Sister Rachel Zimmerman: Week 52

Hello Everyone!

This week was CRAZY!!! Oh my goodness it was such a good week!! I'll try to squeeze it all in! So on Tuesday, I went on an exchange with Sister McCashland and it was really good! We were able to contact a less-active that I have never met, and he said he would come to church but didn't so we will try to see him again this week! Then we saw Katie and taught her about prayer and scripture study, but Travis didn't come out to say hi to us the whole lesson, so that was a little sad. But later in the week when we brought over some Diet Pepsi he was nice to us....I guess we know how to get to his heart. :) Then on Wednesday night we had a member come out with us and we were able to teach Demitri about the Priesthood some more because he received the Melchizedek priesthood during Stake Conference. Then that night we went to go see Stephanie and Johnny. We stopped by and they let us in, so that was a good start. Then we sat and visited with them and the member ended up inviting them over for dinner this week!! Sister Crowther and I both had a very strong impression from the Spirit that our Heavenly Father has been preparing them for us. It was a neat feeling, and I'm just really excited to meet with them and see them progress. Johnny told us on Thursday when we dropped by to confirm the dinner appointment with the member, that Stephanie is worried to convert, but we told them that we won't push her to convert, which is true. We were able to invite Stephanie to a Relief Society activity tomorrow night where we are going to have soup and pie. How fun?? Anyway, I hope that she comes, it would be so great! So then Thursday we had some carrot cake bread with a less-active girl named Gloria that we had met on Tuesday. Since she is YSA age, we invited the YSA sisters to come, so hopefully she will be a little more open to going to the YSA ward. We just want her to be active again, but we are going to have lunch with them tomorrow, so that's exciting! Then we went tracting and had some pretty fun experiences.....oh the people you meet on the streets in Mesa. :) Anyway, we then saw Carol after dinner, and she became a new investigator. She was a referral that I contacted with Sister Rudy, but didn't get a return appointment. Anyway, we were able to share an uplifting scripture, and learn more about her! Then we saw Carl who has been on our radar, and we set up a return appointment with him and shared a message, so he became a new investigator! So that made two new investigators on Thursday. Then Friday right after weekly planning as we were walking to an appointment, we met a guy named Jason. We started talking to him, learned more about him, shared some principles out of the Restoration pamphlet, then we set up a return appointment with him so he became a new investigator. Then after dinner we saw Carlyn who was another referral that we had been wanting to meet. We talked to her while she looked in her car trying to find her credit card, then we shared principles from the Restoration, set up a return appointment, and she became a new investigator. So then we had two more investigators. Then Saturday was soooooo good. So we went to a funeral for a man in our ward that passed away from pancreatic cancer that he had for a year and 5 months. It was a very sweet service and was so good to hear about him and his life. Then we were able to go support Don Soule as he received his own endowment!!! What a sweet experience. I sat in the Celestial room after, and just thought about all of the hard things that I had gone through in the past year, and remembered that it was all worth it. Seeing him there at that point in his conversion was so worth it. As is so many other things that happen in missionary work. It was just so rewarding to see that and be a part of that experience. We also got to see him be sealed to his deceased wife. It was so cool. Then Sunday was so good. Our meetings were really good, then after dinner we went to contact a referral that our members gave us, and his name is Alec and he said he would be willing to learn more. He also said that we were the THIRD set of missionaries to stop by that week. We aren't sure who those missionaries were, but his heart was softened, we shared a message, and he became a new investigator. So he made our FIFTH investigator for this week. I don't think I've ever gotten that many new investigators in a week. It's been a great week and I just feel so privileged to be able to participate in the Lord's work. I know that we couldn't do it without him, and I also know that he could do it without us, but he wants us to grow and he loves us enough to let us experience these great things. Anyway, I hope you all are participating in missionary work in your own way. The joy that comes from it is indescribable!!!

Love,

Sister Zimmerman

I thought it would be fun to get a picture of my old companions at the Temple this week:D