Happy New Year

HELLO.   

I can't believe another year has come and gone. It seems like time just goes by quicker and quicker each year. It's crazy. Christmas in Georgia was absolutely one to remember. As my home in Utah was getting a white Christmas we were getting a hot and humid one. The whole week leading up to Christmas had been wet and rainy so when we got up Christmas morning, through on our warm clothes and walked out the door, we were shocked to see that it was sunny and HOT. So we had to go back in and change back into our summer clothes. Definitely not use to that.

As Sister Foster and I were trying to think of service opportunities we had the idea to text all the relief society sisters to see if they needed help wrapping presents. We had quite a few who responded and wanted us to help! It was so fun, of course our purpose for going over was to get referrals. And we had quite a few, all wanting us to give their friends and family a living Christmas card. Christmas Eve we went over to the Palmer family's home (a family in our Ward) and acted out Helaman 13-3 Nephi 1 in the Book of Mormon. I had never done that before, but it was the greatest thing. We were just laughing so hard (:

Christmas morning we headed over to Bishops home for breakfast and we were able to be there as his kids opened their presents. So fun. We actually had a TON of lessons Christmas Day. Less actives, investigators, and of course the members wanted us to come over. And of course I got to Skype my family! (S/O to my fam! Love you!) it was a perfect day, besides the humidity. I have never received so many fuzzy socks in all my life. Haha

Soooo a few little miracles this week:

1: We have been like basically out of miles and Sister Foster doesn't have a bike yet.. SO we've been walking everywhere. As we were walking to a lesson on the other side of town we see a woman jogging toward us. PERF. I love street contacting. (: so as we were about to start talking to her, she yells out to us. "Are y'all from the church of Latter-day Saints?" "Yes" "Oh good! I love you guys!" Caroline then gives us a hug and proceeds to tell us that the sisters she had been working with about a year earlier had all of a sudden stopped coming. And then she says this: " Most people say y'all are a cult, but I don't believe that. And if you are, you're the coolest cult ever!" We will be seeing Caroline later this week. If we would've had more miles we would never met her. See how Heavenly Father works?

2: We were kind of in a sketchy neighborhood, and our lesson there had just fallen through so we  decide to go tracting. As we were walking down the street we decide to just go to the homes that had mini vans (because that usually means families). By doing this we found 4 new investigators who had met with missionaries before but they had never come back to teach them... (That seems to be a theme here in Athens.) THEN. We continued to walk and this group of guys spotted us and called for us to come over. Now, normally we might have gone over, but they were drunk and smoking who knows what and so we didn't. We needed to turn around. BUT it's awkward to just turn around after they had called to us, so we spotted a home right next to us with a Christmas tree in the window. Sister Foster says "LOOK SISTER. Christmas Tree! That means nice people, right?!" Haha so we go. Dennis answers the door, we were able to teach him about the Book of Mormon. When we ask him if he would be interested in learning more he says "I'll go get the girls." He comes back with a couple women who are so excited to see us! They give us a hug right then and then asked if we could come back on Saturday so their kids could be there to learn too. Three new investigators all because we had felt uncomfortable and spotted a Christmas Tree. (:

I was able to finish the Book of Mormon again this week! I absolutely love the things we are able to learn from the Book of Mormon each new time we read it. As I've been starting over I noticed a scripture is never really notice before in 1 Nephi 18. This is when Lehi and his family are on the ship, heading to America and Nephi is bound by his brothers. There was a huge storm and after 3 days Nephi's brothers finally loosed the cords that bound him. In verse 21 it says "And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm."

I think many times we are going through storms of our own. And I love how the first thing Nephi does is pray and the storm is calmed. As we pray to our Heavenly Father and put our complete faith and trust in Him, He will help us calm our storms and we can feel the peace that we desire.

I love y'all! I hope you had a great Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year!!

Love, Sister Merritt