This week has been really excellent! Lots of really random things happening...
First of all Sarah, congratulations! So proud of you :) We had a really good day on Thursday, but it had ended kind of hard. We showed up to one of my favorite investigator's home, and she was having a really huge fight with one of her family members. When she finally let us in, she was shaking and crying and kind of babbling... it was pretty scary. We calmed her down and read some scripture and the elders came over to give her a blessing, but the whole evening was just a little intense. And then I got to call home to a loving family and feel an overwhelming spirit of love and truth as Sarah opened her mission call to San Jose, California. What a contrast. I don't have words to say how grateful I am for each of you making good decisions in your life, for parents who raised us in the gospel, and that we truly love each other. Sarah, I know that your call is from God because of the strong Spirit that I felt from 2000 miles away when you opened that call. I am so excited for you and very proud :)
Friday morning started interestingly... I was making my bed and the bed frame jumped out and bit me :( It sliced through my leggings and cut an inch-and-a-half long gash in my leg near my left knee. I actually ended up having it seen by a doctor who is a member of the Palmyra ward and works next-door to the Book of Mormon publication site, where I was working later that morning. She said it definitely would have needed stitches, except that we got butterfly strips on it really well early on. I'm still not allowed to get it wet and will have the butterfly strips on for another week or so, but it should heal just fine. I'm taking good care of it :) It is healing miraculously quickly.
This week I got to meet the Ciceros. They are a really awesome family with 3 kids we are teaching and they are so sincere about wanting to learn the truth! We hadn't seen them since before I got transferred here, but they've been reading and had lots of questions. We fasted and prayed for them really hard this weekend and they all came to church! It is really wonderful to be teaching a happy, functional, honestly-seeking family. I already love them so much :)
We also taught a lady named Monique last night. She has a lot of questions and her confusion sometimes comes out as a little bit rough and even attacking, but it was a good experience overall teaching her. It feels good sometimes to stand and defend the church and it's doctrine. It definitely backed me up against my "wall of faith" and made me remember why I really do believe in all of this. And it comes down to the fact that I have received a witness for myself that it's true. It reminds me of Joseph Smith, when his mother asked him what was the matter after the first vision. He said "All is well, I know for myself." And that is really true for all of us. All will be well when we know for ourselves.
I've had some really neat experiences in the last couple of weeks touring the Tomlinson Inn, the Young Farm, seeing the Palmyra cemetary and Oliver Cowdery's schoolhouse, and getting an in-depth tour of the Smith frame home and the Hill Cumorah. Rand Packer was here to talk about Willard and Rebecca Bean, and I was able to read his book "A Lion and A Lamb." We took our investigator Christine to the visitor's center this week and watched the Joseph Smith video with her and listened to the Christus recording. All of it has really increased my love for this gospel and for those who sacrificed so it could be restored. "I know for myself" that Joseph Smith is God's chosen prophet to restore the fulness of Jesus Christ's gospel and His church. I love the Smith family and Joseph's friends who made it all possible. That love is making it easier and more joyous to take tours and to proselyte, and overall to testify of my Savior and the coming forth of His saving gospel. I love Him, and I love the happiness and peace that comes only through the first principles and ordinances performed by His sacred authority.
Hope everything is going well with the family. I love you all soso much!
Love,
Sister Schank
