Week 32 - Easter Miracle - 4/17/2017

The most amazing miracle happened this week. Plus I love my area with all my heart and  y new companion is amazing!

This week was kind of crazy. With sending my companion home and then getting a new companion and having to stay with another set of sisters for a couples days; it all just got a little crazy. But everything is back as it should be and the craziness is dying down.

My new companion Sister Deem is from Gilbert, Arizona (not to far from my families house in Maricopa, AZ). She has been serving for 14months and I love her so much, we served around each other earlier in my mission and we both were serving in YSA. I have never laughed so much on my mission and I can't wait to see our hard work unfold.

Monday I had to say goodbye to one of the best companions ever. Sister Evarts finished her mission strong! I miss her already. So many people are going home soon and all my missionary friends are leaving but I'm happy for them and know that have all served amazing missions. That morning our Ward Mission Leader in the deaf ward taught us how to fly fish and it was super super fun!

Tuesday I sent the day with Sister Sirmans and Sister Cheng since I was companion-less. It's was super fun. We had a busy day. Sister Sirmans was getting transferred and so we ended up saying goodbye to a lot of people in her wards and people she taught. She had been in the area for 6 months so she was close to a lot of people. This was her first transfer going into a new area and it reminded me of when I first came to the ASL/ 1st Ward. It was scary but oh how amazing it has been.

Wednesday I got y new companion! We already had some things planned so we dropped her bags off at home and off her service at the soup Kitchen we went. It was so amazing serving there. We helped feed and clean up after hundreds of homeless people. Unpacked later that day and went and got to know the area a little better. Within being companions for less that 2 hours I accidentally forgot the keys and locked us out which was fun but we got back in thanks to our landlord haha

Thursday we had our Book of Mormon class with Amy, Starla, Michale and Pamela. All 4 are deaf and I was able to start teaching them all in ASL about the tree of life. I was scared but through the spirit I was able to do it. That night we had ward correlation with Brother Hunsaker and they are always productive but so funny.

Friday we had district lunch before district meeting and dinner with the Losee's who are a deaf couple, which I was also able to understand and communicate with. Saturday morning we had breakfast with the Stake President and all the missionaries in the Stake, which is 6 companionship, 12 missionaries. We also rode our bikes most of the day and about died. I don't know why I thought riding up the hill would be better this time around. 

 Sunday was the best day of the week. We did the normal Sunday routine, went to church for 5 hours, and were so very grateful for the knowledge of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We were able to worship with others members and bear our witness of Jesus Christ. That night we had dinner with the Case family. They are amazing spiritual giants that I hope I can become like one day in my own family. Sister Case is the one that helps translate in our lessons with the Venezuelans. For most of their kids life (they have 8 kids) they have these extravagant hunts that their kids have to do to find their Easter baskets. They still haven't found this year and Easter was yesterday haha. Anyways, the Venezuelans were over for dinner and after we finished dinner the Case's surprised us with our own Easter basket hunt. We had to walk around the neighborhood and find clues all while teaching the Plan of Salvation. It didn't all quite work so by the time we got back to the house we hadn't really taught anything. We sat around the table and we're teaching about where we came from and why we're here which then led to a discussion about baptism. We invited them to pray about a day to be baptized about a week and a half ago but they still weren't feeling like that had received an answer. So we invited them right there to kneel in prayer and ask Heavenly Father. We all went into the living room, knelt in pray and offered our hearts unto the Lord to know what day they should be baptized. I have never prayed harder for the Lord to help other people and I have never had such a spiritual experience in my life. I can't even put into words how much love I felt from God. 

Things I spiritually learned from our experience yesterday: 

-God knows me and my name, my companions name and Jocelyn, Nathalie and Nathalie

-God is aware of our needs and desires

- God WILL answer your prayers IF you go to him with full purpose of heart and a sincere desire

- No matter what the language is he Spirt is able to testify of the truthfulness of the Gospel. 

There is so much but it was all feelings and I just can't put them into words. I can't even think of an emotion that would accurately describe the joy and happiness I felt. 

Many of us can have the same exact experiences as found in the scriptures and this experience that Lehi had is similar to the one we all had last night: 

1 Nephi 1-

5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.

6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord...

12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.

15 And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him.

 Love Sister McCammon ❤