After the Storm

Transfers were this week! In all honesty, I was very sad to see Sister Jones leave. We had became great friends - but it was time for a change and to shake things up a bit here in Pass Christian. On Tuesday, Sister Devenport finally came! She is so very sweet and demure. I see a lot of myself in her and we have very similar personalities. She's from Payson, Utah and has already been out for nine months! I'm confident that this transfer will get along very smoothly and that things will get done.

On Wednesday, we got the change to meet as a brand new district. Two of our elders, Elder Green and Elder Christofferson were transferred out along with Sister Jones. To replace the elders, two new sisters came in - Sister Keyes and Sister Harr! Now, we have a district that comprises of two elders and four sisters - a nice change from the mainly male domination! Our district leader is Elder Martin and I can already tell that he will be an excellent district leader. He appears to be a wonderful missionary and loves us all (in a completely appropriate way). Because of District Development Meeting along with all the unpacking, not much work got done. But that's okay! It was a great opportunity to get to know my new district.

Thursday morning, we got a referral from mormon.org. All the way out in the Kill - a good 30 minute drive from our apartment. Sister Devenport and I had to throw all our plans out the window to go contact this referral. Who turned out to not be interested in the least. But, I found the blessings in it because it gave us a change to go visit Sister Snow, a less active in our ward. I believe I mentioned her a few months ago - Sister Jones and I met her and had the opportunity to talk to her. When Sister Devenport and I came, she was home and we got to teach her a lesson about patience. Then, we got her to commit to coming to church on Sunday! Afterward, we got to visit a less-active part member family, the Hattons. They're both very kind and very giving. They actually told us that they've been thinking a lot lately about going back to church. There were definitely blessings in the referral that day. 

Later that night was the turning point of our week - we got to go teach John and his family about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (curious as to what it is? Read 3 Nephi 31 to understand it all)! The whole lesson, John basically talked himself through it all and taught himself. All Sister Devenport and I did was provide gentle guidance (which is ideal) and pointed him in the right direction. Eventually, it got to the point where his wife flat out asked him, "Do you believe in the Book of Mormon?" John didn't say he believed in it, but at the same time, we could tell that he didn't want to deny of it's divinity. His wife maintained that the Catholic faith was the true and only faith, but John seemed to begin to think differently. We could tell that he was starting to feel the strength of the true gospel and feel its truthfulness because he refused to deny it.

We also got the opportunity to teach Jeff, a member's boyfriend. We've been teaching him for awhile, but it appeared that not much progress had been made. Yet, this week, he finally opened up to us and we were able to have a break through. I won't go into it, but the Spirit in the room was so strong and real, I felt as if I could've cut through it with a butter knife. We talked about General Conference and how it was coming up, and he anxiously checked his planner to be sure that he would be free those two days to hear the prophet's voice. We were both so ecstatic to see him finally feel the spirit and realize how much it can help him out.

As I took Sister Devenport around the area to show her what there was, we headed into a nearby neighborhood that Sister Jones and I had a few potentials in from a few months ago who never answered the door. I decided that we should try Angela's house one last time before writing her off. We walked up to the door and knocked on it. Lo, and behold, she answered! She let us in and grabbed her Book of Mormon - that Sister Jones and I gave her back in July. We started asking her how her reading had gone and Angela said, "It's gone good. I'm in Chapter 19 of Neffi." Instantly, I was quite impressed! Most of the time, people hadn't read very much. Then, she looked at us and said, "I know it's true." 

WHAT. My fingers were tingling. My heart was racing. She knew it. She knew it was true. We hadn't seen her for months, we had only met her at the doorstep. And she knew it was true! I couldn't believe it. Heavenly Father had prepared her for this moment. He had been guiding her and watching over her and protecting her. Helping her come to the realization that the Book of Mormon was true. 

