One month into the mission!

Hey y'all!

I LOVE my companion, Sister Kerr! I have been finding small ways to serve her this last week because that was one of my goals. I learn so much from her example!

This Sunday Sister Kerr and I got to speak in Sacrament meeting and teach gospel essentials. coming up with lessons really fast has gotten easier and easier. 

We had some MAJOR miracles this week! We contacted into a family of five and were able to set a baptismal date (Dec. 6th) for all five of them! There are two girls ages 8 and 10 and their mom and her brother and the grandma. They loved to hear the message of the restored gospel and the spirit was so strong! The grandma even asked why there were so many churches, but only one God. She said our answer made complete sense to her. At the end of the lesson she prayed thanking God that we came as an answer to her prayers. I can't help but think how special it will be and amazing for the ward when all five  family members are confirmed in the same Sacrament meeting.

Our second miracle was Jose. He was one of my first Spanish contacts! He said he speaks Spanish so I was able to introduce us in Spanish and invite him to hear our message. After a pause that was literally 30 seconds long (I was worried he didn't understand me) he finally said yes. Luckily he spoke and understood enough English for us to teach the restoration right there on the lawn he was in the middle of mowing. He said that he had noticed a lot of churches changing things from the way Jesus Christ had done them and that ministers shouldn't be paid. So when he heard that no one in our church is paid and that we baptize the way Christ was baptized he was really open and interested in learning more. He committed to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it and meet with the Spanish missionaries. Everything about his demeanor was so sincere, he was truly prepared by the Lord and the Lord has blessed Sister Kerr and I so much to lead us to him and to the family of five. 

We had to drop a few investigators this week who were not progressing, but the Lord may soften their hearts over time. 

Sister Kerr and I decided to get creative with our daily contact with our sci-fi loving investigator. We drew a third eye on our foreheads with make-up and stood behind each other to add extra arms to look like aliens and we used these pictures to put a scripture on for him to look up each day. He loved the cards we left and her has been faithfully reading the scriptures every day since we started. He FINALLY turned off the twilight zone/star trek music for our lesson! 

Another miracle was Aron. We contacted into him in a parking lot and set up a time to meet with him. I invited him to be baptized at the end of our lesson and he said yes! but we had to give him to the singles ward missionaries because he is 26. 

When I have enough hope, faith, and obedience, the Lord puts so many miracles in our path and gives us individuals who are prepared!

I will be singing a special musical number in sacrament meeting next week with one of our investigators playing the piano! 

We do not have very many miles on our car so we have been biking and walking a ton the last week. Its a good thing I love biking and walking and its really flat here. I saw my district leader get hit by a car on his bike though...so I will be careful. We still don't know if he is ok or how serious his injuries are, but we are praying for him.

Last week we had 249 contacts total! and apparently most missionaries are stretching themselves to get 140 contacts in a week. We try to talk to EVERYONE even though a whole lot of people reject us. But you never know when you will run into people like Jose or Aron or the family of five. 

Everyone here is scared and talking a lot about the Ebola outbreak in Dallas. I wonder if people away from Texas have heard about that?

Our car broke down today and we thought we wouldn't be able to email or grocery shop but then a ward member miraculously got off work early and saw us and took us to the grocery store and then another member jump started our car and we drove to the repair shop and apparently the corroded battery just needed to be clean and it was done in five minutes! We were SO blessed! 

Over-all it has been a great week! 

Love,

Sister Melina Lillie Jones