Only 99 Days Left!

Well hello from SUNNY California!! Here are the happenings from the week!

1. We went to Goodwill last week and I think I am now loving thrift stores. All of the sudden I see them EVERYWHERE we go and I have been here for 6 months... hahah

2. Our investigator Malachi accepted a baptismal date. He actually brought it up. He is 11 and so in touch with the spirit. And how he has responsibilities here on earth.

3. We went to a part member families this week. LOVE them! The non member husband said we could come back because it was us. His wife was telling us that he has has lesson before and been to church just not ever happened. We shall see. He was pretty open with us and set a return appointment.

4. We got lemon seeds to grow... they aren't growing. BUT We got lemons from a member and made lemonade... SO good!

5. We were out contacting one day and we ran into these 3 ladies. We got into a really nice talk about Jesus Christ and how we have to found and accept him. They weren't interested in learning BUT we offered service and it just so happens two of them are doing work in their homes! HOPEFULLY we can get in and help them feel of the Spirit and want to learn more :]

6. We went to a members home whose son just came off his mission. This father is NOT active and tried to talk him out of going on his mission. We were there when he got released. Wow. The stake president asked him for his name tags. I was about to cry!! My tag is little and just a black thing I clip on every morning... but not. It is so much more. I'm different. And I was thinking about how blessed I am to be here and get to wer this little black tag. I LOVE it!!

7. We FINALLY got to meet with a couple that hasn't been to church in a LONG time. Found out that he is a return missionary and now agnostic and she hasn't been to church but wants to come. Very interesting how that works out. But she wants us to come back. I think she can feel the void in her life without the gospel and gave us the biggest hug when we left. We shared a scripture about ow the spirit wont lie to us... I know she was listening, hopefully he was too.

8. Beverly a less active we teach has not been to church in YEARS and she came on Sunday!!! It was HUGE!!! She came, participated and everything. She told us that her biggest thing was that she has a really close connection with these two families and they ended up moving and she had no one to connect with. She didn't put the effort in BUT hopefully she enjoyed meeting people and we shall see if she will come back next week.

9. Sister Harker and I were welcoming people to church when we met a man who was visiting from Fuller Seminary College. He was there for a class assignment. It was a PERFECT day to come! We had a recent convert and a return missionary speaking. The whole time we were in Sacrament meeting he was nodding and writing a few notes. One of his notes he had written was "children part of service" In my head I was thinking, well duh! Oh well. When we explained to him that no one was paid he was also very shocked. He was able to come to Gospel principles and he was participating and reading scriptures with us... he had said earlier he would stay then he ended up leaving after gospel principles. He was feeling the spirit. Love it!

10. "The Boys" were born!! I am a proud auntie for the 3rd time on the mission and for the 14th time in my life... how lucky am I?!?

11. Favorite scripture this week... well it is a few. I have been studying the words cheer, cheerful, things like that. One of my goals this week was to be happy. Not just look happy but feel happy. Yes, life is hard but there are so many happy and cheerful things we could focus on. SO. Mosiah 24:15 Tells us to submit cheerfully and patiently to the will of the Lord. Not our will, the Lords. Then in 2 Corinthians 9:7 It tell us that Good loves a cheerful giver. Then in D&C 78:18 (new fav) Ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.... riches of eternity are yours. We can not bear all things... especially if we try to do it alone! Not happening. But if we let him lead us we can have the riches of eternity... LOVE that blessing. We need to be happy. I know when we teach lessons it is a message of JOY!  Be happy. Life is hard but good.

LOVE YOU ALL!!

Sister Arbogast