Mini Miracles

It rained!

What a great week everyone!

We ended the week seeing a lot of miracles in the form of the Mini Missionary we had with us! Her name was Becca Driggs and she was awesome! She had just done an HEFY in Bolivia and had great Spanish...literally we were so surprised by how great her Spanish was and she was so pumped to use it. She was sooo cute too! (Ross I have a date set up for you when you get out here).

We had a lesson with Jesus this week and wow it was awesome! Jesus used to be a member but due to different things is no longer a part of the church. She told us though that she wants to come back and be baptized again! Her oldest 2 kids are active members and she wants to be able to go to the temple when they get married there one day! She has the strongest testimony and last week we had challenged her to read the Book of Mormon every day. She has been doing it and told us that the spirit in their house was different and that she has seen it bless them in so many ways. We have a lesson set up with her whole family (her husband isn't a member and we picked him up as an investigator this week) for this next week and we are really hoping to get them to the church together as a family. Jesus did come to church this week though and loved it!!!

Viviana also came to church and loved it! She was able to stay the whole time too and it was such a miracle because we hadn't even been able to see her this week! The members were really great at just welcoming her and helping her feel included and I am soo grateful for them.

We also got to meet with this less active that we have been trying to see for ages! She really opened up to us and was just crying about how she wants to come back and work towards the temple again...PEOPLE THAT IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT! I love the temple!! her son though (lol) is this interesting chap that is high key against the church. He interrupted our lesson to tell us that if it looked like he was staring at us it was just because his glasses are really thick and not to be alarmed (lolol) and his mom was like in the middle of crying and the spirit was so strong. Then at the end we invited them both to church and he was like I'm actually trying to distance myself as much as possible from your religion right now". I wish I could convey to you how funny it was. The three of us were dying.

Other things are happening and it is getting mighty hot up here but we are seeing the blessings rain out! I'm approaching my last transfer next week and am so sad about it yet so grateful for all the experiences I have been able to have and the people I have been able to meet and see changed. I love this gospel so much!

To the Moon and Back!!

Hermana Showalter

Until 70 Times 3

Elders pranked our car.

It was a week full of Seventies!

If you recall Elder Clayton came and visited our mission just last week. Well our stake also happened to have their stake conference this week and we got to hear from another two seventies! It was Elder Held and Elder Cook.

 Our stake president, President Tinker (who is amazing and so missionary focused) invited all the missionaries in the Stake to the leadership meeting they were having. It was focused on ministering and really opened my eyes to what this new focus is all about. Ministering cannot be a checklist. It is a lifelong discipleship of love and devotion. It is us trying to exemplify our Saviors example of loving and helping one by one. Oh man I wish I had my notes. But basically our takeaway as missionaries is that missionary work is just ministering to those without the gospel and is something that every member should seek to do. The Spirit was so strong as they spoke and truly testified to me they are called by God.

Our investigators, Javier and Viviana are doing good! We weren't able to see Viviana this week but we had a lesson with Javier and MIRACLES! He hasn't really opened up to us till this point and we struggled with best knowing how to teach him towards his needs. So when we were in his garage (no one else was home and it was probably like 120 degrees in there #arizonaprobs) we just asked a ton of questions and talked about baptism and he BROUGHT UP HIS CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS. It was awesome!!! We now know better how to help him! :)

Our other people are doing well too! We are just trying to help those we already have and figure out how to best work with the members. As the heat sets in, it definitely makes it a bit hard but it is also when we see our greatest miracles! I love being a missionary everyone!

OH HAPPY FATHERS DAY! I love my DAD!

To the Moon and Back!
Hermana Showalter

Preaching to every creature continues...

We celebrated Father's Day with our ward mission leader/ substitute  father, Johnny!

Humbled (more or less)

spreading my addiction on exchanges

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." - Ether 12:27

If I could sum up this week it would be through this scripture. I have been reflecting a lot about these next upcoming months. Sometimes I get upset because I feel like I should be so much better than I am or stressed because I feel like there is so much more that I could be doing and it is definitely a humbling experience.

We had the privilege of listening to Elder Weatherford T. Clayton of the 70 and he just blew me away. He focused a lot on working with members and how we need to work WITH them more. Our mission has so much potential that when Elder Anderson came last August he promised us the we could see 1200 baptisms a year here. The key being members.

I have struggled with member work my whole mission. It is not my strong suit haha. I love going out and talking to people and seeing those fruits much more than seeing the slower fruits of member work. The crazy thing being that almost all of my baptisms have come because of members. It just really hit me that I need to be doing this work the Lords way and not my way and He knows how best to bring my beloved brothers and sisters into the fold. I can tell you all I have been humbled (still a work in progress though lol) and that I am determined to push past my introverted weaknesses to see miracles (prayers appreciated as always).

But other than realizing I need to step it up and crescendo my missionaryness it has been a pretty solid week here in Gilbert!


Awesome Things that Happened:

1. Interviews with President Wheeler - I have the best mission president. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble. We had interviews and they were just awesome as always. I always cherish my time with him and we spent most of this one wrestling over the Spanish situation here (we are getting wrecked). I also really treasure my time with Sister Wheeler. We had the best heart to heart and I have so much respect for her and all that she does for us missionaries.

