I Feel Honored to Represent Jesus Christ

Transfer 1..... Check. 

I am going to miss Sister Hernes.  She was a great trainer!

We had move calls last night and.....  I AM STAYING IN LEIGHTON BUZZARD AND AYELSBURY!!!!!!!! AND SISTER HERNES IS.................. going to Norwich............... 0_o. 

I am way stoked for her though because Norwich is really cool I hear! But oh my goodness, this means that I am going to be the one that has to know the area and be able to figure out how in the world to work the train system here and not to mention that we will probably end up being stuck outside our flat all night because we have an old fashioned lock and key and Sister Hernes is the only one that can open the door and I haven't learned the trick yet........................ great.................

But all is well:) I am sure going to miss Sister Hernes though. She has been such an amazing trainer and I love her so much. We have definitely had some fun memories and laughs:) 

You are probably all wondering who my new companion will be... well at this point, I know just as much as you do. Her name is Sister Barbosa... yes like Captain Barbosa from Pirates... and she is from Spain and speaks Spanish! How much English does she know? I have no idea. How long has she been out? I have no idea. 

One thing I do know, is that this transfer I am going to have to step it up and I can no longer rely on my trainer anymore. I am excited for the challenge!!! I know that God will make up for the weaknesses that I have. The next 6 weeks will be a time of learning and growth. I CAN'T WAIT!!!! AND I AM SO GLAD I AM STAYING BECAUSE I LOVE IT HERE!!!! Oh and Elder Wentzel is being transferred to Norwich too! Bitter sweet. 

At Shannon's baptism

This week could NOT have gone any better. The transfer could NOT have ended more perfectly because....... SHANNON WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!!!! 

You are probably all wondering who in the world Shannon is... well let me tell yah. She is one of the Elder's investigators and she moved here from Saudi Arabia 3 weeks ago to be a nanny for a family and she met the Elders in the street 2 days after she moved here. She then read the whole entire Book of Mormon in 2 DAYS. Yup. 2 days. I think the first time I read it it took me like 8 months or something.... And in the 3 weeks that she was meeting with the Elders she has read it 3 times.... yup not even joking.

Sister Ranck, Shannon, Sister Hernes, and Vida

Even though the Elders were teaching her, Sister Hernes and I got to know her really well at church and at relief society activities and such. She is probably one of the greatest human beings I have ever met. I have never seen someone so happy and so strong. The gospel came at the perfect time in her life. Her brother passed away 4 days before her baptism and she has said so many times how grateful that she is to the Elders for stopping her and teaching her about the Plan of Salvation. She finds a lot of comfort in that. 

Her baptism was amazing. She was so happy and it was her birthday too!!! She we got to celebrate her birth but also her rebirth:) She seriously is so incredible and I am so grateful that I have gotten to know her!!!! 

GET THIS. She is a nanny right and she works with another lady named Vida, and she told us that Vida wants to start learning more as well because Shannon has told her about it, except she doesn't want to meet with boys, she wants to meet with girls.... HECK YEAH. SISTER POWER. ha. 

Fufu - a Ghanian dish that is REALLY spicy

But okay VIDA IS AMAZING. She is from Ghana!!! And she has such a strong faith in God and reads the Bible every day and is seriously AMAZING!!! She is on date to be baptized on the 18th of April!!!!! WOOO. I love missionary work. 

After our first meeting with her, she was like, "wow you get to work for Jesus!" UMM YEAH WE DO AND IT IS THE GREATEST CALLING IN THE WORLD.

We taught her yesterday and then the Elders came over with Shannon afterwords and we had Fufu for lunch... for those of you who don't know what that is... it is a Ghanian dish that is really spicy. People in Ghana eat it all the time.... like Vida's brother for example eats it 3 meals a day. I thought it was weird... haha. But it was fun being with the Elders and with Shannon and Vida!!! 

I truly am a blessed missionary.

Sister Ranck, Sister Hernes, Elder Wentzel, and Elder Kendall

I feel like I am no longer just one person.... cause every time someone asks me, "how are you?" My response is always, "WE are great." hahaha I don't know why, but it just happens. haha Everything is "we" now. 

FUNNY STORY. Well I don't know if you will think it is funny, but I thought it was hilarious. 

So we had a lesson with an investigator this week who is the strongest atheist I have EVER known. Like he does not see ANY PROOF whatsoever that there is a God. He says that the only way that he will believe is if he sees a miracle himself that cannot be explained by science. Like for example if he sees someone walk on water, or an amputees arm grows back or something. It is so sad. Miracles are a response to faith. Without faith, you will never see miracles. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT. 

You know the phrase, "the faith to move mountains...."......... Faith is a real power. So my question for you is, how do you get that kind of faith? 

Something to think about.

OH YEAH THE FUNNY STORY. 

Okay so we are teaching this atheist and he has a REAL problem with praying. So we have this commitment pattern we use when we teach... first you testify of something, then you commit them to live it or read something or whatever, then you promise blessings. 

So we testified of the Book of Mormon and prayer, then extended the invitation.... "Will you read and pray about the book of Mormon?" His response.... "I will read it but I won't pray about it....." Then Sister Hernes said..... "Well, I promise that you will not get an answer." Okay that doesn't sound funny when I type it but Sister Hernes and I both just started laughing so hard and I promise it was super funny if you were there!!!!!!

It is so sad though.. he has come to the conclusion that he WILL NOT pray because he thinks that if you try hard enough to believe anything, you will. Then he asked us if we would do something ridiculous.... that is along story, but his point was, that he won't do what we ask him to do unless we do what he asks us to do. Then I realized something very powerful about my calling as a missionary as I said,

"I am not asking you to do anything. I have been called by God to represent His son Jesus Christ. I am one of God's messengers on the earth. It is NOT me asking you to pray, it is God."

That moment spoke so strongly to me about the power of my calling. I am a representative of the

greatest man to EVER live..... Jesus Christ.

This moment reminded me of a quote I love by Bruce R. Mckonkie...

"I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master and He has chosen me to represent Him to stand in his place, to say and do what he Himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people whom He has sent me to serve.  My voice is His voice, and my acts are His acts; my words are His words, and my doctrine is His doctrine. My commission is to do what He wants done; to say what He wants said; to be a living modern witness in word and in deed of the divinity of His great and marvelous latter-day work. How great is my calling."

How great is my calling.

I feel honored to represent Jesus Christ. He is my Savior. He is my best friend. He is everything to me. I love him.

Especially this Easter Season, may we all remember the life of Jesus Christ, and strive to build a more personal relationship with our Savior.

I can testify that I know He knows each of you. He knows each of you by name. He knows your thoughts. He knows your struggles. He knows your feelings. Your name passed through His head when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He suffered for you so you don't have to do it alone. YOU ARE NEVER ALONE. I can testify of that.

Alma 7:11-13

Thank you for all of the love and prayers!!!! 

ONWARD AND UPWARD.

Sister Sara Ranck