Hermana Mary DeWitt: Sunday: A Day Of Miracles!!!

We met with Mariola last Tuesday and she read 3 Nephi 11 (Christ's appearance to the Nephites) and she LOVED it! She had lots of questions about how it worked with Christ coming to the other side of the world after His Resurrection, but she finally figured it out once we showed her the world map and explained where the Bible and the Book of Mormon take place! We went back on Thursday to talk about the following chapters, but she had been SO busy with work and family that she hadn't been able to read. She said she was really low on energy, so we promised her that if she kept reading the Book of Mormon, the Lord would give her the energy she needs throughout the day!

We put Fabiola on date for baptism!!! We're still working out exactly which day will be best (she's struggling with some health issues and lack of family support), so any prayers for her would be SUPER helpful! She still hadn't come to church, so we emphasized the importance of her coming to church so that she can feel more spiritually prepared for her baptism!

On Thursday, we had an awesome lesson with Xochitl and her family (the ones we put on date last week!) with Sister Marler and her daughter Taryn! It was so amazing to have them there and to see those friendships form almost instantly! And Xochitl is SO prepared for baptism - we talked about the Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity, Honoring and Obeying the Law, Following the Prophet, and she doesn't have any problems with ANY of those things! The Lord has prepared her and her kids SO much! They also hadn't been to church at all, so we emphasized that they needed to come to church in order to be baptized!

On Friday, we went by the Acostas (in-active family in the ward) and talked with Hermana Acosta for a little bit about church and how we really need them to come to church so that they can meet and help all of the people we're teaching and getting ready to baptize! She said she would talk to Hermano Acosta and see if they could come!

SUNDAY: we went to Fabiola's house early so we could get her a ride to church (because she can't drive!) - Sister Marler came and picked her up, which was such a miracle! We followed Sister Marler all the way to the church, got inside, and saw Xochitl, Evalet, Jennyvive, and Ethan ALL sitting there, in their Sunday best! Sister Marler and Taryn went to sit by them (they're AMAZING!) and we sat with Fabiola in the back so we could translate for her (Xochitl and her kids are all fluent in both Spanish and English so they didn't need translation). During the meeting, I looked around and realized that the ENTIRE Acosta family was there - all 4 of them! We were SO excited! After Sacrament Meeting, we introduced Fabiola, Xochitl, and Hermana Acosta to each other, which was super good! (turns out, Xochitl and Hermana Acosta knew each other from their hometown!)

They all stayed for 2nd hour (Ethan and Jennyvive went to Primary) and Fabiola and Xochitl LOVED the presentation they did for the Youth Programs! Xochitl started crying and told us about how grateful she is that the Church cares so much about the children and youth! Afterwards, Ethan and Jennyvive came bouncing into the chapel, SO excited about all the new friends they made in Singing Time! I'm so grateful for the Lord's help in giving our friends a good first experience at church!

In my personal studies this week, I was studying in the Topical Guide: Jesus Christ, Lord - here's an excerpt from Wednesday:

TG: Jesus Christ, Lord

3 Nephi 1:12-13 - "And it came to pass that [Nephi] cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying: Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand."

---Nephi received this revelation because he was "crying mightily" unto the Lord - I think I can do better at making my personal prayers more heartfelt and meaningful - to really cry unto the Lord!

Throughout the rest of this week, I've really tried to make my personal prayers more of a "cry" unto the Lord, and this week we saw amazing miracles! This week, I invite each of you to do the same - to make your personal prayers more earnest, heartfelt, and meaningful. I promise that you'll see miracles big and small throughout the week - I know I did!

Love you all and have an amazing week!!