Life is Great

With Ryan and Summer at the visitor's center in Portland.

Life is great.  Let me tell you why it was so great. First things first:  we had wonderful zone conferences this week (which happen to be my last) and only a few tears trickled to the old church carpet flooring that smells like old musk.  Second things second: we experienced a couple miracle manias.  Miracle #1 continued story of underwear man Ryan + his wife Summer + the cute kid named Ashton.  We took them to the temple visitor’s center this week for a tour of the grounds and some insight on eternal families. BACKGROUND INFO : up to this point only Ryan was committed to a baptismal date on the 11th of March. As we planned for the tour we received a prompting to mention "a year from when you both get baptized you can be sealed in the temple". We mentioned that a few minutes after walking in and Summer was clearly thinking about that comment.  About 5-10 minutes later she looked at us and said, "I think I want to be baptized when Ryan gets baptized",  then they both looked at each other and said "We want to come down to Salt Lake to get sealed so both of you can come in a year with us". SAVE THE DATE!  My life will be fulfilled on March 11, 2017 when Ryan & Summer get baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Austin Reid came to the temple tour with us as well and committed to a date to come do baptisms for the dead.  All-the-while wearing his cowboy hat & boots.  Miracle #2 (mega miracle mania mega shark-nado miracle) Austin Reid is a recent convert and newly called ward missionary. (ALL YOU MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH PAY ATTENTION OK?). We asked Austin to pray about an area we should work in or a street within the ward boundaries.  He prayed and selected Idaho Street and said, "I am envisioning a yellow house I think". We prayed and pleaded on behalf of the Lord and went to Idaho Street and wouldn’t you know it - 3 yellow houses in a row.  First house.. knock knock knock...  new investigator to the church. Second house... knock knock knock... new investigator to the church... third house... knock knock knock... no one answered, but if they had, they probably would have begged us for a Book of Mormon.  Austin received revelation through prayer.   Miracle #3 is that two birthdays were celebrated this week.  First, was Sister Kent in our ward.  We celebrated with some of our favorite members that slave away to cook us fine dining meals on wheels featuring diet Mountain
Dew.  Second birthday was one of the members that we love, who cooked for the previous dinner!  She invited us over along with 10 friends for a birthday dinner yesterday.  She also came back to church about  two months ago and just received her first calling.  The work is real good.  Do you ever pray out loud and just talk to God like talking to your father?  (Sometimes I do make fun of my father, but I usually try not to make fun of Heavenly Father). But my companion & I began praying aloud in separate rooms before bed and I really feel every person in the world ought to just try it.  Just try talking to God and being honest with him OUT LOUD.  Even if it feels dumb.  My parents sent copies of the Book of Mormon with testimonies included and I think I cried like a baby for the first time in a long time.  Can’t wait to give them out to some special people in Vancouver.