Chicken Run

This past week was so good! There were so many things to be grateful for as there are every day. Sister Dobbs and I were talking on exchanges about how miracles happen every day and depending on our attitude we will recognize them or we won't. And when we can see those small things as miracles it can turn our day around 100 percent! Just this past Saturday a bird pooped on our car but in the process it missed my iPad, sister Dobbs purse, and her head! We had taken that as a HUGE miracle from god who's always looking out for us. 

Tuesday we were tracting and while walking up to someone's porch this chicken comes down the path and starts running at us! We started to run and it chased after us, but don't worry we got away! But after that we crossed the street and met this really cool guy who watched light the world! #miracles 

On Wednesday we finally had an opportunity to do some service! It was probably the best service I have ever done in my life. We went to this animal place where cats and dogs are fixed and where we come In is to pet the animals when they get out of their surgery until they wake up!! We literally just pet animals for a couple of hours and they can't even get away! Although it's a little creepy because they look dead. After that we went contacting with sister Doench in the Charleston area which is more rural. We went to see this woman who we talked to a couple weeks ago and she looked really happy when she opened the door and we were standing there!  She clicked well with sister Doench and said we could come back and she would convince her husband that he needed to get in to church! On the way home we got a phone call from a woman we didn't know. She told us that she just came to coos bay and she didn't know why but she was here for a reason and she had just got out of a really tough situation. She said she used to meet with elders and they told her to pray to know if Joseph smith was a prophet of god and the whole way she was driving from South Dakota to coos bay all she could think about was Joseph smiths experience and how true it was. We met with her that night and gave her a Book of Mormon to read! It was such an amazing experience and the next morning we had a lesson on the restoration. She said she wanted to be baptized and we told her that she would need to quite smoking and she was so excited! The next day out of the blue she texted us saying that our church is false and that she doesn't want to meet anymore, but for that moment when we were able to teach her it was a miracle and blessing. I know she felt the spirit and one day she will remember what that felt like. 

Friday night our ward had a Christmas party and the theme was a night in navoo and they had a lot of different rooms set up to represent different stores from Joseph smiths time. That night we went on exchanges and I got to be with sister Dobbs one last time! I'm very grateful for the people god places in my life. I know that everyone of these people are put in my life for a reason and I'm grateful to have a Heavenly Father who knows me perfectly. 

Sunday was stake conference and it was so good! This one speaker talked about eternity and he told a cool story about fruit! He told us that there is a special drink in Hawaii called otai and they sell it at fruit stands around the island. And when they were about to leave they stopped to get this drink. He talked about how delicious it was and compared it to the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and how Satan makes it seem so desirable. Because of that freedom of choice we have the opportunity to partake, but the joys won't last. He went on to tell us that God desires for us to  partake of the fruit of the tree of eternal life and the blessings are longer lasting. 

We had a competition last week in our zone and every time you showed light the world to someone it counted as one point and if they said you could come back you got another point. Sunday afternoon we found out that the coos bay elders were beating us by about 10 points, and we were determined that beat them. We went tracing down a street that we've felt really promoted to tract on recently and as we were knocking on doors we had a couple shut in our face, and then a miracle happened. A woman wanted to talk to us! She came outside to watch light the world and she loved how it was about helping others and the joys of this holiday season. She told us that she hasn't been to church in a while but that when she went it was always a good experience and she would have to check out our church! We kept walking and went to visit glen, the man who we sang to on his door step. We had a really good conversation and for a man who told us he really didn't need to learn anything more he said to us "I think I need to know more about Christ." Now we have the opportunity to teach him and that's all from not giving up! We continued on our search to light the world and of course had to take a dinner break with some great members along the way! We also had the chance to watch the Christmas devotional which was inspiring as usual. But then it was back to work! We visited a couple people who we've talked to before and they allowed us to play the video for them. This one woman who's door we knocked on didn't speak any English, so we just started playing the video and she was smiling throughout the whole thing! I loved to watch people's reactions as they felt the spirit from watching this two minute video. By the end of the day we had gained almost half the points we had already had. And we were in a tie with the elders! But then we got a text later saying they beat us by one point after showing it to one more person. It was a good competition and we worked hard to light the world with the people in coos bay. If anything I'm grateful to have shared something that means so much to me. The Christmas spirit is joy and peace. So many people would tell us the one thing they were looking forward to the most this Christmas was being with their families because that is where the joy lies. 

I hope you all have a great week and look for the miracles because He is always pouring down blessings on his children. Love you all! 

Love, 

Sister Peterson