my life. my loves. my ramblings.: miracles, birthdays, and transfer calls!

To start off, I will put everyone at ease and let you know I will be staying in Riverhead for my fourth transfer, along with Sister Hale. And, as a fun fact ... at the end of this transfer, Sister Hale and I will have been companions for nearly 6 months. As in .. 1/3 of my mission. Crazy stuff, right?

Anywho, we have seen some amazing miracles this week. Friday was our "Miracle Day." We were writing about it in our journals Friday night and I counted 9. Sister Hale counted 21. So, you can see there is a variance there, but nevertheless, it was a beautiful day. Do you want to hear about it?

Good, because I'm going to tell you :)

Here are a few of Friday's miracles:

1. We were doing a lookup of someone who had previously requested a mormon.org visit. She immediately recognized us as missionaries and was, at first, a little standoffish. But, then she opened up and told us that she had been baptized years ago. Then she invited us in and told us more about her life. She said she sometimes drives by the Plainview Chapel (about an hour away) when she has hard days. She was shocked to find out Riverhead had its own chapel now and said, one day, she knew she would go back. The time isn't yet for her, but I have no doubt a seed was nourished when we visited her. She kept saying, "it's so funny you are here because my mom just went to the hospital ..." and "...i really needed this visit.." But everytime people think it's so "coincidental" it just reminds me ... it's really not. God directs His work :)

2. That was the first miracle of the day, and this was the final on Friday. Sister Hale and I stopped by Elizabeth's (a former investigator) house. She has come to church a few times since we stopped teaching her in June. We ended up having a great conversation. She told us she had read nearly to Helaman, and could give a pretty detailed account of what she had read. Sister Hale and I kept glancing at each other because we could SEE a difference in Elizabeth. She had always listened to the lessons, but never had much emotion. Her answers used to be very "to the book" but now they were thoughtful, and sincere. She talked about growing each day, learning being a process, and the Spirit. We had previously invited her to be baptized and asked again if this was something she was still preparing to do. She said it was and we both felt the Spirit confirm that it was okay to begin teaching her again. As she offered the closing prayer, we again felt a confirmation of the Spirit and of her personal growth. When she closed, she opened her eyes, smiling, and said, "I'm getting better, aren't I?" We were smiling from ear-to-ear and probably crying too. But, when we were able to meet with her again on Sunday, she told us that it's the little things -- going to church, reading and praying daily -- that have brought her closer to God. That's what we teach all of our investigators (and everyone else) but she seems to really understand that it's a necessary step. We talked more on Word of Wisdom, and again, we saw that this time, she was really listening. She was focused. Instead of just committing, she said she needed to read it, search it out, and pray. We were thrilled with a sincere response! So, we are hopeful that she will continue progressing. Pray for her.

Other miracles of the week?

We met Sonja a few weeks ago, and though she had juked on our appointment, she called us Friday night after her father passed away suddenly. She said she needed to talk to us because she knew we were sent from God. We spent time listening to her reminisce about her father, but then the doors were also opened to talk to her about what we believe about life-after-death. It was a very connecting experience and she felt very calm and happy with what we believe, knowing her father isn't gone forever. I'm so grateful we were in the places we needed to be weeks ago so that we could help Sonja now.

We're also now teaching a woman that lives in Hampton Bays. That's a different branch with elders that work there in our district, but she specifically requested the sisters. We had a great conversation with her too! She was taught by the missionaries in 2009, and has recently started visiting the church again. She actually lives with her boyfriend, who happens to be a less active. But, she has full desire to get baptized and then one day sealed :) The main problem right now is that she is still married and her husband is refusing to sign the divorce papers. So, that complicates things un poquito. But, we are excited to work with her as she really has a hunger for the truth.

And we had exchanges on Wednesday. I was able to work with Sister Chipman, who (small world) served in a RS presidency with Hollie King at BYU and then was taught Spanish by Sarah King at the MTC. Yeah, it was a fun exchange! She is a rockstar missionary who has been out for about a year. She is a sister training leader in the mission and I learned so much from working with her. Though our appointments fell through, we still felt like it was a successful day, lead by the Lord :)

Finally, to wrap up the week, we had a lesson and dinner at the Bloms on Saturday night. Well, we walked in to the kitchen to find ... a birthday party! I had mentioned it was mom's birthday that day and so, we had a proxy birthday party of sorts. I love them. It was so sweet and touching! We had balloons, streamers, cake, candles. And then they sang to me, recorded the video of all of it, and he sent it on to mom later. It was pretty special of them to do that! Also speaking of them, we have been teaching them this past transfer our "member missionary" program. Well, Sunday, we saw it in action! We were on the street with their family, and Brother Blom passed out at least three mormon.org cards, and was talking to everyone. He never hesitated to mention the church, and even invited a young boy and his father to scout camp. His oldest daughter joked, "This is the monster you've created!" And Sister Hale and I said, "Yes! We did this!" Of course, it wasn't really US. But, it was really exciting to see!

Anyway, each day brings new miracles & I'm excited to continue working in Riverhead and seeing the growth here! Fall is on it's way, I think, judging by the cooler mornings, which also makes me super happy.

Love you all!

Hermana Peacock