We instantly started talking about the truthfulness of it and elaborated more upon it. Then, Angela asked us, "What do you guys believe about prophets? I have a friend who attends the church down the road and the pastor says he's a prophet. But that just doesn't sit right with me. I don't think he's a prophet." Again, I had to keep my jaw from dropping. She was so very susceptible to the spirit, she could tell something wasn't right. As the lesson went on, we asked her to be baptized and she instantly agreed. I couldn't be more happy!

The very best part of the week though was Sunday. As we pulled up into the parking lot, there was Dominic, all dressed up and ready to go to church. Domonic! If y'all don't remember, we taught him a few weeks ago and we basically dropped him because he wasn't listening to a word we said. And then! We saw Jeff walk into the chapel. Shortly after, John's face appeared in the doorway. Finally, we saw Sister Snow meander into the room. Three investigators in church. One less active. My heart was fit to burst. There's no way to describe my feelings except for pure, absolute joy. Biting my lip was all I could do to keep from tearing up. 

During Sunday School (where I was roped into teaching at the very last minute), each and every single one of them participated and had something to contribute to the lesson. They all seemed to have felt the Spirit there within the walls of the church building. My joy is full - I could go home right now and feel as if I made a difference as a missionary. I wouldn't want anything else. Three of our investigators in church. There isn't a better feeling. 

There is definitely peace after the storm. There is sunshine after the darkness. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Last week was one of my most difficult weeks in the mission field. And now, I couldn't be more happy than I am at this very moment. I promise to all of you that are struggling, that feel your hearts failing, that are experiencing hardships - there is hope. There is light. There is an end. Heavenly Father is mindful of you and He is watching over you. He has not, will not, nor ever shall forsake you. You are loved. And there will be an end to the pain. There is light, joy, and happiness ahead. Keep your chin up and remember - you are a son or daughter of a king. 

--

All my love,

Sister Sarah Michèle Durrant

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Slap Yo Neighbor

All missionaries have thsoe weeks where all of your numbers are almost zeros when you call in your weekly report. And it seriously sucks. But there isn't anything you can really do about it if you tried the best you could that week!

On Tuesday, we decided to take a break from sweating out in the heat and went store contacting. We went into a teeny little shop and after wandering aimlessly around, the store owner asked us if there was anything we were specifially looking for. Somehow, we got into a great conversation about missionary work and how great the food is here. The owner gave us a good resturant to go visit, J's, and he said, "The food there is so great, it'll make ya wanna pop right up and SLAP YO NEIGHBOR." As we left with the promise to go to J's, he left us with the parting words, "There is a one thing ya gotta remember about the South. Day may be po' but day dress goo' and day eat goo'." And it's true! Everyone here is crazy poor, but they all dress well and eat well.

After that, we had almost no success. Just to make things worse, our District Leader, Elder Green, called us up and told us that Bay Saint Louis was being taken out of our area. The Bay was the only place where we really had investigators and were able to tract. In that one phone call, we lost all of our investigators to the Elders. Every single one of them. Later that night, we went over and begged to keep at least John, because we had grown to love him so much and weren't willing to let him go after teaching their family for almost three months. After many promises and much begging, Elder Green decided that we could keep John. But everyone else we lost. Domonic, Sam, Sue... Everyone.... The Elders got them ALL. The worst part about it was the area we are left with.

Pass Christian - there is basically only slabs of concrete where homes used to be and stairs leading to homes that were destoryed by Hurrican Katrina

Diamondhead - a private city-community that doesn't allow people to go door to door in and the members give us no referrals there so we can't work in that area

Kill - no way in heck will we go there without a priesthood holder with us.... It's called Kill for a reason....

It will be a rough few weeks now, trying to find investigators again and just figuring out ways to find people. If any of y'all have an idea, please please let me know!

Later that week, we got a member to take us to go visit less-active members over in the Kill. When we walked into Sister Ladner's house, we took one look around and noticed two young men in white shirts and ties sitting on her couch! As it turned out, the Elders from the bordering zone were teaching her non-member daughter! We had just walked in on a lesson! Of course, they popped right up and had the guiltiest looks on their faces - they were well aware that they were out of their zone (which isn't allowed) and teaching in our area (which isn't allowed either)!!! Yet, we were nice and allowed them to keep teaching her... It was really funny though - what were the odds that we would walk in on a lesson?!

