It finally feels like winter in Chicago today. We did have one big "Chicago" style snow last week (where it snowed for literally 13 hours straight), but then it warmed up again, and this morning we went running outside for our exercise. Crazy! I walked outside in shorts and flip flops to do my laundry! This should not be possible. Apparently the weather realized what it had allowed me to do though, because it quickly turned cold and now there are little ice balls falling (though more like being driven - becuase of the wind) through the sky. I suppose I can't really complain about it snowing so much last week, because technically I prayed it in. Cierra's mom and step-dad make most of their money for the year by shoveling snow. We haven't had ANY snow yet worth shoveling for, so last Tuesday night I prayed that enough snow to give them some good work, wouldn't totally mess anyone else's prayers up, could we please have some snow for the Falbo family. Wednesday morning we got a text from the office telling us to be careful driving because a snow storm was expected on Thursday, and Thursday it snowed all day. We had 6 or 7 inches I'm guessing. God Answers Prayers.
Don said that cigarettes have started to have a funny taste to him. Like he hasn't brushed his teeth in 7 years. :) YUK!
Mom, I met that lady again who grew up in the 3rd ward and I got her name this time. Kaaren Nokleby - related to Lee's Candies. She knew RaeAnn too and a bunch of other people whose names I knew from stories from you and Grandma and Grandpa. It was fun talking to her.
Friday night I had my first experience with having my testimony rejected. True, I've had many people turn us away at doors, but I've never had my testimony rejected by someone that I love and care about before. Tom is an inactive member in our ward, and his wife Lynn is not a member. She is studying the Bible THOROUGHLY, but is not ready to accept or read the Book of Mormon, because she doesn't feel that that is what God is telling her to do. We meet with them every week though, hoping that she will accept it soon, and in an effort to strengthen Tom. We have really great discussions with them, but she's still not ready for the BoM. Friday night, I bore a brief testimony about the Book of Mormon, and how it contains the same teachings of Jesus and does the Bible and I said that I knew she wasn't to that point yet, but that when she gets there I know she will feel that too. And then she said, "I love you. But I don't think I'll EVER be there." That really hurt! I shared something with her that means SO much to me and she doesn't want it! And I shared it with her because I love HER so much. But she doesn't want it. And while it hurt to have her say no, I'm not sorry that I shared my testimony of it with her. Because I did it out of love. And this has given me a new conviction that I need to love everyone at EVERY door better than I do, so that when I bear my testimony of these things at their door, they can feel that it truly is out of love for the Savior, for the Book of Mormon, and for them.
You had 7 investigators at church???!!?!!? That's AWESOME! How are they doing it?? The fact that we had THREE this week was a major step up for us.
Another miracle and another answered prayer. Yesterday I was trying to think of who would be a good visit buddy to go to Kasey's tonight when Sister Stewart and I have to do splits. Sister Charles is always a favorite choice just because she's so awesome (seriously this woman is INCREDIBLE) but I wanted to make sure she would be the right one. I prayed about it and felt okay about calling her, and as no one else came to mind, I decided to ask. I made one other call first, and then called Sister Charles. She was at Ikea taking apart a shelf so that she could fit it in her car and then put it back together at her apartment and she desperately needed help. Our morning appointment had been cancelled, so we quickly threw on our shoes and ran over to help her. We finished that up and then helped her put it all back together at her apartment. I told her about what had led to me calling and then she told us a story. When she and her son had moved to Georgia, they had a lot of trouble finding help unloading the moving truck. After working ALL day in the sweltering heat, and only getting halfway done, she expressed that they could not do this alone in that heat. The next day they went back to the storage unit to finish unloading and they realized the work was going much quicker. And then they realized that it was 20 degrees cooler than the day before. She had said they couldn't do it alone in that heat, so Heavenly Father made it cooler for them, so they could finish the job. She was remembering that Ikea, so very specifically prayed that she could not do THIS particular task alone - with no mention of the weather or other conditions. And that's when I called. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS.
Lots and lots of love!
Love, Sister Hatch
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