This week honestly proved to me that the Lord loves me soooooo much. I had so many wonderful things happen to me that I am just bursting with joy!
The first one, I got to go on exchanges with my trainer Sis. Scott!! It was so fun! It honestly felt like a little slice of home. We had so much fun together and we got to catch up on everything. It was fantastic. I didn't want the exchange to ever end.
The second one was honestly the main reason I am here in St. Louis. It truly has solidified to me that the prophet is supremely inspired on where we need to go. I have made so many connections here it is insane. But, this is the most insane of them all!! For those of you who don,t know, My Grandpa Bailey joined the Church here in St. Louis. He played for the NFL Cardinals when they were here and he helped build the stake center nearest the temple. So, when I got called to St. Louis, my family was so excited. So, We went to a family in our ward named the Oscarsons for lunch this week. Background- Brother Oscarson was the Stake President when the temple was built here, the mission Pres of the Stockholm Sweden mission, and his sister-in-law is Bonnie Oscarson the YW General Pres. So, anyways, they are an awesome family who have been living here forever!! I was asking them what was the stake center nearest to the temple when the temple was being built (because apparently our ward building is the nearest stake center to the temple currently but our building is fairly new). I told them it was because my Grandpa was converted here and helped build the stake center. They asked who my grandpa was and I told them "Monk Bailey" and THEY KNOW HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They were friends with my Grandpa when he lived in St. Louis forty-five years ago! They actually knew my dad when he was a little boy. I also found out that Larry Wilson's (Larry Wilson is an old NFL Cardinals player who is beloved by St Louis and was instrumental in helping my Grandpa join the church) ex-wife is in our ward and I talked to her as well. She actually knew my Grandpa and Grandma when they were all in college in Utah. I literally cried when I found all of this out. The Lord places us where we need to be for a reason. Before I left on my mission, my dad said he felt like I was coming back here to pay back the people who helped my Grandpa join the church. Being here, I feel like that is totally true.
With all of that and Women's General Conference, life was amazing this week. There is literally no other place I would rather be!!
I also want to share a training that one of our Zone Leaders shared this week. So with our investigators, most of them know the Church is true, they just have a hard time committing or there is some small detail that is holding them back. This training really struck me and I totally used it in a lesson. It's in Matthew 13:45-46 about the merchant who is seeking good pearls. Basically what our Zone Leader pointed out is that we are all seeking good pearls, whether is be good morals/standards, uplifting messages/music, etc. but when we find the Pearl of Great Price we need to be willing to sacrifice all that we have for it. And the Pearl of Great Price is the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to teach and show people the importance of the gospel and emphasize that we need to be willing to give all that we have to obtain the blessings we receive from the Restored Gospel. That is something that I have been trying to focus on myself and help those that we teach realize as well!
All in all, this week couldn't have gotten any better! We had Pres. Interviews this week and he gave Sis. Williams and I permission to go to the temple on the 12th!!!!!! I can't believe today is my 8 month mark! I am almost halfway done and I feel like I just got here. The Church is sooo true and I LOVE being a missionary. I couldnt imagine anything more rewarding!
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