Today has been incredible!! I got to go to the Denver temple with five other amazing Sisters, and it was so empowering and uplifting. What an experience to get to attend the temple as a set apart servant of the Lord! The Spirit is so tangible there, and I really was able to forget about the cares of the world and see things with an Eternal perspective. I know that I was created with my own purpose which I am here to fulfill, and I plan on continuing to strive to fulfill that purpose.
We have seen so many incredible miracles this week! On Wednesday we had some time between an appointment and dinner, so we decided to go tracting in the apartment complex where we would be eating. We prayed and started at the building on the edge, but it just didn't feel right. I said, "Sister Johnson, why don't we try building 4." She replied, "Are you inspired, Sister?" I wasn't exactly sure, but I said, "I don't know-I guess we'll find out!" So we went to building 4. We had about twenty-twenty five minutes before dinner. We started knocking, and of course, got rejected a few times. But guess what else happened? We found three residents with potential investigators, we gave away a Book of Mormon, set up a return appointment with one, and gave out some pamphlets to other people! On top of that, Sister Johnson did here little door approach to one lady, and she said, "Oh, I'm LDS."....!! What??!! It turns out that she had just moved here, and her records hadn't gotten transferred yet. We got to teach her a lesson a couple days later and found out she had been less active for a year or two. We invited her to church, and guess what?! She came!! And so did another less active we just started working with!!
On Saturday, we tried to visit a less active, Marie Meier, and she wasn't home (which is actually pretty typical... :)) As we were walking away, I thought of what my Sister Training Leader, Sister Rosier, told me. She said that a lot of missionaries have had success with tracting or finding around the houses for which they had planned to visit people, but who turned out not to be home. I immediately thought of Renee, a former investigator I had in January or December. They hadn't seemed interested or ready to make changes at all in their lives at the time, so we stopped teaching them. I battled within myself because I was just having one of those days--appointments fell through, people weren't home--one of those days. I decided to do it though-to knock on her door and see what happened. It turned out to be incredible! She was so happy and excited to see us and said she definitely wanted us to come by next week....!!! :D
If these experiences aren't miracles, I don't know what is. The work is hastening, and I am ready to be onboard. I hope and pray that all of you are, too. This work is so much bigger than us, but with God's help, I know that all things are possible.
I hope you all experience miracles this week-I know you will.
Love,
Sister Budge