Can you say amazing??

This week ... I'm in awe….. It’s seriously has been so good!!

A week ago the elders got a referral for a guy on the naval training base, sent in by one of his friends. They tried to set up an appointment, but the problem being that anyone on base in their first phases they are not allowed off the base without a freedom buddy, and they were unable to go through with their meeting.  You might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with anything? Well, brace yourselves for one of the coolest things that I have ever been a part of.

The set up for the story...
There is a senior couple that is call to military relations.   Their names are Elder and Sister Woods.   They are not called to teach, but to be more of a support and organize the church on the base. Nick it the sailor that the Elders were trying to set up an appointment with.  Drew Hamilton an amazing returned missionary that is now training to be a sailor.

The story: so Sunday night, Elder and Sister Woods called us up and asked if we would have time In our schedule to come down to their house for a Mexican fiesta.  They live in the old naval housing on Utah Court Road.  Then they asked us if we could teach Nick.  He had come to church that day and then to the Woods’ home afterward for a little social.  They told us the elders had a busy schedule that week and Nick was going to be in training for just a few more weeks.  Elder Woods didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to teach the gospel. Of course we said we would love to.  We thought that Nick and the other LDS sailors would be at the house too.

When we got there, we were the only ones at dinner and we were really confused, wondering where this new investigator Nick was.  Elder Woods then told us that we were meeting him on base....
Yikes… in my head I was thinking there is no way we can't go on the
base we don't have passes.   I didn't even know if we were allowed by the mission to go there.  Sister Jones looked at me, I looked at her and we were trapped.  We didn't feel anything unsettling so we just went with it. After dinner, Elder Woods said they would be driving over and we were going to pray real hard that they would just let us on with our ID's, but still wondering if any of this was even going to be possible.  I admired their faith and added mine to theirs and jumped in the car.  When we got to the gate, they took our ID's and the Woods’ passes that said in big bold letters, NOT AUTHORIZED TO BRING ANYONE ON BASE.  They took a good look over each of them and they let us on! Heavenly Father for sure wanted this to happen.

We meet Drew who would be helping us teach, and then Nick got there shortly after.   We started the lesson and words can't express the spirit that was in the room.  Nick is the picture perfect investigator.   He asked a lot of questions.  He is so sincere, and he is open, and so prepared!!  We taught him about the restoration.  He wanted to know more about prophets and why Jesus Christ is important and what was the priesthood was, and if the heavens were really open.   We taught him about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and then it went into a mini testimony meeting.  Drew shared a powerful testimony.  Elder Woods asked if he had felt something different about us and about what he felt when he went to church and when he went to the Woods’ home.  He said that he for sure felt something different and it was the same thing that he had felt at his friends’ home, back home, which made him curious about the gospel in the first place. IT WAS SO SO SO COOL!!! The spirit was prompting me in almost a yell, to invite everyone to join in a kneeling prayer... but everyone was putting their last words in.  It was so loud in my head I thought I better just jump in and interrupt.  I finally had an opportunity and so I first asked Nick if he would be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority.  He answered, “for sure, I will”.   Then Sister Jones jumped in and asked if he would read and study the BOM.  He said, “I promise you I will".  Then nearly at the same time, we asked if we could say a kneeling prayer!  We asked him if he would offer it.  He gave an amazing prayer ahhhhh!!!! It was so good, start to finish!!!!

We set up another appointment, and we were able to teach him on
Thursday!!  We shared the plan of salvation and just like the lesson
before, it was awesome!!  Nick read the BOM.  He prayed and did everything we asked him to do. He loved the thought of the spirit world and the pre earth life.  He thought that was so cool!  We set up 2 more appointments and set up a tentative date for his baptism in June.  He wants his friend from back home to be there and he had to find out when she and her family could fly out.  That is why we don't have a definite date.  So ya, that happened!!!!!   Whoot!!   Whoot!!
HARD WORK PAYS OFF!!!!

Tuesday we went to the food pantry, as always.  This time I had an
idea/ prompting to share a Mormon message with everyone there.  It was kind of tricky because the food pantry is in the basement of a Catholic Church and most of the people we work with attend it. We needed permission from the head person and when we asked her she was really hesitant, but something we said was good enough and she said we could go ahead and do it!!  It was so great!! We had people on the verge of tears.   Many commented on how they thought it was one of the best things they had ever seen. We had one man ask us to send it to him so that he could share it with others.  It was just amazing!!! I love the food pantry and I love MORMON MESSAGES.  They are so easy to share with others and they bring the spirit so strongly.

Challenge of the week:   share a Mormon Message either on Facebook or share one with a friend co-worker.  Explain to them why it made an impact on you/ share your testimony. 

Friday we went to the temple.  Oh happy day!!!! It was so good!!   I miss going to the temple so often.  It was definitely a great recharge. We were able to do sealings after the session, which was really cool.   I was able to stand in as proxy as a daughter and have President and his wife stand in proxy for the parents and we were able to seal quite a few families.  It was so good!! I love the temple and being able to feel of the Spirit that is there.  It's was so good.

The rest of the week we tracked and tracked and tracked.   We got 4 new investigators so hopefully something will come out of those.  :)

It's truly been a spectacular week.   Words can't express how happy I am out here and how grateful I am to be a part of this work!!  So many
blessings have truly come our way! I love you all!  Have a great week!!
Keep smiling!!

 Love ya,
Sister Kendrick