Temple miracles

 A week ago we had the special opportunity to attend the temple. In preparation I had been studying repentance and forgiveness because I really wanted to feel clean when I went through the temple. We had also been praying to know which session to attend. Elder Searle and I both felt like we should go for the earliest one available. 

This ended up teaching me about the power of prayer because…we got there and there was a Deaf couple that attends a hearing ward going to the exact same session. I knew them from a long time ago so it was amazing to see them again. PLUS, we sat with the Brother and watched the endowment in ASL. How absolutely incredible is that? I understood all of it, in fact I think I got more out of it! So amazing. It was a wonderful and beautiful experience and I'm glad we prayed about when to go so that we knew that was the session we needed to be in.

Then we started a Hindi Exchange. It was great to be with my brother, Elder Holladay. We were looking around his apartment and….it's pretty bad. So we committed to cleaning it the next day. We stayed up incredibly late just talking about everything. Elder Holladay is amazing and truly consecrated. 

We woke up and just started going at everything. Luckily, the Zone Leaders showed up to do their laundry and decided to help us. We literally changed the color of the floor. We took out so much garbage, reorganized his apartment, killed the bathroom. It's now probably one of the cleanest in the mission! We also did personal and comp study with the zone leaders which was wonderfully enlightening. Then the Hindi work began. It was going pretty tough most of the day. Our Hindi members who were gonna help us let us know their hindinis actually rusty and that we can read better than them. And one indian member whom we've been trying to contact, we finally found! And somehow he's simply just not interested in the gospel at all. So we'll keep working on him I suppose. 

Then we went to visit some of our friends- Balwinder, Balwinder, Baljinder, and Sonia.

We showed them our video of the first vision (it will be posted sometime soon I promise) and they were blown away. Absolutely amazed. We taught the restoration again with a big focus on if this is all true, that means this is the church which you must join! I hope it went in their minds. They committed to reading and praying!

The Hindi work is progressing and I am so excited for it to grow more.

We went to Bombay Garden on Thursday. It's an Indian buffet where every food looks pretty sus. Nevertheless, we did partake. I was amazed at how spicy it was. We also learned how to eat like a indian- with your hands and the flatbread. A few of the curries looked so nice and then they're actually the spiciest thing I've ever tasted. What an experience. 

We have a new Deaf friend named Matthew. And I don't know what to think of him. He signs in ways I'm not sure what he's saying. But he keeps texting us and calling us. So that's good. (His texts make little sense) we were trying to teach him the restoration when we found out he doesn't know who God is. So I tried to explain. Man, that's a hard concept to explain. We tried "he made all the animals" he doesn't know what animals are. "He made the Earth" he doesn't know what that is either. We also said he was Heavenly Father and he was confused and was like "my dad is over there."

Also we've been reaching out to Deaf people all over Facebook and recently we've received many wonderful responses telling us that the "Deaf Community is all Gay and it's not worth your time to try and help them" and "they are all so rude you won't have any luck with them" 

I love social media work. 

Elder Searle and I made a work-out plan. Now everyday we know exactly what To do. We went for a few runs and it was great! I'm certainly feeling it. 

Then the rest of the week, somehow, all we did was give priesthood blessings. Most of them were in ASL. It was my first time ever sealing a blessing in ASL, then my second time, then my third time. We also found Sione Fonua From the other side of heaven. The real man. He is in a care home in our area and we were able to give him a blessing as well and brother just cried the whole time and said he loves us a few times. I'd never met this man or even seen the movie but after I gave him a blessing I was full of love for him. 

Then our friend Emma had a baptismal interview with our mission president. We waited for almost an hour but they both came out glowing and smiling so bright I wished I had brought my sunglasses with me. Emma will be baptized this Sunday at 1:30. 

She told us, in her thick Tagolic accent "I have finally found the right restaurant" I know she is right. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the right restaurant.

Then we got official transfer news. I'm training 2 new ASL missionaries. Elder Searle is training 1 new ASL missionary. We will all be I'm the same apartment and same areas. We will interpret everything for our Deaf Missionary. Their 4 combined ages in the mission won't be older than mine for 3 months lol. 

So that's exciting. 

Also you'll be happy to know I finally brought my suit to the dry cleaners. First time ever. 

And I did because….ElderBednarIsVisitingOurMissionThisSarurday!!!

I'll tell you about it next week!