Sister Allie King: November 28, 2016

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! This week was a bit slow because everyone was out of town. :p Legit, half the ward was in Utah, they could have had a second Stockdale sacrament meeting there.

Thanksgiving 2016
Bakersfield, CA

I can honestly say that my Thanksgiving dinner was the tastiest meal I have ever had the privilege of consuming. The turkey was fresh, the sweet potatoes were after this steakhouse version and it was amazing, along with mashed taters and ham and cheesy potatoes and the most amazing chocolate cheesecake. GA, amazing. And one of my favorite families from a previous area came because her mom is in Stockdale! It was awesome, her sister and husband came as well. It was awesome to be able to talk about our missions and the church with everyone. The beauty of the gospel is that, even in times of darkness, we can always be reminded of the joy and peace we once felt in following the savior. Those moments of surety when we KNOW that God is there and that His gospel is restored and true can give us strength when we waiver, if we allow them to work in our lives.

Anywho, it RAINED this week, that was probably the biggest miracle. Poor Sister Hayes has been getting over a cold for 2 weeks and she was feeling pretty awful Saturday. We were just praying for success and strength, and sure enough, the first door we tried had a 15-year-old answer. His mom used to meet with the missionaries, and he said how he's been trying to come closer to Christ but wasn’t sure how. He knows a lot of Mormons at his school and his whole countenance lit up when we told him about the restoration. What a tender mercy, and we walked away from the door super wet because of the RAIN. RAIN I SAY!!

We visited a less active family named after that. We had just assumed that since her work and problematic situation has prevented her from coming to church, her testimony had wavered. We shared a scripture on prayer and she testified of how she had an illness that almost killed her. The doctors said there was no hope, but she had faith and she prayed for help and guidance and a doctor at UCLA had an opening and let her come the next day. They gave her proper treatment and she was able to recover more than she ever anticipated! It was a cool testimony builder to me to hear about that, but it strengthened her even more to share it. I LOVE being able to have these experiences with people!

We had ANOTHER awesome visit with a member! His wife is from Peru and isn’t a member, he’s less active but has a pretty strong testimony of the truth. He gave an amazing prayer at the end of the lesson and the spirit was extremely strong. I guess the biggest thing I’ve learned this week is that if we are struggling with anything, prayer is the solution. As we turn to God for help, He will guide us in all aspects of our life and will bring us safely home.

We had a lesson with this couple we found last week, taught along with an amazing member. Apparently, he went to high school with them here in town in the 90s! They really hit it off, and even though they were a bit hesitant at first, the member we brought started teaching the restoration and it really hit home for them to hear it from him. We were able to answer some of their questions and they agreed to read the Book of Mormon, which they didn’t want to do!!

Okay, EVERYONE GO TO MORMON.ORG!! The church is coming out with a service project for December. Every day there is a way the Savior served when he was on the earth and a suggestion for what we can do in our day! It’s incredible and it’s an amazing way to remember Christ this season!! SORRY GOTTA RUN but I’ll leave you with this scripture:

Mosiah 2:17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

He has asked us to serve, and whenever we feel down or stressed or sad, THAT IS THE SOLUTION!!

Love you all, love this gospel, have a great week!