Back 2 Back

 You know the drill overall of what goes down for preparation day. While we were at the store in the morning, Elder Woolsey and I ended up dropping 140 dollars for groceries. Probably the biggest bill I have dropped since I have become a missionary. So worth it. 

We are teaching a girl in her 30s named Alexa. She has been taught by the missionaries for about 4 months now. She used to be a drug abuser, smoker, and alcoholic. For the past 2 months she has been living all of the commandments to prepare herself for baptism. She is now officially preparing for August 20th. This is a testimony to me that God sees everyone's potential and He will make it happen. I love the scripture in 1 Nephi 3:7 that states, "for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save HE shall prepare a way." 

Tuesday Elder Woolsey and I decided to do an arm wrestle past 9. I beat him with my right arm, but it was the most neutral arm wrestle I had in my life. The following day while I was calling mom we decided to face off again, but with the left arm. It was a close battle, but Elder Clouse took the win. I screamed for victory and we get a knock on the door 20 minutes later by the maintenance since someone filed a noise complaint…

Wednesday was a miracle filled. I went on an exchange with Elder Isaac Bunderson. He is 9 weeks out on his mission and currently in training. I took him on an exchange in Grand Valley. During this, we extended a baptismal invitation for Alan to be baptized on August 27th, taught the full restoration on spot to our new friend Domenique, we received a phone call from someone random saying they wanted to learn more, and we had a special lesson with the Hekker family that I will touch on later in this email. Our comp exchange form with one another was so good. Elder Bunderson addressed his concerns and I helped him out all I knew. It was so good for him since he hasn't had the opportunity to teach much in his mission so far. 

The Hekker Family is a young couple with three kids. Jack, the husband, was baptized 4 months ago and quickly fell away. His wife Stacy expressed interest in becoming a member since she saw what the gospel did to Jack and how it affected him once he went inactive. On Wednesday we went over there and taught the second half of the Plan of Salvation with bringing in the importance of temples. Jack's face lit up when we explained how he could be sealed to Stacy. The first thing he asked us was how he could receive the priesthood to baptize Stacy. We did bring in a member around the same age as him and he testified of the blessing of being sealed and invited them to church to sit next to him and his wife. As we left this meeting, my heart was so full for this growing family. They have three kiddos, one who is 11, another is 6, and the last one is 6 months old. They are reading The Book of Mormon as a family everyday and they are reaping the blessings that come from that. 

The following day I had an exchange with Elder Zack Reese. Back to back. He has been out on his mission for about 9 months. He was actually MTC companions with Elder Nelson. We had such a great time together. He is one of those kids where you can just talk and have the best time with him. Throughout the day we got to know each other well and build a good relationship. As we counseled with one another, we were both so vulnerable due to the trust we built and we both set inspired goals to help each other grow. I felt so inadequate in that situation, but it was so amazing to be in. We found a cool young family while we were public contacting in the park. Boldness brings blessings! On our exchange I made Elder Reese some amazing tacos, Enchiladas, and ended with getting him a nerds slush from Sonic. Elder Woolsey was jealous when we met back up since he wanted to be the one to be taken out to sonic. 

Funny story I have to mention. Elder Woolsey and I knocked into a dude named Ron. Ron is an older guy who isn't very religious. He is a Michigander and he was ranting about just everything. He's like,"you can barely go on TV, the internet, the boobtube…" Elder Woolsey and I just broke down laughing. It was so funny, it caught us off guard so much. Overall, he wasn't about it, but it was a solid experience.  

I think it's time to mention my buddy David. David is a squirrel we feed every morning on our porch with peanuts. No doubt, every morning he comes back. We keep feeding him and we are so close to trapping him inside. We almost got him, but he slipped out last time. He was around 3 feet inside, you'll see in the video I added to the Google photos. 

Saturday was actually really fun. We had our ward picnic from 4-7pm. It had an amazing turn out and there was a cornhole. My skills have not left me. That is what I will leave it at. 

I am grateful it is preparation day. The back half of the week definitely dragged on. I am always available to chat. I love you all. Hope you had an amazing week!