I love the Priesthood!

This week has been a week of ups and downs of course!! (That's missionary work!) On Monday we saw Josephine and Jaylene, her granddaughter, and taught the Word of Wisdom.  We found out she smokes and drinks coffee and tea, but she said she'd live it and she knew God would help her!  We found out Tuesday I believe that her manager was evicting her from her house.  Josephine has been struggling with money b/c her husband is in jail and she was getting the retirement (since he's retired) wired to the joint account.  Aparently someone closed that accound and the money is getting wired to a different account that no one seems to know about.  Obviously theres some fraud going on, anyway, Josephine doesn't have a good enough income without that to pay rent, and her manager, even though Josephine has never been late on a payment, kicked her out for not paying.  It makes me really upset, and the worst part is we haven't been able to get in contact with her the last couple days, she didn't come to church yesterday, I'm just hoping and praying she's ok. 

On Thursday we went to a Relief Society meeting that was so uplifting.  Josephine as well as Melissa were both able to come.  It was a former stake presidency member, President Hjelm, and he talked about the Holy Ghost and recognizing it.  It was incredible, both Melissa and Josephine loved it.  Afterwards Josephine asked for a blessing.  President Hjelm and Bishop Thompson were able to give it to her.  It was so AMAZING, and afterwards Josephine was crying!! I wish I could portray just how truly incredible it was.

Oh man, I have to tell you about Melissa!!

Melissa is incredible.  On the door step you could say, no she said she wasn't interested, but for some reason (which we know now) the Spirit just told us to keep pushing, so we did.  After an hour or so we were in her house showing her mormon messages and other talks.  By the end she said she'd read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and come to church one time.  We knew leaving she'd do more than that and she has. 

She is so elect!! Everything we teach her, she knows is true!! Its amazing.  She asks us about things before we teach her too. For example, she came to a baptism last week and afterwards she started asking about smoking, drinking, word of wisdom stuff.  We told her we'd talk about it, then she brought it up again, and then finally as we were walking her to her apartment she said, "so I smoke and drink a little bit, do I have to stop doing that?" and so we taught a little short word of wisdom lesson, and told her we'd teach it in more depth when we came back.  When we came she told us she'd decided to slow down smoking and she had called the doctor and scheduled a time to get a nicotine patch....by herself, before we really taught her about it. 

She did the same thing with the Law of Chastity.  She lives with her boyfriend, and even after we  taught the Law of Chastity doesn't see that changing.  But, she's been talking about getting married alot the last day or so, especially because at church yesterday the Gospel Principles lesson was on Eternal Families, of course because God's timing is just PERFECT!!  She leaned over during it and said, "this is for me!"

Thats really the only thing holding her back from baptism right now.  and she has a mental disablility and she's struggling with making sure that she really wants this. 

Yesterday it was so cool! She said, "so do WE have rules about movies and music and stuff, is there stuff WE should stay away from?" I was in awe because 1. investigators don't usually just bring that up, and 2. She said we, like she was already a member, and its because she KNOWS its true!! I love being a missionary!!

Well I said I love the priesthood in my subject and thats not only because it helped Josephine, but also because I was able to get a blessing last night from Bro. Childs and Bro. Thompson in our ward, and it was so peaceful and comforting.  I love hearing, audibly, my father in heaven talking to me.  I didn't want to ask for a blessing at first because I just wanted one from my daddy, but that was impossible with me being on a mission.  But I finally realized that my dad wouldn't want me to suffer the hardships I was so I asked the next closest thing to my dad which is Brother Childs!! It was such a great and peaceful thing.

Well, you're probably tired of reading by now, and super confused, I feel like I've been all over, but hopefully something was fun for you to read :)

I'm so grateful to be out on a mission!! I miss you all so much, but honestly there is no place I'd rather be than in the Parkland ward, in the Lakewood Stake, of the WA Tacoma mission, in the great Northwest state of Washington!!! I love it so much! And I love my Heavenly Father and Savior so much as well!!!

I hope you all have amazing weeks!! 

I LOVE YOU!!!

Love,

Sister Brittany Thomas