Life Made!!!

I'm hoping missionaries are allowed to be sassy. Because I sure was this

 week.

ME? SASSY? NO WAY?

 We have been teaching a man; for privacy's sake we'll call him Paul. We visited Paul a few days ago, and he has been reading up on his anti-mormon literature. Or something. He started getting heated about it all, and everyone else in the room was getting fired up as well. He started standing up and kinda yelling, telling us that we were sweet innocent girls being led by false prophets. Then followed all the reasons why we were wrong and we were completely and entirely brainwashed.

Oh?

I'm watching this unfold quietly in the corner. The people I came with were getting mad and defensive and he had all these strange facts up his sleeves. I decided to step in. Cutting everyone off, this is what I said:

"Paul. We did not come here to argue, nor will we argue.

I am an intelligent 20 year-old woman and I have been through difficult things in my life that have led me to my knees. I have asked God about the book that you are holding in your hands and I know without a doubt that it is true. It is good, and pure. And that knowledge is more important--infinitely more important--than anything your TV tells you and anything you will ever read. I also know that one day we will be held accountable for what we do or don't do in this life. I would advise you to go to God and ask Him, because I know that He is the source of all truth, and more powerful than all. As for now, we are going to leave. May I please leave you with a prayer?"

HAHAHA KAYLEE, WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!? I was a little shocked at myself. Then I said a really long prayer blessing our friend Paul and his lovely house:) It was an interesting experience. I don't really mind telling people how I feel. Apparently.

This week I had the most powerful experience with an investigator, and my life is made. LIFE MADE. We are teaching 2 darling foster kids that we found, Adam (11) and Esther (17). We taught them the restoration, and Adam had read everything we asked him to out of the Book of Mormon and more. He had highlighted things he liked. What a star. I want like 12 of him to teach. We taught the lesson and discussed some things and got a feel for where they were at, and then closed with a prayer. Right after the prayer I felt prompted to ask Adam a question:

"Adam have you prayed about the Book of Mormon?"

"Yeah, I have."

"And how did you feel?"

"I felt good. I felt...I felt this warm tingly feeling. I felt it....right here," (he touched his heart and looked up at me.) 

Oh my gosh, the Spirit in that room. Here is a boy living in a strange house who didn't believe in God three days before. Has never prayed before in his life. I'm just grinning like an idiot and choking down tears when he said:

"Do I need to keep praying about the Book of Mormon if I already got an answer?" 

"Adam, is it true?"

"Yes. Yes, I think so."

I smiled again. "Yeah Adam, it is." 

MISSIONARY WORK IS THE BEST THING EVER. I'm obsessed. I can't even describe how grateful I was as I left his house. Goodness, just grateful for how much the Lord loves all His children, and grateful that He allowed a child to feel the Spirit when he asked honestly. I asked Adam if he wanted to be baptized. If we can get all the legal stuff worked out, I know he will be in the next few weeks:) I wish I had that kind of humility.

John tried to drop us this week. Don't worry, we had none of it! Sister Olsen and I had one of the most powerful lessons with him as he told us all the reasons he can't be mormon and we listened really, really hard.

 There was a lot of silence in that lesson, which I know was better than anything we could have said. Sister Olsen was prompted to a scripture. We had him read it to us and after it, both Sister Olsen and I were constrained from speaking. It was quiet for a long while and finally he said: "Wow. That is beautiful."

He told us he would start actually praying about what we were teaching, and that he would keep reading. It was incredible to see his heart soften over the course of the 45 minutes we were there. I was praying very hard for a miracle:) And look! A miracle!

I played soccer with some kids in the middle of a street this week in downtown San Fran:) And kept kicking off my blasted dress shoe. People listen better if you can relate to them. You know? 

I have never experienced such strong empathy for people like I did this last week. I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU, and yet I am more invested in you than anything I've ever been invested in. It's awful, but I love it all at the same time. 

I had a fantastic week:) I love the power of change through the Atonement, and I know it is real:)

I LOVE YOU ALL!:):):):)

Sister Brooks