It seems like it has only been 30 minutes since I last emailed you.... but looking back on things SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!!!
The weather was super bien caliente last week. Even on my bike I didn't wear my coat, and I went swimming! Joke. But it was so weird. Especially since it's January. I still wake up daily hoping for snow outside.
Today we had the opportunity to go to Salt Lake temple. Before the mish I always wanted to go to the live session, but who ever would have thought I could go on the mission! It was great. I loved it. The temple is SO beautiful inside. And the lady next to me fell asleep and was snoring! I found it funny. Walking out of the temple I saw my friend Brady Matthew's from USU... he had just gotten married. Then I walked outside the temple to ever to casually run into Kynzie and Chad Thorpe Kelley, DREW VANDYKE, Carson Ward, Kyle Young + wife, and so many people from USU. Seriously... the weirdest thing of my life! It was crazy. They were there and my companions were off to the side and I felt like I was being ripped right down the middle. But it was so fun to see them. I was freaking out! They were freaking out. I can't even handle it anymore. It was great though.
We were knocking doors the other night and were having no success but I was just super entertained. First guy answers the door and we were introducing ourselves and he goes... "excuse me, I was already baptized and now I am totally turned off to the church." Slam. Next door, Jehovah Witness drinking a beer. Next door, it opens an inch and I see one eye then he yells "who yu lookn' fo??" I just wanted to say.. your soul mister. He just said, "sorry white girl, we Muslim." Next door. Southern baptist. Super nice and entertaining, but just told us to leave. Then while we were riding our bikes home we cross this bridge and my comps chain came off right before the bridge. So I pull over to the side and it's super dark out side. I start getting off my bike to go help her and there is a man standing right next to me! I almost screamed. He heard my almost scream and was like "don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt ya." So I was like okay, then what's your name? "Coooowboy..." He definitely rides trains across the US,homeless, and was supposed to meet a man down by the river to hook him up with a place to stay cause he was sick for the night. I put 10 bucks in the Book of Mormon and as he was headed down to the river I was like hey, do you know how to read? He stopped, turned around and yelled at me, "Already read it. Jo Smith is a prophet. Thanks anyway." So.. he missed out on the 10 bucks. Then I was just like, Alright cowboy, may God be with you. He again yelled at me and said, "Adios, se vaya con Dios" but in a super southern accent like Madison's mom! It was just a great end of the night ride home.
So a little more about the weekend. We baptized a young man named Andy he's 12 and precious, we first taught him the day I got here. His parents were baptized 2 years ago, and his old sister is now inactive. So I think it was really good for her to have us there teaching cause she always sat in and listened to our lessons. Her boyfriend is currently in jail and gets out in 9 months. He's in the nortenos gang here in SLC. Great! Though we weren't successful in our efforts to get her to church. Anyway, last weekend the 24th Andy was supposed to get baptized but his mom 'got a sign' that he wasn't supposed to be baptized. She avoided us for the rest of that week. We went back on Tuesday of last week and just Andy and his sister was home so we taught him a lesson on the front porch. Right when we were finishing his mom came home from the grocery store and let us in but said we couldn't stay. We just had Andy share with his mom what he had learned (about the 2,000 stripling warriors being taught by their mothers) and set up a return appointment. We returned on Wednesday taught the lesson, asked if he still wanted to be baptized, he said yes. Had him ask his mom when he could be baptized and she said, well why not this Friday! Friday didn't work out because she wanted Brother Benson to baptize him. He could do it Saturday and even though the mom said she had to work she checked her schedule and she randomly had it off. Andy was baptized on Saturday, his step dad gave the talk and told Andy how proud everybody was, and Andy was just crying and so happy! He got confirmed on Sunday and the blessing talked about him going on a mission. It really hit me because right now in this moment I don't see the lasting effects of my mission- but I know that is one. So many miracles we saw with Andy this weekend and it was a very beautiful thing!
We are also teaching a woman Beverly with 2 sons. She is getting baptized in a couple weeks but last night while we were teaching her she asked us what her sons had to do to go on missions! That also was amazing to see her vision into the future! We are also teaching the Arviso family. They are from Guatemala and the sweetest people you will ever meet in your life! They have been to church for 6 months, have the first vision and intro to BOM basically memorized. They just haven't gotten an answer that the church is true. Come to find out.. what is their concern? They think we focus was too much on Joseph Smith and that we worship him because the bishop of our ward told them the first person he wants to meet when he gets to heaven is Joseph Smith. He took this the wrong way, and thought to himself, no the first person should be Jesus Christ. So, we are working with them, they are progressing though, they pray better than I do and read SO MUCH. They just say, we yeah I feel good when I read this book but I also feel good when I go to other churches, for I know that's not my answer. I was always told I wouldn't really get into deep doctrine on my mission, but oh we do. Like every single verse he picks apart. Like now in this verse what does the word fire mean... and in this verse what does this word symbolize... They are amazing though. They have SO much potential and I know when they finally get their answer they will be super solid!!! So we are trying to clear things up about Joseph Smith and hopefully they can recognize their answers.
We are also teaching a woman Beverly with 2 sons. She is getting baptized in a couple weeks but last night while we were teaching her she asked us what her sons had to do to go on missions! That also was amazing to see her vision into the future! We are also teaching the Arviso family. They are from Guatemala and the sweetest people you will ever meet in your life! They have been to church for 6 months, have the first vision and intro to BOM basically memorized. They just haven't gotten an answer that the church is true. Come to find out.. what is their concern? They think we focus was too much on Joseph Smith and that we worship him because the bishop of our ward told them the first person he wants to meet when he gets to heaven is Joseph Smith. He took this the wrong way, and thought to himself, no the first person should be Jesus Christ. So, we are working with them, they are progressing though, they pray better than I do and read SO MUCH. They just say, we yeah I feel good when I read this book but I also feel good when I go to other churches, for I know that's not my answer. I was always told I wouldn't really get into deep doctrine on my mission, but oh we do. Like every single verse he picks apart. Like now in this verse what does the word fire mean... and in this verse what does this word symbolize... They are amazing though. They have SO much potential and I know when they finally get their answer they will be super solid!!! So we are trying to clear things up about Joseph Smith and hopefully they can recognize their answers.
I got my suitcase! So thank you mom and family for that. What else what else. I am just seeing to often the timing of the Lord and how we need to respect it. I come in contact with so many people that have heard lessons and lessons, missionary after missionary. But things have perfectly played out in their life that right now they are receptive, they are just a little more humble than they were before and they can see the Lord working in their life, so they decide to change. It is such a beautiful thing. Yet at the same time, I talk to so many people daily that just aren't quite ready for it. But all that's important is that at some point in life when they do decide to turn to the Lord, hopefully they will come across that little blue book in their house or remember something that was said a long time ago. It's just so cool to see this whole work going about.
Overall, great week. new years party we got to wear JEANS. It was so weird, cause we were driving in a car, wearing jeans, I just felt like we were going to the movies and I was sinning big time. But we weren't and it was fun. Yelled happy new year at 9pm and all went to bed. Your new year sounds great though! Mexican music and huge family party, snowmobiling and with Z's. Tell J and K congrats on the pregnancy! How fun.
Time up. Gotta go.
LOVE YOU ALL.
Love, Hermana Marsh
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