Letter #45 02/03/14

There is sunshine in my soul today!!!!!!!! So we FINALLY saw the sun for the first time in a month! I've missed it so much. It's amazing how much the gray skies were starting to affect everyone, and how cheery everyone became once the sun showed up. Definitely lifted all our spirits :) Again, now that we are only covering this ward, we have continued to meet everyone in the ward. It has been awesome just to get to know everyone and how much more united we have become from that. The word has spread that Sister Maness and I sing our spiritual thoughts and so now people are requesting it! A little nerve-wracking sometimes, but still has been a blessing for me. I was a little sick this week, with a sinus cold. It was very attractive as I would just "cry" out of my left eye ;) I tried toughing through as much as possible because I hate telling people I'm sick, especially when they have little kids or older spouses. Finally, Friday night I asked for a priesthood blessing from one our elders. He and his companion willingly came over before curfew and gave me a simple but powerful blessing. Saturday morning I woke up free of congestion and headaches. Sometimes we just need to let the healing power of the priesthood help us to feel our Heavenly Father's love. I am so grateful for that priesthood power and that I've been blessed to always have it in my life. We are continuing to work with Mary Jo, Brenda, and Hudson. Hudson's lessons continued to fall through, but I think it was a tender mercy so that Sister Maness and I could really prepare and refine the lessons more for his needs and understanding. Teaching simply is so much harder! We were ready to extend a baptismal invitation to Mary Jo, but one of the first things she said to us in our visit was, "I'm not ready to be baptized girls". So frustrating! Haha. She keeps all our commitments and goes above and beyond. I know that Satan is just working on her and making her doubt what she has felt and learned, but we continue to feel prompted to challenge her with a date that she might be able to exercise her faith towards. Her daughter and family should be back from Ghana with their adopted kids and have opened up their orphanage there by the end of March and it would be wonderful for Mary Jo to be baptized with the new members of the Hofman family. Our Stake President (who is also in our ward) has even felt impressed and is helping us to make this happen :) I continue to see miracles every day. One of the greatest things I've felt impressed on this week is the knowledge that I am a child of God. To know that God is my Heavenly Father and I am of noble birthright is so powerful. It affects the decisions I make every day. It helps me to know where I came from and how important the choices I make to day to lead me to where I'm going. I hope you all know that you too are children of your Heavenly Father. He loves you and knows you. When we know that, it's easier to do what He asks of us. How little He does ask of us and how much He blesses us in return. Have a great next week (I continue to pray for rain!). Love, Sister Wightman