week 23 - Easter!

This week was AWESOME!!!!  It was so great, I'm in love with missionary work!  That't just the fact of the matter! :)  So on Monday, we were able to teach the Restoration to a family of a mom, dad, and 9-year-old daughter.  We had the lesson at a member's home who actually took them to tour the Gilbert Temple which was awesome!  Then on Tuesday we were invited over to have lunch with a less-active member that I had never met before so we were excited in the fact that she was willing to feed us without knowing us very well!  We had a good time getting to know her better and hope to help her come back to the gospel.  She has an adorable 3-year-old son and so to be sealed together as a family would be a wonderful blessing in her life.  So we will keep visiting with her!  Then on Wednesday night we were able to meet and greet more people at the Mesa Easter Pageant.  For those who don't know, I was able to see my dad's cousin Nicole as we were walking to receive instruction from the sisters in charge and was brought to tears to see a family member!  That was pretty much the most exciting part of the night because we were again unable to stay for the actual pageant.  Then Thursday nothing too exciting happened, but we were able to teach 3 lessons to recent converts and less-active members.  Then Friday we had interviews and inspections and studying and District Meeting.  All went well, it was just a very long day.  Then our personal interviews were a little shorter than others because we were toward the last to interview and there are 24 people in our zone....so ya it was short but it was good!  I absolutely love President Sweeney!  Then that night we were able to actually see the Mesa pageant which was sooo much fun!  I've always heard about it bu have never been able to actually go to it so that was very fun to be able to watch it!  I just felt the spirit so strong and was grateful for my testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I am so beyond amazed at His love for us to sacrifice so much for us.  It is simply amazing.  Then Saturday we were able to attend our ward Easter breakfast which was fun to have food and visit with the ward members!  I just love our ward!  Then we had the adult session for Stake Conference that night and it was very good.  I loved it because it all focused on missionary work which I am a huge fan of now!  President Sweeney gave a talk and during that talk he had an investigator who will be baptized soon come up to answer some questions.  The bottom point was that we as members shouldn't be afraid to approach our friends to tell them about the gospel.  President Sweeney was actually out with the two sisters in that area that night to join in the missionary work when they street contacted this man in his apartment complex.  What I would like all of you to take from this letter is that we need to not be afraid to share the wonderful message of the gospel with everyone that we meet!  I mean, it's made us all happy, so why not try to give someone else that happiness?  Then we had a great follow-up with Stake Conference yesterday.  It was so good and I enjoyed it very much!  It was such a great week and I hope you all enjoyed your Easter!  I hope you all are able to remember the sacrifices that our Savior has made for us so that He can know how best to support us in our trials.  I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!!

Love,

Sister Rachel Zimmerman

 dying Easter eggs with the sisters