Miracles

Talk about miracles! Holy cow this week has blown my mind. I cannot believe how much the Lord has trusted us with. Everyday this week we some sort of massive miracle, I'll see how many I can write about in the time I have. 

To give you an idea: We have like 4 different teaching appointments this upcoming week, and we had some crazy amazing ones this last week. I love feeling the Spirit in lessons. This work is for the people we are teaching, not for me. The strong Spirit I feel in lessons makes that known. I just want to help the people I teach recognize it too.

So this week we received a referral from a member. She is such a great lady. She lives at an old folks home now, and helps with Eikaiwa (english class). Her english is also pretty dang good. She served a mission in California back when she was 30. She got baptized at 26 and when she was 30 decided she wanted to go and nothing could stop her (not even her bishop telling her she should move on w life and find someone to marry instead hahah). 

Anyway her and her husband are the best. They are my hero's. And aboit once a month they do an eikaiwa class at their old folks home and one of the 3 companionship from our ward goes to help out and show some love. The bike ride there is like 2 hours, the class is 1.5 hours and then another 2 hour bike ride home. 

So This week/ month it was my companionship turn to make the trek out. A few days before the class we got a message from this Sister who said that she had met a lady at the old folks home who was interested in learning about Christ. So we planned to meet with her. This little lady is tiny and adorable. She is 86 years old and is so ready to hear the gospel. She has been praying every day since she met the Sister I told you about earlier. We focussed on building her understanding of who Heavenly Father is mostly during the lesson (that's what first lessons consist of a lot here because nobody has that background), but when we gave her the pamphlet and asked her to read about prophets before we meet again on Tuesday she said "can't I just read the whole thing?" We're like YA OF COURSE PLEASE DO! I'm so excited to at least teach her about prophets next time. I know we have a prophet to guide us to Jesus Christ. That is something I've learned more as I've tried to apply what Pres Nelson talked about in conference. I challenge you all to read 1 Nephi chapter 1 and write down all of the things that Lehi (the prophet) does. All of them are for his people and to bring them closer to Christ.

This new investigator also told us she really wants to come to church but it is hard because of her health. She said she will work on gathering the strength so that she will be able to make it on Sunday August 5th. (fast and testimony meeting!) Pray for her please!

But ya so moral of the story is, we're now teaching someone who lives a 2 hour bike ride away. But every pedal will be well worth it. That is what I'm here to do! Invite those who are ready to hear the message hear it, let it sink into their hearts, and act on it.

Second CRAZY miracle.

While we were waiting in the Dr. office for an appointment this man comes up and sits on the bench across from us.

"Are you the Mormon missionaries?" He asks in English

"Yes we are!"

"Do you have a Book of Mormon with you?"

"Of course" 

As we start rummaging through our bags racing to grab one he says, "Can you share some words from it with me?"

We hand it to him and we start talking and he tells us that the missionaries used to be teaching him in the area where the doctors appointment was, but that he hadn't been to church in about 6 months because of scheduling. Then he tells us that he's had some trial in his life come up recently (especially health wise) that he wasn't expecting or prepared for. He told us he really wanted to hear something from the Book of Mormon. My companions and I had recently been talking about 1 Ne 17:13, and as he's reading he starts to cry. Remember that God remembers you. ❤ Remember the worth of your soul is great in His eyes

We were placed there on that day in that area in that office, at that time, to remind him of that. DC 18:10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.

Another thing you could all pray for is another person we are teaching. We met her because we had met her daughter while her daughter was visiting from the Philippines. (Her daughter is now back in the Philippines but well be doing a Skype lesson with her this Friday before we hand her off to the missionaries there, pray for that lesson too.) We normally teach this lady outside of the closest train station to her house. Because she has bad knees, this closest train station is a 45 minute walk away. But we are really eager to get her to come to church. Church is so important. So this Sunday she has finally commited to come to church on sunday at 10am. It will be a 45 minute walk to the train station for her, 10 minutes on the train, and then another 20 minute walk to the church from the next station. We are working on getting a member to pick her up, but please pray that she wil be able to come and have a special experience and she will be able to feel the Spirit there.

This work is all about sacrifice. Whether it's us sacrificing a lot of time to bike out to that lady's old folks home, someone making a long trek to church, or picking someone else up for church ((or sacrificing a bit of your health hahah))

And it's all made possible because of Christ's great atoning sacrifice.

Wow what a week.

I hope you enjoyed this email. 

Sister Kearl

1. Today roasting some of the marshmallow mom sent as packing peanuts. We all enjoyed

2. Me making sunday Dinner last night for my dear comps. (Be proud mom, broccoli, onions, peppers, spinach, carrots, chicken) I love onions now.

3. Posing w Robertson Shimai??

4. Part of the 2 hour bike ride. On our way there we saw a sign pointing to SENDAI which is the mission north of here... That's how you know it's a good bike ride. Excited to do it again tomorrow heheh. But after this city part it got way beautiful. Out in the Japan country side

5. Yay us. Robertson Shimai Kendrick Shimai me. In that order. Left to right.

6. The same bike ride as number 4. We stopped to wipe the SWEAT from our foreheads underneath our helmets. But ya that's the countryside part.