Sister Jennifer Bradley, Indianapolis Indiana Mission : Happy Thanksgiving!!

The more significant things that happened this week:

#1 We finally got a return appointment with Brad! And when we were eating dinner with a family, I had a prompting during the prayer to ask if they knew Brad's family and they had totally been his neighbors several years ago and had a good relationship with his family! Coincidence? I think not!

#2 It is the most amazing feeling to know you were in the right place at the right time, this was something we felt several times this week. We tried contacting a potential from our Area book and a cute lady named Amber answered the door, not the potential. She had just moved in the week before and invited us into her home. We talked about Jesus Christ and how much He helps us in our life, and as we are talking, she started crying. She had been struggling with an addiction and was praying for help, and then we came. She told us she normally doesn't answer the door either but felt prompted to that night! We told her about the Addiction Recovery Program and expressed how proud God was of her to have a desire to change and she expressed her gratitude to us for coming to her home that night.

#3 This is another right place right time moment. We were early to an appointment and were going to try and contact another potential down the street and as we were walking this girl next to her car was in distress. We walked over and asked if she needed help, and she told us that her car door wouldn't shut. Something happened to the thing that latches on to the car (like my car lingo? It's pretty professional huh? :) and we definitely knew what we were doing too haha) So we poked and prodded at the latch with our fingers and bobby pins and a screw driver and keys until somehow by some miracle we fixed it! hah! Yeah, God had to be on our side for this one to work out. Oh, and then they asked us for cards haha funny what a little service will do!

#4 We had a lesson with Chantise and Jordan about the Book of Mormon and we showed them some of the Bible videos of Jesus Christ performing miracles. They loved it! and meanwhile, while we were teaching, Amelia was reading the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, she told us she loved it after the lesson haha but, there are some conflicts in the home they are staying in so they said it might be easiest to teach them after they move...she said she'd pay us to teach them too hahahaha I don't quite think she understands how this works.

#5 We were tracting in a downpour of rain and this family told us we could step in their house. They are originally from India and a part of the Sikh religion. They are completely different from Muslim and Hindu, they essentially just believe in God, not Christ or anything else. We asked them about their beliefs and they loved to share and talk about it, and then they (it was a dad, son and daughter) started asking us about what we do. With every question we answered they became more and more flabbergasted! You leave your home for how long? You only call them how many times?? You don't watch TV??? They were amazed by our dedication and commitment to God and our religion. We spent a fairly good amount of time answering questions and we ended up giving them a Book of Mormon (which they thought was a Bible, so we had to explain the difference). They told us when we left that they were incredibly grateful we stopped by and that we have made them better people by visiting them that day. We brought these people closer to Christ and they didn't even know it or have a belief in Him! They had a desire to do good and to be better and to use their time here more wisely. You can touch people's lives in such odd ways :)

Okay, now here's a funny tracting experience for ya: We knock on this door and we can hear a black man yelling "Who is it?? Who is it??"

us: "It's the missionaries!"

him: "WHO? WHO? "

us: "The missionaries!"

*door opens and then all of a sudden a cat comes on the porch and he immediately closes the door so only a crack of it is open*

us: "is this your cat?"

him: "nope, nope, that is not my cat!"

*cat starts acting like it's cute, laying on the ground and purring etc.*

us:.....uhhh, what? so we ended up shooing the cat away so we could talk to this guy haha man, the randomest stuff happens to us.

Friends and family, it is so important to show gratitude to God and to one another. We have been sharing a story from Ether 6 where they ventured onto a barge into really scary, faith testing situation which says:

"5 And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

6 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.

7 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

8 And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.

9 And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.

10 And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water.

11 And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.

12 And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them."

Sometimes our trials can bury us, and it seems the wind never stops blowing, and that all these trials are so terrible, and I am sure these people at times felt afraid and felt like these trials would never end. But what did they do? They sang praises and gave thanks for their blessings and recognized the tender mercies of the Lord throughout this entire experience. "Gratitude is the catalyst of all Christlike attributes" (Dieter Uchtdorf) The Lord is so good to us, let us give thanks for the "light" we have "continually" (vs. 10) in our lives. The Light of the World: Jesus Christ. Also, notice where the winds and waves were bringing them, that's right, to the Promised Land.

Serving with a Smile,

Sister Bradley

Pictures!