Sister Adams Stories: Warning, Crazy Analogy in this One

This week was really good! I went on exchanges with Sister Madsen and she came here to Seneca Falls. Sister Earl went up to Farmington with Sister Butters. It was really fun and Sister Madsen and I saw a few miracles! We went to go teach Jinny a lesson because she hasn't been coming to church recently. Well, Jinny's friend, Joanne, was there and so she got the lesson too. We read with them in 3 Nephi 18 of the Book of Mormon. We handed Joanne a copy so she could read along with us and she said, "I will read this with you, but I do not believe in it, and I will never be a 'Mormon'." We just kept things upbeat and said, "Yeah sure that it totally fine!" So we read about Christ instituting the sacrament among the people in the Americas and talked about why the sacrament is so important and why we need to be at church to partake of it. Well as the conversation went along Joanne began to open up and talk to us about her belief in the Savior. It was so good! By the end of the lesson Jinny told us she would for sure be at church (and she was!) and Joanne said..."I really enjoyed this! I think I will come every time you girls read with Jinny!" Yesssssss. Planting seeds! I was so glad Sister Madsen was with me on that lesson because she brought up some great points that Jinny and Joanne both needed to hear.

We went and taught Kimberly this week too! She was really pressured into being baptized and has not been active almost the whole time she's been a member. The first time we met her she slammed the door in our face, but Sister Earl and I have felt really prompted to keep trying. Now she is our really good friend and we are teaching her the lessons over again. Last time we were at her apartment she said, "It is so crazy how my life started to get terrible, and even my family turned against me, and I pray and ask God for help, and you sisters show up at my door. I think you were an answer to my prayers." God knew she needed help and that is why the Spirit prompted us to keep going back.

Lea was in town this week! We even went to her house and talked to her mom. It went really well! Her mom was way nervous that we would shove religion down her throat but we just answered her questions and got to know her. It was good. She was asking us more about how we came to know the Church is true and why we came on missions to share it. She couldn't believe we would give up family, friends, school, jobs, etc. to be here. It makes me think of this scripture in 2 Nephi 2. It is verse 8 and it says, "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise."

It is so important to make the gospel known to everyone. And that is why we missionaries serve! In order to have true peace and happiness in this life we need the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only have it and know it, but live it. And if we live it, we qualify for eternal life. If we just stop and think about how happy the gospel makes us in our life and how it helps us everyday, it is almost impossible not to share it. Anyway, we had a good time with Lea and her mom and even got to share a scripture thought with her. Slowly but surely :)

This week I had a cool epiphany that I shared with Erika in her letter (It's on it's way), but I think I want to share it with all of my family. It is kind of bizarre so hang tight. Okay, so I was talking with Sister Madsen and Bob (keeper of the Sacred Grove) and about how everything "denotes there is a God" (Alma 30:44). We talked about our solar system and the earth and how it moves and functions, even down to the tiniest molecules that make up the things around us. We discussed water and how every living thing needs it to survive. A water molecule has 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen. H2O. This is like the Godhead. In water the two hydrogen atoms could represent God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ- two separate Beings but the same because they both have glorified bodies of flesh and bone. Then the oxygen atom could represent the Holy Ghost. He is different from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ because he does not have a body. He is a personage of Spirit. Sometimes in life we have so much around us that we feel like we can't breathe. Well, because of the Holy Ghost, we have spiritual experiences that help us breathe, know there is a God, He loves us, and everything will be okay. We all need spiritual experiences just like we all need oxygen. And the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost work in perfect unity to "bring to pass the eternal life of man", just like how the molecules in water work together to sustain life. Without water we wouldn't live. Without God we would never live eternally. Or even exist for that matter. All things denote there is a God. Even the water that makes up most of the earth, our bodies, and the food that keeps us going testifies of Them. So yeah, there you have it. Light bulb moment for the week. (Sorry Erika you get to read that twice)

I love you all very much and hope you are all happy and healthy and safe. I pray for that everyday.

XOXO, Sister Alexandra Adams