Letter #43 08/03/15

My entire being is saturated with the smell of fried chicken/"letting go and letting God"

First off, it is just really happy to be serving in a southern place
again. Where everyone is Baptist, loves Jesus, but not when we talk
about Him. It's all a good time. We were walking around this semi
ghetto neighborhood late Saturday night swarming with millions of
humans. We approached this lady to talk to her, but had to get through
a large group of her children dancing to music that I loved pre
mission but now hurts my head and heart, haha. I can't handle it
really. And this little 4 year old was just dancing very intensely to
'wobble' and her mom was so proud and it was the most hilarious
experience ever. Like we would talk about the gospel for a second but
then.. Super ghetto 4 year old, ya know?

But, anyways, that actually doesn't matter at all. Not in comparison
to the absolute emotional roller coaster that has been this past week-
wow. I really can't even remember what happened at the beginning
because this weekend was the longest of my entire existence. In all
the goods and bads and opposition that turned joyful.

If we can all turn our attention to the topic of S, remember
her? Okay. We always and forever love her so much! But I guess to
preface the story, we need to talk about earlier week feelings and the
life changing experience that was our Friday zone meeting. SO she has
had an August 22nd baptismal date for quite a while now and we've been
feeling prompted that it needs to be moved up. But, we kind of just
kept marching on, seeing her every single day, mind you, and feeling
the spirit a whole bunch. So with those feelings already in our
hearts, we go to Zone meeting and basically our leaders were just
like, "We know there are people you are teaching, ready to be baptized
on the 8th of August, and so does President Wilson and so does The
Lord. And it was INCREDIBLY powerful and the spirit was so strong and
bore witness to our souls that, yes, S is ready! And so we leave
the meeting with all sorts of spiritually created plans as to how this
was all going to come to pass. And we talked about faith and how we
can't doubt and how trusting completely in the Lord was the only thing
that was going to allow this incredibly fast and beautiful miracle to 
take place.

And then we left and Satan crept in and also fear and anxiety. And
past experiences of setting people on date and seeing them fall of
into oblivion and I was basically just being a baby. Like, I was comfy
with the 22nd too. But throughout our entire lunch Heavenly Father
just kept prompting me to talk to Him and so I did and through an
obscure D&C chapter I just knew that it would be okay, that it was in
fact the Lords's will and that he had already prepared her heart.

And so, directly after lunch, we went. Took a member and went to her
home to teach her about living prophets. We start the lesson with, "We
Thank Thee O God For A Prophet" and as we finish singing she's like,
"wow, sisters. I'm so glad we sang that, that has just been my soul
all day long" .. So I'm thinking what happened, are dark clouds of
trouble hanging over her again? What's going on in her heart? But when
we ask her why, all she says is, "I'm ready". And both mine and Sister
McNeely's jaws drop wide open and the spirit comes in so strong as she
talks about how she HATES spending money but that amidst school
shopping for the girls she found herself buying church clothes and how
she just been feeling for a couple of days that it's time.

So with that being said, something I was so worried about was
completely taken care of by The Lord! He knows her better, and He
certainly knew that she was ready. We moved her date to the 8th of
August and the peace we all felt was magical. But as we leave, our
beautiful convert member present gives her warning that the moment we
step out of the door the adversary steps in.. And she was right.

Always the opposition! We didn't get to see her on Saturday because
she was spending the day with her sisters.. And then, Sunday morning
we wake up to the text of all texts. That she had been staying up late
talking to an old friend and thinking a lot about how the 8th is too
rushed and how she just doesn't feel ready because you can't possibly
change in four weeks and that you can't change something you've known
all your life in such a short amount of time. Also that because she'd
been up all night she wouldn't be coming to church and.. Eek!

But, what was so beautiful is that, in S's own words I had
already 'let go and let God' do the rest, and he had already spoke to our hearts that all would be well.

So we ran over there before church and talked with her about Peter
walking on water and how we have to push and fight towards the light.
And trust. And she is nodding off because she took sleeping medication
but promises she'll be awake when we come back after church. So we
darted to church and I felt like a disciple of Christ healing on the
sabbath, sitting in the foyer for sacrament as a missionary. But we
felt like we had done the Lord's will, and that He would continue to
help us to do it. And so we visited her after church and.. Needless to
say she's back on date. We talked about how, really, she is living
breathing proof that someone can change in four weeks. And she is. So,
say a little prayer in your heart for S and Z and we're so
excited to see them make baptismal covenants this weekend!

Let go and let God. I promise life's just better that way.

 Hermana Yost