2. Exchanges with Sister Hanson - so fun!! We relived the awkward MTC days and just reflected on how much has changed since then. We got in with this potential and taught a bomb lesson about the restoration and I was amazed by a)how much we have grown and b)our comp unity. #OldCompUnity It is cool to see the people we have become these past 16 months.

3. Zone Conference with Elder Clayton - I already talked a lot about that but it was honestly so amazing. The spirit was super strong and I'm excited to put into practice what he has taught us. He focused a lot on the prophets last talk about receiving revelation and how we need to learn how to do it and how we receive it in our lives.

4) Mission Leadership Conference with Elder Clayton - I was pretty blessed to get to hear from him two days in a row and he just hit even more about working with members. It will definitely push me out of my comfort zone but that is how we grow and Heavenly Father definitely still wants me to grow haha.

AND ONE OF THE BEST THINGS OF MY WEEK.....AUNT DEBBIE!

I got to have dinner with Aunt Debbie this week and I was blessed that she was awesome enough to take Sister Neahusan and I out to sushi. I now know as well that she reads my blogs so Aunt Debbie I love you and I am totally down to go to Disney with you...just saying ;) But honestly it was fun to see her because she is such a great example to me of being anchored in the gospel and the blessings that come from it. She also fed us so much sushi I almost exploded.

I love this gospel. I know that we have our weaknesses to become more like our Savior and more like our Heavenly Father. They are there to humble us and bring us closer to Him. I love being a missionary! The time is short so lets run to the end!

To the Moon and Back!

Hermana Showalter

AUNT DEBBIE

ZONE CONFERENCE

sushi (i look pained because i just ate a ton of sushi)

 MY OLD INVESTIGATOR EDEN CAME BACK FROM MEXICO AND CALLED ME AND I SAW HER AND IT WAS AWESOME AND WE CRIED

Cute comps

Strange Things Are Afoot at the Circle K....

"and I shall gather you as a hen gathereth her chicks under her wings" (or something like that)

cute comp pic

Okay not that many strange things happened this week but I have been waiting to say that forever and it might be my only chance. Bill and Ted are legends #IamMyFathersDaughter Also there are just a ton of Circle Ks out here.

It was another great week here in Gilbert! Everyday is getting a little "spicier" (as I like to call it) and today we have a high of 111! WAHOO! nothing like a little heat to really make you want to preach the gospel.

Miracles of the Week:

1. We got this referral for this guy named Jesus, who turned out to be a woman named Jesus (we still have so many questions) who turned out to be a former member of the church but no longer. She has super sincere desires to come back and her current husband isn't a member. We are hoping to start teaching him this week. But anyways we had a super powerful lesson with her and she was just bawling and the spirit was SO strong.

2. We found two other investigators this week! They came from last week when we literally talked to everyone and their cat (Sister Neahusan takes the preach the gospel to every creature thing quite literally) and they seem pretty solid. It looks like we might have to pass off Dario to the English elders (booooo) but as long as he progresses that is what matters! Gilberto just wants to learn more because he really doesn't know all that much about the scriptures or anything so we are excited to really start teaching him and hopefully his family soon.

3. MLC - ugh I love MLC!!! Pres really just focused on the Savior for this one and it was soooo good! He had us study the last week of the Saviors life and I learned so much. President picked that specific part of His ministry because over half the MLC will be going home in the next 2 transfers (yours included #tragic #PresidentRejectedMyOfferToExtend #ITriedSoHard). He talked about how at the end of the Saviors ministry He just crescendoed (?) it and just became even more bold in stating who He was and what His purpose was. How the Savior kept that work up and His ministry going even after He died. I left super motivated to amp up the work even more. I came on my mission to follow my Savior and I plan on doing all I can to do it till the end. Jesus Christ was not trunky and I don't plan on being trunky either. (also exchanges with Sister Shaffer #sofun)

4. VIVIANA AND JAVIER - Yes the awesome duo of siblings is back! They were not able to make it to church this week which was sad :( BUT we were able to have lessons with both of them! Viviana is so sweet! We talked about the Restoration and Vivianna was so pumped to find out we had a prophet. She was like "WAIT! WE HAVE A PROPHET? I didn't know that!" and then also at the end was like "How did you come here?" and we said "in our car!" lol she was asking about how we found her but we all got a good laugh out of that. ALSO THEY BOTH COMMITTED TO BEING BAPTIZED. Viviana is praying about a date and Javier says he wants to he just doesn't know when (which is a miracle because lowkey thought he had no opinions but he does and we love him and he is great)

5. We also found the most hilarious videos on the Gospel Library App and I truly wish I had been alive for more of the 90's

I know there are other miracles but honestly the weeks are less than blurs. I love what I am doing here and who I am becoming. I am VERY aware of my weaknesses but I know that it is through my Savior I can overcome them and become, little by little, even more like Him. I love this Gospel and I love Gilbert and I love the Lord!!

To the Moon and Back!

Hermana Showalter

PS. I hit 16 months this week....weird

preaching the gospel to every creature

we bought 4 watermelons last week and have no regrets (they were on sale)

all the STLs and Sister Wheeler!

from last mlc

 from this MLC ft. all the zone leaders and the aps

selfie from this MLC ft. PW and Sister Wheeler