WEEK SIX

Mollie!!!

Hey guys

This week has been really good and I'll tell you why in a bit. First we had our Zone Leaders in Mankato come to New Prague and go on exchanges with us. So we just went around New Prague trying to contact some potentials while we waited for the ZL's to get here. They didn't get here until later in the day though so we didn't have as much time to go on exchanges. I was a little nervous for the exchange because I had only talked to them on the phone and on Skype and I didn't really know how they were. My ZL's are Elder Magleby and Elder Peterson. So when they got here we made some dinner then went out and on exchanges and I stayed in New Prague with Elder Magleby and Elder Moore went to Belle Plain with Elder Peterson.  Elder Magleby and Elder Peterson are way cool. When I was out with Elder Magleby he was asking if I had any questions and he was trying to teach me but he was still cool about it and he is way funny. When Elder Peterson and Elder Magleby are together they get even funnier. When Elder Peterson and Elder Moore came back they came back with some hot sauce that Brother Williams, a member, gave them. It has Ghost peppers, Habanero, Scorpions, Chocolate Scorpions and the hottest pepper in the world Carolina Reapers. I just have to say it felt like my mouth got stabbed multiple times and I barely had any on the fork.

Now the best part of the week. While Elder Moore and Elder Peterson were in Belle Plain on Tuesday they went and stopped by Mollie's again and she was busy with dinner and told them to come back the next day. We were thinking that she was just trying to get rid of us, but we prayed about it and decided that we should go back and have faith that she was really interested. So the next day the Zone Leaders left and we went to Belle Plain. We went to Mollies and when she opened the door she seemed happy to see us. We asked her if she had read any of the Book of Mormon yet and she said almost. We were a little confused and Elder Moore said almost started it or what. Then Mollie went and got the Book of Mormon and she showed us where she was. She was already in 3 Nephi just since the Thursday she got it, so less than a week. We started talking to her about it and she asked where it talks about the Book of Mormon in the Bible. We shared Ezekiel 37 where it talks about the sticks of Joseph and Judah. We shared John 10 where it says And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. And how it was saying the other sheep are the people in the Americas. She told us that it made sense and she was believing everything we told her. We asked her if she would try and have a kneeling prayer and she told us that she already does that every morning and night. She pretty much invited herself to church and she asked if that was okay and we said that would be awesome and told her when and where it was. Then we asked the big question.... We asked her if she would prepare herself to be baptized and she said she would and we asked her if she would prepare for the 8th of October and she said yes! One of the kids that was there that she babysits asked us when he could be baptized. But that's not even the coolest part. We sang a hymn for her and said a prayer with her. After that we left and as we were driving we were like we don't have her number. So we went back and when we got there on of the kids said that Mollie got the job. We were a little confused so we went up there and when she opened the door she was on the phone and she had watery eyes. She told us she got a job she has been trying to get since January and she told us that they called to tell her she got the job while we were praying for her. She told us that she knew it was a sign from God and I am super excited for her. Then on Friday we were going to Belle plain again and we wanted to have  a member present with Mollie. I think we called like 5 people before Sister Seger said she would come with us and she called Sister Harcourt to come as well. Sister Seger drove 20 minutes with no notice just to be there. So we got there and Mollie let us come in which was the first time was were inside and the Sisters and Mollie just started talking and when we finally got into the lesson we went into more depth of the restoration and talked about the organization of the Church and told her about General Conference and she kept telling us that she was going to Church and she was excited and she had never been this excited for Church. She is excited to bring the kids she babysits too because their Grandpa takes them to a church where they believe only 144,000 are going to heaven and they don't celebrate holidays or birthdays and Mollie doesn't want them to believe that. While we were teaching Kiara, who is seven, sits by my on the couch then scoots over by me and then lays her head on my shoulder. Then she started talking to me and told me she likes my tie and asked if I was married. Then she hugged my arm and told everyone that I was her boy. I'm not quite sure was that means, but she is the cutest. After the lesson as we were leaving all the kids were jumping on our backs and grabbing on to our legs telling us not to go and said they like the nice church people. Kiara was holding onto my leg and I told her I would see her Sunday and she made me promise that I would. Sadly though Mollie couldn't make it to church, but she said she was coming next week.

