Full tires=full hearts

Well this week has been much better! No flat tires! It was so nice to go a whole week without having to change a tire. It is such a time consuming process. So the work has definitely been moving on here in the Del Campo ward. 
 
Our week started off amazing with us finding a family of 3! Donna, Alfredo, and David. They have been taught by missionaries before but for some reason they decided to stop. They were excited to see us when we first met them and were looking forward to meeting with missionaries again. 
We were also able to meet the sweetest lady in the world, Florence. We met her through her daughter in law who was outside doing lawn work while we were biking by. We came back another time to teach the daughter in law who we had talked to but she had was not there so we were able to share the message with Florence instead. She was so excited to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. She was so fascinated to hear that a prophet of God has been called again on the earth. A few days later in our next lesson with her. She told us that she had received an answer to her prayers that the Book of Mormon was true. Unfortunately she just said she didn't know if she was ready to leave her church, and commit to act on the answer she has received. She has many close friends in her church she goes to now. But she wanted to try it out and see how ours is so she showed up to church yesterday. It was amazing to see her there. Many people came up and introduced themselves to her and made her feel welcome. I pray that had an impact on her and she will have the courage to follow the answer she has received from her Father in Heaven. 

Someone special we have been able to work with this week has been Jackie Smith. She is a less active member who hasn't been in a few years. She served a mission and still has a strong testimony but she has allowed small things to keep her from coming to church and enjoying the fullness of the blessings received from the gospel. As we taught her about how important taking the sacrament is each week to be able to be cleansed and sanctified by the Holy Ghost it was so special to see that light come back in her eyes. She remembered the testimony that she had as she showed up to church yesterday and was able to partake of the sacrament. She was almost in tears as she sat next to us in the chapel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses lives.  Sometimes we forgot just how important it is and how much we may take it for granted.

Unfortunately Emily and Charles were out of town all this week so we weren't able to meet with them at all. They were taking a family vacation up to Lake Tahoe. So many people around here go there all the time and it sounds so nice. I wish I could go but it is just out of our mission boundaries. I will definitely have to take a look when I come back and visit a few years down the road. 

One of the highlights of my week was being able to have an interview with President Jardine. We have interviews with him every other transfer. It was a special experience as always. Every time you are around him you can always feel the love he has for you. He is such an amazing man, and the spirit he carries with him is so strong. The scripture he had us study for this interview was 1 Nephi 13:37 "And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be." As missionaries we are building the Lord's kingdom here on the earth. We are bringing forth Zion. But we are not laboring alone. In Jacob 5:72 In the great allegory of the olive vineyard the Lord says "And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their might; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things." The Lord has promised to labor with us in his great work. He leads us and guides us every step of the way.  

I am so grateful to have the privilege to be out here serving the Lord in Sacramento. I know this is his work we are doing. I know this is his church.  I love this Gospel. I know it's true. God lives. We have a living prophet on the earth today, just as in times past. The beautiful thing is that anyone who wants to know if these things are true must just simple read and pray about the Book of Mormon. It truly is the word of God.