Working and Running for Miracles

Family and Friends,

This past week was one where is seems EVERYTHING happens, and it made for such spiritual and funny week. We went to Tiangua for divisions with the sisters, and as sister training leaders we are supposed to be examples and help them with training, etc. But this area is up in the mountains, and we got to travel there and it was so chilly! I was so happy about that, and we even had warm water to take showers. My companion and I were dying from happiness. Anyway, I was with Sister Frietas and it is basically a rule of the universe that something strange always happens during the division. There was an old man that we were talking to and out of nowhere he just started yelling, and then was totally hitting on us and he asked me to talk to him with my eyes closed because he couldn't handle looking into my blue eyes. Haha, he said so many other things that are written in my journal that made me cry from laughing. Then to make things worse, my skirt totally flew up in the air because of the wind and he just screamed "ahhhh, your legs are so beautiful!" Haha, we left shortly after. But my favorite moment was when we were walking home and we saw a man sitting on a bench, and Sister Frietas looked at me and said, “Sister Vance, I feel like we should talk to that man, but I want you to make the contact”. I accepted, and as I walked toward him, I was feeling pressure and trying to be prepared to finish off the day by having an example of a good contact. I said hello to the 25-year-old guy, and then reached for his hand that was closed on his lap. He opened his hand and I jumped back and let out a scream! I had come face to face with “Wolverine”! He had yellow fingernails, the size of rulers! I then apologized, and was still giggling, but was also so scared and I shook his hand and his nails passed on my arm. I apologized but couldn't talk anymore because I was still in a state of shock. My companion finished the contact and then we walked away. It wasn't so much the nails that creeped me out, but it was that it was so unexpected and he opened his hand so fast and it literally looked like “Wolverine”! Anyway, I was dying and wasn't the best example, but come on, it was ridiculous! But the day was filled with miracles as well, and we set four baptism dates that day! Truly miracles!

This past week my companion and I started going hard on exercises, and we got a little too excited about it and a little carried away. Because of it, the next two days we looked like weirdos limping around while proselyting, haha.

This week we had two divisions and Sunday rolled around and we weren't even close to the goals we had set for the week. We were lacking 11 new investigators. Sunday is also the worst day for missionary work because everyone just stays inside and is feeling lazy or hungover. Sister Lucas and I just went to work … and we started running! Haha, we said that we wouldn't come home until we completed our goal. We prayed and prayed … and miracles started appearing everywhere! We found 12 new people to teach on Sunday. It was awesome and there is truly no better feeling here in the field than when you are walking home and you can't even think or hardly walk anymore because you just worked and talked to everyone. It was just awesome. I am so grateful to know, not only how important faith is, but how crucial our works and efforts are in God’s plan. Sometimes we want things so badly and ask Heavenly Father to work miracles in our lives, but we aren't willing to work for it and do our part. But if we combine our work and power, with the overwhelming love and power of the Lord’s, we are unstoppable!

Have a great week and I hope Thanksgiving was awesome! We ate pancakes and dipped them in the drops of maple that an elder gave us. Haha, it was perfect!

Love you all!

Sister Vance