Umm Hello Yes God Wants You Back!

HAPPY 8 MONTHS TO ME........ Today is my 8th month mark. I cannot believe I have been here for that long already..... Time is flying but at the same time I feel like I have been here for 3 years. It doesn't make any sense!

We had a cool experience on Tuesday.... we had an appointment with a less active that we meet the previous week... so how it happened was we were going to stop by a less active that is on the ward list, so we get there and ask for her, but her step dad answers and says "Oh she's not a member, but my wife is!" Yeah so this less actives mom is also a member but we just don't have her on the records yet. So we met with the mom, Anne, and her husband last week, and it went really well!!! This girl is amazing. She has such a strong testimony and the reason she hasn't been coming out to church is because she had fallen back into some old habits and doesn't feel right coming back. 

Well here is the cool part, so after we saw them for the first time a few weeks ago, Anne told her daughter Gemma that we had been around asking for her, and Anne said to her daughter, "It looks like God wants you back..." Then the daughter said to the mom... "No mom, God wants you back. They are going to be seeing you next week not me.." Then Anne said.... "Maybe he wants us both back..." (Did that even make any sense?) But UMM HELLO YES GOD WANTS YOU BACK! Anne really is amazing. We are going to be teaching the husband as well so we will see how this goes!

Sister Epicoco and Sister Ranck

On Friday I had exchanges with Sister Epicoco from Italy and she is 27! ha crazy, but she doesn't look or act like it! But it went really well:) We went and saw Scott and Vikki that day (the two recent converts in the ward) and Sister Epicoco wanted them to tell her about their conversion. It was so nice hearing them tell about how they came into the church and how their lives have been blessed since...... Vikki is so funny. She was talking about how after she came into the church, she then met Sara and Lisa... Ha huh?? Who is that?? AKA Sister Ranck and Sister Haynie. Yeah she calls us by our first names! It always throws me off.... I love this girl though so much! And she loves us.. she cried when Sister Haynie left! And she will probably cry when I leave too! Ha well she better... ;)

We had Interviews with President Stevens this week and that went super well!!!!! So as you know I am in a struggling ward right now... and as I was telling president all about the ward and what is going on here, he started getting really emotional and said that he just feels so strongly that I am in this ward for a reason.... He has so much confidence in me. It is humbling.... I feel very inadequate for the task ahead of me. Thank goodness this is not my work, it's the Lord's. I just pray that I can have enough faith so he can work this miracle through me! 

Mara and Elizabeth

After interviews we had a dinner appointment with the Thorpe family... love them. But we were talking about the ward and were asking them what they think it needs... and she was saying that they haven't had a ward activity for a long time. And we just need something to happen in the ward that people can look forward to, invite their friends and family too, and also that we can invite all of the 90 Less Active families too... so we came up with an idea to do a Halloween Carnival! But we I think they are going to call it an Autumn Festival because A) Halloween has only been a thing here for the past like 5 years and most people don't like it. and B) They don't say Fall here.. It is Autumn! 

Anywho... the Bishop and Ward Mission Leader and all of the Auxiliary leaders are all on board and excited, so we are really looking forward to getting things going here! Hopefully I stay one more transfer so I can actually see this unfold... There is only 2 more weeks left. Crazy huh! I am really excited to see God work his miracles in this ward. He wants it to succeed! He doesn't like seeing it struggle so badly..... The next few months are going to be EPIC. 

Zone Conference

OKAY WHO IS EXCITED FOR CONFERENCE??? THIS GIRL IS. Oh my days.... We are getting 3 new apostles. This is crazy!!! I wish we could all understand what an opportunity it is for us to listen to our living prophet and apostles speak to us twice a year, and then have their words so easily accessible to us at the tip of our fingers. When the prophet speaks, it is as if God is speaking to us. "Whether by my voice or the voice of my servants, it is the same."

I would just encourage you all to prepare yourself spiritually this week to hear the word of God directly for you. I love this quote by Elder Holland....

"If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you." 

I know that is true. Really take the time to think this week about what it is you want to find out from God. Pray about it and ask God for an answer. Then get your notebooks out and listen. As an apostle of the Lord has promised.... The Lord will answer your prayer personally for you by the power of the Holy Ghost.

LOVE YOU ALL. GOD LOVES YOU MORE!!!!!

This is His work. I know it, I live it, I love it! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

ONWARD AND UPWARD.

GOD BLESS.

Sister Sara Ranck

Click here for a fun video of the UVU GIRLS! (and make sure to watch to the end :)

PS..... OH MY DAYS SHOUTOUT TO MY UVU GIRLS! I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO LISTEN TO THE VIDEO OF YOU ALL SAYING HI TO ME AND UMM I CRIED. AND THE JUGGLING VIDEO.... SO SICK. LOL AT ME SUCKING AT JUGGLING NOW.... HAHA LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY! HEARD YOU OUTPLAYED SEATTLE BIG TIME.... FREAKING DESTROY THEM. I AM STILL WAITING TO WEAR MY SHIRT WITH PRIDE... YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!! LOVE YOU GIRLS SO MUCH.