Monday, March 16, 2015

There is Sunshine in My Soul


"Oh there's sunshine blessed sunshine 
When the peaceful happy moments roll.
When Jesus shows his smiling face,
There is sunshine in the soul....and outside!"  
Happiness is just happening to run into Sister George at the temple.

Temple Selfie





We're outside, without jackets or tights!!

It has been a beautiful week here in Nerk Ahia! We have seen the sun! We even went a whole day without tights for the first time in months! We are celebrating this happy weather. Missionary work is great all the time, but it's really great when it's beautiful outside. We have been able to talk to more people as they also have been outside enjoying the wonderful weather, and we have noticed how much happier people are because of the simple change in weather.
We were able to contact an amazing referral this last week. It was a referral that for some reason we were supposed to receive weeks ago, but never did. It was for a sweet lady from Ghana who put her information online in hopes of receiving a copy of the bible. When we finally got all the information weeks later we decided to contact her immediately. I know the Lord's timing is completely perfect. When we showed up to meet her she had just walked in the door from picking her daughter up from school, and it just so happened to be her day off from work. She was beginning to lose hope that someone would come to bring her bible, and then there we were with bright smiling faces standing on her front porch eager to meet her. I have a great knowledge that just when we are willing to give up the fight, our Heavenly Father will send us aid. I know He did so with His only begotten Son. When Christ was in the garden of Gethsemane, and He was suffering and bleeding from every pore our Heavenly Father sent Him an angel to strengthen Him and to encourage Him to keep fighting and endure to the end. I know our Heavenly Father answers prayers and I know that when we follow the Spirit we are blessed. I know that because we acted immediately we were able to find this precious daughter of our Heavenly Father and share the gospel with her. She is so prepared to hear the message of the restored gospel and we are delighted to have met her.
Our stellar 17 year old investigator is thriving. She has read almost through 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon. She claims, "I really have no idea what Isaiah is talking about." I told her that's okay no one really does. She was excited to read 2 Nephi 31 about the gospel of Jesus Christ. She was so thrilled when she said, "I actually understood what it was talking about!" As we had a spiritual lesson with her outside in the beautiful Ohio spring weather we extended baptism to her again. This time we received a more definite response. She knows it is the next step and she can now better understand that baptism is not the end but merely the beginning to a new pathway and a new life.
Elder Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk titled "Forget Me Not." I would encourage you all to read it. But I want to reiterate his important 5 points that we are never to forget.

1) forget not to be patient with yourself.
2) forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice
3) forget not to be happy now
4) forget not the “why” of the gospel
5) forget not that the Lord loves you
Forget not how much I love you guys!!
Love Sister Mathis

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