Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Stories about the Sacerdocio in Stafford!

Querida Familia,

     I had the craziest experience two weeks ago that I forgot to share. Hermana Horton was with Hermana Clark and me in Stafford on exchange. We street contacted this guy and he was very difficult to understand. I think he had both mental and physical disabilities. We invited him to learn more about the Gospel, and he said he lived in Culpeper (neighboring county). We asked if we could send missionaries to visit him, and he didn't want to give us any information. We left a card with him and then went on our way.

     About an hour later, we were heading back to the car to go home. It was dark out and about to start raining. The same guy ran out to us and handed us a CD. We asked him what it was and he started telling this story that none of us understood. We thanked him and then left. The CD was SUPER FUNNY! It's 13 tracks of a man telling religious stories in Spanish with music in the background. All of them are really cheesy and weird. We've been using it in language study to practice understanding:)

*Okay so now I'll tell you about my birthday:)

     I had dinner on Monday night with a part member family. The Sister made me a really beautiful princess cake! (We share the same first name, so she's aware that I'm a princess.) We invited her to be baptized and it actually went over really well! No one has ever done it before, and it just needed to happen. Hopefully something good will come of it!

     Tuesday, the actual day of my birth, was transfer day! We had a few lessons and we went to lunch with Hermano Dimas. Dimas is his first name, but that's what everyone calls him. He loves Asian food, so we went to a Japanese buffet! It was really yummy and I felt super special! It was also 99 degrees that day :P It's been very hot the past week or two.

     On Wednesday, we had a Laurel with us, so we went on splits. Hermana Clark and I knocked in the trailer park for 3 hours. We knocked into Hermano Dimas while he was working on someone's air conditioning, and that was super funny! We'll also found an amazing investigator named Julia! She's from Honduras, and three of her kids still live there. She got pretty emotional about it. We shared the plan of salvation with her and she loved it! We went back yesterday and made her husband an investigator too. We taught the restauracion and they really liked it! She said that they had never heard of Jose Smith before. I explained that as missionaries, we go around the world to preach the Gospel--that God has again called a prophet to lead and guide us. They loved it! I love them:)
Catching Baby Frogs!
Eating Ants??!














     We also had a neat experience Wednesday in the trailer park. A few weeks ago, Hermana Penaloza mentioned that while in the DC South Mission, they tried a door approach a few times where they offered to bless the person's home. As missionaries, even Sisters, we have authority to preach the Gospel, which is a priesthood function. (PMG says, "your calling gives you authority, keeping your covenants gives you power.") We knocked into a woman named Porfiria. She was really timid and seemed sick and said she was too busy at the moment. While chatting with her, I received the strongest impression that we needed to bless her home. I don't normally receive revelation that way, so it came as a surprise. Especially since Hermana Penaloza had only mentioned it once a few weeks earlier. I asked her if we could bless her home, and she invited us in.

     I had no idea what I was about to do, and I didn't know which words to say. Not even in English, and I would need to offer the prayer in Spanish. I invited her to kneel with us in her living room. I asked Porfiria if there was anything she wanted me to include in the prayer and she said no. I started by saying "por la virtud del sacerdocio y la autoridad que poseemos, dejamos una bendicion en esta casa." Which means, "by the virtue of the priesthood and the authority that we possess, we leave a blessing on this home." I then tried listening to the Spirit and leaving very specific blessings. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my mission--and my life--thus far.

     We went by the following day for an appointment, and Porfiria seemed completely different. She was still timid and shy, but she didn't seem sick at all. Hermana Clark mentioned that the inside of her home felt and looked different. It wasn't as dark, it looked cleaner, and I even wondered if the paint color had changed.

     I know that the priesthood power is real. Even though I don't hold the priesthood or priesthood keys, my life is blessed by it. As a missionary, I can share those blessings with the people I teach. We had dinner this past week with the Santiago family (recent converts) and talked about the priesthood. It was cool to share with their teenage daughter that the "priesthood stuff" applies to her too! Hermana Santiago is a single mom, and we talked about the authority that she has in her home. Her oldest son is a deacon, and by worthily holding the priesthood he can be a blessing in their home. I love the priesthood!:)

Fredericksburg North Zone Missionaries
*And now here's a story that will probably make Mommy super happy.

     Our Ward Mission Leader has to work a lot on Sundays. During Sacrament Meeting, I asked his wife, Hermana Morgan, if I could sit with her and their three little boys. THEY ARE SO CUTE! I always bring coloring pages with me on Sundays so I can pass them out to kids. They loved it! And during the Sacrament, I pulled out the pamphlet of Evangelio and showed them pictures of the Savior. They were so excited! I asked the oldest son about the bread and the water and what it means. The Spirit was so strong and they were all so reverent. I couldn't stop smiling all during the meeting! I love those little boys and I can't wait to be a Mommy. I hope I can do half the job my Mommy did.

Hermanas Crandall & Penaloza
     I'm super excited that Lindsay will be a Mommy this week! I'm a little bitter that it didn't happen on the 17th, but that's okay:)

I love you so much familia! Thank you for all the birthday wishes and cards!

Love,  Hermanita Crandallita

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