Week 23 - A day in the life of the West Coast Three-Pack

Hello hello,

What a FABulous week! Well, I hope everyone had an amazing one, but Sister Call's was great. Funny miracles moment: So it was last week on Monday (after emailing so this didn't make it's way into last week's email..not that much did anyways) and the West Coast Three-Pack (This trio's official name) was strolling through Target. Sister Bishop has this bizarre love for Star Wars that Sisters Downing or Call will never quite understand. Well, she saw something and made this odd squeaky, excited noise and ran down this isle. We followed because, well, that's what three packs do. She had found an 'amazing' star wars folder for a great price. As we were walking away, Sister Call made a comment such as "Dear Sister Bishop, I shall never quite understand your fascination with Star Wars" and with that a ladies, who was walking past us, head flipped around and exclaimed "How can you NOT"? Well. Sister Call was put into her place. We immediately took the opportunity to talk to her because let's face it, how many people begin the conversation with US? It turns out that her family is interested in other religions and perhaps learning about ours at another time but that she has a BROTHER who (here's the kicker) is in rehab and has been wanting to look into the church and begin reading The Book of Mormon for a while now. 

...We promptly gave her a Book of Mormon. 

Isn't our Heavenly Father amazing? So involved in all of our lives. 

We were able to go to the Temple on Saturday! We had a recent convert in the ward who took her endowments out. It was SUCH a great experience. I. Love. The. Temple. I really appreciate being reminded of all of the crucial covenants that I made there in November and how I need to be making sure to keep them everyday. 

We don't have too many investigators here in Mustang, even with getting all of the Elder's area. We DID though get an amazing family to finish teaching from the Elders, the Taylor family. He was a less active who grew up in the church but then fell away during high school and hasn't been back since. Well, the Elders 'just happened' to knock into them last transfer right when He finally had realized he needed the Gospel in his families life. Funny how that happens. Sister Taylor (I don't even know her first name. She acts just like a member already) was all for it from the very first lesson pretty much. They have only missed about one Sunday since they began taking lessons. Brother Taylor received the Aaronic Priesthood two Sundays ago so that he would be able to baptize his family. They're all getting baptized on August first. It would have been sooner, but they're going to be out of town for two weeks. They're absolutely amazing! We committed them to reading the scriptures as a family every night and we went over again the next day for another lesson (we had to get all the lessons in before they left on their trip) and Harley (I LOVE Harley! She drew all of us pictures last time and we were all mermaids. And yes. It IS hanging up on our fridge back at the apartment) came running up to us "We read for an hour last night!" She then got a face that said "....was that enough?" They're truly an example of those who Heavenly Father has been preparing for a long time now to hear this Gospel. 

Sister Bishop, Downing and I are just having a blast. We laugh so much (might need to tone it down sometimes) and we certainly try to find the little things to laugh about that just kind of happen in every day mission life. They're both great missionaries who both still have desires to work pretty hard. 

I love my Savior. I've been thinking about the Atonement and how He volunteered to do what He did for us. It's frustrating sometimes how His and Heavenly Father's love for us is so difficult to comprehend. If we could even begin to understand it, the natural man would never have anything on us, because our desire to humbly follow Him would be just too great. I pray every day out here for more humility. He knows what's best, that's just a given. So I pray that I can be better at submitting to that will, whatever it entails. He really does know what is best. And how grateful I am to know that. He sees the bigger picture and He is NEVER going to lead me anywhere that's not the best for Sister Call.

One last quick thought! 2 Nephi 4:29-" Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions." We are all capable of so much. Don't justify not doing our best because of our circumstances. Take what we get, and run with it! Just happily give our all, whatever comes our way. The bad news-Heavenly Father expects us to do our best. The GOOD news-Heavenly Father only expects us to do our best. He's going to take care of the rest. 

Love y'all! Have a great week and enjoy seeing His hand in your life every day. 

Sister Call

P.S. This is the Stott family who took us to the park to watch the firework show until 11 at night on the fourth of july! (and yes. President let us be out that late. Sister Call was tired) 

Then this is everyone at the temple! On the far left are Bishop and Sister Bynum and then the far right are Patriarch Bartlett and his wife. They're in our ward! The older sister in the middle is Lois. She is SO sweet. We were afraid she had fallen asleep during the session because we thought we kept hearing snores. But nope. Everytime we looked at her, her eyes were huge and she had this big old smile on her face :)