Man, this has been an incredible week of miracles and growth. There is so much that I want to share and so little time!! I will type as quickly as I can and share 2 of the main miracles that happened this week in our work here in Altus! 

About 4 weeks ago, Elder Neil and I were walking down a street in Altus when we saw a man checking the city water meters up ahead. As we drew closer, a small prompting came to me to talk to him, and so we did. After a quick discussion, he said we could come by his house sometime and share a message with him. This past Wednesday, we had some time open up and so we decided to go see him. As we walked up to the home, we noticed that the plants were overgrown and the lawn un-kept. We knocked on the door and a woman named “R” answered. After introducing ourselves, we started talking and somehow got on the topic of her yard. I told her that, as missionaries, we were available to help out with any service people needed, and that we would love to come by and help her with her lawn. Almost immediately, “R” started to cry and then proceeded to tell us her story:  For the past year or so “R” has been fighting breast cancer. With all the treatments and surgeries she has had, she has been unable to take care of her lawn or house. Her son has been making some bad decisions, and hasn''t been helping her, so she has been praying for someone who would. 

My dear family and friends, there is no greater feeling in the world than participating with God in caring for His children. God answered a prayer by sending two missionaries to “R’s” door who had the ability and the resources to help her. After we got done talking about the type of service that needed to be done, we were able to teach “R” about Jesus Christ and our unique message to the world. She told us later that one of her best friends is a member of our Church. What a thrill it is to be involved in this work! This next Saturday we are going to have the privilege of going with some of the other brethren in the ward to work on “R’s” yard. How sweet these experiences are! 

Here is the second story I wanted to share: The first week that I was here in Altus, we went out to Taco Bell for dinner with a member. As we were leaving, a man named “W” was sitting on a rock outside. He was one of the workers at Taco Bell and was on his break. We almost didn''t talk to him, but at the last second, we just opened our mouths and introduced ourselves. After a short conversation, he told us that he was going out of town, but that we could come by sometime when he returned. This past week we had a couple of appointments fall through while we were out with a member, so we decided to go and see if “W” was home. As we pulled up, he was sitting on his front porch and invited us in. What followed was one of the most incredible first discussions of my mission!!! “W” literally set expectations with us about what he wanted and what he expected from our visit. Before we even got started, he was bearing testimony about how important it is to find truth and follow God. It was incredible to see how sincere he was and how much desire he has for truth. To give you a little more background, “W” is 44 and had a very rough upbringing. Even though his life has been hard, he has had a strong desire to follow God, but he is currently not attending church anywhere. 

I think the most incredible part of the lesson happened at the very end as we invited him to read Moroni 10:3-5. After he finished reading the verses, he turned to us and said the following. "So what these words are telling me is this - If I read this book and ponder its words and the things you all have told me today, and then pray to God, He will tell me if this is right or not?" We answered that that was exactly what we were asking him to do. He then said, "Well, after you leave, me and my Father are going to have a little talk." Then he said he wanted to attend church and pay tithing. It was absolutely incredible. As we left, we were filled with gratitude to Heavenly Father for answering the prayers of two missionaries who were seeking to find those willing to listen. But, the story doesn''t end there! At 9:30 Sunday morning, “W” met us at the church for a quick tour before the meetings started, and stayed all three hours!  

There are people all around us who are looking for what we have. We have to be brave enough and have enough faith to just reach out, and then the miracles start to happen. These miracles are not only found while serving a mission, they can happen wherever you are - right now!! That is because finding people to teach and serve is not the sole responsibility of the missionaries alone, it is all of ours, and the fruits of participating are incredible!!! I got to experience some of those fruits this weekend as I attended the baptism of Brother John Richards! What an incredible service that was to attend. I know that God grants us a portion of his love as we participate in His work. Brother and Sister Richards have both built my faith in Christ as I have had the opportunity to visit and talk with them. That is how it all works. The blessings always flow both ways!!  So what are we waiting for?  

I know this is the True Church of Jesus Christ. Serving a mission has really taught me what that means. I know that we have the fullness of the gospel and because of that we can have a fullness of Joy as we choose to fulfill our divine roles as children of God. I know that Christ lives, and because He lives, we can change and feel the peace that He promises, even in the worst of storms! I love this work and I love the people of Oklahoma and Texas. There is something about southern hospitality that just makes sharing the gospel all the more natural! Thank you for your prayers on my behalf, I have felt them in the past days and weeks. 

Well, this chapter of my life is wrapping up pretty fast!! But not without some more surprises. Saturday evening I got a call from the assistants that I will be training during the last 6 weeks of my mission! What an incredible opportunity. I am so excited to train a new missionary again! What a glorious ending to the greatest adventure of my life so far! I love this experience we call, “a mission!” 

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! I’m so excited to talk to my family! 

I love you all!