All is well, all is well

I couldn't think of an email title. I am so lame. hahah HELLOOOO FAMILY!! this week was a very awesome week, full of many ups and downs, but thats to be expected as a missionary. So last week i told ya'll about about P and A. well... A is solid. he has changed so much through the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel does change lives, I have seen it. on Tuesday we had an interview for A. The zone leaders came 2 hours away to come interview him. sister Hurley and I were so giddy the whole time. He came out of the interview all smiles :) we found out that A was found by TRACTING!  I had no idea that they were the result of 3 sister missionaries knocking on doors in the blazing hot summer. amazing.Hard work pays off. A has been working so hard to stop smoking. He and sister Farrenkopf are so cute, all they talk about is their plans to get sealed next year. On Tuesday sister Farrenkopf called us and told us how she found out that someone who rents beach houses from her work wasn't coming any more because his wife passed away. She told us that she was reading the obituary and found out they were members of the church. sister Farrenkopf called us and she was telling us how she felt like she should call them and was super weirded out because she didn't know them, but she was going to do it anyways. She calls us back in like 10 minutes crying on the phone. ready for the story?? she called the man. Told him how sorry she was for his loss, then she told him that she was a convert to the church and that her husband is getting baptized. This kind man told her that this was the best news he had heard in a loooong time. At this point we were all crying. then he went on to tell her that he is a SEALER in the DC temple, and that he will do everything in his power to be the one to seal them for time and all eternity. It's one thing to hear the people you are teaching have the desire to be baptized, but when you can feel and hear the excitement in their voices when they talk about getting to the temple, its unexplainable. This is affecting so many future generations. The blessings of the temple will bring such a peace and added love to their lives. I am so grateful I got to be a witness of this amazing story!!! So P agreed to be baptized last week. BUT he didn't 100% commit... he wanted to pray about it and be able to know that the church was true. so we let him pray about it for a couple of days. Well..... we hadn't heard a yes or no for a couple of days. Last P-day, we still didn't have a solid answer. we saw him a bunch this week, but everytime we saw him he said he is still working on his answer... finally on Thursday we called him and told him that we needed a yes or a no by tonight. Sister Hurley and I are were becoming very straight to the point and assertive. hahaha so after our book of Mormon study session with Robert and some members of the ward, we rushed over to Brother Kelly's house and saw Patrick on the porch with a table set up for us, pacing back and forth. We sat down and asked what he was feeling. two nights before we had felt impressed to talk about how God answers prayers, and how we can recognize answers. Patrick told us that his answer was unclear. He said he didn't have any feelings, any thoughts. We explained how sometimes God doesn't give us a yes or a no, but an " I trust you, make the decision." the comfort we can have with this answer is that God wont let us make the wrong choice. If we are in tune, if we are desiring to do what is right, if it is wrong we will feel it. we will know. We backed up to other answers to prayers he has received. He was quit for a while, and then told us that he felt good about the book of mormon, about jospeh smith, about the priesthood, and everything we have taught him. When he prayed he felt peace. the spirit was SO strong. Patrick was really thinking back to all these times he has had confirmations and answers to his prayers. Usually sister hurley and i are pretty bold with patrick. we know when we need to push him a little, but at this time, none of us were speaking. we were silent for a good looooong 5 minutes. so unlike us. the spirit was seriously constraining us. we couldn't speak! it was crazy. eventually, Patrick invited his dad outside and asked his dad what he thought about his dad baptizing him. I was bawling. I have never felt the spirit so strong in a lesson before. Bro kelly's eyes got so big. and he got the sweetest smile. he said "i think it would be amazing." we told brother kelly about how we had been talking about this with patrick for 1 1/2 weeks now, and brother kelly was so surprised. we made plans, and were so excited! The next day while we were going over plans, patricks mom came outside and patrick told his mom that he was getting baptized. Patrick is very chill, laid back, and passive. when he told his mom he was being baptized, he spoke with the most conviction and assurance i have ever heard from his mouth. it was amazing. his mom was a little upset at first, she went on to say "you are really going to live the word of wisdom, and be a mormon, and be obediant?? " as she said that she realized that all these things weren't bad things. hahhaha it was awesome. Cant wait for this week!!! Andrew is getting baptized on Saturday and Patrick is on Friday, his mom couldn't get work off on the 15. but its all good because shes going to come!!! I love being a missionary. the church is so true and i am so grateful and lucky to be a servant of the Lord for 18 months. There is no greater joy than seeing the gospel of Jesus Christ change other people's lives. even as members of this amazing church, we experience change daily as we try to live our lives in harmony with our savior. Alma 5:26 Love you all!! (ya'll??) xoxoxo Sister Snow Ps father, congrats on your calling! Dont put to many people to sleep with your high counciler talks. you are so cool. Summer, i am so proud of you for actually loving the beach. I expect many sunset dates in our future :) BREANNA CALDER: SHOUT OUT TO MY BESTIE AND HER MISSION CALL TO CUERNAVACA MEXICO!!!!!! you are amazing. ppssppss: i may or may not have lost my camera. ill keep you posted.....im sorry mommy. ive never prayed so hard to find a material item. NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

