Week 65: Temple twice in one week? SAY LESS! ✨️

Odds and Ends

●This lady 🙏 who we are talking to 🙏 uses prayer hands 🙏 like 7 times per text 🙏 thought y'all should experience it 🙏 God bless🙏

●Sister Gibbens eats pretty much rice beans and canned chicken. I don't understand her haha!

●Got a text:

Unknown:Hello I am Hades God of the under world

Sister Palmer:Hi Hades! Our names are Brooklyn, Annie, and Hannah. We share messages about Jesus Christ. How have you been able to see the light of Christ in your life?

●We had dinner with the hermanas and Fabio! Hermana Wolfley and Hermana de Leon!

●We took Sister Gibbens to Knead pizza

●I was barreling down this dirt road. Did I finish my driving course? No. But I was driving nonetheless. Then Sister Bruce, being the good co-driver she is, yelled STOP right as I saw something in the road. It was a turtle! We got out to save it. But then Sister Gibbens dropped him... it's okay he's alive just maybe a little traumatized🐢

●I love the Molano's dog Daisy! She finally likes me too!

●KayeLee Phillips is the CUTEST and my FAVORITE little girl ever and now she can say my name!!!

●Sister Bruce said "target acquired" and sniped a fly and screamed YEEEEESSSS

●Had dinner with the Reynolds and played battleship while we ate!

●We went to the Aiken districts pday and played whiffle ball and bananagrams and cover your assets!

●We went to Chick-fil-A and sneaky Aydan gave his coworker his card to swipe it when I was going to pay. It was so sneaky and so nice!

●My own personal phrase I hope to be known by: toodahloo lovelies!

Miracles (there's a lot)

★We taught Debra and Chloe! We introduced baptism and asked if that was something they wanted to work towards. They both said yes! SUPER excited for them, can't wait to see them progress in the gospel! Also probably our best and most inspired lesson as a companionship. We taught straight to their needs!

★We got to go with Meghan Baker to the temple! Hardly anyone was in the temple, so they asked her how many names she wanted to do. She asked to do 37 baptisms and confirmations for those who have passed on. 37 because her birthday was this week! It was so special. Watching Meghan scurry around the grounds and take pictures like a little kid was so sweet! She's been baptized over a year, but hadn't gone yet! It was so special to see her filled with the unmatchable Spirit of temple.✨️

★ Donna is AMAZING. We had a really good restoration lesson, and she was so excited to meet Sister Nebeker and her son Charles! We gave Charles a future missionary tag a while back and we asked him to come to the lesson with his mom. AND HE WORE HIS LITTLE TAG! It was soooo cute. He chimed in and then spilled Kool-aid on the couch and then went to the bathroom, came out and said "I have a question. I fixed your rug. And I love your town house!" And this kid is SIX. We love Charles! His mom really helped us and taught us some new missionary skills as well! CUTENESS OVERLOAD

★We had Daniel planning on coming with us to Brandon's lesson. Well Brandon canceled, but Sister Bruce said "I think we should still go by." So we did! We had no plan. But we knocked. Brandon opened up. Daniel is just the best. He got there before us and told Brandon his story to joining the church! We are so grateful for that. He talked about how he was nervous about passing the sacrament on Sunday, but Daniel said he'd go up with him! We read the sacrament prayers, and it truly was a spirit led lesson! God is SO GOOD!

★We had a 6 person lesson at the Ramseys. By the end, we were split up, pretty much 2 people to a missionary. And they all had different needs! It was crazyyyy!

★We had 3 hr inventory about our strengths and weaknesses and a focus for our area. It was insane, the difference it made in our week was PHENOMENAL!

★We got the courage to go drop off cookies at the Wilson's!

★We had a drop lesson with Jasper. He was not super receptive, and he even told us that the Book of Mormon isn't measurable to the Bible because it doesn't say holy on it. It was sad to see him judge the book from the cover. We had called a member to join in over the phone, but when he asked about Jasper's Book of Mormon reading, he didn't say anything. But there was one moment when I told him the year the Book of Mormon began, in 600 BC. The Spirit struck him HARD and he looked at me, and said "I'm listening." And paused. Wow. That was a powerful moment I will never forget!

