The Week We Were Blessed

On this week's episode of Sister Cale in Columbus-the sisters ate a
lot of yummy pizza and cookies, Sister Cale started skipping naps in
order to get various things done, the weather got warm again, our air
conditioner wasn't (still isn't) working, the Sisters taught 25
lessons-many of which had to be completely spirit guided because they
ran in the opposite direction of their plans, and everything was just
good.

Hello Dear Ones,

I feel like I've learned a lot about myself this week and the ways
that God can use exactly who I am when I'm being myself to help his
children receive the restored gospel. We had interviews this week and
it was really cool to talk with President Daines about the ways that
I've recognized growth in myself over the course of my mission. He
said something that explained all the ways that I had noticed myself
growing. He said that I'm more myself than I have been thus far on my
mission. And it's true! I am experiencing the Savior's promise found
in Matthew 16:25, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and
whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Sometimes
missionaries will express that they have become a completely different
person over the course of their missions. I find that I am becoming
more and more who I have always been trying to be. I am me, just even
more than I was before. And the amazing thing is that as I become that
woman, I am more and more able to do the work that I have been called
here to do in ways that feel rewarding and effective.

I learned about miracles this week. We have been working inexpressibly
hard to try and help our investigators come to church because we know
that as they come to church and feel the spirit that is there that
they will then be more prepared to continue receiving the gospel. We
set a goal at the beginning of the month that we could have twelve
people come to worship with us at church this month. This goal was two
people more than the goal that we set last month. It seemed a little
gutsy to set a goal two people higher than the goal that we hadn't
even achieved, but we felt inspired by the spirit to set the goal and
then get to work. As of last week, we had had five awesome
investigators come to church with us. When sacrament meeting started
yesterday morning not a single one of our investigators was there. The
opening hymn happened and still no one had arrived. It was at this
moment that I had to decide if I was going to be discouraged or if I
was going to show faith that God would help us to accomplish this
goal. It would have been so easy to give up and throw our arms in the
air in surrender. But we didn't. I said a silent prayer that the Lord
would help to reach our investigator's hearts and help them to use
their agency to be at sacrament meeting where he would have them be.
And then the miracle started happening. It seemed that every time that
we turned our heads that someone would arrive until we had not only
the five investigators that we had set a goal to have at church this
week, but seven, allowing us to achieve our goal with a week to spare.
I know that God heard our many prayers and was mindful of all the work
that we had done to help people be at church. I know that he wanted
our investigators to be at church even more than we did and yesterday
was a good reminder that he is more involved in working with our
investigators than we are. They are his children and he loves them.

My other favorite part of this week was getting to do service with an
organization called Touching Little Lives. Touching Little Lives
donates blankets, clothes, and toys to hospitals and clinics around
Ohio for premature and needy babies. I love their cause so much. It
was remarkable to see ladies who participate in this group bring in
large bags of quilts that they had made, bibs, clothes, and toys. We
get to crochet afghans for the babies this month and next month the
chair lady is bringing me some embroidery work that I can do. I love
that I get to use some of my favorite skills to help make the
startling arrival into this world a little bit better for some tiny
humans.

The church is true, life is good, God's in charge, and Satan hates you.

Love,

Jessica