Week 70

WHAT A WEEK! wow.

Transfers: So all week I have really felt quite confident that I am staying in Land O Lakes... we go over to the Cusick's to help with the departing and the incoming missionaries dinners and President told me I was being transferred. The transfer email hadn't come out yet and I was so mad! Later, we talked more and he told me that logically, I have served in this area for WAY too long. Plus I only have two transfers left, so it would make sense to send me somewhere for my last two so I have enough time to get things moving. I agreed, but I still REALLY didn't want to go. It ended with him telling me that logically he wants me transferred, but the Lord disagrees and he feels that God wants me to stay... so I stayed. I have had the feeling multiple times over the last week that there is someone that I still need to find, so I'm excited for the next couple weeks.

Priests: Those boys are amazing. The one priest that wanted to say the sacrament prayer, didn't come to church last week. We saw him mid-week and called him out on it and he promised he would be there on Sunday to say the prayer. Wow, the spirit was SO strong during sacrament meeting. Both priests that said the prayers went slowly and you could tell that they were really thinking about what they were saying. Sister Sutton and I are so proud! We're expecting big things over the next week with each of them!

Gladys Knight: My weekend was filled with gospel music and a lot of "praise Jesus!" and "Hallelujah!" For a moment, I thought I belonged to a southern baptist church, but then I realized we were still in a mormon church building. Gladys Knight came and put on a "fireside" (basically a massive concert) on Friday and Saturday. Two shows in Valrico and two shows in St. Petersburg. There were 12 of us missionaries asked to help with the event. We started to be referred to as "The Twelve" haha.

The performances were about two hours long each and were filled with testimonies and songs. It was AMAZING. Check out suvchoir.org. I really can't even explain all that happened, but the spirit was so strong and there were hundreds of non-members in the church building. It was one of the best weekends of my mission so far. President gave all the missionaries permission to dance, so during the last song of the show we all went running up to the chapel and started dancing with people in the audience. It was SO much fun. 

One of the songs they sing says, "Come head, come love, Come to Jesus Christ, come willingly to eternal life. Come feast upon the word of God, just trust in Him and come!" It was SO moving. After Sister Knight got up and bore her testimony about how everyone needs to "come" and give the church a chance because this really is God's church. She talked about her own conversion to the gospel and it was incredible. We are expecting big things to come from this over the next couple weeks.

Life is good and I really can't complain. Staying in Florida for the rest of my life is sounding more and more tempting. God lives and Jesus is the Christ. 

Love you all

Sister Mal

 i love flroida trees

studies

Florida has hills! What is this!?

A picture Sister Sutton drew me. i was EXHAUSTED this week.

GLADYS KNIGHT!!

This is the big mormon van that "the twelve" all rode in together. It was a party.

lunch on Friday

that's Kenya Jackson in the middle- she is Gladys Knight's daughter and helps run the show

van selfies for days :)