Another Case of Mistaken Identities

If I may, I would like to refer to my last email which says, "As the temperatures drop we add another layer of clothing until we are almost unrecognizable, and with the decreasing sunlight you really can't tell if we are sisters, elders or gang members." This week I would like to add 3 more categories to my list of identities that I have been mistaken for. A nun, someone's brother and the police. 

Nun: a lady that we tracted into said, "Wow! I didn't know they had nuns that were this young."

Someone's brother: they chased after Sister Withers and me saying "put on a coat" and we said we have the armor of God thank you very much. Hahah jk, no we didn't, but we thought it... 

The police: I saw a man who was sitting on a curb and so I asked him how his day was going and instead of saying a classic "good" or "fine," he threw me a "are you police?" 

For all of you who are having an identity crisis for me, I assure you that I am still Sister Mod the missionary and miracles are still happening!!! We were going to the church for a minute and saw someone standing outside in the parking lot so we went and started talking to him. He knew people that were members of the church and he talked about how they had a light about them. He asked us why we were all so happy all the time and we were able to testify to Tim of the joy that the gospel brings into people's lives! He was so excited about what we told him and I know that God was just waiting to answer Tim's question just like he is waiting to answer each of ours!! He loves you!!

Love,

Sister Mod

Our Friend has a Baptismal Date!

Because it's -200 degrees outside and it gets dark at like 5:30, Sister Withers and I have made the observation that with each passing day we look more and more like FBI agents. As the temperatures drop we add another layer of clothing until we are almost unrecognizable and with the decreasing sunlight you really can't tell if we are sisters, elders or gang members. Who really knows at this point? We visited one of our friends one night who has lots of kids. We knocked on the door and no one heard us but one of the boys had to take out the trash so he opened the door (not knowing we were there) and literally jumped so high, screamed and threw the trash bag at us hahaha. I mean, I don't blame him, but I kinda wish he was carrying a plate of cookies instead. 

Update for the area: our friend Sahid is on date to be baptized!!! We have been trying to teach him for a couple of months now and he hasn't been able to meet until this week. He has had some amazing spiritual experiences that have brought him from not believing in God at all to knowing God is there and that Jesus is the Christ. I know that this is Heavenly Father's work and I'm so grateful to be a part of it. The world changes us from the outside in and God changes us from the inside out!!! He changed Sahid and He has definitely changed me too:)

Love,

Sister Mod

Halloweeeeeennnnn!

So it's Halloween right? We are trying to be productive and the only way to do that on Halloween is to give out food. Amen? So Sister Withers and Sister Mod plan to make cookies. Fail number 1: we discover that we have 2 chocolate chips left, so no cookies. Then we are forced to make banana bread. Fail number 2: turns out if you leave banana bread in the oven too long it burns. Who woulda thought? So we had 2 dozen burned banana bread muffins. At this point our self-esteem has taken a hit but we continue on our journey to be productive on Halloween. Last but not least, fail number 3: we decide to make little God loves you sticky notes and put them on candy. Great idea, yeah? We put the bowl outside of our door and when we come back at 9:00 we find that someone took all of the "God loves you"s and left the candy. Hahaha at least someone knows that God really loves them. It's the thought that counts lol.

The burned banana bread muffins. :(

SO MANY MIRACLES happened this week. I really, really know that this is God's work. We have a friend that came to church last week for the first time in 2 years and he said that all of the talks were specifically related to him and his life circumstances. How amazing is that?? God is in the details. If you can't see the hand of God, look for His fingerprints :)

Love,

Sister Mod

Catsitter Mod

 Hey everyone, this week I would like to claim the title, Catsitter Mod. Along with the missionary moving company that I'm starting I've also decided to take up catsitting on the side. We are babysitting our neighbor's cat while she's gone and I am happy to report that we are just as good at moving boxes as we are at catsitting. Lucy (cat) has only bitten Sister Withers once and hissed at me 3 times. I love my job, I love my life, I've found my calling. If anyone wants to make us official t-shirts I won't tell you no, but if anyone wants us to babysit their cat, I might tell you no, hahah. 

