Hello my loved ones!!

Hello my loved ones!!

So I heard Hay started school this morning...😢 what the heck?!? Time

goes by so fast! I still feel like you just started your senior year!

(Ps I still never got any pictures from graduation...just sayin)

anywho, I hope you're all enjoying life! As for Jersey, it's FINALLY

starting to cool down here and turn into fall and I am SO excited!! I

can't wait to see all the beautiful leaves turn! Ah! Also somebody

give my Ashlyn a big Happy Birthday kiss from me this week.

So this week was pretty great. It had its ups and downs as does every

week but overall it was pretty great. And we ended the week with an

awesome Sunday. We did a lot more finding this week because we've had

to drop quite a few people simply because they aren't ready to here

the gospel yet. But I still love all these people like crazy, it's

insane. I often tell people that the best part about being a

missionary is how much you come to love people. And it really is. I

love this Ward SO much, and I love our investigators SO much. And I

always get sad when we have to stop teaching someone because they

aren't ready just because I have come to love and care for them so

much. Charity, the pure love of Christ, Christ-Like love whichever way

you prefer to say it, it truly does make the most remarkable

difference in a persons life. When you start to love and serve people

the way the Savior would, something in you changes and also in the

lives of those you serve. (Moroni 7:45-48)

And so speaking of charity and the many tender mercies of the Lord, we

have this one investigator whose name is Rick. Rick has been meeting

with missionaries for a little over a year now and he has had some

really trying times in his life. A lot of experiences that have really

tested his faith in God and made him wonder if there even is a God.

And for a while we felt that maybe we should stop teaching him, we

were torn because we cared for him so much but he also wasn't willing

to try and make much progress. So after talking to some of our leaders

and praying about it we felt that it might be time to stop teaching

him. But this week we had 4 lessons with Rick. We started a Book of

Mormon class that we have on Thursdays and usually Rick doesn't like

to come to things like that but this week HE CAME!! And trust me that

is a huge milestone for him. And when he came he enjoyed himself and

just reading from the scriptures. The next day our Bishop, Bishop

Nicholls invited us over for dinner and asked us to invite Rick to

come too. And so we did, and Rick came again! And again...that is huge

for him. And then right after dinner we had a meeting but then we had

another lesson with Rick at the church building with our Ward mission

Leader And his wife, Brother and Sister Feuz. And again even having a

lesson at the church is huge because most often he doesn't ever want

to leave the comfort of his own apartment. And this lesson was really

the make it break it lesson. We planned on inviting him to be baptized

because he have taught him almost everything the only thing is just

that he wouldn't really give us a firm commitment. And this was the

most spiritual lesson we have ever had with him, and when it finally

came time to invite him to be baptized he hesitated for a bit, but

then said "yes I am willing to work towards that." And so we have not

stopped teaching Rick, and thank goodness because none of us wanted

to. We know that the blessings that the gospel brings but we couldn't

force him to live the gospel obviously, that had to come from within

himself. And so we are still working with Rick and he will be baptized

soon!!

Also this week we had Zone Training. And we were asked by our Zone

Leaders to present some training on How To Begin Teaching found in

Preach My Gospel. And I thought "oh yeah that's no problem we can

totally train the Zone on that." Well come the next morning at Zone

Training President and Sister Anderson decided to surprise us all by

coming to our meeting! Totally unexpected and then I got all nervous

having to train everyone including President on that. But all was well

and we had a fun time. One of the best parts about Zone Training this

week though was the role play that we did. The role play that we all

had to do was ask each other questions and then we had to answer every

question using The Book of Mormon. It was such a fun role play, and I

honestly have to say that I did not realize how well I knew the

scriptures. I'm not meaning to say that in a boastful way but really

as people were asking questions immediately I could think of any

scripture and turn right to it and answer their question! And we were

challenged to use The Book of Mormon everyday. And so that's what

we've been doing! And it is truly amazing how you can seriously answer

any question with scriptures. Each time I read The Book of Mormon

though the spirit just reconfirms to me that there is no way that this

book cannot be true. I am so grateful for the scriptures and pray that

we'll all, if we haven't already begin a sincere study of the

scriptures. So that we can know our Savior and Heavenly a father more

personally.

And also yesterday at church Lisa was confirmed!!! It was another

great spiritual experience. We hadn't been able to see her this last

week because of her work schedule, and so when we saw her on Sunday we

were so excited! But this time when I saw her at church yesterday I

just stopped for a second and looked at her and I can honestly say

that there was such a drastic difference in her. She LOOKED different.

A good different of course, but there was truly a light about her.

Even just one week after her baptism she looked so different! And what

also made me so happy was yesterday when she walked into church she

didn't walk in looking for us, she walked right in and started talking

to the other members like she has been part of the Ward her whole

life. And for us that is a HUGE relief. It really is, that she is

making friends and feeling at home there in the Ward with the other

members brings joy to my heart. And when she was confirmed yesterday I

walked up to her and asked her how she felt and she said "it was

amazing, you could really feel like it. It was just like the baptism,

it was powerful." And Made sure to help her recognize that that was

the priesthood, she felt the power in it because it truly was

preformed with the power of God. I was grateful to Heavenly Father

again that He allowed us the opportunity to be her guides through this

journey.

And quickly I would just like to bear my testimony of The Book of

Mormon. I know and testify without a doubt in my mind and without any

reservation that The Book of Mormon is a true and inspired book.

Brought forth in our day for us, to help us know more of what our

Father in Heaven has planned for us and what He needs us to do in

order to return to live with him again. The more I read the Bible and

The Book of Mormon together I see just how plainly they teach the same

gospel. Just how beautifully they testify if the Savior and His

divinity. And how perfectly they compliment and testify of one

another. There is no way that any honest seeker of truth, if he

sincerely and prayerfully reads that book that you could ever tell me

that it is not true. The spirit has told me many times that it is, and

I will never be mistaken when I say that it too is the very word of

God. For everything taught therein only invites and entices to do good

to love God and to serve Him. I pray that we all will begin again and

if we have not already that we will now begin a sincere study of The

Book of Mormon and be able to gain a stronger relationship with our

Savior. He is real, He is there, He lives and He loves us.

"62 I speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and

unto those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of

invitation, saying: Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also

may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life." (Alma 5:62)

I love you all until next week!!

~Sister Amy Callaway~

A picture from Lisa's baptism last week! One from Zone Training!! One

from the MTC of Christa and I! One of my favorite members in the Ward

Sister Gunn she is from Fiji-sorry its kinda blurry though. And a

random one from the MTC--almost 9 months ago!! What the heck??