Hey ya'llllll
Wow! What a week. I dont even know where to begin! I am LOVING my new area. It's a dream. Seriously, i am having a blast! We had a wonderful week last week... thanksgiving was awesome! We spent it at the Bishops house and there was a huge crowd there of missionaries and YSA's so we just ate and ate and played games and had a blast. The food was yummy but of course not as good as Grandma's house thats for sure :)
MIRACLE OF THE WEEK..... okay actually.... MIRACLE OF MY WHOLE MISSION. Ready? Get excited........................
Remember how last week i told you i would find Chris, the guy i taught in C-ville? Well.... I FOUND HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's the story. So Chris is someone that just broke my heart after he lost contact with the missionaries since he was so ready up in cville. I know that he knows it is true. I could always see it burning in his eyes and he was always lit up and his whole countenance changed since the first moment i had met him. I was really excited to get transferred to this area cuz i knew he was here and i wanted to find him so bad so ever since i got here i have been praying like crazy. I asked heavenly father to help me to find him only if he is ready. I asked him to please put him in my path if he was ready. I only wanted to find him if he was ready. So turns out... the church is true. Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers cuz he was put right in my path last week. It was so fun talking to him. I asked if he had a chance to come to church here in Richmond yet and he said he did but only once cuz he doesnt have rides to get there and then i asked him if he had been reading the book of mormon and he said yes and also that he has been reading the doctrine and covenants.! Then he agreed to meet up with us this week! I am sooooo excited!!! I cant even explain the pure joy that i felt after finding him! I KNOW that he is ready and know that everything happens for a reason and for whatever reason he lost contact with the missionaries when he got here i know that the lord is completely aware of him and what he needs at this time. I am so grateful for the power of prayer. It has the power to bring miracles into our lives if we just pray with FAITH. Faith is key. He will answer if we just believe!
Miracles have been unfolding in this area. I dont even know how to describe it but there is so much work to be done here and i have never so fully recognized the lords hand in my life as i have these past couple of weeks. He is blessing us with miracles and i am so grateful to be a part of this work. We found an awesome new investigator this past week named Tim. He is from Ethiopia and he is the most humble, quiet, gentle guy i've ever met. It's kinda hard cuz his accent is difficult to understand so there is a bit of a barrier but he is awesome! A recent convert in our ward who is from el salvador who also has a thick accent (idk how they understand each other sometimes haha) but anyway they work together and ali gave him a book of mormon and he started to read it and we were finally able to meet with him this week. It was cool cuz he came to thanksgiving with ali at the bishops house and had tons of fun and made lots of friends with the ward members. He loved the bishop and his wife and told us that he felt like he knows them from somewhere... like the pre earth life. When we taught him he told us that and also said that both of us look so familiar to him and that he feels like he knows us from somewhere. We took him on a church tour and he just kept saying that "it feels so good in here" over and over. He said that it just made him feel so good. He came to church yesterday and when we gave him the church tour the day before we explained the sacrament and everything but when it came time to take it he acted really strange and wouldnt take it which was fine so afterwards we just took the time to explain it to him and made sure he understood cuz sometimes its hard to tell if he is realy understanding everything but he actually explained it to us perfectly so we knew that he understood but then he quietly just said "i dont feel worthy... maybe later down the road" it was the sweetest, most humbling thing for him as a non member to understand the sacredness of the sacrament and what it truly means to partake of that sacrament. It was a huge testimony to me of how important and sacred the sacrament really is and that it should never be taken for granted.
After church we had a lesson with Tim and i dont even know where to start. We taught him the restoration and it was so powerful. The spirit was definitely present and he told us that he felt all tingly inside and that he just felt so good in his heart. He told us that he feels that this is right and that he is excited to pray harder than he ever has before. In the middle of the lesson he looked at me and said "What do i have to do to become more like Jesus Christ" WHOAH. I have never been so excited to answer a question before! We taught him about baptism and told him that that is what he needs to do to become more like jesus christ. Then we asked him to be baptized and he agreed.! Gahhh. I cant even explain how good it feels to help others come unto christ and to help them feel all tingly inside and good in their heart. There is no greater joy and no greater work and the thing is is that it was all the spirit. not me, not my companion, not the member present... but the spirit. As long as we work hard to create an environment where the spirit can be then conversion will be brought to the hearts of those seeking for the truth. The spirit brings nothing but good feelings. It testifies of nothing but truth and i know that that is what Tim was feeling yesterday and that those feelings he had is the beginning of his conversion and his humble search to find the truth. Afterward, he asked if the church is in ethiopia cuz he needs to tell his sister about it who lives there! I am so grateful to be a part of this work. There is no greater calling!! I want you all to know that i know without a doubt that this is the one true church on the earth today. It is the original church that Christ set up when he was here on the earth and we are all SO BLESSED to be a part of it!!! We are all a part of the one true church while there are sooo many out there who arent aware of this and dont have the blessings of the gospel. We need to share it with them. We need to help them. That's why we are here to help our brothers and sisters return back to our heavenly home safely. I know that if we but have faith... that the lord will bless us with opportunities and many miracles in our lives! Miracles and blessings that are indescribable! I love you all soo much. Hope you know that! I couldnt be out here without ya'lls support. I'm so grateful for every single one of you and that you are a part of my life! I couldnt be any more blessed with the life that i have been given. Have a great week! XOXO
Sister Roosendaal
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