The Week of Results

On this week's episode of Sister Cale in Columbus-Sister Cale and
Sister Bohner began painting a mural for My Very Own Blanket
(#notqualifiedforthis), the Sisters went on exchanges to the foreign
land of Newark where people listen, the Sisters got smart and bought
pints of gelato (try the Peanut Butter Cheescake, it's to die for
#literallyforyoudad #somaybeyoushouldnttryit), the Sisters
accidentally switched phones with the Sister Training Leaders (this is
what happens when your phones look identical), the Sisters received an
awesome mini-missionary Sister Agler, and faith finally kicked in and
provided the miracles that follow work.

Hello Dear Ones!

I feel like one of my biggest Westerville lessons has been to wait on
the Lord's timing. I have never knocked in another area the way we
have knocked here. I have also never been so poorly received here.
It's been interesting to be required to apply the lessons I learned in
Pickerington about having faith to trust that God will work miracles
in an area where the results are less apparent. This week we have been
immeasurably blessed and I know that is because we have done the work
and shown the faith to in order to be worthy of the Lord's
intervention on our behalf. Last week we found eight new
investigators, this week we found fifteen. To put things into
perspective, I think the most new investigators that I have ever found
in another area over the course of one week was six. I know that as we
have strived to be more diligent, more obedient, and to work even
harder that God has led us to those who were prepared to learn more
and act on the message of the restored gospel.

One of the most memorable contacts from this past week taught me about
how sometimes people are gated communities. We first met Troy and were
able to talk to him about how the gospel is ideal for when we are
starting over in our lives because it is the Atonement of Jesus Christ
that makes change possible. We then talked to Daniel who has had a lot
of hard experiences with corruption in religion and was uncertain of
whether or not it would be possible for there to be a church that
wasn't corrupt. As we testified to Daniel that Jesus Christ's church
is back on the earth today and that God wanted Daniel to pray and find
out for himself, a girl sitting against her door asked us if we had
another pamphlet. We had tried to talk to her as we talked to Troy,
but she had pretended that she couldn't speak English. I know that she
was listening as we talked to both Troy and Daniel. It was only after
she had felt the spirit of our message that she was willing to be
vulnerable enough to allow us to talk with her. It turns out that
Brittany had told her mom the night before that she wants to find a
church because she is looking for peace amid the trials that their
family is facing right now. As she opened up to us the spirit was so
strong and she was so open to learning more and being strengthened in
her faith at this time. I know that the command from the Savior to
open your mouth at all times is real, and it is real because otherwise
you would miss Brittany and so many other amazing people (like the
awesome mail carrier that Sister Hill and I met on exchanges).

We're also really excited to begin working with Maureen and Osa. They
recently moved from the area and are incredible. They were a referral
from a recent convert in another ward and the Elders who gave us
Maureen's information were a bit resentful that they weren't going to
get to teach her. I now understand why. They are so receptive to the
spirit and were entirely open to The Book of Mormon and essentially
invited themselves to church.

Another wonderful thing in my week was that the Sharples came up to
Westerville and took us out to dinner. I was so happy to see them.
Sister Sharples Sr brought us super yummy blueberry coffee cake and it
was awesome to be reminded once again that "repentance is a beautiful
process" by Brother Sharples Sr. And of course it was amazing to have
Matt and Crystal there as well. Of course there was a certain adopted
little brother of mine missing, but it was as close as one could get
to having family and it was glorious.

My friends-the church is true, life is good, God's in charge, and
Satan hates you.

Love,

Sister Cale