HOLY NUTCASE!!! This week has been amazing!!!!

The Lord and His tender mercies are in complete abundance!!! He is sooo generous and is always tending to our every need!!
I feel so blessed and so honored to have witnessed the week I have witnessed...
So, the first miracle is the change in the key indicators... We have been asked to no more count lessons that we have on the street!! The only lessons we count now are scheduled lessons and lessons in homes!!! WHICH I LOVE! I think it is genius idea to keep missionaries from being competative, too focused on the numbers, and not focused enough on the people behind the numbers!!!
It is an inspired idea!!!
President Millar said in his letter this week to not let the smaller number of other lessons discouage us! Because the numbers are important, but it's NOT what furthers the work. What furthers the work is the want to become better in those numbers!
"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved!" -Thomas S. Monson Oh, isn't that the truth??
I think sometimes, as missionaries, we become unfocused and let the numbers drive us more than anything else. Which is not the Christ like way in missionary work. Of course, numbers are there to motivate us in becoming better because, once again, our wise wonderful prophet has said, "When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates." So, numbers are there to further it all. But, they aren't the meaning of missionary work. The meaning of missionary work is the people behind those numbers! And helping those wonderful people know that they are very much loved!
Sooo, the week we had was AMAZING!!!
We started teaching the R family, the Napolese family that let us in last week....
We taught the Plan of Salvation! And oh my goodness, how amazing it was!!!!!
At first, the spirit was not there whatsoever! Because they're two five year old twin boys were going NUTS. So, while Sister Y continued teaching, I sat the boys next to me and said, "Boys, if you keep SUPER quiet, I'll give you chocolate." And, lo and behold, I happen to have a chocolate bar in my bag that day! :) I didn't know why, but earlier I had a feeling to bring it with me... There is reason behind everything!!!
So, after that, the boys sat down on either side of me and listened. And then, the miracle of the spirit was witnessed... The spirit came into the room like a wave. You could FEEL it soooo strongly.
As we continued teaching, the ten year old daughter, her name is S... She asked questions. "So, will we be with our families after this life?" "Can we say we are sorry for things we've done?" "When we say we are sorry, does Jesus forget that thing we did?" "Will we ALWAYS be together?"
HOLY FLIP. We were sitting there stunned. So we taught about the temple as well! And the dad, in very broken English, pretty much said, "We want to be married in the temple."
They BEGGED us to come back....
AHHH!!!
So incredible!!!!!
We showed them a picture of the temple and they were in awe!!!!
I looove being a missionary!!!
I have learned that my purpose as a missionary is not to get everyone baptized. My purpose as a missionary is to get people to the temple, and baptism happens to be a VERY important step along the way!
Sooo many more miracles were witnessed but that one was my favorite!!!!!
And I have learned the true meaning of family! Being a missionary, you see A LOT of different family situations... And a lot of those situations are broken families.. I am soooo grateful to be part of a family that is married and sealed in the temple and part of the gospel!! And I also have learned the true meaning of motherhood... I feel like a mother to all of these members and investigators... Because I am!! Heavenly Father trusts parents with one of His spirits as a newborn baby just as He trusts us missionaries with one of His spirits as an investigator...
I have sooo much respect for my mother and all the mother figures in my life....
I am grateful for them!! At the start of my mission, I was kind of grumpy about not being able to talk to them all the time. "If family is number one, why does that not apply to missionaries?!" Well, I think it's to help teach us how important families really are!
I am eternally grateful for these past 5 months and I am eternally grateful for the next 13 months that I have. "You had eternity to prepare, and you'll have eternity to reflect, but you only have EIGHTEEN months to experience." Sari, my sister, sent that to me my first week out.
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
L<3ve, Your Sister Als