Gladys Knight and her choir were amazing! I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but they did a fantastic job! I found out that this is actually Gladys' calling in the church - to lead this choir and go around sharing her testimony through song and word. The choir sang about 6 different songs, some with Gladys singing and some without. One member shared the reason why they chose to come out and do this. He was really good at being funny and spiritual. He basically taught a short intro to the Restoration, talking about how God is our loving Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ's life on earth - including setting up His church, and the apostasy that led to a need for restored truths, prophesied about in the Holy Bible. Gladys also shared her experience and testimony and was great at talking "the language" of the people here, relating to them, and sharing how this gospel is true. It was a powerful night and I feel blessed to have been able to see and hear both showings. I've also fallen in love with southern gospel music. I will be listening to Gladys Knight and her choir when I go home! :)
Both showings were almost full, and our ward (10 missionaries) received about 75 referrals - 24 of them being for Sister Boehula and I....wow! So yes! We are busy! It is tricky trying to schedule it all, but it is also wonderful and amazing. We have had great and positive experiences with every one that we've contacted. I'll let you know how things play out as the weeks go on, but there were definitely many seeds planted and nurtured that night. Oh yeah, and we were up until about 1 am that night since we helped clean up and sort all of the referrals afterwards. Haha, that won't happen again :) But President is kind and allowed us to sleep in the next day to make up for the time we lost. It was a wonderful event and worth all of the effort that was put into it.
We also did Paint Your Heart Out on Saturday! We had a lot of service hours this week with prep for Gladys Knight, Paint Your Heart Out, and helping a member prep her home for moving. Paint Your Heart Out is an annual community service event that our ward decides to help out with each year. You sign up in teams and each team paints the outside of a house in the area. All of the missionaries in our ward signed up. Sister Boehula and I were on a team with 2 other families in the ward, the Bishop, and Elder Adams and Hartwig. It was a lot of fun and we were there for 6 hours. I love painting :) We also got shirts afterwards to remember the service we gave! :)
Many blessings and miracles have happened this week and I just don't have time to share them all. That's how it usually is every week, but know that good things are happening! [Our investigator couple] did not get baptized this last weekend like we had originally planned, but they are doing so well. They are really progressing and have a desire to be baptized. We are just working on a few changes with them that they need to make first. Our other investigators are doing well too, and 5 of them came to Gladys Knight.
I want to share one thing that I learned this week. We need personal scripture study. We were in a practice where I was a recent convert who was about to move out of state, by myself, to school. It hit me as the elders taught me that who I need to go with me where ever I go is God, and how I'm going to make sure that happens is through personal daily prayer and scripture study. I know it's important, and I'm working on making it more important to me. It hit me again as I was in interviews with President McDonough yesterday, and I know that the Lord is trying to teach me that right now.
I want to invite all of you to evaluate your personal scripture study. That is your time with the Lord to know Him. Do you value your time with Him? Do you want to know what He has for you? That He loves you? Search for Him through prayer and scripture study and I know you will find Him.
I love you all and hope that this coming week is one of joy! Live what you know! Change! May the Lord bless you!
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