Our Investigators...I LOVE them soooo much!! (July 22)

Dear family,

Hello! You know I look forward to this day when I get to tell you all the AMAZING miracles and experiences I am having out here, but I also really dread it too because it takes SOOOO long. haha! So I hope you really enjoy them and actually read them. So to respond to some of your questions last week. The ipads are awesome! But you know me, super not into technology so it is hard for me to really fully commit to using the ipad and iphone full time. We are supposed to do all of our planning and scheduling on those devices and

With Sis. Pickett  - having gone through
the "grab bag"

honestly for me it is just so much easier to do it on paper and have it right in front of me. So basically it all comes down to the fact that I am lazy haha Sister Pickett and I have committed this week to use them 100% so we will see how it goes!

I can't actually remember any of the other questions you asked, so moving on...

I saw the Lawson's this week!!!! It is so crazy seeing people from home! All things and people from Atlanta just seem like a far off dream like a once upon a time sort of thing! haha So it was really sweet seeing them :)

So the miracles of this week have been amazingly plentiful and humbling. I don't know why we are being so blessed, but hey I'll take it! jk no... I know that Heavenly Father is blessing us and specifically blessing the Gable Ward for all of the hard work they are doing. They have like a 50% less active rate and we know and strongly feel that as they have been working on strengthening the members, their brothers and sisters, that Heavenly Father's trust in them has grown and so now He is blessing them with prepared people. We are just sooo busy all the time. I love it!! But not just busy, because I have definitely learned the difference between being busy and actually being productive. Anyone can fill up their day with different activities and what not, but if they aren't spending their time on things that really matter then what good does that do? People can waste their  lives away being so busy and at the end of the day what have they really accomplished? Nothing. All they get is a giant head ache. So anyways, it feels good knowing that we are using the Lord's time wisely and seeing progress in the work :)

So. Now let me think of where to start. Our investigators... I LOVE them sooo much!!! I really genuinely love all these people it's just amazing!! Just thinking about them makes me smile :) Oh boy it is really funny working with YSA's though! One of the fellow-shippers always feels the need to update us on the dating drama.  I am so glad I am a missionary and don't have to deal with all of that! But, it's all good because our investigator is progressing so amazingly well and he is super excited about his baptism on the 5th of August! We watched the Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration video with him last night and afterwards we talked about how he felt during it. He had said he was concerned before because he hadn't received that confirmation that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God. We calmly assured him that it would come as he continued to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and specifically ask God to know that Joseph Smith was called to be the Prophet of the restoration. So last night he said at the beginning of the movie he just said a little prayer to know if Joseph Smith truly was a Prophet and at the end he said he believes he has received his answer. He said he just felt the spirit so strongly and he knows that Joseph Smith was called to be a Prophet. I am so grateful for the truthfulness of this gospel. We can all rely on the promise that those who truly desire to know that these things are true, will receive their answer by the poser of the Holy Ghost. I have seen that time and time again on my mission. I love knowing that I can trust in the Lord and know that He will answer the honest and sincere prayers of these sweet investigators. It's just amazing :) That was all about our investigator James btw... now onto Jeff!

Jeff is just the sweetest little thing! he is 22 and has had a super rough life!! Talk about everything going wrong, I mean this poor guy has seen it all. Now of course he recognizes that a lot of these bad things happened to him due to the poor choices he has made. Growing up he didn't believe in God and had no source of direction for his life so he didn't really feel that his choices really mattered. It wasn't until he really hit rock bottom that he acknowledged the need for a change. He came to home evening Monday night which was awesome and he really hit it off with some of the members- love our ward! Oh and James also went too! We then met with him again on Wednesday and we taught him the restoration. Talk about a strong spirit. At the end of the lesson we invited Jeff to pray. He had never prayed before in his life so he was pretty nervous, but he did it. Wow it was just so sincere and heart felt! He started crying. I was just so grateful to be able to witness how Heavenly Father reaches out to His children. That's what we as missionaries are all about, getting them in connection with God so that they can feel His love and receive the answers they are looking for. It doesn't do us or them any good to just tell them everything we know or to answer all of the many questions they might have- we need to trust that God will answer those questions for them. I know He will and He does!

Let me think what else I should tell you about.... Sunday of course was a day of miracles as always! We had planned a lesson with Jeff an hour before church. He got there a little early and our member for the lesson was running late, so we decided to take Jeff around the building on a little tour. When we got to the chapel there was just such a strong and still spirit. I can't even describe how amazing that moment was to be there with Jeff as he entered the chapel for the first time :) So we had our lesson and Jeff and the members we invited really hit it off!! Jeff said the closing prayer and in it he thanked Heavenly Father for giving him these new friends. Well we got to sacrament meeting late cus our lesson went a little over, But it was good because James was already there so we went and sat by him. One investigator with all of his fellow-shippers on one side and the other with all of his friends and fellow-shippers on the other :) It was so great! You can just feel the spirit of the ward growing as they welcome in these new members and investigators. The mission spirit is really taking off! Members keep coming up to us and saying, "Wow I can't believe things are actually happening!". Unfortunately we had to leave right after sacrament meeting (which went like 20 minutes over!!) because we had our shift at the vc! So we left Jeff and James with the members and ran to the vc. Well actually we ran to the car and then drove haha we are blessed. We ended up being like 10 minutes late woops! Some members came in while we were still on shift and told us that there was another investigator at church named Erik! They told us they were bringing him to the visitors center that night to watch the Joseph Smith movie! Yay! It was amazing and Erik is so great! Look at all these blessings! Unfortunately Erik lives in Tempe  but Sister Pickett and I are going to teach him over the phone and at the VC :) exciting!

Well family, just know that all is well in Mesa. Oh! There was a monsoon this week!! Sooo cool!!! The sky turned a purpley pink and then everything just got flooded with all the rain! I will send pics.

Love you all!! Have a great week!!!!

Love,

Sister Hamstead

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox