sincerely search and have the faith, that he should have october 3 as a goal, and we promised him that he will have his answer by then. He has to have something to work towards and a goal. He gladly accepted and he's still keeping his mind open for October 3. Well this last time we met him, he told us that the night before he had an experience where he was alone in a room and he was just thinking. He said he felt so much peace, calm, and assurance, he just felt happy with himself because he had just read his scriptures and he's been praying. He said that was the strongest he's ever felt the spirit. So we're praying that each day he'll feel it more and more and when october 3 rolls around, he'll just say out of the blue, "I know". I've fasted and prayed over anel, and I know its all in the lord's timing. WHether he gets baptized october 3 or not, he's progressing and coming closer to God.
WEll family.. now that i've written a novel and shared with you my coolest miracles... i wanted to share a little bit of my temple experience this week. I love to go with a question in mind, but this time i didn't know what question to ask Heavenly father. So i just basically focused on the feelings i had and the peace the temple brings. I'm telling ya'll the temples are the little tastes of what heavens like. Its as close to heaven as we get. I know the temple to be the house of the lord, and the ordinances there are so sacred and special. I'm grateful for those covenants i've made with Heavenly Father in the temple, and i only encourage and invite you to try to go as often as you can. Oh how i miss the temple! Don't take it for granted. So at mission leadership Council this week, President Bennion informed us that as a christmas present, the whole mission is going to the temple in december! Because of this, the temple won't have enough clothing to rent out, so they asked us to get our own from home. So mom... i'm gonna need some temple clothes! I've always wanted my own:) anyways.. that's the big and best news from this week! I could share more, but i've written enough really:)
I love you all so very much! Have a blessed week:)
Love Sister Hulme
Sister George and I at the Atlanta Temple.
I was so excited to see Sister Debry at the temple.
I was so excited to get the cap guns for my birthday!
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