Hello! Happy President's Day!! We had a pretty great week, and I'm excited to tell you about it. The sad news is that Nitin moved to the Elder's area, so we won't get to teach him...but the great news is that he set a baptismal date with them for 29th March, and he came to church yesterday!! He is seriously one of the most prepared people I've ever met. I'm so glad that we'll still get to see him on Sundays and be his friends, and be excited about his progress.
We watched the Joseph Smith movie with Jason at the Winder's house on Thursday, and it was great! He said that he thinks Joseph Smith could have been a prophet. :) He's not completely sure about the Book of Mormon being true yet, but he's going to pray about it. He's SO close!!!! The Winders are amazing, by the way. I think I wrote about them last week, but they are so bright, friendly, and excited about everything in life. I love them. :)
Laura came to the fireside yesterday!!!! We hadn't heard back from her all week, so we thought she wasn't coming...but she was there!! We were so excited and relieved. Thank you for your prayers!! I know they worked. :) The fireside was amazing. Bob shared his conversion story and testimony, and both President Vellinga and President Haymond (our Stake President) spoke. They each bore powerful testimony of the Restoration and Kirtland, and shared how they know that this Church is true. It was perfect.
I've seen so many answered prayers this week, which has really helped me to feel and recognize Heavenly Father's love for me and all of His children here. I think it's been the small things that have meant the most to me this week--the things that don't really matter eternally, but that are important to Him because they are important to me. Like me really wanting some grapefruit (Sister Johnson has taught me to like them!) but not wanting to eat any more of Sister Johnson's...and "randomly" running into a member at a grocery store we weren't planning to go to who had just happened to buy an extra bag and gave it to us. Or finding a bathroom when we were out tracting and I really needed one. Tender mercies. :)
Another HUGE tender mercy was that I got to talk to Robert again on Saturday!! It's been a few weeks since I've been able to reach him on the phone, but he called me back on Saturday and we had an amazing conversation. He told his mom his testimony and that he wants to be baptized! She can see that it's something he really wants, but she's having a hard time. She asked him to wait until he goes to college to get baptized. :( But he doesn't want to wait! He learned about Institute and wants to go when he goes to college. He asked if he would be missing out at college if he gets baptized and doesn't go partying/etc. Sister Johnson has great experiences/stories about Institute and friends joining the Church--Robert let me introduce her on the phone, and she talked to him about it. It was perfect, and I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father planned ahead and made Sister Johnson my companion--her experiences were exactly what Robert needed to hear at that time! Robert is so strong, and I'm so grateful that we got to talk to him again.
Thank you also for your prayers in general--and for the specific times you mentioned. There were a few times this week that I felt absolutely drained of energy and hope, and it was probably at those times that you were prompted to pray. I'm grateful for those times because they reminded me that I can't do this without the Lord's help, and it's worth it to be tired when something amazing like Robert's phone lesson happens...but I'm also glad to be on the other side of those experiences. :)
We got to do service for Sister Wagner on Thursday, which made my day. She is such an incredible person, and I love her so much! She even made us healthy, organic bread from a new recipe book she bought (she has some dietary restrictions, so she has to eat really natural and healthy--and she's so great at making it yummy). It was so good. What a sweetheart. :)
Our Valentine's Day was great--full of miracles and reminders of Heavenly Father's love. For training meeting at sites that morning, we did an activity called "I love you because", where missionaries who found hidden hearts on their seats got to come up, and we all gave reasons that we loved them. It's always a fun, feel-good activity, but I was amazed by Heavenly Father's hand in it this time--those who sat in the right chairs were those who really needed an extra boost that day. It made me so happy to see these sweet missionaries be so touched and moved by simple expressions of love and gratitude. I'm grateful to have been His hands in making their lives better in a small way. :) :)
We had a really neat experience on Friday when we stopped at Jimmy John's for dinner. Lately, we've been trying to be creative in our finding efforts, including making our phone calls in public places that are inside--like fast food restaurants--and making friends with employees whenever we go out to eat. At Jimmy John's the previous time we went, we made friends with Butch and Menuell, and this time we made friends with Mark and Cam. We talked to Cam for a long time after other customers were gone, and he was so interested in what we do! He was shy at first, but once we learned that he likes sports, and found out that he knows BYU basketball, we broke the ice. :) He loves Jimmer, and had heard a lot of good things about BYU basketball. We gave him a temple pass along card, which really caught his interest, and hopefully we'll be able to share more with him soon! It was a fun, natural, easy way to share the gospel--I loved it.
All in all, it's been a great week. Lots of ups and downs to be sure, but the good times certainly outshine the bad. I love Ohio, and I love missionary work! I'm so grateful to serve in this specific, sacred place, with these specific, inspiring people. I'm especially grateful that I decided to stay an extra transfer, because we're seeing so many miracles, and I'm learning so much. I'm so grateful for my Savior. I know that He lives, now more than ever before, and I'm so grateful for the added witnesses of the Spirit that strengthen my testimony every single day. I know that as long as we keep moving forward in the right direction, the Spirit will continue to lead and guide us, no matter what our pace. Our teacher in Relief Society yesterday likened the Plan of Salvation to the Olympics (what? I forgot those were happening. haha)--everyone wants to win the gold of the Celestial Kingdom, and we get there in our teams of families, with help from wonderful coaches like parents, both mortal and Heavenly. Go for the gold!! I never want to settle for less, because I know that Heavenly Father's plan for me and us makes this, our divine potential, possible. :) I hope that made sense to someone besides me--I promise it made sense in my head. :) I love you all--thank you so very much for your love, support, and prayers. I'm so grateful for you!!
Love,
Sister Wygant
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