All is Well, All is Well

Surprise!

We had P day on Monday today, sorry i forgot to tell you last week!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful mother! love you so much!!! wish i was there to laugh and do a happy birthday dance (you know which one) with you! love you and thank you for being the most incredible and amazing mom. i love you with all of my heart and more.

Happy Father's Day to the best dad! i dont know how i got so lucky to have you as my dad, but i am so grateful! i love you so much. eat some mint chocolate chip ice cream for me and you, and know that i will be thinking of you all day sunday! love you!

You know how everyone says that the days feel like the weeks and the weeks feel like days on the mission? well that is totally true. My days and weeks and everything in between is all mixed up - the time is just rolling! it is so crazy. Transfers are this Friday! can you believe it?? i feel like it was just transfers, and here they are again. mind blowing. it is going to be a crazy week, but i am excited and ready to find out what the future brings!

So, to start off, here is the fun fact for the week:

1. The Liz Lemon Swindle paintings that have been down in the basement of the Trail Center are leaving in the next few weeks. We are all so sad (myself totally included) to see them leave. they add a huge dynamic to the Trail center. BUT. guess where they are headed? yep. OAKLAND! i hope you all take the time to go see them, because they are truly incredible. And know that a little piece of me is being sent back home to Oakland!

2. Sister Morrison played the piano for a duet in our ward on sunday. it is always so fun to see her!

3. On saturday we had our trail center training, and my companion was running late so we were super late to the meeting- my biggest pet peeve. i am ashamed to admit i was not in a good mood that morning because of it haha. we got there right as the last verse of the opening song was being sung, and guess what song we sang? "We are all enlisted" ..."happy are we!" haha it was a tender mercy from the Lord basically saying "hey smiley". haha it instantly put a smile on my face

Here are a few things that happened this week in the Trail Center and also out in Rockbrook!
 

Trail center:

Miracles. Seriously the Trail Center never ceases to amaze me. i LOVE serving here. So i took a man on tour, and at first it was a little bit awkward haha. He wasnt talking a ton, and just seemed a little bit distant. Also, he kept saying "you are doing a good job" so i felt like i was being critiqued on my "tour guide" skills haha. BUT. it ended up being an incredible tour. As we stood in front of the painting about the mississippi river freezing over, i bore testimony to him about how God has a plan for each of us, and just like in 1 Nephi 3:7, he will prepare a way for us to accomplish that plan if we trust in Him. The man instantly started sobbing. He opened up about how he had just been called as the bishop for his ward in colorado, but was down in Omaha for the weekend trying to find a new job. He didn't know what to do, and where he needed to be. It was so cool to be a witness of him receiving revelation from God. he said "This is why i needed to come to Winter Quarters. I know that God will provide a way for me to get a job back in Colorado so that i can also serve as Bishop". AHH. it was AWESOME. i love this work.

 On Sunday a couple came in who were on their way to Nauvoo to be married in the Nauvoo temple. The woman was in a wheel chair, and the husband was literally glowing. haha they were adorable. I took them on tour, and the spirit was amazing. I told the story about Francis Webster near the end of the tour, and while i was reciting it i was so overcome with the spirit that i literally couldnt finish. I was so touched - The story/his testimony talks about how when things were hard on the trail, and he thought he couldnt keep going, his cart began pushing him. He says " i looked to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there. Was I sorry that i came by handcart? no. neither then or one moment of my life since. the price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and i am thankful that i was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart company". The couple i was with started crying and we all realized who this woman's angel was - her almost husband was literally "pushing" her "cart" to zion. i am so thankful for the angels that helped push my "cart" through out life. i would not be here without you, so thank you. it was such a tender experience.

Rockbrook:

Man i dont even know where to begin. the miracle we witnessed this week was INSANE and i will try to condense it as much as i can because it kind of is long! but here we go:

So the beginning of last transfer, sister whittaker and i received a referral from church headquarters. we went and tried the house, and i am pretty sure i told you about this? but a man opened the door named Brian and once we told him we were members of the church of Jesus Christ he instantly let us in and wanted to attend church. WELL. we never saw him again, but it was still such a cool experience.
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I was singing in church the beginning of this transfer, and while i was singing i saw a man in the audience who i recognized but didnt know how. I instantly thought of Brian, the man we had met, but it didnt make sense for him to be there. He left before the meeting was over and so i didnt get to meet him or see who he was. but i have been thinking about that man for the past 6 weeks.
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This last Saturday we had an appointment cancel, so we decided to try some old referrals. I looked and saw Brian's referral. I knew instantly that we needed to go over there. So, we went over and sure enough the man that had come to church a few weeks back was Brian! i probably scared him a little by how excited i was to see him haha. But we had a lesson with him, and he kept saying "i feel so empty and distant from God, i dont know why" and "My life is missing something". I bore testimony that he was missing the gospel of Jesus Christ. He told me that he believed me and wanted to continue learning!! it was INCREDIBLE.
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Next day. Sunday. guess who walks into church? BRIAN. He and his son came to church and LOVED it!! i had the dorkiest smile all day i was so exciting.

this work is so fun. i love being a missionary! and i love being able to meet amazing people who uplift me and make me want to be better. i love you all! Remember that no matter what, the Lord loves us. And we can sing "All is Well" if our hearts are right with the Lord, even when everything around us seems to be disagreeing.

Love you all so much! The Church is not only true, but it is Jesus Christ's ONLY church on the earth! We are SO blessed.

Sister Lauren