Then, from Thursday to Sunday, I caught something really bad (we think it's a mild case of West Nile Virus since it's been going around lately) and was flat on my back with terrible symptoms. So... No work got done. My poor companion was confined to our apartment while I slept the day away.

Somehow on Thursday, I was able to drag myself out of bed and go teach John a lesson. While we were "teaching" (more like - while Sister Jones taught and I tried not to die), the words, "Ask John if he believes in what we're teaching! Ask John if he believes in what we're teaching!" kept popping into my head and wouldn't stop. Finally, at the end of the lesson, I turned to him and asked that very question. He was silent for a moment and finally said, "I think I do... I just don't understand why God would take away the Church for so long though."

I was so estatic. We had finally figured out what was holding John back! We promised to teach him about it next time (since I couldn't handle sitting up anymore) and then we asked him, "If you find these things to be true, will you be baptized by someone holding the proper priesthood authority into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?" John sat there for a moment and finally said, "If I come to know it's true, yes." My heart soared!!! In a way, John had said yes! Normally, you're supposed to challenge them to baptism on the first lesson, but on our first lesson with John, the Spirit distinctly told us not to ask, not yet. But at that moment, we knew that it was finally time to ask. I know without a doubt that happened for a reason and that Heavenly Father knows exactly what John needs and when he needs it.

Transfer calls were made on Friday night and Sister Jones and I didn't get our call until 10:30 at night. It was one of the longest days (it didn't help that we couldn't work because I was basically dying)! Finally, when the call came, Sister Jones snatched up the phone and almost screamed from the built up excitement. Originally, I was supposed to be training this next transfer, but something changed at last moment. So, instead, Sister Jones is going to Magnolia, Arkanasas and switching places with my new companion, Sister Devenport! I'm so excited - it'll be a great change. I'm sad to see her leave, but it's the mission life!

On Sunday night, our whole district put on a fireside for the youth. We asked them to invite friends to it so that they would get a missionary opportunity and Sister Jones and I also invited John and his family. For the fireside, we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and ended with the Atonement. It was a powerful powerful ending - we pulled out a bag of candy and asked the first youth if they wanted candy. Of course, they said yes! We turned to the Bishop and asked him, "Are you willing to do 5 push ups so she can get a piece of candy?" The Bishop said that he would. We went up to every single person and asked them, "Do you want a piece of candy?" And then, if they accepted it or not, Bishop still had to do 5 push ups. For each and every single person. Towards the end, everyone was refusing a piece of candy because you could just see Bishop struggling to do the push ups. There wasn't a dry eye in the chapel as we all cried on behalf of Bishop - watching him atone for our candy - whether we took it or not. It was so powerful to see. We told the youth that that was just a taste of what the Atonement is like. Christ still suffered for us - even if we don't use the atonement in our lives. Elder Green then said something that stuck with me, "Have you ever sweated a lot? I'm sure we all have. It's gross, isn't it? Now. Imagine that as blood. That's what the Savior went through. Only so much more." At that moment, I almost broke down in tears, because I could only begin to imagine sweating blood to that extreme.

I know that the Savior truly did suffer the Atonement. He wept and bled in the Garden for each and every one of us - even if we don't use it in our lives, He still suffered for it. I know it happened. Without a doubt in my heart.
--

All my love,

Sister Sarah Michéle Durrant

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On Tuesday, I had the chance to attend my very first Zone Conference and Specialized Sister Training Meeting. It was a very uplifting conference that lasted literally all day. We drove east to Gulfport at 7 am and didn't get home until 9 o'clock at night. During the conference, we held a long discussion on the enabling power of the Atonement. It is truly a great experience to listen to young men and women from the ages of 18 to 29 all discuss in the depth how the Atonement brings us strength. There were three scriptures brought up that changed the way I viewed the Atonement, John 16:33, Alma 7:11-12, and Philippians 4:13. In each of these wonderful verses, we are taught that Christ "overcame the world", that he "took upon [our] infirmities" so that we "can do all things, through Christ who strengthens [us]." How remarkable is that? Often times, I wondered, "How can Christ help me bike this bridge? How did Christ help the pioneers trek across the plains?" 

