Let me tell you about our week....
MONDAY- Was a great day! We had a wonderful picnic with the Bryner family! They are amazing! We also picked up a new investigator named Kasey! So exciting!
TUESDAY- We had an amazing lesson with Kelly and she told us that she knew the Book of Mormon was true! WOO HOO!!! She believes very strongly about her rights and freedoms, and belongs to groups with it. She was struggling with some things and we got to read about the Title of liberty with her. She loved it! I never thought I would read some thing from the war chapters of Alma with an investigator, but it was awesome! She loved it and wanted to post what we read on facebook! haha We also saw our investigator Heather! She is amazing as well! She is reading and praying about the Book of Mormon right now! We also met with Wei Chen! We ended up teaching him the Plan of Salvation and it was great! It made him really happy to know that he had more of a purpose in life! We also celebrated Sister Kidd's Birthday with her! She is a single woman in the ward who went on a mission to temple square. She is amazing!
WEDNESDAY- We had a great lesson with Tom. He was taught by sisters last year and we started teaching him again. We had three members with us! It was awesome! Super spiritual lesson! We felt like we had an army with us teaching haha. We saw Roxy and taught her about temples and eternal marriage! She loved it and wants to go to the temple! We did our weekly service at the food bank! We had our M&MTC that night! It was amazing! We had everyone make a list of every person they know that isn't a member and pray about who on that list they feel like they should share the gospel with! It was awesome! We met with Bishop Sorenson after to discuss some things about our recent converts. He is one amazing Bishop! I am so grateful for him and all that he does for the ward! He cares so much about every single person. It is so great!
THURSDAY- We gave Kelly a church tour and she loved it!!! She said she felt like she was home! AAHHH! So exciting! We had a few minutes to spare after our church tour with Kelly, before our district meeting and we had made all our calls, didn't have our bikes and weren't in our area, so Sister Vikari gave me a little singing lesson! It was great! District meeting was great and we went out to eat after! We saw Nikki and Destiny with a member and had a great lesson with them! We then had dinner with the Samuels! They are a part member family in the ward! They have two boys and they are hilarious! We had a great time and lesson with them as well! We also saw our recent convert Jada! She is so amazing! She is very shy and quiet. We quizzed her on everything we have ever taught her and she got every answer right! It was amazing!
FRIDAY- We had a pancake breakfast at a members home for the Fourth of July! We had some recent converts there and our investigator Heather came too! Sister Vikari sang the national anthem it was amazing of course! We had our weekly planning session and then saw a less-active named Crystal! She lives across the lawn from us. She is so great and is working her way to the temple! We weren't allowed to proselyte after 6 and we were allowed to stay out until 11. No one invited us over so all of us missionaries made our own party. We went to a place to eat called COOK OUT! It is amazing and super cheap. We thought it was fitting for the 4th of July and we wanted our "cook out." haha get it?? Then we went and played Kickball and ultimate frisbee! It was fun! Then we went and watched fireworks!! It was a fun night! I am proud to be an AMERICAN!! I am grateful for those who have served for this great country!!!
SATURDAY- We had a lesson with Wei! We taught him about Hope and Happiness through Christ! It was a great lesson! The spirit was strong! He is great! We taught this new family. the Mutai family from Kenya! They were great! I am excited for them to progress! We had ana amazing dinner and lesson with the Simmons family! I love them and they are from Idaho! They are so strong in the Gospel!
SUNDAY- KELLY and WEI came to church! WOO HOO! SO exciting! They both loved church! Church was amazing! Testimony meeting was powerful and everything that was said was perfect for Wei and Kelly! We had a meeting after church and then we went and sang to the primary in the other ward. Then we went to a open house for a returned missionary that just got home! She is awesome and is going to come out with us! We went over to the Lyon's to see Sam and he wouldn't talk to us. Here is his story....
Sam - Once upon a time Sister Durfee and I were fasting, praying, and doing everything we could to find a family. We received a phone call from Sam saying that him and his family has just moved in to town from California, and that they wanted to meet with us. Well, we met with them and they received our phone number from a recent convert of about a week who gave him one of our pass along cards! Super miracle! Sam had taken the lessons in California, so he knew a lot of what we taught and believed. We started to teach him and his wife. The journey for Roxy, his wife, was great! She gave up smoking, received her witness, and loved the Gospel! Well, Sam was all on board at first and then he picked and choosed when he wanted to be apart of lessons and didn't. Roxy was Baptized in June! We gave Sam some space because he said that he would tell us when he was ready to be baptized. One day we went over and he told us that he knew it was true and wanted to be Baptized. He asked when the soonest was that he could. He told us that he had quit smoking for two weeks already. We explained that he had to come to church a couple more times and then he could, so we set it for July 5th. Well, he has missed church, so we keep having to put it back. We hadn't seen him in about a week and half. Every time we went over he was asleep and Roxy wouldn't wake him up. Yesterday was the first day that he was awake. We asked Roxy if we could speak to him, and she said he wouldn't come out. She explained to us that he wasn't really interested anymore and didn't want to be Baptized. We were devastated, but really wanted and needed him to tell us that in person. He wouldn't come out and Roxy said he would just yell at us if he did come out, and would tell us to get lost. She said he didn't want to hurt our feelings. We decided to lay low for this week and we will go by on Friday, because they are having a Birthday party for their son. It is so devastating when we do all that we can, and people use their agency to make the wrong choice after they have received that witness of the truth. As I did personal study this morning I was studying in Chapter 1 of Preach my Gospel about how to make sure that I am a successful missionary, and that I am doing all that I can. There was a part that stuck out to me that made me think of Sam. It says, " Remember that people have agency to choose whether to accept your message. Your responsibility is to teach clearly and powerfully so they can make a correct choice. Some may not accept your message even when they have received a spiritual witness that it is true." That is exactly what is Happening to Sam. We have done all that we can, and at this point we continue to pray for him and visit his family. Then he will eventually come around. I have so much hope that he will be Baptized. It might not be this month or this year, but I know he will!
Well the week was amazing! There were many more miracles!!! The members are simply fantastic and so is the work! I love RICHMOND KENTUCKY!!!
Have a fabulous week!
Prayer- That Sam will come around
Challenge- Write down a list of people you know that aren't members and see who you can share the Gospel with. The Holy Ghost loves lists!
Scripture of the week- Omni 1:26! It is a good one!
Love,
Sister Bradley
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