Miracles - Too Many to Even Count

Jesus Raises Jairus's Daughter

Miracles.

That is the word to define my week.

Did I see somebody raised from the dead? 

No.

Did I see somebody miraculously be healed?

No.

Did I see God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ?

I wish. 

Did I see miracles?

Too many to even count.

Plans falling through so we could be lead to somebody else, randomly sitting by somebody on the bus and they turn out to be a less active, someone talking to us for 2 hours.. literally 2 hours... in the street asking us all these questions about the Book of Mormon even though we had an appointment, so we ended up going to the appointment later that night and we ended up meeting this guys brother and sister who are really interested... Yup. Those are the kind of miracles we saw. Plus countless others. It truly amazes me how much God is in the details of His great work.

So on Wednesday nights we have correlation with the Ward Mission Leader where we talk about our investigators and the ward and different things. This week we walked with the elders to correlation, because Elder Kendall and Elder Wentzel are serving in Aylesbury and we are in the same ward, so as we were walking we decided to knock on a few doors. The first one this guy opened and we sang I am a Child of God.... yeah he doesn't believe in God and that didn't go over too well.... 

Then the next one Elder Kendall knocked on the door and said to us, "watch this." Uhh okay... So a lady answered and he said, "Hi we are the local missionaries for our church and we were just wondering... do you want to be baptised?"

...................She said no.......................

Well, that's one way to do a door approach...... Oh Elders.......

Sister Hernes and Sister Ranck

As a missionary you have a very special gift of remembering names.. I don't know how I do it. But I can remember almost everyones name that I talk to. Ask me in a month and I probably won't..... It truly is amazing.

Here is some information to get to know Sister Hernes! She loves to sing. haha she is always singing! We get along really well and she is actually younger than me. She will turn 20 at the end of this year.  Also, she is amazing. I am very blessed to have her as my trainer. 

Oh guess what..... HAPPY ONE MONTH TO ME. I am no longer a baby. I am probably about 4 years old in mission years.... Boy has it gone by fast. I feel like yesterday I just left. Literally I can't believe how fast time flies.

So we are helping this recent convert prepare for the temple and he is like 84 or so, so we were teaching him about what we do in the temple and how we can be sealed together as families, and he looks at us and says..... "I want to be cremated...." No joke. The most random thing ever and Sister Hernes and I just look at each other and are like uhhhhhh brilliant whatever you want! And we couldn't help ourself but just laugh about it and it was seriously just so funny because he was so serious and it was so random and yeah. .............I promise if you were there it would be funny too........

Thanks Dad for sending me a rubix cube this week..... God bless you. Those are my favorite things ever. No joke.

Question: What do you think people would do if I stood up in town center and yelled, "Repent! Repent! All ye ends of the earth!" Like they used to in the olden days. I really want to sometime...... JK I'm too chicken.

Guess what. I have something I need to tell you all.... I went to a Baptist church last night... I decided that Mormon is no longer for me.....

Brother and Sister Richardson from the Aylesbury ward

haha JOKE. I'm funny. But I really did go to a Baptist church... that was completely the truth. Why you ask? Well you see we have a neighbor who is a baptist. He is an old guy named Bill and he is soo cute! He told us if we go to his church he will come to ours. Brilliant idea! So yes I went to a baptist church!!!! Did I feel the Spirit there? Yes. The Spirit testifies of truth. Do they have portions of the truth? Of course they do! They talked about Jesus Christ! 

Being there made me really appreciate even more how blessed we are to have the RESTORED gospel. The FULLNESS of the gospel. With ALL the truth. All other churches have portions of the truth! They are great people who are trying to do their absolute best! But what they don't know is that God has so much more in store for them! That there are more things that they can learn! More truth out there! Where can they find that truth? IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS. We are not asking people to leave everything and join our church, we are inviting them to learn more truth! Because it is here on the earth. We have a living prophet. We have the priesthood. And as members of this church, we have a very big responsibility of spreading the word. Of inviting people to learn more. Because others are "only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it." So may we all be a little bit better and helping others come unto Christ. 

Sara's Mission Scripture

We had an AMAZING lesson with this guy named Zack last Saturday. He is 29 and was taught by the Sisters 8 months ago. He even came to church yesterday!!!!! WOOO! He LOVES to pray... Like seriously he LOVES it. We have bumped into him in the library a few times, and the library is quiet and their are lots of people around, and he always asks us to pray for him right then and there... not that I am embarrassed to pray or anything! Of course not... my mission scripture says that "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ" and I'm not. It's just funny because he loves praying! So we say a prayer right then and there in the library with him. I love it.

We are teaching him twice this week and I am way stoked about it! So pray for him! Also, we had a great lesson with Steven and Lois last week also! THEY ARE GOING TO GET BAPTISED! Okay well they haven't committed yet but I know they are! We are meeting with them again this week so pray for them as well!!!!! 

I bore my testimony the other day in district meeting, cause well, I am a greenie so I was "strongly encouraged." So I bore my testimony about how I KNOW that this church is true. And I KNOW that the Book of mormon is the word of God. And I KNOW that we have a living prophet on the earth. And I KNOW that Jesus Christ came to the earth for us. 

A few days later, I saw one of the elders in my district, and he said to me, "Sister Ranck, in your testimony the other day, you said you know all those things. This is a sincere question, how do you know? Because I guess since I have been out on my mission, I don't know if I know anymore!" 

So I thought about it for a minute. Then I asked him, "Elder, do you know that the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is True

is the word of God?" He said yes. I responded.. "Then that is all you need to know."

There is a reason that the Book of Mormon is the keystone to our religion. It is the evidence that we believe. 

If the book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet called by God.

If Joseph Smith is a prophet, then the priesthood has been restored to the earth.

If the priesthood has been restored to the earth, then this is the ONLY true church on the face of the earth with the proper authority and the FULLNESS of the gospel, and Jesus Christ at it's head. 

And we know all of these things are true because the Book of Mormon is true. 

If you don't have a solid testimony of the Book of Mormon, get one. And always remember, DOUBT YOUR DOUBTS BEFORE YOU DOUBT YOUR FAITH. 

This week I prayed for my testimony of the Book of Mormon to be renewed. God answered my prayer. This morning I was reading the account of King Benjamin to his people in Mosiah chapters 2-5. The Spirit confirmed in my heart this morning, once again, that the Book of Mormon is true.

I don't know everything. I don't have all the answers to people questions. I don't know why some things are the way that they are. But I KNOW, I am absolutely certain, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that is all I need to know.

I love you all so much. Thank you for your love and prayers. Being a missionary is the greatest calling in the world. Absolutely no doubt about that. Okay well being a mother will probably top that.. but for now.... I feel very privileged to have this great calling.

ONWARD AND UPWARD!

Sister Ranck

PS THANK YOU for all of the emails! We have zone p day today (WOOOOO!) and not a lot of time to email, but I print off all of your emails to read throughout the week and seriously you have no idea how much they mean to me. Know that I pray for each of you every single day!