October 27, 2014

Dear Family!

     Honestly this week was hard and it was not the best but as of about 2 hours ago Sister Harwood and I have decided we need to really changed things in our area. We are re defining our area. We know that the best work always comes from the members, but there is not a lot of that here so we are figuring out how to help the members but also how we can change the work cause we are teaching so many people who really have no desire to change so we are going to drop lots this week...sad, but it is something that needs to happen they have been meeting with missionaries for years some of them and so it is time to help them, and the way to help is to make them more responsible for learning on their own, we have just been a crutch. I know that this will help the area.

      We went on exchanges this week and I was able to be with Sister Spencer for 2 days and that was so fun! It was so nice to be with her again. And that exchange really helped have a direction as to how to help my own area.

     Ok so I just have to tell you what has been the absolute highlight of my week :) so this last week I decided I should read Joseph Smith History, because a lot of anti stuff we have heard is about everything and well I am really good about defending the book of Mormon because I have read it so many times and read it every day, however I felt like I needed to learn more about Joseph Smith so that I can defend the prophet as well. Which I already do and I know he is a prophet but I just felt like I needed to study more. So I read Joseph Smith history this week. Wow even though it is not very long it is so so powerful. I felt the spirit so strong the whole time and never lost focus, which says a lot for me cause I get distracted easily. After reading Joseph Smith's History we watched the Joseph Smith movie while on exchanges with the Hammans in the 2nd ward, who are amazing and preparing to be baptized soon. During  the movie the spsirt was just touching all of us and then after, Dan Hamman, took some time to think and then opened his mouth and bore one of the most powerful testimonies of Joseph smith I have ever heard. He just recently has learned about the church and yet he knows becasue of the Spirit that Joseph was is a prophet. He asked to say  the closing prayer and in that prayer he thanked Heavenly Father for choosing Joseph Smith as our prophet and for the opportunity he and his wife have to now have the gospel in their lives. I was crying...yup, haha it was amazing, and I just felt such peace and happiness with them that I have been trying to find in the last couple weeks. I am pretty sure Brother Hamman will become like the bishop in 5 years hahaha. I also started reading the teachings of Joseph Smith, (the manual) and that has been awesome too:) I know that Joseph Smith was and is called of God that he is a prophet and that he served God. I am so thankful that we have prophets today and that I can know they are a prophet through the spirit. I know Thomas S. Monsen is our prophet today :)

        Ok so I have 2 stories for you. The first one is that we had a lesson with this lessactive, Jessamy and her husband. They are so funny and just awesome. But she hates being pushed so she said we could read the Book of Mormon with her, and since we have started doing that she has started to come around and this last Tuesday we were reading with her in 3 Nephi 12 and she got something totally different than what I got, but I loved it. She just started going off about how we need to be humble, and talked about what it really means to be humble and then she strated saying how, she needs to humble herself and go to church and that her husband needs to humble himself and quit chewing so he can be baptized, bahaha. It was the best thing ever, cause she toally stated telling herself that she needs to change, so we just got to sit and listen to her teach herself. So that was just awesome!  Jessamy is awesome.

Ok take a seat everyone cause this next story is funny...well at least it was after it happened, and it might just be funny to me and Sister Harwood cause you just would have had to be there..but either way here is the story. So on Tuesday we were tracting and it was windy, like super windy, but we were determined.  So we were knocking on doors and we get to this one door and it was your average trailer, cause we were in a trailer park and it has those scary like unstable metal stairs that are only as wide as the door, so we can't really stand on the same step together well there is a screen door, so I knock, but it did not really work, so I decided that well I would just crack the screen door open and knock on the actual door, but that was not a good idea, cause I opened the door, just enough to squeeze my hand in, when a huge gust of wind ripped it open  and the door slammed into me and I tried so hard to stop it but it was like 200 pounds and  it just shoved me off the porch on the ground and squishing me up against the trailer. Sister Harwood was laughing so hard she was crying and I was just trying to shut the door with the wind still pushing it and I just could not do it I looked so pathetic haha!   Sister Harwood  finally was able to help me shut it and we just quietly and quickly walked always from the door, I am pretty sure there was someone inside too and they probably saw that whole thing happen..embarrassing haha. I ended up hurting my finger when I was trying to stop the door, but other than that I made it out alive, even though my back should have been hurt hahaha, but hey God was watching out for me there.

      Well that was my week haha. I love you all and havea great week :)

-Sister Draudt