February 23, 2015

"When things look like they are coming to an end, remember that not everything is as it appears. To a caterpillar, life is over, but to the butterfly, life is just beginning."

- Stephen C. Hogan

Well, the end is in sight and coming to a quick end. I know that it has to come to an end at some point, but it has come a lot faster than I ever would have anticipated.

This week has been FREEZING!!!! I can’t even begin to explain how cold it has been. Saturday, it snowed all day; we got 8 inches! Due to the snow, all the mission cars were parked. Sister Ogletree and I had a great day planned, but it involved us driving to the top of our area and also to the library, places that if we walked, it would have taken a good chunk of the day. We sat in our study chairs and thought hard about what to do; we then received a text from one of our members asking if we could come shovel their driveway. We, of course, jumped on that and walked to their house. Shoveling went super fast as there were the two of us and three boys plus the dad and daughter helping. Once we finished, the youngest says, "Let's go do the neighbor's house." That is when all the fun began. Each house we went to, they asked us to go and do another house. We ended up shoveling twelve driveways and getting many referrals from that and also meeting a lot of people. 

After lunch, we were meeting up with the Malone's to help them with some things around their house. Bro. Malone has a snow blower, and I have always wanted to try one of those things. So we go out to the front to snow blow their driveway. Bro. Malone then thought of his two neighbors that could use some help. After those two driveways we ended up doing four more. Sunday, I was sore.

It has been a great week! I love helping the ward members with their family history and seeing their eyes light up when they realize that they found another ancestor that they can take to the temple and help them receive all the blessings that can happen there. I love the temple. I love how we have the opportunity to help people on this side of the veil and the other. I know that it is a tremendous blessing to be in the service of God, to help Him in His work as He directs us to those that He is and has been preparing. I am so grateful that I get to take part in one of His daughter's making the decision to follow His example and be baptized. I love this great and marvelous work! I know that this is God's church on the earth today. I know that it is led, guided, and directed by a living prophet who has been called of God to help all of us return to live in His presence. I am so blessed to know that families are eternal, that we can all live together forever and that nothing can separate us. I love my family so much! I absolutely love this work, and I love my job!

-- Sister Gale

February 16, 2015

"Believe in miracles. I have seen so many."

- Jeffery R. Holland

There are so many great things that I can share that happened this week but I just want to focus on 2 wonderful examples: Mom, you'll love this first story...

So we are on our way to the temple to do baptisms for the dead with Matthew, a convert who was baptized in November. There were a lot of things that got in the way of him going earlier, but I wanted to make sure that he went before I left. We were able to go this past Friday and the drive is about an hour long. We brought a USB that we could listen to that had great music in the hopes that he would love the music and desire to have it so he could listen to wholesome music. Well, our plan worked. While we were driving up there, I was thinking about some of the lessons that we still needed to teach Matthew and how we could more specifically help him remember some of the commandments. As he was flipping through the songs, I saw the wonderful title of 'Sons of Provo.' So what do I do? "MATTHEW! I have the perfect boy band that you should listen to, and it will help you remember to keep the commandments." He looks at us skeptically and flips to it and puts on Word of Wizzum. It was the funniest thing, and he LOVED the music! We just laughed and sang the whole way to the temple! The best part was in the song it says, "...Mountain Dew. Tasty, but no good for you..." and Matthew holds up his mountain dew sitting in the front seat. We died laughing!
The temple experience itself was absolutely wonderful! Matthew was able to baptize his great grandfather and also do baptisms for Keith Malone. Keith also asked me to do some names for him and specifically asked me to be baptized on behalf of his great grandmother. It was a super spiritual experience!

This week, we were able to witness a miracle. We had dinner with the Homers, a part-member family that we have been working with. When Sister Hansen was here, we extended baptism for February 7th, but that didn't end up working out. I was beginning to think that she wasn't going to be baptized before I left because she has been sick and we didn't want to push her. Well, dinner happened and we could not get the conversation focused on any of the lessons. Soon, Sister Homer was up showing Sister Ogletree all their pictures, and Bro. Homer had his laptop out showing me all his family history. I began to lose hope that we were going to get a lesson in, but all of the sudden, I asked Bro. Homer about a picture that was under his name. He said that it was his son who is in the army. About that time, Sisters Homer and Ogletree started making their way back to the table. Sister Homer said, "Ya he comes home in the summer of 2016, and we are thinking about getting sealed in the summer." She says things like that all the time, so I just didn't make any comments. Then Bro. Homer comes in and says, "Well, someone has to get baptized before that can happen." To which she responded, "I know, I have made a deadline of March 5th for myself." I then turned around in my chair with my jaw dropped and just looked at her. Looking at me, she said, "I've been thinking about it for the past couple of weeks, and I think that I want to get baptized the weekend before that so the 28th." I just smiled and said, "We can do that!" Saturday, we made the program, and Sunday she made all the calls to the people that will be praying and speaking at her baptism! It was a miracle, and it was great to see the Lord work with Sister Homer and confirm that this is the right choice for her.

This week I have been blessed to experience many miracles, and I know that they all occurred because God is a God of miracles. This is His great and marvelous work. By faith and good works, great things come to pass. I know that, and I am so grateful for this wonderful experience to be a part of her first steps on this spiritual journey. I absolutely love this work, and I love my job!!!

-- Sister Gale