Here's a brief discription of the pictures- I'll try to send more next week.

 

1. We drive to a total of 1 hour everyday in going to and from our area. We call it our 'road trip' this is a little insight into one of them. lol

2. I don't remember what else is there, but the picture of us all making crazy faces, was the night of transfers we were so anxious to hear who was leaving because we had all been here for so long.

3. The last one is at the Wests. They've become some of our greatest friends out here. They're members of our ward. They feed us healthy food and let us come get food whenever we want. Hahah It's great.

So this week we had a lesson with one of our investigators and commited him to stop drinking tea. It went really well, he knows he needs to do it. We had a team-up with us, a couple named the Wests. They were baptized around 20 years ago. They shared their experience in giving up tea, coffee, alcohol etc. It went really well for a minute... and then Sister West started going off about caffein and how she had heard all these prophets talk about the evils of caffein and so she had decided not to drink it period- even diet coke. I smiled and looked at my companion who loves diet coke.

 

After she said that it somehow came out that Sister Crystal really enjoys her diet coke... slash... I may have let it slip. Sister West gasped and then looked straight at our investigator and said... "I have an idea for you!" At this point I'm already laughing because I know what's coming. "If Sister Crystal gives up diet coke... will you give up tea?" then turning to Sister Crystal she says, "Will you give up diet coke?" Sister Crystal looked back at her just stunned at what had just happened. Our own team-up turing on us!! Anyways to make a long story short, Sister Crystal is not drinking diet coke anymore.

 

Things are going well here! We're seeing people draw closer to Jesus Christ... including ourselves ;)

 

I know Jesus is the Christ, and I know this is his work. He directs it, my job is simply to obey.

I love him, and desire to give him and his children my very best. I know he will help me do this, I've already seen him strengthen me.

He is a loving God. He is also a perfect God, meaning he cannot allow sin in the least degree- nevertheless, he is merciful to those who repent. I am so grateful for this, and that I can repent daily.

 

Scripture: Alma 26:15

"Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about witht he matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work."

I love you all

Sister Lewis.

 

So things here are going well! Today has been such a WONDERFUL morning, we had a V.C. training this morning with a woman from Salt Lake who works in the missionary department. It was such an inspired training. At the end we were doing role-plays and she had two sisters get up and role play for all of us to watch, learn from, and critique. One of the Sisters pretended to be her own mother who is not a member, and the other sister tried to discern from the spirit how to help her. They both were weeping by the end as we all were. The spirit communicated to us in that sacred moment that every person who comes into the Visitors Center is a special child of God, and has a story. We should treat them all like we would our own family members. I thought of my family and how anxious I would be for them if they went into a Visitors Center. I would hope so desperately that the sister there would love them like Christ, treat them like Christ, and listen to the spirit carefully so she could know how to help them best. I would want her to be worthy in every way to receive revelation for my family and obtain blessings for them. I would want her to give them absolutely everything she had in her heart to give- and even then I would hope and worry if it would be enough. I would have to trust God to make up the rest. Understanding and feeling that desire helped me have such a better understanding of how I need to treat every person that walks through the doors of the VC and every person I meet on the street.

 

Here's a scripture for the day:

 

 

2 Nephi 2:4

 

And thou has beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.

 

This is Lehi speaking to his son. I love the idea he illustrates here- that it matters not whether we lived before Christ's life, during his life, or after his life. The spirit is the same, and we can come unto him now and be blessed, just as well as we could have had he dwelt among us.

The links below are the pictures from the cultural celebration and the temple dedication. P.S. Rachel is in one of them look for her.
> Culutral Celebration folder:
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> https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ewqq3d0zi1xmu57/AdLA7kT2ww
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> Dedication Folder:
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> https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4rmfhjupe3f6u3g/rW-nhbzRiE
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