We had a church tour with Ashley on Wednesday and I think it went well. She said she felt a little uncomfortable during it and a little overwhelmed. We showed her the pictures on the walls and went aroundto all the rooms and showed her where she would go if she came to church. She was surprised we go to church for 3 hours. We had Sister Seger there and Sister Walsh and they were awesome and I think really helped. She ended up not coming to church though and we haven't been able to contact her since. She just got a new job so her schedule is a little crazy but  it is hard when you invite all these people to come to church and none of them really show up. This week we had invited 18 people to church and only 2 came, Ezra ,who is Little Fawns son, and a less active, Chuck. On Sunday though we went into the primary classroom and were part of a lesson. All we had to do was go in there and eat cookies and pretend like we wouldn't share with anyone. It wascompared to not sharing the gospel with anyone and they said that we are all missionaries and can all be an example. Then they let the kids ask us all these questions like if we had to cook and stuff like that.

On Saturdays we always go to Montgomery and help with the food shelf and this week was awesome. When we got there at 10 it was really slow and there was hardly anyone so we just kind of sat and talked with thepeople that work there and Renee, the main person that runs it, just kind of asked us how our week was and then we told her about Mollie. Elder Moore threw in some things like, " We told Mollie about the Bookof Mormon and how it is another testament of Jesus Christ and how Christ actually visited the Americas after he was resurrected." And then later after we were done she started talking to us about the Book of Mormon and she said she didn't know that we believed Christ came to the Americas. We ran and grabbed her a Book of Mormon out of our car because she asked for one and then we talked to her about how the church has blessed our lives and she told us she was going through some hard things like her husband had died a little bit ago and then we asked if we could say a prayer with her. After the prayer was over I looked up and she had tears running down her face then she told us how grateful she was of us and she gave us like 3 hugs and she asked us if she could meet with us sometime next month since she is super busy.

While we were helping with the food shelf we were helping them weigh their food then we would help them carry it out to their car and when we were helping this lady she saying how nice we looked in our clothes and then when we helped her carry her food out to her car we asked her if she has seen missionaries before and then started telling her about the church and she asked us if she could give us her number and the she gave us her address and her name, which is Cathy. We said a prayer with her as well and she was crying after and gave us hugs and was really appreciative that we wanted to help her.

After the food shelf we went and visited Dennis and I still haven't met him. When we got to the door his mom, Mary, told us he was sleeping because he works nights sometimes and has a crazy schedule so we asked her if we could sing her a hymn and then we sang I Believe In Christ. We had talked to Mary a lot before trying to meet with Dennis, but this time after we sang for her she started asking us questions and we answered her questions and she asked us to come back sometime and she said she was excited for us to come back.

So last week Branch President Hoskins, who actually lived in Soda Springs for awhile, told us about a family that moved here and he told us to go visit her because she was already asking for money and she hasn't even been to church yet. So we called her and she told us to come over then canceled and we haven't been able to meet her but she said she would see us Sunday though. She wasn't at church two Sunday's ago I guess because she was stuck in Iowa visiting a friend that was in a coma. We found that out because we were going to try and stop by and she told us about it but she said that she got a ride down with a friend and she didn't know how she was going to get back and she didn't have lds tools so we went to McDonald's to get wifi and we found a church that was nearby and call the Branch President and I guess he helped. Her husband drove down but they needed money for gas and food so I'm exactly sure what happened but they made it home,right after church this Sunday. She called us again and said she needed money for a deposit for another house or something. She just keeps asking for money but she hasn't even been to church. We tried to help her as much as we could though which I feel good about.

Today we got a ride up to Lakeville with a member and we played some basketball and I was able to meet some new Elders, which is nice. We are pretty much just by ourselves down here in New Prague. In otherareas you get to see Elders and Sisters all the time which I think would be better but at the same time those are usually in bigger cities and I don't want to go there. New Prague has like 7,000 and I think it's too big. If I ever have to go to Minneapolis or St Paul I might die, probably get mugged too. I am even scared at night here even though pretty much everyone here is religious I feel like someone is going to break in to our apartment. I could beat them up though if they tried. While we were in Lakeville Elder Moore and I had a pretty legit game of Jenga going on. We got it stacked up to like 30 high and I won of course.

We went to a members house for dinner on Saturday and she was talking to me about horses and stuff and then she went out and showed me her horses she has and I said I wished there were missions that you could ride horses and I guess there are and I am actually kind of mad that I'm not in one of those. They get to ride horses, wear jean, boots and I'm pretty jealous. I'm just hoping they turn parts of this mission into one of those. I just have to have faith.

In my studies this week I was reading in Moroni 10 and I read:4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I was thinking about it and something I thought was if you pray with real intent and a sincere heart that means you don't just pray and then wait for an answer. You have told have the Holy Ghost to give you an answer through prayerful study and through pondering the questions you have and looking for help. When you have done as much as you can and tried your best, God will take it after that and help you with whatever it may be. I just want to ask you guys to try and really study and look for answers because that is the best way to receive an answer to your prayers.

Elder Bullock

Jenga!

Getting "swole"