Laurel's Missionary Journey

All, This week has been a long one! We continue to be blessed beyond measure here in Madison Florida. We have had so many opportunities to share the Gospel, and there have been so many times that I have seen the Hand of the Lord leading and guiding us in his work. We recently started teaching a man named Shaun Davis, who has had a very difficult past. He wants to change his life for the better and find eternal happiness, and we were so excited to be able to share with him the hope that the Savior brings. He is in his 40s, and has had multiple strokes. It is sometimes very hard to understand what he is saying, but the Spirit doesn't need any translating. Speaking of being hard to understand, our lessons with Mario continue to be a source of great joy. This past week we decided to do a lesson focused entirely on the Atoning Sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. We talked about how the Savior gave us the blessings of being cleaned, being strengthened, and being comforted. That is th...

Hello all! This week has been a difficult one. I have felt very discouraged. But the Lord is my Salvation always, and I know in whom I have trusted. The Savior truly is the center of this great work, and the only reason that we can make it through. Without him we would all be lost, but in his love we are all found. We have a new investigator, David, who saw us at the library about a week ago, felt something stir within him, and he looked up the church online. He requested that the missionaries contact him, and when we called him that night to invite him to church, he told us he was already planning on coming. We have taught him twice, and he accepted the invitation to be baptized already. His baptismal date is set for July 29th, and we are very excited to be able to help him on his journey to come unto Christ. I appreciate all of your prayers on my behalf. With the help of the Lord I will be able to do all things. Sorry I don't have any pictures this week, I accidentally le...

I have now been a missionary for a whole month, which is beyond strange. I cannot comprehend in my mind how quickly time is passing, and yet how slowly it goes at the same time. This week has been the busiest week of my entire life. I want you all to know that it rains more in one day here than it did in months back home. Just on Monday it rained so much that our entire trash can was completely full. We were so wet that we decided the only solution was to dance in the rain, which I am sure surprises none of you. Oh Thursday we had a half-mission conference. I met so many amazing missionaries, and we were honored to hear Elder Useda of the Seventy Speak to us about the importance of our work. It was such a spiritually uplifting experience, and I can barely describe the joy that I felt listening to his words. After the conference was over, he had interviews with a few of the missionaries, and I was lucky enough to get to meet with him. (Because I am one of the new missionaries.) He asked...

I am beyond joyous to be out in the field serving the Lord! I am currently serving in Madison Florida, a tiny little town about an hour outside of Tallahassee. This place is absolutely gorgeous, and the members in our little branch are incredibly welcoming. Every morning we go and exercise next to a little lake in town, and everyone that we talk to is very kind and courteous. I am beyond blessed to be here with these children of God. My trainer's name is Sister Hulstine, and she is one of the best people it has ever been my pleasure to meet. She is kind and intelligent, and the way she interacts with everyone is very inspiring to me. She is from California and went to school at BYUI for two years before coming out into the field. She makes me laugh, taught me how to make tostadas, and brings me closer to Christ everyday. We have a baptism coming up this Saturday! One of our investigators, James, has been working to be baptized on this Saturday at 11. We pray that he will be abl...