"Now Let Us Rejoice" - August 29, 2022

 Oh my goodness! Family and Friends! This week was crazy!

Tuesday was a great day! We had a great lesson with our friend Gabrielle! She has four super cute little girls! It was very loud and busy during our lesson but we ended up giving her a Book of Mormon! Later she messaged asking if we could meet again next week! We are super excited! Around 5 we had planned to go knock on a specific door that Sister Livingston really wanted to knock. We drove over and knocked it! A nice girl, a couple years older than Sister Livingston and I, came out! We asked if she would like to hear a message and she said she had 5 minutes (the pasta she was cooking was going to be finished in 5 minutes). She invited her husband to come out, too! They said their names were Paige and Preston. We bore testimony about the Book of Mormon and invited them to read it for themselves. They enjoyed the message and we set up another lesson for this Tuesday at 6:30! They walked inside and closed the door and we began walking down the steps. BUT! THEN! Paige opened the door again and asked if we wanted to join them for dinner!!! WHAT?! It was crazy! We said we would like to, because we were going to eat dinner anyway. We walked in and they had some party things up! I asked who's birthday it was. Paige looked at me and said it was mine. I thought that was hilarious because it literally had just barely been my birthday! But! Then she said, "No seriously! We are the Leavitts, from the ward. I talked to you mom and found out what you like." I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!! They were being serious! Sister Livingston knew all about it too! It was crazy! I was so shocked! We had pasta and cake with them! It was a lovely dinner! I'm so grateful for these amazing people in my life! They are pretty amazing!

After dinner we had a lesson with our friend Carol! We read Alma 40 with her and discussed the Spirit World. It was a wonderful lesson! We then quickly drove home, packed a few things and drove 2 hours and 15 minutes to Charleston! We arrived at the Charleston sisters apartment around 11 pm... but it was better than leaving at 6 am Wednesday morning to make the drive! 

We had zone conference on Wednesday!! It was tri-zone, so the Huntington, Charleston and Clarksburg zones met together! We had some very special guests come! Elder and Sister McConkie and Elder and Sister Haynie, both from the seventy. They all had some amazing things to share with us. One thing that really stuck out to  me was when Elder and Sister McConkie talked about listening, listening to our friends and listening to the Spirit. If we don't understand the needs of our friends and the people we teach then we won't be able to help them in the right way! So, we need to take a few minutes to listen to them. This helps us see what they need to hear, and helps us know exactly what aspect of the gospel is needed in their life right now. It was incredible! We drove back home and had a missionary coordination meeting.

On Thursday we met with Kasondra! She is so cool! We were able to put the things we had learned in zone conference to the test. We just listened to her. From what Sister Livingston told me it has been hard to get in contact with her. So, we decided to get to know her before sharing a message. And it was incredible! She told us at the beginning that she doesn't like hugging people, so we gave her a handshake! She then began telling us about her life and some of the hard things she has been through. Sister Livingston and I just listened. Every so often we would have a chance to testify to her that Heavenly Father loves her and knows who she is. At the end she asked if she could give us hugs!! She said she felt so comfortable around us and was excited to meet again! Oh, it was wonderful! Later in the day we again drove to Charleston! We arrived around 11 pm, haha! 

This time we drove to Charleston so we could have our Missionary Leadership Council meeting! Friday morning we drove the President and Sister Lindahls home! It was beautiful! WOW! Elder and Sister McConkie and Elder and Sister Haynie were there! It was wonderful hearing from them all again! One of my favorite parts was hearing Elder McConkie and Elder Haynie's testimonies. They were incredible. Both were very simple but as they testified of the truthfulness of the gospel, the Spirit was so strong! I loved it! We drove back to Fairmont and had a great evening!

The weekend was beautiful! We had some time to finally knock doors and we met some very nice people! We had stake conference on Sunday so we drove down to Clarksburg! Our friend Tony came!!! It was a miracle! We have been trying to have him come to church for a long time! It was so wonderful having him there! We had a pretty normal afternoon. Then, at 8:30, the Buckannon Sisters called us and said they were coming to stay the night! WHAT?! Some crazy things have been happening in their area and they didn't feel safe staying there. So, for the time being, they are staying here in Fairmont with us! As STL's we have the responsibility to take care of the other Sisters in the zone. It was an exciting evening and we are happy they are here!

Song of the Week: "Now Let us Rejoice" Hymn 3. You should sing this song cheerfully! It is a joyful song!Even though a lot has happened this week, I have felt so happy! I have also been sooo tired! But it has all been incredible. I'm so grateful to be here sharing the gospel! It brings me so much joy! And I want to share that joy with others! The joy I feel comes from knowing that Jesus Christ's Atonement is there. Even though we make mistakes, He forgives us! It is amazing! If you would like to feel this joy in your life please reach out to me! I would love to talk with you!!

I hope you all have a joyful week! Talk to y'all next Monday!

- Sister Sariah Francis

Pictures!!!

A late night picture after a really good lesson

Some flowers we picked from a member's yard

Sister Livingston and I in the car

West Virginia roads

Huge brown recluse spider we saw outside one of our friend's houses... with two dead spiders next to it... (one of them may be a dead small wolf spider)

Some lipgloss we found in our apartment

Birthday celebration!

All the Sisters at MLC