During that discussion, it resounded in me that Christ is able to help us because he overcame the world. He took upon all of our infirmities and afflictions and temptations. Including physical trials. Often, people emphaize the fact that through Christ, we can be cleansed from our sins and that we may be healed. Which I have such a strong testimony of. Yet, not nearly enough do we talk about how Christ gives us the strength. The Atonement of Christ enables us to be able to do what we couldn't do otherwise. He provides strength because He truly did experience all. He felt the good, the bad, and the hard when He descended below all things in the Garden. And because He felt it all, He knows how to help us. If any of you get the time, I highly recommend that you read those three scriptures, study Elder Bednar's talk, "The Enabling Power of the Atonement", and seek out what that means to you. I promise that it'll change all of your lives - much as it has changed mine.

Sadly, all good things had to come to an end. After Zone Conference, we headed home and Sister Jones finally succumbed to the sickness that she had been fighting for a few days and we found ourselves entrapped in our apartment until Friday or, if we did get a chance to go out, it was a struggle to just get through the day. 

Thursday night, though, I became a true Southerner. It was about 3 in the morning, Sister Jones was awake with the flu and I heard some thumping. I was woken up to seeing Sister Jones trying to kill a cockroach, while looking sick to her stomach. I sent her to the restroom while I promised her I'd take care of the cockroach. For 20 minutes, I chased the thing all around the place with a shoe. Finally, I finally killed the cockroach - I've officially been inducted into the Southern lifestyle! Everyone here has told me that you aren't a true Southerner until you kill a cockroach. Not thinking though, I threw the dead cockroach into the trash can. 

That afternoon, while studying, I looked over and saw the very same cockroach walking around on the floor. I checked the garbage and sure enough, it was gone from there. Yes, we had a walking dead cockroach. THOSE THINGS DON'T DIE. Finally, after following it for what seemed like forever, I was able to crush it under a shoe (for the second time) and throw it outside. 

On Friday, we had a chance to go out and tract a little. Here in the South, many people have screened front porches so we often find ourselves knocking on screen doors. We came up to a house, knocked on the screen door, and as usual, no one answered. I turned to Sister Jones and joked, "What if we just clapped? You know, like they do in South America? Clap and everyone comes out!" We figured, what the heck? So we started clapping. Then, we started to get a little silly. Before we knew it, we were doing a full out jig on someone else's front door step, set to the beat of slapping hands. Right then, I remarked, "What if they came out of their house?"

Sure enough, the owner walked out and was starting at these two sister missionaries, clapping and dancing on his front porch. Laughing, he told us that he loved our little performance. Quickly, we scrambled to pull ourselves together and tell him of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sadly, he wasn't very interested in what we had to say. Now, I'm sure that there are rumors going around of the dancing Mormon missionaries. 

The weekend was spent with Sister Tomisin and Sister Jenkins - the Sister Training Leaders. They go around once a month to train the Sister missionaries and go on splits with them. By the end of the weekend, we had somehow obtained pumpkin bread, t-shirts, mardi gras beads, art work, more bread, cookies, and pears - all for free. It's remarkable how much people love giving missionaries free stuff, even when they don't want to listen to the message that you carry. 

Being a missionary sometimes is difficult. You find yourself killing resurrected cockroaches, hanging out in apartments all day, and dancing on front porch steps. But, at the end of the day, you know you've done the best you can do when you truly care about the Lord and the people of your area. Every day, I can feel the power of the Atonement changing my life and changing my actions. Every day, I am reminded of the love of God and the great work He has for us. So great is my calling, so great is my love and joy!

--

All my love,

Sister Sarah Michéle Durrant

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A Strong Witness

The majority of my week was spent in and out of car dealerships, doctors appointments, and missionary correlation meetings, so in retrospect, not a lot happened out here in the mission field.

