Happy Mother's Day!

It was another great week!

It was hard to meet with our normal investigators this week because of the holiday (parents' day and childrens' day), but we saw many miracles, as usual.

We had a cool experience with one of our investigators, 강소영 (kong-soh-young). Before general conference (where our prophets and apostles and church leaders speak to us) we encouraged her to write down questions she wants God to answer for her. We took a few minutes to write questions... She wanted to know how to get rid of stress as a wife, a mother, a daughter, and at work. She feels a lot of stress and responsibility. We promised her that she would get an answer in general conference.

....and she did! There was a talk by Linda S. Reeves that talked about doing the simple things that matter most--family prayer, family scripture study, and family home evening. She said that these are hard to get in in our busy, everyday lives, but that they are the very things that relieve stress, give us perspective (we can remember what matters most), and strengthen our families. So after conference, Sister Simonsen and I committed her to do family prayer every night. We sent her daily reminders, but she didn't do it for weeks! Finally this week, before we left her house after an appointment, Sister Simonsen asked if we could get the whole family together to pray. She called all of her kids into the room and we asked her to pray. There was such a special, sacred spirit in the room as 강소영 prayed for her children. I felt so happy. I am so grateful to be a missionary and be able to witness and be a part of such sacred experiences.

We got a new investigator last week and we heard her first prayer ever. It was so simple and sweet and I felt so much joy! i know God did too!

This week I have thought a lot about prayer. So many people I talk to everyday say they have never prayed and that they don't care to. I am so blessed everyday through prayer. Prayer is truly a time that we can converse with God. Nobody else can understand and love us perfectly. As we pray to God, He will give us exactly what we need--comfort, strength, joy, peace--in the very way we need it.

In Matthew 7:7-8 it says, "Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you:

"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

What a cool promise! I love teaching people that not only can they talk to their Heavenly Father, He can talk to them too. And He does. I'm so grateful for prayer and for the peace and strength it brings in my life. Through prayer we really can receive answers and we really can come to know truth. I know that this gospel is true, I know that The Book of Mormon is the word of God, I know that Christ is my Savior, I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, I know that God still speaks to us today because I have prayed, I have felt, and I cannot deny these things.

I love you all!

Have a wonderful week!! :) 

Sister Naatjes