HELLO there.

                                                                                              July 31, 2017

A list of less than important, but more than mundane things that have happened in Sister Rendon's life this week: 

-Sister Burnside pointed out that I had callouses on my knees from praying. Turns out they have been there for a while and for that same while I've been wondering why my knees looked especially weird, but I just thought it was because I wasn't used to seeing them anymore. 

-For quite some time a long list of black items I own have been missing and I honestly, truly thought that Elders were trying to prank us by stealing all my black things.....name tags, water bottles, shoes. Turns out Sister Rendon still just misplaces everything and this week I found nearly all of my missing black things. So HOORAY. 

-they announced over the pulpit yesterday in Sacrament meeting to 'please excuse a member of our bishopric, he eloped to Las Vegas this weekend'

-I went on exchanges and had a dinner with five other missionaries and three members and out all nine of us there I was the only one not speaking spanish. I was really anxious when an Elder looked at me and said..."your turn." I thought I was supposed to talk......but good news it was just turn for me to put some mexican spices on my watermelon. 

-I received one of the best birthday presents in the whole world of my face along with my three best friends plastered on an oversized t-shirt. So I spend a couple of extra seconds looking at myself in the mirror at night. 

-Sister Burnside and I are going rouge. Our tiwi (which is the little box in missionary cars that yells at you) is broken so there is no vocal reminder to check your speed or to show some frustration with you when your driving gets aggressive. Which would be fine but then you consider this real quote from Sister Burnside last week, "Am I touching the brake or the gas right now?"

That list was the weekly e-mail equivalent of starting a talk with a joke so I can make sure ya'll are paying attention when I get to the actually good stuff...

WHICH INCLUDES 

-here a miracle, there a miracle, everywhere a miracle on Thursday. 

fun fact about missionary work: you record daily how many miles you travel in the car. you also only have a certain amount of miles you can go each month. this week is the last week of the month. 

So Thursday we didn't have a ton of set appointments so we decided we would just walk all the day long. WE MET SO MANY PEOPLE....and they were all so prepared. Literally after about three hours I was getting worried and I looked at Sister Burnside and said..."An Elder once said if you aren't getting rejected at least once a day than you aren't doing your job right." Which is 100% valid. Seconds after expressing my concern....we were rejected. Which left me at ease and then we went on to find some more of the elect. Here is a real quote from one of the people we met on Thursday so you can truly understand the magnitude of these miracle's....

-"Is your church accepting member's right now....I've been looking for a church." Well if Jesus Christ is accepting followers than we are accepting members. so yes a million times over. 

We were so blessed on Thursday. We had so many people placed in our path and the secret was we were just trying to walk the Lord's path. By the time we got home we had seven new investigators. (I apologize if my picture with all the teaching records looks prideful...we were just super happy)

Also on Thursday night we had an appointment with Rudy....WHO HAS FINISHED THE ENTIRE BOOK OF MORMON. 

Which makes Rudy a mix between the elect and Tulare's most frustrating investigator because he accepts it to be the word of God, loves it, literally feasts upon it, and yet doesn't want to be baptized. He is afraid to make a promise he can't keep......so on Thursday night we were teaching him and explaining to him the justice and mercy of our Heavenly Father and I had a moment I really loved....and during that moment a lot of things were happening at once. Sister Burnside was testifying of the perfect character of our Heavenly Father, Jacob (who Rudy had invited to 'save his life') was muttering about how Adam ate the fruit and that's why men have Adam's apples, gears were turning in Rudy's brain and he was beginning to understand some true doctrine, and I could feel my sunburned face and my tired feet. Sister Burnside and I were sweaty and gross....and as I took in all these things at once I also just felt this overwhelming love for the work. I can't think of any place I'd rather be on a Thursday night then in a cluttered yard on a half broken porch swing teaching about the gospel. Or any other night of the week for that matter. It's hard work, it's the greatest work, it's the truest work, and most importantly it's the Lord's work. 

Also another person who finished the Book of Mormon this week: YOURS TRULY. 

All I can say is that I've never been more fully aware of how great it is to be partnered with the Savior. Not only in bringing to pass the salvation of other's souls, but working out your own. He came to this earth... He fulfilled His purpose...which is centered in us and now on this earth we are to fulfill our purpose which is centered in Him. Our salvation most definitely requires a Savior (for whom I am so grateful for), but it also requires a willing heart on our part. We can't get there without Him, and He can't take us there without us allowing Him to. Please do something this week to take you closer to Jesus Christ. Please consider this a personal invitation. I love you all. 

-Sister Rendon

ALSO: This week as we were coming to talk with ya'll Sister Burnside asked why I was taking my scriptures and I said.....so I can send some good ones home......and she said...."They want to hear from you not from the prophet Moroni." So in an effort to prove her wrong someone please take strength in the scripture from the great prophet Moroni: 

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

-LOVE YA'LL 

SISTER RENDON