Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

 

Ok so Easter was yesterday but I didn't say it last week. Easter for me was good. It wasn't too different from a normal day though. We had a really good relief society lesson about the Atonement and we sang the Easter Hymns but that was about it. We just spent the rest of the day doing what we do! Spreading the word! But I think that's probably the best way to celebrate anyway. But the Lord sure did wish us a happy Easter. A family we are teaching came to church and a less active we have been working with came to church for the first time since we got here! So that was pretty exciting. 

 

The whole week was pretty fantastic actually. On Tuesday we had a zone meeting where we learned about using this precious time wisely. It was a nice reminder and it made me realize how little time I do have left. It definitely gave me another boost to work hard. Then on Wednesday we went on exchanges again. This time I was with Sister Fuamatu. She is another sister that was transferred from the Botswana mission. She's been out about 5 months. It was nice to be with her and I learned a lot from her. That day we saw John again! He is the one who stopped us a while back because he knew there was something different about us that he needed to learn. He's been out of town for a long time so we haven't been able to teach him yet but he is finally back. We didn't teach him but we set an appointment to see him tomorrow. 

Thursday was Sister Lyon's birthday. We made brownies and had ice cream. It was fun! And today we are going out to eat at a place that is kind of like Denny's. On Friday we taught the Zulu family again. They are the ones I told you about last week and the ones who came to church! I like them a lot. They are a really sweet family. 

Then Easter was great just like I said. In fact, it was one of the best days of mission so far. Largely because of Atkins. A few weeks ago we tracted in to the place where he works. He is a body guard for a government official or something like that. We gave him a Book of Mormon and a pamphlet but he didn't seem too interested so we told him to just call us if he wanted to know more. Well he called us! So we met him right after church yesterday. He was a completely different person than when we first met him. His heart was completely softened. He expressed a true and sincere desire to change his life. I won't go into details about what he told us but basically he used to be very religious but has lost his way. He said he feels like a lost sheep but he wants to come back. He is a big tough guy but he just cried. Not a sinner who got caught cry. It was a godly sorry kind of cry. The spirit completely took over and Sister Vea and I were able to testify, teach, and share scriptures that helped him so much. It was incredible. At the end of the lesson we asked him if he had any more questions or concerns he wanted us to address right then. He said "Sisters, you answered questions and addressed concerns I didn't even say out loud. I feel better than I have in a long time. I feel like God actually might love me" He hadn't stepped foot in a church for over a year and we happened to be the first ones to invite him. There is absolutely no way that is a coincidence. He had a desire to be baptized now and he is taking the first steps to turning his life around. There is absolutely no denying that this is the work of the Lord. And I know for sure that the spirit was able to give us exactly the words we needed to say to him to touch his heart. Missionary work is just the best!!!

 

Another reason Sunday was great was Mr. Thembo. He is the enthusiastic Book of Mormon reader. We went to teach him on Sunday and he had finished 1 Nephi! We asked him what his favorite part was and he told us (in great detail) the story of Nephi being tied up on the ship. It was incredible! We asked him to start on 2 Nephi now and he said " No problem. I should be finished with it by next weekend when you come." He is just awesome! Sadly he still works on Sunday but we are still praying that there will be a way for him to come to church. 

A funny moment from the week/month/entire time that I've been in Zambia. I told you about the people here switching their R's and L's right? Well its rubbed off on me. I don't even mean to do it! But I keep accidentally closing my prayers in the name of Jesus Clist and and testifying that the knowredge of the gospel will bress people's lives. Its not all the time! But enough that its bad. I'm going to sound so weird by the time I go home...

My favorite scripture from the week was John 16:33. In Relief society a bunch of people went around and shared their favorite scriptures about the Atonement. Someone shared this one and it really touched me. It has become one of my favorites too.

Well I hope everyone has a good week! Remember to SMILE!

Love, Sister Gehring

 

p.s. there is a TV in the email shop playing sports news. First there was a report about the Houston Rockets and then they went on to a special about the Chelsea soccer team. Its been quite distracting.