These 2 stories are literally insane- Monday night Nancy texted us saying that she needed our help asap because she lost $400 and needed to find it. So we ran over there and started going through her many bags of garbage (super gross). After digging through for 45 minutes I felt like we needed to say a prayer, so I said one out loud asking for help and direction to know where to look. Once I ended that prayer I really felt like we needed to go look inside even though Nancy had already spent a ton of time looking in there. We walked in and looked around a little and then I saw these Wal-Mart bags underneath a pile of who even knows what. And seriously once I saw those bags I just already knew. I walked over there and pulled them out and the $400 was sitting right inside. It was seriously so cool and such a major blessing! So hopefully that really strengthened Nancy's testimony on prayer because it definitely did with mine.
Last week was good but it was hard haha. Sister Morgan and I literally put in 110% like everyday and yet all of our key indicators were 0's. So I was kind of having a 'what the heck' moment. We email our Mission President every week so I was just telling him that it's just hard to feel like nothing is working even when we're putting in so much effort and being super obedient. He wrote back and promised me that if we continued to give wonderful efforts, great things would come from it. SO- we received a referral for this guy named Reverend Leon. We set up an appointment to meet with him on Tuesday. On our drive over to his house I was literally half expecting to be roasted and totally bashed with some Bible because heck, HE'S LITERALLY A REVEREND. We pull up to his house and he has a picture of Christ on his door that says #BecauseHeLives on it- one of our pass along cards! He starts talking to us and not even 5 minutes into the conversation he says, "I was just wondering if there is any chance that I COULD BE BAPTIZED ON SUNDAY?" I seriously just looked at him and was like, "ARE YOU SERIOUS." He felt inspired to go to Carthage Jail two weeks ago so he straight up took a road trip and went. He talked to the Elders there that were giving the tour and Leon said, "I absolutely know it's true and I want this in my life." SO COOL. He sadly wasn't able to be baptized this week because he has to attend church 3 times and take all of the missionary lessons but hey- in 2 weeks he will totally be ready. Zach is getting baptized next Saturday and I am SO STOKED. I am so dang happy for this family and I have an insane amount of love for them. It has been so cool to be a part in his conversion. They're literally the best.
SPIRITUAL THOUGHT- 3 Nephi 9:20 "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not." THEY KNEW IT NOT. The Lamanites were too busy and distracted to hear and feel the promptings of the Holy Ghost. They didn't even know it was there. I've totally seen the importance of listening and recognizing the Spirit. We should always allow the Holy Ghost to lead us and guide us ALL OF THE TIME. Don't become too busy to miss the promptings. Recognize the AMAZING gift that God has given to each of us- USE IT. We literally have a member of the Godhead within us. I LOVE THAT. "You can offer the Lord the gift of your broken, or repentant heart and your contrite, or obedient spirit. In reality, it is the gift of yourself- what you're becoming." -Elder D. Todd Christofferson
LOVE YOU ALL.
xoxo, Sister Beal
Pic 1: Abe & me
Pic 2: the only good pic we got by the Mississippi River lol
Pic 3&4: we went on this hike where you could see the Illinois River super well and it was SO PRETTY.