Week #37

How in the world are all of you beautiful people?

First of all HAPPY MOTHERS DAY  to the greatest mom in the world. I
hope you know how much I love and appreciate you! Thanks to all of you
who have been such amazing role models to me in my life.

Biggest miracle of the week... RABI PASSED THE SACRAMENT. Sunday
morning we walk into the chapel and see Rabi sitting on the sacrament
bench. Usually he wears jeans and a T-shirt to church, but he had
gotten himself a white shirt, tie, and suit coat. When I saw him
sitting there on the bench it hit me how incredible this work really
is. 3 months earlier he didn't know anything about God nor did he
really care about his eternal salvation at all. He is now a baptized
member of the church and passing the sacrament. During gospel
principles he bore his testimony on the power of the priesthood and
how it has blessed his life. I was in tears because of the Savior and
his atoning sacrifice Rabi had a second chance. We all have second
chances and we have an infinite amount of them. After church Rabi was
able to stand in the circle to give another recent convert, Virgilio,
the aaronic priesthood!!

Funny story for the week. Every morning we go on a run in front of our
apartment complex. While running on the side walk there are bushes on
the left and the street on our right. With out fail every morning we
see either an armadillo or raccoon. The sun was just starting to come
up and we were running along when all of a sudden out runs an
armadillo. It ran right in front of us. Sister Neibaur kicked it and I
don't think that I have hurdled higher in my life. The best part is we
both screamed at the top of our lungs and the high school students,
waiting for the school bus, started dying laughing. We are in the
process of trying to find a new running route😂

Update on Bailey....  She lives about 45 minutes away from the church
and her finals were this past week so she couldn't make the drive.  We
were able to have a Skype lesson with her and can we just say how
blessed we are to have technology. Think of how much the gospel has
been spread through out the world because of it. My mind just blows
every time I think about it. Over the past month it has been so fun to
watch the gospel change Baileys life. Her countenance has totally
changed. She prayed about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith this
past week and had an incredible spiritual experience. She is so
excited and we can't wait to watch her enter the waters of baptism
this Sunday!

Can I just tell all of you that I have such a firm testimony that the
Lord answers the righteous desires of our hearts. I've been praying a
lot for the members in the YSA to reach out to our investigators and
fellow ship. Institute rolls around Thursday evening and our
investigator Hannah came and loved the class! After wards KC, who is a
member in our ward invited her to go and work out with a couple of
other sisters in the ward. Then over the weekend they went roller
blading together and when Hannah showed up to church yesterday she
went and sat with KC! I was a little bit in shock because we didn't
have to do anything and Hannah has a great time at church! Everybody
THE LORD ANSWERS PRAYERS! Even the little ones.

Confession time..... our ward had a 90 day Book of Mormon challenge
and I was about 60 days behind. Mom I know this isn't a surprise to
you because I'm the worst reader ever😂 I was in the beginning of Alma
when we were suppose to be finished with you know Moroni 10! It was
definitely guilt that everyone else had finished the Book of Mormon
challenge and I hadn't that sparked my fire to finish the Book of
Mormon. I read the whole book of Alma in 2 days which is a record
time! The spiritual strength that has come into my life from reading
this book of scripture is indescribable. Chapter 56 & 57 is the story
of the stripling warriors. As I was reading vs 45-47 there were a
couple of things that stood out.

45 And now I say unto you, my beloved brother Moroni, that never had I
seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites.
46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them
very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with
us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth;
we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore
let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.
47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they
did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon
their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they
did not doubt, God would deliver them.

Their faith was exceedingly strong and their mothers had taught them
in the ways of the Lord. Their faith carried them through trials of
war and tribulation. Imagine if we had faith like them what could
happen during our trials and tribulation? It really hit home with
Mother's Day being yesterday that I am one lucky girl to be able to
have been taught the gospel all my life. I can't wait to share it with
my own children. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Thank you for
all your thoughts and prayers! I love the Savior and his Gospel! And I
love being a missionary!

Love,
Sister Kenzie Graham
Tampa Bay YSA C