Dear World,
There is always so much to share, I never know where to start. Weeks seriously flash by, but SO much happens in each day that I swear these days have to be longer than 24 hours.
This week in general has been pretty slow. We started out needing to take our car into the shop so we biked for the first 4 days and oh my word. Never have I been more grateful to have a car in my life than when we got it back on Thursday. Our area is so huge that biking took up most of the day and we really couldn't get very much done. And I'm not going to elaborate much, but this Southern humidity and bikes is NOT a good combo. I've got nice tan lines though (Seriously, I said tan lines haha. And my watch tan line is pretty snazzy). Side note: Madre, remember those bike shorts I complained about for all those weeks? They are the biggest blessing (Wind + skirt = Immensely grateful for bike shorts). Once we got the car bike, my poor companion got pretty sick. She went through two tissue boxes in 12 hours-I think that has to be a record. But God's hand is really in everything. We still got to witness some miracles =)
Miracle #1: I think I've mentioned her before, but we are teaching an older woman named Rachel. She has seriously been changing and it has been incredible to watch. We still have a long way to go, but we invited her to our weekly class at the church on Wednesday nights where we teach recent converts, ward missionaries, and investigators a lesson with the elders in our ward. And a half hour late, in walks lovely, and as dramatic as ever, Rachel. My companion and I were teaching and as she walked in, we both felt the need to completely switch the direction of the lesson. We taught the Plan of Salvation and the testimonies and comments of others in the class added to the spirit felt so strongly as Rachel finally processed what seeing her late husband again in the next life would mean. Ahhhh it was wonderful. One of our bolder members was there and told her about how we don't use the cross as a symbol in our church and Rachel cutely slipped her necklace inside her shirt. Oh my word I love this woman. Can't wait to continue teaching her. Fingers crossed she can switch her schedule up a bit and make it to church sometime soon.
Miracle #2: My ward had their first Ward Outreach night and oh my word, it was divine. The idea is to have two nights a month where ward members come and divide into twos and threes and go visit members of the ward-whether they be less actives, recent converts, or visiting teaching lists and such. I can't tell you incredible it was. The missionaries split up as well (first time I left my trainers side haha). Afterward, everyone discussed the miracles and experiences they had. In two hours my ward accomplished what usually takes missionaries alone two days to do. And it is SO much more powerful for members to love and reach out to fellow members. I am so excited to see how this continues. Some less actives even showed up to church yesterday because members had visited them! I love how inspired our bishop is.
Miracle #3: I may have ranted about this before, but my testimony has been growing so much in regard to how incredible and powerful the priesthood is, from witnessing a blessing in the hospital this week to a darling girl who is not a member (yet haha) to sharing the first vision and the power of God's hand on the earth. And of course, the topic was the Priesthood in Sacrament yesterday. And of course, the speaker didn't show. Are you thinking what my bishop was thinking? Yep, I was called upon to speak. And luckily the priesthood has been on my mind so much, that speaking on the spot wasn't nearly as freaky as it should have been. So what's the count? Two on the spot talks so far and I've been out a month? (I spoke in the MTC...my branch president picks on two missionaries each week. I had like a 5% chance of being called. Naturally haha.) Oh goody-bet there are many to come.
Miracle #4: Though our baptism fell through this week because of his work schedule flipping to a night schedule, a miracle still did happen with him and his darling wife. Sister Stebbins has been a less active member for quite a long time now, but as her husband has been getting the lessons she has been coming back to church and gaining such an incredible testimony alongside her husband. While her husband was working the night shift this past weekend on base, someone tried to break into her house. She instantly knew she needed to turn on all of the lights in her home and get upstairs. The robber left. Sadly, shooting and robbing another house. As darling Sister Stebbins was telling us this story she stopped, looked us in the eye and said, "I know it was the spirit that told me to turn those lights on. I'm so grateful for it." Oh my word, how incredible it is to watch others recognize the spirit and the hand of god in their life. I adore this couple and am actually going over there tonight for my birthday dinner. They live a couple streets over from us-they are our neighbor family =) Fingers crossed in the midst of their new decision to move as quickly as possible that Brother Stebbins can get baptized before my companion gets transferred.
I LOVE YOU ALL. I love this gospel. And I love that I'm a representative for Christ in Kingsland Georgia.
20 year old Sister Hutchins
(I'm suddenly breaking out like a teenager though-uh oh haha.)
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