Week 18 - November 9

 "I thought you were homeschooling her"

Yeah, two guys asked if I was homeschooling my companion the other day at Barnes and Noble haha.

Nope, we were just trying to make a baptismal plan for our girl...RANI!

Rani is getting baptized on the 17th! 

What an angel and miracle she is. We have been teaching her all the lessons through video and text because that is how busy she is with work. As of now she is on track to get baptized, but she still needs the prayers!!! She is such a spiritually intune person and is still praying to get the confirmation that this is God's will for her. But wow, I wish you all could meet her. I am so inspired each day from the faith she has! 

Imagine being abandoned by your family members because you believe in God and Jesus Christ. Imagine choosing to leave behind even your husband for it. That is how converted Rani is to Jesus Christ. She about lit up when we asked her if the 17th works, because that is the number of the day she was born on, and the day her daughter passed away. Her daughter was our age when she passed. I have full confidence her daughter has now accepted the gospel and is working as an angel in her mother's life along side us. God is in the details.

TOP 7 THINGS TO SUM UP THE WEEK: 

☆ Sister Caraway and I gave a referral training in front of the entire mission!

☆ Saw my mom, Sister Henry!

☆ Met the COOLEST dude named John who is here for school from Colorado. He had so many questions about our church and he came on Sunday!

☆ Ran into the sisters' friend, Joy, who used to be on baptism date.

☆ Weekly lessons with Yorel. the previous sisters found her while knocking, and she used to be a member! She is slowly coming back to the church and is trying to get her two sons to come. Seeing how the Gospel is blessing her life has been incredible to watch.

☆ Had some funny member meals with the Matthews and the Lays. I love the ward members.

☆ Our mission is locking in apparently--no more Messenger and no more music in the car.

There were definitely some hard parts to this week. I think God is trying to teach me patience and stillness. I also experienced a few crashouts you could say. But I noticed as I immediately decided to submit myself to the work, God delivered! So many people were put in our path! Just remember when you hit rock bottom, that means something good is coming. He always delivers!

THOUGHT:

I absolutely love talking with people. Which is not something you would hear me say growing up. But now, I find so much purpose and joy in it! When I am not talking to people, I feel so down! So here is your reminder, if you need some purpose and fulfillment in your life, go talk to people! A family member, a friend, or heck, a stranger at a gas station. The moment you forget yourself and look for the need of someone else, I promise you will begin to feel so much joy!!! Crazy how God has turned my least favorite thing into my favorite thing - talking with people. Even if half the time I'm getting rejected lol. But my point is, I know he can do the same for you: turn something that you don't enjoy doing to something you do, as you work on it!

Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Week 17 - Nov. 1

 How is it already November???

Howdy! Hope you all had a happy Halloween!!! Send me a pic of your costumes...here was mine!

Besides my comp and I dressing up as "Wicked," here are some other fun things that happened!

️ took a flic in front of the iconic Alabama sign that I have been dreaming of seeing my whole mission

️ tried the Circle K Dr. Pepper hotdog (don't recommend)

️ met with Sister Galland to plan and film a fun Christmas project for the mission

️ Pilates in the morning with the Alabaster sisters

️ one last ice cream run with the Stansfields!

️ dinner with my young women's leader old young women's leader...full circle moment and kinda fun...I get to serve in the area she grew up in

️ got bashed by a lady at Panera Bread yayyy

Updates on our friends: We met some cool people this week but we still need people to teach! We do talk with Rani every day and she is absolutely amazing. She is still trying to get confirmation that baptism is right for her; pray for her and also for her crazy busy work schedule that she won't have to work on Sundays!

Miracle of the week was meeting our friend Tracy! We were at the library on Thursday and this lady kept sticking out to me every time we walked past her. So we go up to her and introduce ourselves as missionaries for Jesus Christ. Immediately the realization hit and she starts crying! She knew right away God sent us to her. Because of her faith and recognizing we were put in her path for a reason, she agreed to do a church tour and come to church! She lives 40 minutes away but still came to the church both days! All because she recognized the miracle of God's hand earlier in her week and then that day when she met us. I was inspired by the faith that she had that we were put in her path for a reason. Pray for her! Oh, and she loved church by the way. Sad news is that we are gonna have to pass her off to the Bessemer Elders because she lives in their area. I am so grateful for that experience though and that I have the opportunity to be an earthly angel for God's children here in Alabama! It's not often that all of them recognize that God sent us to them, but when they do, oh how special it is.

Before I sign off, I want to leave you with some banger talks that Sister Caraway and I listened to this week. They are SO GOOD.