Friday (yes, skipping all the way to Friday), we had the chance to teach a lesson to Domonic. I mentioned him a few weeks ago - he's a fairly young man who mentioned that he'd been searching for a church when we tracted into him. Well, we had a return appointment set up with him so we headed out to his home once more. When we showed up, he couldn't welcome us into his house because everyone was asleep. After trying to figure out what to do, Domonic had the idea of meeting outside the nearby library in 10 minutes. Of course, Sister Jones and I agreed - determined to not let this appointment fall apart.

We drove over to the library and sat outside, waiting for him. After what seemed like ages, he finally appeared. Yet, the lesson wasn't at all what I had expected it to be. As we began teaching, he brought up the Book of Mormon and how it isn't needed in our lives. It got to the point where he kept saying, "The Bible is all I need! I just need the Bible! I challenge you to try not reading the Book of Mormon. Where in the Bible does it say that Christ went to the Americas? No where! Don't read the Book of Mormon! It doesn't even talk about Jesus Christ."

When he said that, all I could think of was 2 Nephi 29:3-13 (A Bible! A Bible! We've got a Bible!). Of course, that probably wouldn't be the best way to go about it. Finally, after pointing out countless scriptures in Ezekiel, Revelations, Isaiah, and John, I was ready to give up. Domonic wasn't listening to us. He refused to see the convincing evidence in front of his eyes. He even went as far as to say that he would pray for us to find the right path and that we needed to stop reading the Book of Mormon

In that moment, I was so overwhelmed with frustration that I stood up and said to him, "I would never ever give up reading the Book of Mormon. Why on earth would I forsake that happiness that I have found in this sacred book? I know with all I am, with all that I can muster, that this book is the most correct book to have ever been written. You may not believe it, but I know it. I know that Nephi, Alma, Lehi, Enos, and countless other brave men stood for Christ. They fought for Christ. They gave their whole lives to Christ. Many of them even forsook their lives for Him. And you say that the Book of Mormon doesn't bring us closer to Christ? That it doesn't speak of Christ? It mentions the Savior on almost every page. I will never stop reading it because I know that it's true. That it brings me unspeakable joy and happiness. I can't convince you of that. I know I can't. But I urge you to find out for yourself that it is true."

Heart thudding and ears ringing, I sat back down - shaking so very hard. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling of power I experienced when I bore this strong conviction of mine to Domonic. Sister Jones, too, bore testimony of that sacred book with tears in her eyes after I had stopped. 

Sadly, Domonic still wouldn't listen to what we had to say. After a few minutes, he said that he would "pray to know what is the right path". Once he left, I realized that the lesson today wasn't for Domonic. It, in fact, was for me. It was to strengthen MY testimony and show me that it was stronger than I thought. It was so strong to the point where I was physically shaking. To the point where tears welled up in my eyes and shivers were sent down my spine. As I bore that deep testimony, I received an unshakable testimony of the Book of Mormon. 

Little to our knowledge, someone else was listening to our witnesses. As we got up to leave, Will Davis approached us, saying, "I was listening to what you guys were saying, and I want to know more. Could you please teach me?" My heart soared. My soul rejoiced. This, this right here, was why we met Domonic. Not to bring him to the Gospel, but to find Will. Quickly, we exchanged contact information and agreed to meet a week later. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

The next day, we had an appointment with John and his wife. Yet, this appointment was different than any of the other lessons we taught up to that point. They had agreed to meet at the church and have a tour of it. As we showed them around, I could tell that they were very impressed with our programs for the youth. He even mentioned that the LDS faith would be the only ones who knew about Christ in a few generations because we concentrate so much on building up the youth and giving them a testimony. 

It finally came to the point where we would have to explain what happened in the Priesthood meetings - something neither Sister Jones nor I knew about. Right as we were about to fumble through a quick explanation, Bishop Grover showed up! He was then able to join us for the rest of the tour and talk about things that we didn't have a full understanding of yet.

