"Hands of The Healer" - July 18, 2022

EVERYONE! Hello!

I'm excited to tell you all about this past week!

We were out tracting on Tuesday, enjoying the nice weather, when huge black storm clouds began moving in! We decided we would be find for the next little bit so we kept going. After a few more houses a few rain drops began to fall. We knocked one more house but as we were talking to the lady the rain fell harder and heavier! The lady we were talking to told us she wasn't interested, so we zipped up our bags and walked out into the rain! We had both forgotten umbrellas so within a few minutes we were SOAKED! All the way through, haha! It was quite a fun experience! We ended up just walking home because of how wet we were but we laughed the whole way there!

We've had some great success with Facebook this week! I've never been very good at it but Sister Holt is! She helped me a lot this week! I'm so grateful for all the ways the Lord is providing for this work to move forward! It can sometimes be scary to try something new but as you jump in with your whole heart the Lord can magnify your efforts and give you the strength and courage you need!

This week we had some crazy things happen. Saturday morning we were woken up super early in the morning, to a man yelling outside our apartment. It sounded like it was going past our door, like he was walking down the street. I didn't think much about it, because I was half asleep, and just rolled over and went back to sleep. That morning, after our alarm went off, Sister Holt asked if I had heard what had happened during the night! She then told me that the guy yelling had been yelling things like, "Stop" "Come back" "Dont do that" "Get back here!" It had sounded like he was yelling at a lady and that both were running. At some point the police were called and they came down the road, lights and sirens wailing, and took the yelling man. We don't know what happened or what was actually going on but, from our apartment, that's what we could gather! Crazy things happening here in Beckley!

Another crazy story for your enjoyment - we were in a little trailer park knocking on doors and realized a member lived there! She hadn't had any recent contact with missionaries so we decided to go over! We soon found out she had moved to Florida but her grandson now lived in the trailer! We talked with him for a bit, gave him a Restoration pamphlet with our names and number and invited him to church. We didn't think much of it until the next morning.... At 3:45 am we received three consecutive calls from a number. Normally we wouldn't answer, but after the third call we figured something was probably wrong and someone really needed to get a hold of us! We answered the call and guess who it was! The guy we had talked to the evening before! He asked to know more about the things we had talked about the night before. We said we would call him later that day, probably in 12 hours at a normal phone calling time, and then hung up. We didn't call him back later because he was probably calling us under the influence of some substance. We now have the elders number memorized and we'll be giving that to people who seem a little iffy.

Friday was an absolutely amazing day!! We had so many Spirit filled lessons! We met with an inactive member and learned a lot about her life. We read the Book of Mormon with her and we'll be going back next Friday! We met with our friend Brenda who we met in a McDonalds about six weeks ago. She is so cool! She has gone through a lot in her life and is looking for the peace and comfort that only Christ can bring. We are going to visit her next Friday, too! We also met with a member who gave us a referral! After our visit with the member we stopped by to see the person she had told us about! West Virginia is a beautiful place but the people sometimes live in very poor conditions. We walked into the home and met a very sweet lady and her granddaughter. After a few minutes of visiting I reached down and itched my ankle a little. Without hesitation the lady said, "Oh it's probably a flea." WHAT???!!! The granddaughter then told us their cats had fleas but they were all locked in a room down the hall. However, there was a small crack under the door where the fleas probably got out. Sister Holt and I just looked at each other. But, we represent Jesus Christ and we are here to love these people, serve them and bring them closer to Him. We shared the message we had planned to share and then headed home. We spayed our car, clothes and home with permethrin and then showered! Don't worry! We are all clear but for a few minutes there we had some fleas, haha! I love being a missionary!!!!! You experience things you never thought you would!

I should probably update you all on our friends now! Krista, Shawn and Melissa are doing good. We met with Krista and Shawn on Saturday and went over the Restoration. Krista was answering the questions and everything! It was so awesome! They weren't able to make it to church this week but we will keep helping them! James and Kayla haven't answered any of our calls and message this whole week. We aren't sure why but we just have to keep trying and trusting in the Lord! Katie is absolutely wonderful!!! We met with her on Wednesday and taught her the last few commandments. On Saturday we went over the baptismal interview questions! She bore her testimony to us and the Spirit filled the room. She has come so far these past few months! She had her baptismal interview with Elder Berrett on Sunday before church! She will be baptized this Saturday, July 23rd, at 10 am! AHHHHH!!! I can't believe it!! She is so ready for this! I love her so much! Please keep praying for her!

Song of the Week: "Hands of The Healer" by Brandon Heath. One of my past companions introduced this song to me. This past week was a tough one. The start of a new transfer, with a new companion, is always hard! I was feeling lonely, homesick and tired at the start of last week. I was worried about how things would go with Sister Holt. However, she is absolutely amazing!!! And rather than worrying about things, I prayed that I would be ok. The Lord is far more powerful than us, so why not trust in Him! One of my favorite movie quotes comes from Newt Schmander, "...Worrying means you suffer twice." So, dont worry! Just trust in the Lord, and keep on! I'm grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for His infinite Atonement. I know He is there and that He suffered for me and you! He also has felt all we will feel, so that He can understand us perfectly! Isn't He amazing?!

I hope you all have an amazing week! Talk to y'all next Monday!

- Sister Sariah Francis

Pictures!!!