We did meet someone that liked us a little more than Lucy though this week!! His name is Eduardo and guys, he is unreal. We texted a bunch of people who had talked to missionaries in the past and Eduardo was the only one that was

like, "Ya sure, we can talk." We met the next day. He came to church with us and he is SO PREPARED. He literally lived in an apartment where he could see the San Diego temple out his window. Sneaky Heavenly Father, super not obvious. I just love being a missionary. It's the best. If any of you are thinking about going out, DO IT!!! Eduardos are waiting!!! Yay for Christ's church. 

Love,

Sister Mod

Mighty Winds, Hail, and Mighty Storms Beating Upon You

The wet Q-tip. hahaha!

This week I got another round of applause for my height, a couple more pounds added to my body (when you have a sweet Iranian lady feeding you 4 courses in 25 minutes it's only right) and a new perspective on what Helaman means when he talks about mighty winds, shafts in the whirlwind, hail and mighty storms beating upon you. In conclusion I looked like a wet Q-tip for most of the week. Shout out to VA for expounding on the scriptures for me!! Revelation!!

Revelation comes in interesting ways. Let me tell you a story that will illustrate that idea for you. On Tuesday Sister Withers and I made a goal to drink more water than we usually do (and you all know what happens when you drink more water) so at 6:15 p.m. we had a prompting to go to the church and not pee our pants. Lo and behold there was a sweet little family walking outside the building! We talked to them for a while and they said that they have lived right next to the church for years and always wanted to go inside but they've never been able to come when people were there. We ended up giving them an impromptu church tour and they loved it!! God wanted them to see the church and He did whatever it took for us to be at the building in time for them to meet us. Pay attention to those mysterious ways that the Lord might work through you:)) 

Love,

Sister Mod

The Classic "Coat!" Trick

This week we got absolutely wrecked by a sneaky Chinese lady. We were street contacting and it was kinda chilly outside (and by kinda chilly I mean not 95 degrees with 100% humidity) and we saw a lady walking to her car so we went up and started a conversation with her! We offered her a card and told her who we were. As I was holding out the card she looked at Sister Withers who wasn't wearing a jacket and said, "Oh! It's so cold! You need a coat," and then she pointed behind us and said "Coat!" So naturally we turned around expecting to see a coat but there was nothing, and when we turned back to our friend she was speed walking away from us. I was left with a card in hand and 5% less self esteem. Never fall for the classic "Coat!" trick. I promise there's not a coat, just a whole lot of disappointment. Lol, lesson learned.

Other than that contact, we had some really amazing contacts!! For some reason everyone and their dog wanted to hear about the gospel this week (as they should lol)! We taught one guy the restoration on his porch and he literally taught himself. Like I'm still kind of convinced that he was an MTC instructor checking in to see if I was still doing good because every question he had led into the next part of the restoration. For example: "There are so many churches, how do I know which one is true?" "If God reached out to His children again shouldn't there be proof?" etc. It was amazing. People are being prepared by the Lord and I am so grateful to be a missionary!!! It's remarkable. I know that this work is the Lord's and I'm grateful that He lets me be a part of it. Love you all!

Love,

Sister Mod

"It's Your Choices That Show What You Really Are"

For those of you who haven't already: retweeted 15 General Conference quotes, shared (at least) 7 posts from the General Conference Facebook page, followed 4 Instagram accounts that are all named latterdaysaintgirl and made a picture of the prophet your screen saver I'd like to caution you before you proceed. After you read this email you might have the desire to. 

Hello everyone and welcome to another missionary email talking about General Conference!!! Original? No. Important? YESSS. I am so grateful for our inspired leaders and the opportunity that we get to hear the prophet of God speak every six months! We can only hear from him twice a year but we can follow him every day in between. How blessed are we? One conference highlight for me was when Elder Uchtdorf said, " It's your choices that show what you really are, not your abilities." I know with my whole heart that that is true. As we come closer to our Heavenly Father it doesn't matter our ability, speed, or even if we can only crawl towards Him. What matters is the direction we are facing and that we are constantly making progress. He will make up the rest, He always does! That's what God said to me in conference and I'm excited to hear what he said to you!!

Someone else was pumped to hear what God said to her. Her name is Sequoia! She was sitting outside with her friends when Sister Withers and I walked by and started up a conversation with them. She told us that she had been to our church before but she stopped going because her member friend had moved. She said that she and her family had been struggling a lot and she was praying for comfort, she gave us a hug and told us that God was telling her He loves her. Don't miss the message that God's trying to get to you today:) Love you all!!

Love,

Sister Mod