Week 32 - Tage's Baptism and Marissa got hurt

Hello everyone!

Another awesome week here in Ben Lomond!

Here are some highlights:

- On Tuesday we got to got to go to the Brigham City Temple. I had never seen it before and it was beautiful. We had to wake up at 5am and be there at 6:30am so it was super early, but it was well worth the sacrifice! I love the temple and I'm so grateful to have two temples in my mission.

At Brigham City Temple

Snow everywhere

 - So on Mondays we all get together as a zone and play zone sports. We usually play knock out or speed ball. So I was playing knock out and some how turned and rolled my ankle. It hurt so bad, but I thought it was just sore. It wasn't getting better so on Wednesday I went to the doctor and they told me I had torn the ligament in my ankle and that it was sprained:/  They wanted me to rest and ice it for a couple days which just does not work with a mission schedule. Sister sharp made me stay in for a day, but the rest of the time we would get members to drive us around to take us door knocking, which was awesome because we got a lot of member present door contact lessons! So I guess it was a blessing in disguise!

OUCH!!!

- We had a zone conference this week where a bunch of missionaries got together and were trained by our mission president and others. So they asked us in the beginning of December to memorize the Living Christ by the apostles and so I did and I made Sister Schultz do it too! We then got transferred and then made our companions memorize it. They asked at this conference for people to raise their hands if they memorized it, so I raised my hand along with Sister Schultz and our companions now. We were he only ones who had memorized it, so they then made us 4 go up to the front and recite it from memory to everyone. Yikes... I was so nervous and was not planning on doing that. We recited it and it was really awesome though! We might of messed up a few times, but all in all we did it, and I really felt the spirit testify of its truthfulness as I spoke.

- So up until Saturday I had not fallen or slipped on the ice or snow.... So Saturday Sister Sharp and I were tracting in the blizzard (it has snowed everyday this week, were up to a foot or two of snow) and all the sudden I slipped and my elbow caught my fall... Ouch. Then like a minute later Sister Sharp fell. We could barley stay up it was so slick. I thought about how this relates to the gospel. In life we could be walking down the street and everything is fine and then all the sudden we can slip. That's like how in life sometimes trials come out of no where. We can be as prepared as we can like good snow boots, concentration, etc, but your still going to fall just like how we can be reading our scriptures, praying, and going to church, but we are still going to have trails. The great thing is, is that we have Jesus Christ right by our side to lift us up when we fall. He helps us get out of those trails in life and we just need to trust and rely on him. Man... I just love the gospel.

Walking through over 2 feet of snow with ice at the bottom
Not good!

Received a package from the Longhurst family in Kentucky
They are so nice

-  Okay MIRACLE this week! So we have been teaching Tage for a while now and he has been progressing really well and He was so excited to get baptized on Saturday. His birth mom (his family is divorced) is not a member and was against him getting baptized. Troy (his dad) was pleading with her to let him get baptized. So on Saturday his birth mom had custody of Tage and so we were all worried that she wouldn’t show up to the baptism and have Tage miss his own baptism. Well, Sister Sharp and I and the family have been fasting and praying all week that he could get baptized. I had to exercise a lot of faith and hope that God would help us and help another one of his sons Enter into this covenant and... HE DID! His Birth mom's heart was softened and she showed up and dropped him off (didn't even go inside though). It was a wonderful baptism and his brothers got to be baptized with him who were 8. It was so amazing to see his whole family come together after recently becoming active again in this church! God is truly there and he listens to all of us! I love miracles!!

Sister Sharp, Marissa, Tage, his brother and his father

Okay well that's it for this week! Sorry it's a little longer this week! I hope you all are doing well. I love this gospel and I know Jesus Christ is my savior and redeemer! It's great to be a missionary:)

Sister Lowe