#miracleshappenagain2013

 #arehashtagsevencoolthesedays. Don't know. Don't care. I'll live in a bubble until I get home. I hope some people are making a list of things to fill me in on. A well placed hashtag is pretty hilarious. A poorly placed hashtag is even better when it is coming from a missionary that doesn't
even know what a hashtag is. #welcometomissionarylife

We had another total miracle this week with Kellie and her family. Sister Morris and I were sitting in the hot seats at the VC and who walks up but Kellie! She brought her husband, Will, (who we didn't even know existed) to come and learn more. He has a really broad religious background and just recently came to really believe in Christianity. He loves the bible-- Old and New Testaments so it has been great to teach him how they all fit together and how the Book of Mormon fits too. He is amazing and soaked up everything we taught him... that's because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect! He joined our next lesson and came to church on Sunday and loved it. The whole family is progressing really well. I can't believe all of the miracles that have been happening with this family. It is wonderful to witness how the Lord has prepared these people and how we get to be a part of their continued preparation.

Joyce and I at the Kansas City Temple

Joyce and Rick went to the temple on Saturday to do baptisms for the dead. For those of you that are unaware of what those are check out this link http://www.lds.org/topics/baptisms-for-the-dead?lang=eng ... it is a lot less crazy than it sounds. It was the best though. Joyce was able to be baptized in proxy for her mother. From our very first lesson she has been looking forward to performing that ordinance in behalf of her mother. Her mom was really unhealthy towards the end of her life and was unable to be baptized... now that work has been done for her. It was amazing to be there and witness that. Rick was baptized for Joyce's husband and father. I was joking with Joyce because awhile ago she said "you don't want to know what my husband thought about Joseph Smith"... I joked with her after the baptism and was like "I'll bet he has changed his mind." It was really special to see their countenance change as they were in the temple. Joyce is usually a little outspoken... she became much more quiet, subdued, and peaceful as she was in the temple. I love the House of the Lord.

The Community of Christ has had their conference this week. We have had some wonderful people from their church come to visit the Visitors' Center.  I took a Tahitian couple through the VC yesterday. They were wonderful.  I've been learning lots about the RLDS church recently. Independence is really such a strange place to be a missionary. I can't even tell you the number of times I've been mistaken for an RLDS person or that we have run into someone that already believes in the Book of Mormon but isn't a member of the church.

I am really grateful for the atonement this week. The power that comes from it to help us change and grow and become more than we could on our own is real! We can truly forgive and forget with the atonement. We can really become new people with the help of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have been relying on that more and more. I can't believe how much I have grown in the past 7 months... can you believe it's been 7 months? I know that we gain in proportion to how much we put in. We have unlimited potential so we just have to decide how much we want to tap into. I've been realizing that a lot this week. I'm so very grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. He is my very best friend. (And no... I don't say that with a sister missionary voice... yet).

 We did a re-enactment of some church history at the Visitors Center

  Elder Brenchly and I were paired up and killed it. My arts school days are paying off.