Cupcakes, Exchanges and Miracles upon Miracles

Mom and Dad,

This week we had some wonderful exchanges! 

I had such a great day on exchange with Sister Morrison. We were in the MTC together. I haven't had the opportunity to spend much time around her since, so it was really great to see how she works. 

Sister Morrison and me at the MTC

We had a great day and talked to some wonderful people! We talked to some people that we probably wouldn't have come across in any other circumstances. 

We worked on giving out a certain number of copies of the Book of Mormon, and it was a great experience. We tried to give one to everyone we talked to. Honestly, I have never been rejected so many times while trying to give out a Book of Mormon, but it was a great experience to try to introduce it to everyone we talked to. I kind of felt that the rejection showed how hard we were trying. Overall, was a great and miraculous day! 

I was really impressed with Sister Morrison! There is something about her that is just captivating. It is the way she is so friendly and connects with people, and also how simply she explains things, that just naturally makes people want to talk to her. That is a gift, and I was able to see that all day with her. 

 

I was also really impressed with how much love she has for her companion Sister De Vries. She is so patient with her and it was great to see! We honestly have so much in common, so it was great to spend a whole day together!

Sister Morrison!

It was also such a blessing to go on exchange with Sister Karatassos! She has only been out on her mission for a few weeks, but she is doing incredibly well! I could tell that she already knew the Restoration really well and she wasn't afraid to share it! She has a wonderful, quiet confidence about her. She know her stuff and knows the gospel, but it doesn't come off as arrogant or overbearing at all. She has such a sincere desire and loves to share the gospel.

We had such a great day together. We worked on extending invitations to everyone we met, and she did so well! She passed out 2 copies of the Book of Mormon in the first 20 minutes we were out. She was incredible! She said that it was her first time ever giving one out, but I never would have never guessed. This sister is a natural! I was really impressed with how well she is doing for only being out for a short while! She is already such a great missionary, so I just can't wait to see what she will be like in a few months! She is on fire and has such great potential!

 

Sister Karatassos. Do you just love our matching outfits?

Sister Snow and I both stayed in these sisters' areas for the exchanges, so we were away from our areas for two whole days, but when we came back we saw so many miracles! It really was Heavenly Father going out of His way to bless us for the work that we did in these sisters' areas. The morning after we got home we met a man while we were out exercising. We were just coming back to our apartment and he was out walking his dog. He yelled to us "Hey, are you girls Mormons? I want a Bible." We told him that yes, we were Mormon missionaries, and we found out that he had been wanting a copy of the Book of Mormon.

Even though it was about 6:50am and we were in our exercise clothes, he said that there was something about us and he knew that we were the missionaries. We immediately went over to our car and pulled out a Book of Mormon to give him. We taught him about it, and a little of the Restoration, and invited him to church on Sunday. That man came out of nowhere and was an absolute blessing from God!

At our Youmg Women cupcake activity!

 That same day we had an activity with the young women of the ward! I taught a cupcake decorating class and we talked to them about missionary work. After a while, while I was demonstrating the cupcake decorating, Sister Snow started talking to the girls and sharing mission stories. One of the girls invited her non-member friend. Sister Snow talked to this friend about the Book of Mormon and ended up giving her one. She is now a new investigator and is excited to start meeting with us! Her member friend has been such a great example to her and has already shared verses from the Book of Mormon with her. That was another miracle!

All the cakes from the cupcake decorating class.
Didn't these young women do a great job!

Our investigators M and L are doing so well, and they are ready for their baptism next Monday! We had a lesson with them at M's cousins' house, and it was incredible! We taught about baptism, and the members there shared such powerful testimonies. They are truly so excited for their baptism! We also taught them about the priesthood, temple work, and eternal families while they were at the church for their baptismal interviews. They both were so excited to hear more about the temple and how their family can be together forever!

The lesson during their baptismal interviews was really cool because we decided to teach the lesson to one while the other was being interviewed, and then we switched. Our Zone Leaders and our District Leader's companion were there, so we were able to have their help and had all 5 missionaries teach the lesson. That was such a powerful experience! Sister Snow and I taught, but we had input from the other missionaries. At the end, while we were waiting for one of the interviews to finish, we had all the elders bear their testimonies about how the temple and priesthood has blessed their families. That was incredible, and it is something that I will never forget! They are the sweetest family and I can't wait for their baptism next week.

At the stake Pioneer Day activity we saw this truck in the parking
lot of the church. Only a Mormon would start up this company :)

We had so many other great lessons this week! We were able to meet with our investigators J and B and read the Book of Mormon with them. J is currently recovering from surgery, so he is having a bit of a rough time right now. We read the introductory pages of the Book of Mormon with them and they both absolutely loved it! B has always been along for the ride during the lessons, and is still working on having a desire to be baptized. They loved reading the Book of Mormon and she kept making comments like "Wow, really?" and "That is so interesting!" while we were reading. Her heart is really softening! They both also came to our stake Pioneer Day celebration this weekend, and they loved it! 

We also had such a great lesson with a less-active woman, and we actually had another less-active woman come with us to the lesson! It was great. You could tell that the woman who came with us was so excited to be a missionary to her friend and share what she knows! 

We also were able to teach the Restoration to a Hindu man, and that was fascinating. We shared with him what we believe, and how it can help his family, and he shared with us the basis of his Hindu beliefs.

Melia Street here in Simi Valley

Overall, it was another fantastic week here in Simi Valley! So many great things are happening here! Sister Snow and I are working really well together and are still getting this Sister Training Leader thing figured out!

So Much Love,

Sister Mason