★We had a lesson w Angie and Jodie! Angie mentioned something about the Great Spirit and Sister Bangerter brought up Ammon and King Lamoni in Alma 18. We read Alma 18:24-28 and Angie loved the connection it made between the Great Spirit and God. It was SO COOL! Sister Bangerter shared touching stories that made the Spirit almost tangible!

★We walked the temple grounds w Angie and Jodie and Brother and Sister Bangerter. That was POWERFUL. We did a lesson on the temple grounds! We were able to go into the waiting room and show and explain the different paintings to them. And then we walked around the grounds and talked about the different symbolism of the temple. We paused for awhile by a bench and just took in everything! We told them more about what happens inside the temples. We bore strong testimony that touched the both of them. They totally felt the spirit!!! We invited them to walk around together and to pray and ask Heavenly Father if this is His temple here on the earth today. If nothing else happens, I KNOW they felt the Spirit there that day!

★The temple BLESSED US with miracles upon miracles. We were just finishing up, and a little group of members were walking the grounds together for a little tour. I looked as we walked past, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Because I saw HER. When I first came to South Carolina, Sister Gustad, the mother of a friend I had in elementary and junior high, said SHE was moving to South Carolina! Every transfer, she asks me if I'm closer to her. And every transfer, I have gotten closer! She's the only person I knew that lived here. Then, on Saturday morning at the temple, I SAW HER. I ran to her and squeezed her. She just held me and said "Brooklyn, I can't believe you're here. I needed this today." Tears came. This woman reminded me of home. The way she hugged me and talked to me was so comforting. It's moments like these where I KNOW God has a hand in my life. I was so happy to see Sister Gustad! What a joyful reunion!

★We ALMOST put Keisha on date for baptism. She feels it's true she lived with God before this and that He's been leading her along in life. She's moving soon though! So we got to work quickly!

★Keisha and Donna came to church this week! The Lake Murray ward was so kind in helping them feel welcome and included. They both even participated in Sunday school!

★Brandon blessed the sacrament for the first time. The elders came in to help show him how to do it! He walked in with a white shirt and tie on, with Book of Mormon in hand, gelled hair. A new side of Brandon! And then he said the prayer correct his first try! Wow. I was beaming! I wondered if this was how my mom felt when my brothers blessed the sacrament for the first time. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm so proud of Brandon!

★There's been a lot of deep questions and I've been blessed with the answers from the Spirit! I know there would be no way for me to have this knowledge or direction without the blessing of being able to follow the Spirit for our friends.

★Im so grateful for the Zone Leaders Elder DeMille and Elder Jones, and the awesome communication they've had with us! We could tell our zone vision was not sticking with the missionaries, especially how 7/8 companionships had a new missionary in it. So we came up with a new zone vision! Moroni 8:16 (latter part)- "Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear." Elder Johnsen brought this scripture up after we had collaborated for a while. It was so perfect! Our zone is already seeing more unity.

Spiritual Thought

This thought goes with the miracle listed above. So. Let's read it one more time

Moroni 8:16 (latter part)- "Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear."

Perfect love. What is perfect love? And how can you be bold but not overbearing? And casting out all fear? Howww?

As said by President Thomas S. Monson, faith and fear can not co-exist! So to cast out fear means to have faith!

In relation to missionary work, this means we must have faith in our friends and our efforts, and not be fearful!

As Elder Johnsen put it,

"I would do 'x'(scary situation) for 'y'(because I love them)."

This is the equation for perfect love!

This is applicable to you. Not just missionaries. I invite each of you, to CAST THE FEAR OUT. Get it gone! And fill it with perfect love, which is the love of Christ! I know this is how we can be more faithful and dedicated disciples. Perfect love casteth out all fear! ♡

Birthdays

Happy birthday favorite! (If you know you know)

Pictures