The best part of the tour was when we all convened around the baptismal font. John turned to us and asked, "So who baptized y'all?" Promptly, both Sister Jones and I answered, "Our fathers." His eyes began to swell. That had so much significance to him - I can't even imagine how important that must be to John, who loves his children so very much. When the church tour ended, I could tell that he was still ruminating on the fact that he could baptize his children if he joined the Church. 

I know that the Lord knows what will happen. I know that He guides every step I take as a missionary. I know without a doubt in my heart that the Book of Mormon is true. Every day, I knock on countless doors and bare this simple, yet strong testimony. It is deeply rooted in my heart - no matter how many people tell me I am wrong or that they'll pray for me to find the right way, I will never doubt what the Holy Spirit has testified unto me. I invite everyone, everywhere, to convert themselves to the Lord. I may have joined the Church at the age of 8, but I was not a true convert until I was 18 years old. This is the Lord's kingdom here on Earth.

--

All my love,

Sister Sarah Michéle Durrant

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And the Golden Mop Award for Having a Clean Apartment goes to Sis. Durrant & Sis. Jones!

A Week of Miracles

Our week began as almost every other week begins out here in the Mississippi Jackson mission - with a plethora of tracting. As August has begun to draw to a close, so has the unbearable humidity. Because of that, tracting wasn't as difficult as it normally is. On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to go door to door at some apartments in Bay Saint Louis. The beginning was rough - no one answered and when they did, it was just a door slam. We even had a little old man with a bright white beard yell at us, "I'm sick of you Mormons! Don't come back!" I actually found that pretty hilarious as we walked away, as we had never been to his door before. Before we knew it, the two hours we had set aside for tracting was up and we were about to take off to visit the Turfitts and their new child when all of a sudden a voice came into both of our heads, telling us to tract this last little area.

Of course, we weren't about to ignore a prompting from the Spirit. We began to knock on doors and after 10 minutes, we began to wonder why on Earth were we supposed to keep going. No one was answering or being particularly receptive. And then, we met Sam. He answered the door and looked like a deer in the headlights. As we gave him the spiel, he just nodded his head and said that he'd take the Book of Mormon and read and pray. I gave him the book, doubtful that he'd actually do so, and went on my way. His next door neighbor, Domonic, was the next person to answer the door to us. As we talked with him, he told us that he had been recently searching for a church, because none of them seemed right. He said that every church he has been to didn't give him the right feelings, that it didn't make him feel the spirit. 

The moment he said that, my heart soared. I then began to tell him about the restored gospel and how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's church here on Earth today and that it is exactly the same church the Jesus set up two millennia ago. Domonic's eyes lit up and then he dashed off to grab his Bible. We then started showing him verses that correlated with the Church and showed him how our Church is God's kingdom here on Earth today. He hungerily took the Book of Mormon and said we could come back the very next day and teach him more. 

Wednesday came before we knew it. Before we left to see Domonic, we set out to see Sue, one of our other investigators. She had been set with a baptizimal date, but had recently fallen out of contact with us when her ex-husband came back into town. We had been very concerned about her for awhile, and decided that it was time to stop by and see what was going on. When we knocked on the door, no one answered. Sister Jones and I then sat outside for a long while, determined to see Sue. After basking in the heat for about thirty minutes, we finally came to the conclusion that she had either been evicted or wasn't coming home any time soon. Before leaving the apartment complex though, we figured stopping by the front office to see if she had moved wouldn't hurt.

When we walked in, I knew right then that something good was about to happen. We asked the receptionist if Sue had moved and she regretfully told us that she wasn't at liberty to release that sort of information. Dejected and depressed, we turned around to leave. Right then, the receptionist called after us, saying, "Wait a second. I think she might be here." She then promptly left the desk and went around the corner. We stood there, anxiously craning our necks to see if she'd return with Sue. Sure enough, the receptionist came around the corner, with Sue following closely behind. 