Mental Mark Strikes Again and 2 Baptisms coming up!

BEST WEEK EVER!!!!
I CANT STOP SMILING
I MIGHT WRITE THIS WHOLE EMAIL IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE I AM SO EXCITED
BAPTISM BAPTISM BAPTISM BAPTISM BAPTISM BAPTISM BAPTISM BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So great to hear that you all got to have a good week with Nicky-poo before he takes off to change the world and preach the gospel to all the Ogden Utah folks.
This week was alright... nothing really big happened.
that was a LIE. ready to hear the awesome news???????????

SO,  on Tuesday we finally saw P. He apparently had been camping in Virginia for like 5 days. We have been trying to organize volleyball on Tuesday nights to get our investigators and some members to come and have fun, but nobody has really showed up except P and one family. but its okay :) I'm going to get right to the point, after volleyball we went out to get some frozen yogurt with P. We had a lesson with him in the front of sweet frog, and followed up with him about the baptismal interview questions. He told us he has been praying and he believes that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, but he doesn't know anything about the prophet today, and wants to learn more about him and pray about it before he says he believes in him. So Awesome. To sum it all up, we invited P to be baptized on August 15, the day his father was baptized 2 years ago, and his dad's birthday. P said yes. Sister Hurley and I were so excited. We got in the car and just started screaming and crying like little girls. It was awesome bonding. :)

We re-set LR for baptism on September 28. She has a lot of things she has to change and she needs to apply commandments into her life before she is ready to make the covenant of baptism. but we were excited! while we were teaching LR, Mental Mark walks right into her trailer and starts talking to us about his belief in science over God. As we were teaching, I felt a hand on my head, and I turned around and mental mark was cracking up in the kitchen. he kept touching us while we were talking, and laughing. He called me owl girl, so strange. I have met the most interesting people here in North Carolina. I love it :)

Friday we taught the F family. It has been a long process with them. When we first met A he had moved here from Currituck, and the elders there set him for baptism on July 17. He wouldn't quit smoking, and every time we taught him a principle he came up with a new concern. We have felt that the Book of Mormon is the only was he will come over these concerns and come to know that what we are teaching is true. Throughout the past 2 months, we have been struggling with him. He has been taught for 3 1/2 years, but wouldn't commit to be baptized. even though he knows its true.  We have been super bold with him during the past couple of weeks. On Friday he told us he is ready. He asked us what day was transfers, and then he goes, "I'm going to get baptized on August 17." OKAY!!!! AFTER 3 1/2 YEARS HE IS FINALLY MAKING THE FIRST STEP TO HAVING HIS FAMILY BE TOGETHER FOREVER!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhh missionary work is amazing. you feel such joy that has never been felt before. you love strangers so deeply. you cry a lot. you smile a lot. you are on an emotional roller coaster, but it is all worth it because once the people you are teaching get it, once they really pray, and really keep commitments, there is NO way they can not know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is truly Jesus Christ's  church restored onto the earth in its fullest. God wants all of his children to learn truth.

So, two baptisms coming up soon!!
I love you all, thank you for all of your support and love.
Keep being amazing. Remember the power of the Book of Mormon. Don't take it for granted.
xoxox
Sister Snow