There Can Be Miracles

Dear Family!

Wow! This week was AMAZING! I don't even know! Where do I begin! It was a mission/life changing week! I know for every missionary in my district, the course of their mission has been changed! So it started with Zone Training. So to be honest the Wisconsin Mission is not a successful one, it really hasn't been. It isn't terrible, but not great. To make the story short, we were shown the numbers for President Monson's mission. It was 300 baptisms 3 years in a row then over 1000 the next! We discussed what it was. It relies on us missionaries. We have to keep our covenants and change our attitudes. That is it! We talked about what would make every missionary better and successful then the bottom line was just to do it! We just need to follow everything that our President asks of us because he is inspired! So we now hand out a BOM everyday, and we don't just give it but we make reading assignments. It is the most inspired invitation and it works! We have handed out a BOM 6 days in a row now! 12 Books this week! So many seeds and so many new investigators! But the coolest part was when our District met together. There are 4 companionships here and we were setting goals for this transfer. A typical baptism goal would be like 1 or 2 for our district. But with this new determined change in each of us we felt each companionship could do 2. That is 8 baptisms! That is crazy high! But we all felt so good, the spirit was glorious in the room! Before we set the goal the 8 of us knelt down and offered our goal to our Lord. I was almost in tears, we all got up and we were beaming and just nodding our heads. I wish the veil could have been lifted for a moment, there had to be armies of angels cheering us on! I feel like we can really do this. I know the Lord will bless us for our faith and for our diligence! We are seeing miracles everyday! It has been crazy! It is all starting with these small and simple steps. Following our mission Presidents counsel to hand out a BOM. Everyday we miraculously find someone to give this book to! So we have found 2 families to teach this week which is huge! That is what we really want, families!

So now going through the week. Tuesday was zone training, Wednesday was District meeting. Wednesday we went and helped cat lady Marie in her garden and she had actually read the BOM! She has NEVER done that! So she read us a passage while we weeded and she told us what she felt about it! Such a tender mercy! AND she is bringing us a friend of hers to teach! We also placed a book and got a new investigator!

Thursday! That was a good day! A retired member couple had us all over for breakfast and made us french toast. We walk in and he said they keep track of how much you eat, so it better be a lot. Between the 6 of us 43 pieces of toast were eaten which included 39 eggs and 3 and a half sticks of butter. I only had 5 pieces and I was dying! 3 elders had 10 pieces each :) I can't even imagine! It was so fun though! Then we were walking around and found an old man named Dave out smoking :) We had a really good discussion with him and gave him a BOM and I think he will actually read it! Sadly he is moving but he knows how to get missionaries, we gave him several options!

Friday we had companion exchanges so one of the Sister Training Leaders, Sister Martin came and helped me in Sun Prairie. Fridays happen to be our service day where we serve lunch and we help out at the Museum. We made an atheist friend named Andrew here in the computer lab at the Colonial Club and he came and did service with us and he said he is willing to listen to us, he may not convert but he is open. That is all we need! We had to go tracting a little bit because we needed to place a BOM. We got lots and lots of nos when we saw this lady across the street walking her dog. So we try to be friendly, cross the street and say hi and she just b-lined the other way. So we just decided to stay on that side of the street and knock on that door and wow! Another miracle that happened from following your mission Presidents goal of talking to everyone! We met an amazing lady named Kiedra and gave her a BOM too and she was so grateful and she will read it! Sadly she too is moving to California, but we got her hooked up with missionaries there :) 

Saturday all of us had a breakfast appointment again with the Millers and they fed us like Kings! Waffles, fruit, egg casserole, cheesy hash browns, and sweet roles! Mmm! The had their kids over who are not members so that was really cool! Then we went and helped Harriet ice Fathers day cookies which was so fun! Then Andrew invited us to go to a Christian music festival. It was actually super cool and we placed 2 BOMs and I got a couple gifts for mom :) Then we went tracting because we wanted to hand out another BOM. We knocked on this on house and this black lady from Alabama came out and introduced herself as a pastor. We had a very interesting one sided discussion where she told us we were wrong and she tried to point us back to God. She also said she knew she was sent here from God to give us a message and she could see me as a prophetess....that was interesting as well. But the next house we found a family to teach! We are going back tomorrow to have a lesson with them! Also not to forget the coolest part. I saw my first firefly!!!!!! Wahooo!!! I have been waiting! Haha! I was sitting outside looking for them then I saw one flash and yelled "SISTER PACKER! SISTER PACKER!" She about had a heart attack but she came out and we saw another one so it was worth it!
Since Sunday was Father's Day our beautiful ward made pies for the dad's and there had to be at least 40 pies there! I had a delicious cream cheese one. We got the Stolls to come to church because of the pies so that was good! We had a dinner appointment with the 6 of us again last night! This one was good. You'll like this story. So the member who made this meal is from Jamaica so we ate goat! Yup! And I ate it! It had bones and fat and everything! I only had to spit out one piece slyly into my napkin :) But it was actually really good!

I love being a missionary! My testimony just sky rocketed this week! I have been wondering what the phrase "kneeling in mighty prayer" meant. I mean the people in the Book of Mormon ask for incredible things and these miracles do happen. It always seems to be led by mighty prayer though. After District meeting I got a glimpse of it though. That was a mighty prayer. Every day we are seeing success because we are doing our part and we know that God will keep his promise as long as we keep ours. 

Jacob 4:6
6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all thesewitnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea. 

 I love studying faith. I have been struggling with figuring out what it is and having it. But my mission President just encouraged me to pray to build it and that I can never have too much. We are seeing amazing miracles here and I know that is only because God's hand is in this work. Our work is nothing without him. I love being a missionary and I am learning more everyday what it means to be here! I love it! I hope you are all doing well at home! Keep reading the Book of Mormon, it really brings miracles and peace into our homes! I love you with all my heart! Keep being amazing!

Lots and lots of love!!!!
Sister Anne Trent!