This week was such a blast down here in the bayou. We've been working really hard teaching lots of lessons and meeting with so many potential interested people, so we've been busy!
We started the week off by having dinner with the VARNERS (my mission president and wife)!!! So Sister Rowe's cousin came back out to our mission after being home for a few months and we were able to meet Elder Rowe, his companions and the Varners for dinner after they picked him up! It was really fun to get to meet some more people in the mission and meet Elder Rowe and to of course hang out with President and Sister Varner. It was a really great way to start off the week!
Wednesday we taught this really amazing guy about the Book of Mormon who the elders taught about a year ago. He's going through a really hard time right now because his mom just passed away a few months ago. So while standing on his porch, we felt prompted to teach him about the Book of Mormon and the power and peace that comes with reading it and oh my GOSH! I had such an amazing experience with the Spirit! Words were just coming out of my mouth and I really didn't even think about it. The promise in D&C is so real! The Spirit will give you what to say in the very moment you need it! It was a really powerful moment on the porch with Channing and I think he can really progress right now. He seemed really excited to read from the Book of Mormon so hopefully he finds that peace through it!
So every Friday we go to this nursing home to do a "Bible Study" but really we just sing hymns about Jesus Christ because a few of our regulars have dementia so it's easier to just sing. Anyways, one of the ladies who is a regular attendee is Burnadette who has dementia but she LOVES to sing. She does it all the time haha. Burnadette usually sings this Jesus loves me song our whole visit but she ended up changing it up on us this past Friday and sang God Bless America the whole time we were there and it was the most amazing thing ever Haha! We'd finish a song about Christ, then she'd go "this is how it starts, GOD BLESS AMERICA!" and sing what she can remember Haha. Shes amazing. So that was something fun that we saw this week!
Okay, yall may be wondering who Jerry is. So funny story. About a month ago, we had this tiny baby lizard in the kitchen of our apartment that we eventually got out after about 10 minutes strategic cup placement and moving bookcases around to get to this lizard. Anyways, he was out of the house and that was that, we kind of forgot about him. So then on Tuesday, we are getting ready to go out with a member and guess who made another appearance! Our lizard friend came back and was just chilling on the baseboard. This time, though, I found some courage and caught our pal with my hand (I know who'd a thought I could catch a lizard without freaking out haha). We named the lizard Jerry and for the next two days, we'd put him outside as we left, then the next day as we got ready to leave, he'd be waiting outside the door then run in as soon as it opened! Safe to say we have a pet now. We haven't seen him in a few days but who knows, he might run back in the next time we open the door haha.
Okay last story for yall. So we had been seeing this woman Leora for a while. Shes a minister for a Baptist church here in town and shes been wanting us to go with her to visit her blind friend Diane. We were able to go on Saturday and visit with those wonderful ladies. Diane plays piano and sings so she played some worship music for us which was really fun to hear because shes seriously so talented! Anyways, we started talking about their church and Leora was talking about ministering and out of no where Diane would let out the loudest shout that made all 3 of us jump! She then explained that that was the Holy Spirit going through her. After talking for a while we asked if we could pray before we left and Diane offered to give it. Whenever someone offers to give the prayer down here you really never what to expect, so I was a little excited to see what she was going to do honestly lol. Anyways, we all stand in a circle holding hands and one of Diane's sisters joins in too and she begins to talk ridiculously fast and loud as she was praying while the other 2 ladies just would say things like "thank you Lord, yes Lord, praise Jesus, praise you Lord" the whole time. I timidly would open my eyes to see what my companions were doing and our half of the circle was just silent. I had never felt such an urge to talk during a prayer hahaha. Then! During the prayer when Diane got real loud (and i mean shouting loud), the other ladies would just start shaking! I didn't know what to do so I just looked at my companions and I think they were thinking the same thing as me hahaha. Easy to say, a real Baptist prayer is real interesting in the South.
I had a really cool thought about the Atonement of Jesus Christ this week that I thought I'd share. Someone once told me that they believed Christ went one by one through all of God's children while in the Garden of Gethsemene bearing every person's sins, struggles and pains. Since hearing that, it's become something I believed wholeheartedly as well but I just thought it was a cool belief and not something that was doctrinally supported. But as I was pondering this, I realized everything Christ did in 3 Nephi was one by one; blessing the children, talking to His apostles and everything. So to me, it made sense that Christ went one by one in the Garden too. Christ took a moment to think of you as He suffered all your pains, sorrows and sin. He felt what you felt, and He grieved with you individually. That is so comforting to me because that really tells me I really an never alone in this life with my sufferings. Christ was there too. I love the scripture Alma 7:11-13 that talks a lot about that.
Anyways, I love yall so much! Sorry this email is kind of long, but the gospel is true and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you so much! Hope everyone has a good week!
Love, Sister Crouch
1. That's our tiny pal Jerry
2. Picking up Elder Rowe
3. Went to a disney going away party for a recent convert Karolina and ended up getting a picture with her mom cheryl lol whoops.
4. Our friend Lydia took us out this week and it was so fun!
5. Burnadette in all her patriotic glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment