Sister Anna Meredith: "And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God" (July 24, 2017)

La Hermana Bryson <3

Finding miracles!! Last Monday night we were stopping by a potential, who wasn't home. And we got the feeling to try the trailer across the street from her, even though the trailer park we were in had been knocked dozens of times and that address wasn't in the area book. We were met at the door by Gabriella, a woman from Mexico, and her four little kids. She let us right in, and we shared a short message about our loving Heavenly Father with her, and set a return appointment, then we got to go back on Thursday night and teach her the entire restoration and she LOVED it. She thought the message was so beautiful, and she loved the first vision, and loves how we see God as a loving Heavenly Father, and she was so excited that the missionaries had come back to talk to her about God. We invited her to read from the Book of Mormon this week, and she seems really prepared and open for the gospel so we are very excited for her.

Our little Lakeville Branch has been growing so much. We've had a lot of people move in, and a lot of priesthood holders become active or move in, and we are very excited. In a lot of our dinner appointments this week, we were able to talk to the relief society president about getting visiting teaching started and what we can do to help her, and a lot of priesthood holders are willing to come out to teach with us this week, and it's been fun to see people getting excited about missionary work. Also Orlando and his family were back at church yesterday and he is doing great, and whatever was wrong has resolved itself so thank you for your prayers!!

We had an AMAZING family night this week. We had a family who just moved in, the Lopez family. They are super cute, a mom and dad, and the four best behave little boys I have ever met. Holy cow they are so cute and so polite I love them. And they speak to us in Spanish, when most little kids speak to us only in English so it's really fun too. So we had a family night with them, and the Montecillo mayor family, (because there are two Montecillo families, the older and the younger) and they are so sweet and this really fancy hispanic couple who I love so much. And then Hno Armando and Hno Leo, two of the brothers from our ward who aren't married so they just are kind of adopted into everyone else's families which is really sweet. So we had a FHE with all of them because they invited us over for dinner. And Hno Montecillo gave a really good lesson about choices and it was amazing. Lots of reasons, I understood everything that was going on and I was super grateful that my comprehension has developed so much these past 6 months, and the spirit was there, and there was just so much love and I have so much love for these amazing members, and their love for the gospel, and desire to share the gospel and support the missionaries. I can't really explain it but it was an incredible evening. And it made me really excited to start more member work and helping members invite their friends to have spiritual experiences with them like that.

Friends, I don't think I can properly explain how much I LOVE being a missionary. I have learned a lot this week, and realized that everything happens for the best of reasons even if we don't understand it. I have also learned a lot about repentance, as I learn to rely less on myself, and rely on the Lord, and it brings me so much joy to be able to know that even when I don't or can't always do my very best, and there are many things that I still lack and things I could always do better, Heavenly Father has called the weak of the world and he wants us to work and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, become better today than we were yesterday.

Hermana Meredith

17781 Ikaria Ct
Lakeville, MN 55044

p.s. Also just got transfer news, and I'm staying in Lakeville to train! This is going to be an adventure, and any prayers to help me and my new companion speak Spanish will be very much appreciated.

Alma 57:26 "And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe - that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power."