Service in Seattle: Week 12 - The Prophet Was Here!

The rain has finally come to Washington and it's not coming lightly! I know I'll get sick of the rain eventually but right now I love it! Especially when we are tracting because people feel sorry for us and let us into their homes :)

So much happened this week OH MY GOSH!! First of all, I don't know if y'all heard, but the prophet came to our mission and spoke at Safeco stadium in Seattle last Saturday. So that was pretty cool. All the missionaries got to ride in school buses up to Seattle and we had reserved seating in the luxury boxes. Also, SO MANY PEOPLE! There were over 49,000 people there which marks the largest event to take place at Safeco field! President Henry B. Eyring, Sister Wendy Nelson, and President Nelson all spoke. Sister Nelson shared some experiences she's had ever since her husband became tbe president of the church. I GOT CHILLS, IT WAS SO GOOD! It made the calling of a prophet more real to me. I know without a doubt that President Russell M. Nelson is truly a prophet called by God. When the prophet spoke, the whole audience just shifted to the edge of their seats. The Spirit was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Definitely the highlight of my week!

Also Rod is now on date to be baptized on October 27th!! He is so excited and loves reading the Book of Mormon with his family. J'nell and Rod even text scriptures to each other that they find throughout the day! We just need to get Rod and J'nell married by our bishop soon. Sister Morris and I have already been planning their little wedding...without them even knowing. We can hardly wait!

On Wednesday, we had exchanges again. Sister Watson came to my area and I had to be in charge for a day. Honestly, I was kinda freaking out about having to take over the area, but Sister Watson is such an experienced missionary and that helped take pressure off me. We did get lost a couple...ok several times, but we invited lots of people to our upcoming church tour! We also met a lady who at first wanted nothing to do with us. Then, we started bearing our testimonies and her heart softened. She let us in and then proceeded to give us umbrellas because it was pouring outside. We sang "I Am A Child of God" to her and she definitely felt the Spirit. She still doesn't agree with our beliefs but at least she has respect for what we do as missionaries. Seed has been planted friends.

Ok now I HAVE to tell you about David! I think I've briefly mentioned him before, but David has extreme social anxiety. Sister Morris has been trying to get him to pray out loud for months. There was one point when we talked about not teaching David any more. He was not progressing at all. Then, something changed and he's been reaching out to us more than usual. We were able to meet him at the church on Thursday. He told us he was going to surprise us this week and show up to church!!! He also told us he realized we won't be here forever and he is wasting precious time. He really does have so much faith; he just doesn't recognize it.... yet. After we talked about the importance of taking the sacrament at church, we invited David to be baptized. And GUESS WHAT??! He is on date for October 20th!! We've invited David to be baptized several times before, but this time was definitely different. He is starting to realize what this gospel can do for him and he truly has a desire to change. And to top it off, David said the closing prayer...OUT LOUD. Sister Morris and I just started screaming when we got in the car. It was the BIGGEST miracle ever!

Today for our p-day we hiked the Summit and it was beautiful. Washington never ceases to amaze me. We hiked to this lake and may have accidentally fell in and got soaking wet....we were freezing on the way back! At least we got quality pictures :)

I truly love my mission in every aspect and I can't wait to experience more! Also, today marks 2 months for me in the mission field and that's crazy! I feel like I literally just got here! Have a great week everyone and thank you so much for your support!

-sis. smith