Transfer 11 Week 5

Famawhamily!!

Great week. Holy, who am I kidding--every week is a great one when you're serving the Lord. I am just so fortunate to be out here. I remember when Julie and I were I think 14-15 we wanted to serve missions. That idea for me barely lasted a month and I didn't ever seriously consider it again until I knew I was meant to go, which was September 24, 2009. It was almost 10:00 and I knew. I remember the first thing I did was call Julie and tell her. Ha. Man. I knew more than anything else I had known to that point in my life that I was to serve the Lord. What an incredible feeling.

Another incredible feeling? Jacqui is getting baptized Saturday at 3:00!!! We are so excited for her. She just glows. All the members approached her on Sunday and congratulated her. She legit is just so wonderful. She is looking forward to this like no other. She's strong. She's praying and reading daily. She bore her testimony to our mission president's wife on Thursday. She's solid. She asked us the other day who would be taking her to temple prep class and to the temple. She has eternity in sight and knows the steps to make her family last forever. What an incredible blessing, to have our families forever!! I have my amazing parents and my brothers forever!! And thanks to temple sealings and marriages there, I also have my brother's wife in my forever family. Ties that death cannot break are made in the temple. BAM!!!!

Other awesome moments: My comp, our investigator Jo, and I were volunteers for the American Council of the Blind on Saturday. From 10:00-2:30 we picked up blind folks from the gate in the Reno airport and took them to get their baggage and took them to their shuttle that would be taking them to their hotel. Can I just say how fortunate all of us are with our abilities to see? I was escorting a scholarship student who was getting a teaching degree from Columbia (she already has a degree in psychology). She went blind in high school unexpectedly due to a virus and had been blind ever since (she's 24). She had such an amazing spirit about her. I, of course, asked her quesions about her adjustment and how she took it. She said it was hard, but everything worked out. I'm just amazed at how most of the folks I came in contact with were just lovely and had high spirits, even though they couldn't see. Their example is great.

We also had some awesome spiritual experiences in lessons. Sunday night was awesome. We had our "lesson plan" and at dinner, this awesome member was talking about the importance of the Holy Ghost and reemphasizing with us how we should make sure we're teaching our investigators how to listen to the spirit. We took mental notes and then jumped in the car and talked about switching up our lesson plan a bit encorperate what we had learned just then. That lesson was so spiritual. The member challenged us to be bold, and so I was. I straight up told the girl that when we would be teaching, she would feel the Spirit of the Lord testify to her because what we were teaching was true. We stopped the lesson and acknowledge the presence of the Holy Ghost on several occasions. We were worried initially about her, for her investigating for the wrong reasons, but man, now she knows. Baptism is something she wants, it's just her deciding when that will be.

I love Reno. Every single person (except the guy who was in the car ahead of me on the drive over here and would NOT go the speed limit). It still amazes me that I can love so many people so much, but I know Heavenly Father blesses me with that so I'll work hard and give up anything for my investigators. I'll give up anything for my family. I'll work for my salvation, and I'll work to help teach others how they can attain theirs.

This church is true. How could it not be? And I'm not just saying that. It makes more sense than anything else. Read the Book of Mormon daily and you too can know. Read and pray daily. That's all you need. The Book will speak for itself, and you too will receive a witness you can't deny. The only thing is deciding what you're going to do with it.

I love you all. Keep being awesome. I love this work more than anything and can't believe 15 months have flown by. Before I know it I'll be steppi airplane...ugh. I'll just work hard so I don't think of it. Feed a missionary.

love love love,
Sister Mack

1-me and my boo, Breckyn Curtis.
2-me and a dog chew toy some elders left us as a surprise on a stop sign by our house
3-me and the Chatterley's and Calvin.