Prepared by the Angels

This week we made a "big cake" for one of our investigators--turns out Tang makes great flavoring for frosting!

Hello and happy conference week! Are you guys PSYCHED?? I sure am!

Remember how I wrote last week about the "blue vase" of Santa Barbara, 50 more baptisms? Let's follow up on that: following the counsel of my wise cousin Megan (shout out to Hermana Hickman in Argentina!) that when we have a goal, we can study it out in our minds and take our plans to the Lord in a companionship inventory. Well, I was looking at our very small investigator pool and thinking "I don't know how we're going to baptize 50 people if we're only teaching 10" So I spent a long conversation with the Lord on Sunday night asking that we might be able to find many new investigators. We talked about that same subject on Tuesday morning during our companionship study and our district meeting, especially about finding those who have been truly prepared. As we went out to teach Tuesday afternoon, we prayed to find those who had been prepared by the angels, as we had read in Alma, from both sides of the veil.

And what happened? We found 19 new investigators this week, including three new families. That is a miracle. That is an answer to a prayer. I love that our Heavenly Father answers prayer. So here's the Hermana Pickett lesson this week: Do you have a righteous desire? Good, your Heavenly Father shares your righteous desires. Think about it, study the scriptures, make a plan, and then pray with the absolute confidence that God is listening and that He will perfect your plan by combining it with His. And then you and He will make it happen. Don't take my word for it--go try it. It's pretty amazing.

Run down on some of these new people:

1. Familia Tabora Sorto. So humble and ready to learn, a father, mother, and four children (three above 8 years of age). They met the missionaries in a little out of nowhere village where they used to live, but the sisters there were taken out of the area only a few days after knowing this family. They say one was from Mexico, but our ony Mexican sister that I know of was never in Santa Barbara...heavenly messengers...maybe

2. Fam. Mejia Alemán, fam. Garcia Alemán, Belkys, and Lorena. This is a combined seven people, all in different houses, but all related to each other. This is why we ask for referrals. One said "I've tried to go to other churches, but I just don't feel the truth there." Another said "We've been praying to know which church is true, because we want to serve God in His true church." I'm so not making this up. As I was sitting in these lessons I was thinking "No, this isn't really happening. I'm having a Preach My Gospel influenced dream." But it really happened! And I loved it!

3. Fam. Tejada. She's a nurse, her children actually sat down and listened to us without being coerced, and she was willing to come to church two hours after finishing a night shift at the hospital. That's legit.

Now, this email will be a lot cooler next week when all of these people have come to general conference. But all good things come to those who wait, when they wait upon the Lord.

I love being a missionary. It's not easy, but it's wonderful. I love the Lord, I love the gospel, and I love this work. I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week and that you are taking your oportunities to share the gospel in your corners of the vineyard!

And hey, my mom says that a few of you reading are not yet members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Have you spoken with someone about the incredible atoning sacrife of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Have you read the remarkable book He called the prophet Joseph Smith to translate? If you haven't, you're missing out. Give it shot--it's more than worth it.

Remember how I fell down a lot in that cave?