- If you need some entertainment and want to learn more about the plan of salvation...this one will change your life. Most entertaining thing I did all week was listen to this: 'Life is a Football Game' by Troy Dunn

- If you are looking to slow down and find peace...this one is also a banger: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/patrick-kearon/peace-and-rest-even-now/

I hope you all have an amazing week! Also if you send me something on Messenger and I don't respond, well it's because we are no longer using it. If you wanna chat, shoot me an email or download Google Chats.

Love you guys!!!

Sister Ekins ♡♡♡

Week 17 - October 26

THE LORD IS PREPARING HIS CHILDREN

Wow, this week was filled with miracles straight from God himself. If you want to read about more about this then continue reading to the end! Basically, our friend Rani is the GOAT and heaven sent. ️

Buuuut how are ya'll doing?!?! I'm gonna share my weekly highs and lows, but I would love also to hear yours! Hit me up with those emails!

HIGHS

︎ a lot of laughing this week! #laughterismedicine #laughmoreitsnotthatdeep

︎ fire lesson outside of Sam's Club with our friend Trinity and member Jaxson. I was sitting on a giant shopping cart!

︎ ward trunk or treat...got to judge the chili's!

︎ filmed refferal ads with other missionaries in the zone. With that also came a lot of editing, but I love this new calling, it's so fun!!!

︎the weather is quite perfect here! I love fall in Alabama!!!!! I actually just really love Alabama in general. Ya'll need to come visit, it's gorgeous.

︎hit a six-week high for goals in this area! 

LOWS

︎president is banning messenger! (Secretly, I am really grateful for this.) It's caused a big distraction in missionary work, so we are going to start using only Google Chats! Sorry for all you guys that I communicate with on messenger; I will now only be able to write to you through email!

︎went knocking and almost got flashed by an old man wearing the tiniest shorts you ever did see!

︎still trying to find more friends to teach!! if you know anyone in this area that needs the Gospel, lmk!

In summary, Sister Caraway and I are cookin it up and having a blast here in Hoover. #blessed

MIRACLE TIME

I wrote about Rani last Sunday but more happened this week, so here we go! On Tuesday, we had a lesson with her and asked her how praying about the Godhead went. She showed us a page full of notes and scripture references, and said she prayed and got the clear impression that they are three district beings. (Mind you, she was raised Hindu her whole life until six years ago when she became Christian). This was big stuff!! Fast forward to Sunday...we were worried she wouldn't be at church because she didn't confirm and she works crazy hours all week and barely even has time to come to church. But sure enough, she pulled through and made it just in time for the Sacrament. She said the spirit told her she needed to get out of bed and go! And another miracle...Sister Galland, my mission president's wife, was at our ward, so Rani got to sit right beside her and talk with her. After the meeting, Rani said how happy she was because the closing song was "His Eye is on the Sparrow," and she played that song for her online class devotional last week; it was like God was winking at her! 

We then had a lesson with her and Brother Lim after Sacrament meeting and WOWOWOW. You guys! Basically, she talked to us for an hour about her life story and the experiences she has been having with God and the Gospel through dreams and visions. God has been preparing her for the past 20 years with these dreams!! As she was explaining them, we, and Brother Lim, are just looking at each other in shock and amazement because she was literally explaining the spirit world, kingdoms of glory, the temple, Jesus Christ, and the covenant path. She doesn't fully realize it, but she is starting to connect the dots that her dreams are literally visions sent from God about the restored truths we believe in! Wow! It was the most special craziest thing I have witnessed. 

As we taught about the temple, she was so excited because she is the only Christian in her family, and she has a whole lineage of family members who are waiting in the spirit world to have the Gospel taught to them and have their ordinances performed. She also had a dream about that. Anywho, I told her that she needs to be a member to enter into the temple. She goes, "How do I become a member?" We told her she needs to get baptized! We extended the invitation for her to pray about baptism and she is really excited! Pray for her!!! She has already been baptized but as we explained the difference of baptism in our church, she is starting to understand and really wants this for herself. She just needs confirmation from God. 

I just love her, and she is perfect. She said how connected she feels to us because her daughter who passed away was 19. Also, at the beginning of this month she was praying for God to send her someone to bring her closer to him. She told us we are her angels. 

She is living proof that God is preparing his people. He is giving them experiences with the spirit!!! Now is the time for us to find them and them to find us! Pray for these people.

I was reading in Alma 16:16-17 last week praying that this would come to life. 

"And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming—

That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God."

And lo and behold, God gifted us Rani!

ISN'T GOD JUST THE COOLEST?!! Wow, I love this Gospel so much. 

Love you all so much,

Sister Ekins ♡♡♡