Life is Good :)

Hey y'all! How is everyone? I hope school is going well for everyone. Things are great here in the Great Kentucky Louisville Mission. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, I am almost done training. In one week I will no longer be a trainee!! This is going way too fast but I love it all the same :) 

This week has been so chalk full of miracles that I don't even know where to start! The Lord is working wonders in each and every area of this mission and it has been so amazing to see. He is at the head of this work and He is perfect at hastening it. It is such an amazing thing to participate in. Awwww I love it!

On Monday, we went official crawdad fishing with a HUGE group of missionaries and Abbie. Abbie is doing so great!! She knows the doctrine and she has developed such a strong testimony in this gospel. She even bore her testimony in church yesterday! It has been so amazing and inspired to be able to keep in touch with her even though we aren't teaching her. We have such a strong relationship with her and have been able to help her through things on a different level than the elders because of the fact that we are girls. It has been such a cool experience. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. I have a feeling that me and her are going to be best friends for life hahaha

On Tuesday, we had the most amazing experience!!! We got a referral a few days before for a guy named Hunter but he didn't have a phone number so we went over to his house and ended up meeting the mom and family instead. We set up an appointment with them for Tuesday night and the whole day leading up to it I was so excited. I felt like the Lord was guiding me through my studies and through the day for this specific lesson. I was so happy and excited and I had no idea why. All I knew was that this lesson was going to be special. Then, we got there and no one was home. I was like what??? Are you serious? How could this be? Why did I feel that way all day if they weren't even going to show up. I sat on the steps, my faith a little shaken and said a prayer in my heart, asking Heavenly Father to help me know what to do or at least help me understand why this had happened this way. I felt like we should stick around on the area so we decided to sit in the driveway and contact some potentials that we had met that day. After about 20 minutes, they drive up! I was so excited. I knew that Our Heavenly Father had been trying to teach me a lesson. Our promptings are valid. They do mean something. But, we can't throw everything out the window when things don't end up the way we plan. The important part is that we follow those promptings and we have faith in His timing and His will. If we do that, everything will work out. We ended up having an amazing lesson with the mom and her daughter and committed them both to baptism. They couldn't come to church yesterday because of an emergency it we taught them yesterday and they are right on tract to be baptized either by the end of this month or the beginning of November. How cool is that?? They are so prepared and it truly is a pleasure to teach them. Miracles happen when we have faith and act :)

On Wednesday night, we have a group call with the sisters in the surrounding areas and talked about how to strengthen our faith in Christ in order to baptize every month. It was amazing! As we come together as brothers and sisters in Zion, we can strengthen and edict each other like nothing else :)

On Thursday, we had zone meeting where we had training on positive thinking and the power of our calling. We are all taking the no negativity challenge in our zone (which is to try to refrain from negative thoughts, actions, or words for 24 hours and if you fail you start the 24 hours over). It truly is an inspired challenge and even though I have a long way to go, I know that it will work wonders in our missionary work :)

Thursday was also the day where I got eaten alive by mosquitos. Now, before I tell y'all this (mom!), let me preface by saying that I put bug spray on religiously! I will never go without bug spray again, even if I have to miss a bus for it. I knew coming to Kentucky would entail bugs so I was almost expecting something like this to happen. Anyway, everything is good! I just have some cool pictures to send so I thought I would give a little explanation with it ;)

On Saturday, we had a Drop lesson with Sam and his wife. They are the sweet southern baptist people that we met a few weeks ago. I think I may have talked about his Mormon obsession but I can't remember! He loves mormons! We decided it wasn't very effective to continue teaching them though since they didn't seem like they had much intent to change. We told them of our purpose and asked for their expectations with meeting us and everything was laid on the table. He explained his beliefs and went on to say (nicely!) that he thought we were wrong. We found out that he had been studying anti along with Mormon doctrine which plains more of why he is convinced against our beliefs. We politely left them with our testimonies and left it at that. 

I went home pretty shaken up though! This was my first time encountering someone who outright questioned my testimony and was worried for my salvation. I immediately turned to prayer and asked my Heavenly Father for guidance. I felt a peaceful reassurance of His love for me and the reasoning behind why we had taught them at all. As I fasted yesterday, I was able to strengthen my testimony in a way that wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't had that experience. Through much prayer and pondering, I have received a newfound confirmation that this church is indeed true! Christ does indeed live and He did suffer for our sins. He did not, however, suffer for our sins so that we wouldn't have any responsibility here on earth. As we have faith and do all that we can to become like our Savior, then His grace is sufficient to change us. Using our agency to choose Him instead of the adversary is how we grow and change. The Book of Mormon has so many examples of that! I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that the records that are included are inspired by our Heavenly Father and abiding by its precepts will bring us back to our Father in Heaven. This gospel brings so much joy and I am so eternally grateful for the ability to receive personal revelation. Believe it or not, missionaries have doubts too. But nothing has been more faith strengthening and stabilizing then asking God in prayer about the questions that you have and receiving actual answers! I know that Heavenly Father loves and He does indeed answer all of our questions. In the words of a very wise apostle, "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith" -Utchdorf I do not know the meaning of all things but I know that God lives, I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I know that this is His church. 

I love you all so much! Thank you for all of the support, love, and prayers. I love being a missionary more than anything in the world and I know that as we continue to act in faith, each of us can and will witness miracles. Have an amazing week :) Hurrah for Israel!

Love always,

Sister Dorian

"Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him" 1 Nephi 7:12