It snowed this week! It didn't stay on the ground, it was cool! But I had to walk in it. Oh well. It's what you do as a missionary. We had a lot more lessons this week, but only one was with an investigator. And we had little miracles from the Lord. For example.. we lost our dinner list and we remembered all of the dinner appointments except for two. So we prayed and in the ways that we least expected it, we found out where we were eating dinner. And everyday, I swear every dog we past barks at us and if there wasn't a fence separating us from the dogs, I would be in much better shape, because I would be running. Tender mercies from the Lord. We also had to opportunity to give service this week. One was to this lady that we met on the street. We saw her and we asked her if we could help her rake her leaves, she said no, but we told her that we were going to come back tomorrow and rake it, she didn't believe us. We went back she wasn't home, but we did it anyway. I just wonder about what she thought when she got home... Then we helped members and less active members do stuff around the house and we were blessed. Then we were walking around figuring out where we were going to go and we get a call from like the best ward missionary ever! And she was on her way to the store when she saw a girl who used to be an investigator raking her leaves. She turned her car around and went and helped this girl rake her leaves, then she called us and we went over there and helped in our skirts. It was a great Saturday!

The work is challenging and many people don't feel like they need the gospel in their life. The work we are able to do and the lives we are able to touch even if it's by little things isn't shown in the numbers we send, but I think that a big part of it is what these people do with the little light we are able to share with them. Right now we are working with a lot of less actives who have many excuses for not coming to church and we have many reasons for why they should come back to church. The main reason I think that we all need to go to church is because the Lord needs our gifts and talents, He needs our testimonies to strengthen each other.

Personal Study

Today in study I was reading in Mark and last night I was just frustrated because we went to visit people and they just turned us away, which happens a lot, but last night was hard, I think that it was because I see how much this would  bless their lives and how much the Lord loves His children. Anyway... I was reading the story about when Jesus healed this mans son and Christ tells him do you believe? And the man says, "help thou my unbelief." So our belief will only go so far and then we need the Lord to take our faith the rest of the way. Then the apostles ask Jesus, "why couldn't we cast out that devil." He tells them that these things take much fasting and prayer. So I thought of it this way, we believe all that we can and when we just aren't seeing things happen, that is when we pray and fast for real intent, with sacrifice and for a specific purpose and when we do these things the Lord will show us our belief and miracles. I have received my answer that this is what I need to do. To see the miracles and build my faith.

I love you all very much! And Thank you for your prayers! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Sister Swain