I began to cry, I was so overjoyed to see her. It had been almost two weeks since I had seen this wonderful woman. Almost two weeks of pure concern over her well-being. After talking with her, we found out that her ex took away everything from her that she had managed to salvage and was struggling just to keep the apartment. She said that she was still anxious to see us and that she definitely still wanted to be baptized. We set up another appointment and walked away after a brief discussion of what we could do for her. My heart had swelled and I felt like crying out from joy. We had seen Sue. Everything was going to be okay.

 After that momentous occasion, Sister Jones and I had to bolt off to make our appointment with Domonic. Yet, before we knocked on his door, we decided to stop in and see Sam. Sam was actually home and was really excited to see us. He had pulled a 180 from yesterday and was open and talking to us. He welcomed us warmly into his apartment and we began to talk more about the Book of Mormon. Sam had actually read it and prayed about it! But, when he conveyed his feelings towards it, that he thought came from the Spirit, our hearts were crushed. When he prayed, he said that he felt a strong negative feeling. Yet, he is still optimistic and has promised to continue praying. In addition, he also agreed to eventual baptism if he comes to know of the truthfulness of our message.

Once we finished up talking with Sam, we took off to talk to Domonic. He was so full of questions, it took both of us looking up scriptures constantly to answer all of his questions! Then, halfway through our discussion, his brother, Chris, chimed in and we started teaching him as well! It went very well - yet we weren't able to teach a cohesive lesson because there were just so many questions. Towards the end, they had both agreed to being baptized if they come to know of these truths, just like Sam! We walked away that day with three hopeful baptisms in the next month or so. 

Later that night, a member invited us over for dinner. There, I got to participate in my very first shrimp boil. Let me tell you, it's scarring. You take live shrimp, dump them in boiling water along with potatoes, corn, sausage, and seasoning and boiling the shrimp to death. Did you know shrimp scream? Yes, they scream. And then, after they've sufficiently simmered, you dump out the boil onto a table and feast. In order to eat the shrimp, you have to pluck off the legs, tear off the tail, stare into those dead eyes while ripping off the head, and mercilessly peel away the shell. And then you're expected to eat this poor sea creature. It's pretty traumatic. But, it actually doesn't taste that bad! Once you get over the fact that you heard them screaming not too long ago.

The week continued on as most do out here - countless hours of tracting with little success. The strongest testimony builder I had this week was on Friday when we had to go out and tract for miles. Right when we finished and got into the car, I felt sick to my stomach. I knew that I was kept well just so that Sister Jones and I could go out and do the Lord's work. Shortly after we arrived at a member's home, Sister Jones got sick as well. The Lord certainly provided for us - keeping us strong for the moments that He truly needed us.

Saturday was the apex of our week when we were given the chance to demolish the gym floor in the church building. First off, our church is disgusting. It has mold everywhere and smells strongly of mildew. When you walk in, you just feel... depressed. The baptismal font is broken and the water is basically mud. The gym floor has bumps all over it because of some pipes bursting a few years back. A few weeks previous, the Bishop finally got permission from Salt Lake City to replace our gym floor! So, all of us missionaries along with the ward members gathered together to tear out the floor. Do you know what sleeps under gym floors? I do. Cockroaches. A few mice. Countless bugs. And then there's pools of water and mold everywhere. I was so grateful to be tearing out the floor finally and cleaning it up.

The next two days were pretty uneventful. Yet, last night, as I was thinking, I realized people that we needed to get a hold of. I made a list in my planner, fully intending to call them this morning. As we began our daily scripture study, the phone rang. And then it rang again. And again. By the time we had finished our individual study, every single person I had listed the previous night had called us to schedule appointments. 

In just three months of serving the Lord, I have seen countless blessings every day. Never before have I had such a strong testimony of this Church. I know without a doubt in my heart that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true Church. It is God's kingdom here on Earth. Through it, I know that my family can be together forever and that we can be exalted. There's a common saying among Mormons, "A missionary is someone who leaves their family for a short while so that other families can be together forever." That is exactly what I'm doing now. And I love it. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

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All my love,

Sister Sarah Michéle Durrant

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