Answering Prayers through the Spirit

So I know I've been slacking... but hey, I've been busy!

Miracles:

1) Sebahat, our Turkish investigator, got baptized on Sunday! What?! The best part is that she doesn't speak a lick of English, and that our translator is a 5 month convert himself. It really shows that even though we can't speak directly to her, the Spirit testifies at moments of truth.

2) I got transferred to an Office Elder. This is a miracle, (not because I got transferred -I'll miss my old area-) because with my sleep problems its a well-suited job. Being the Tech Nerd that I am, I do have a skill set that is great for this calling! Its also a miracle because two nights before the transfer meeting, someone else was going to be called to this position, until President received a prompting otherwise!

3) I now have more options that we are trying that may solve my sleep issues! We are seriously praying and considering every option we have. The Lord knows what I am going through, and He knows the best solution. You know, prayer is a simple thing that often gets overlooked. As I'm struggling with life in general, my first thought may include prayer. I dismiss thoughts like that too easily. How much more blessed would I be if I followed that prompting every time I was grateful or in need? Prayer is so amazing. When I'm in bed, and I can't get up in the morning, I say a prayer. Something as simple as, "Please help me have the strength to get up today." Miraculously enough, I get moving. I will always be grateful for prayer.

Disappointments and A Little Bit of Service

We walked into a family's home with anticipation for the lesson we had
prepared on the Plan of Salvation. We felt extremely excited, and we
knew that if this family felt the Spirit during this lesson, that they
would desire to know more. Once we were seated at the table, the
Sister made a comment about "enjoying life especially while you are
young" and boom, the Spirit was gone. We were definitely thrown off
guard, but we tried to reestablish the Spirit in the setting. This
Sister wasn't having any of it. The comments she made about drinking,
partying, and messing around truly kept disrupting our message, and
more importantly, the Spirit. Her jokes were crude, but we tried to
redirect the conversation again and again. In a sigh of
disappointment, my companion and I politely excused ourselves, and
trekked onward towards our next appointment.

The Spirit is SO important when it comes to teaching. Man's wisdom is
nothing compared to the might and the intelligence of God. That is
something that I've learned out here on this mission. I've come to
rely on The Lord so much out here. He truly knows how to guide us, to
help others come closer to Him. He knows each of us individually, and
helps us work together as a whole.

We've had some chilly nights of late. As we were walking along to an
appointment, we saw a woman in her mid 30's standing at the bus stop.
We started talking to her and found out that her name was Dawn. She
was living on the streets and had only her clothing, a coat, a
backpack, and beanie. We taught her about the peace the Book of Mormon
brings. She gladly accepted one. As she reached out, I noticed she
didn't have any gloves. I realized how cold her hands must be and a
prompting came to take off my gloves and to give them to her. I did so
and we continued on to our appointment. I felt that glow inside that
comes when you do the right thing. It was a good night.

Sleepless Nights and Bright Screens

Writing on this blog might be a little tough for a few weeks or months. The reason being that we just got iPads! But the downside is that we don't have access to our blogs on them. So we still have to hop on a computer of some sort to post anything. But I'll do my best!

The miracle I'm going to focus on today is the iPads! We were told in December that we were getting iPads. December went by... no iPads. We then expected them in January... no iPads. Surely they would come be here by the beginning of February. Nope. Finally, the last week of February we (the Mobile Device Specialists) get our iPads! Miracle! They are such great tools. We have our Area Book wherever we go. Our bags are three times lighter. We have access to all of the Gospel Library. FaceTime and Skype are available. I'm super excited for the Work of the Lord. It truly is hastening!

As for rejection... well. I guess the biggest hold up right now is the fact that I'm getting terrible sleep. I'm getting rejected by my own body. I'll go to bed on time, and wake up two hours later. I'll try falling back asleep but even if I do, its very restless. I've used medicine, I've tried reading myself to sleep, I've listened to instrumental classical music, I've really tried it all. I'm tired all the time. It affects my missionary life style, but I'm working on it. I keep trying. Thats what matters.