Chapter 74: God Opens Locked Doors

Hi y'all! We have been seeing so many miracles everyday! Some of them are clear and very easy to see and lots of them are small but just as meaningful. 

We had exchanges with the Simpsonville Sisters. Sister Hess and I were together again! This time in Spartanburg. Which means that every exchange this transfer I've stayed in my area. Kinda crazy. We met a lot of really cool people! One of the doors we knocked on, we were trying to find some members. They didn't live there but Lee does! Lee is super cool! He remembers going to our church with one of his friends when he was younger! We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said we could come back! Then like the next day or so, we were out to eat with a member and Lee was there! And he recognized us! I'm excited to go back and start teaching him! 

Honestly, I don't remember much from last week. But on Saturday, we had the most amazing few hours in the evening! It was a slow moving day all day. Actually the morning started off fine. We went to a baptism for the Hermana's, and did some service with a pmf! But after that the day just had us dragging our feet. Our dinner fir that night canceled, which we were grateful for honesty. We wanted a dinner with ourselves. So we planned to go downtown. And like 10 minutes before our dinner hour, we felt like we needed to knock one more door. So we stopped by a media referrals apartment. Here's the thing with her apartment, it has a door on the outside of the building that has a keypad lock. I had been there before and couldn't get it open. But we were going on faith! So Sister Ward puts her hand on the handle and it opens!! We were literally so giddy! So we climb the stairs and knock on our media referrals' door. This sweet sweet lady answers and we ask to share an Easter message with her. It was definitely God's timing to have us there. She said she had been going through a really bad depressive episode and today was the first day she finally felt well enough to get up and clean; and we stopped by! We didn't get to share a message with her right then, but we gave her a Book of Mormon, testified of it's power to bring peace and comfort into her life because we've seen it in our own. And she was so excited! She said she was going to start reading that evening! 

Then on our way out, when Sister Ward shut the outside door we tried it again. AND IT WAS LOCKED YALL. We could not get back in. God opens locked doors. 

Then at dinner! Sister Ward and I were trying to figure out where to go while standing on Main Street and this family from a Stake in Wisconsin just came up to us and said, "you're joining us for dinner, come on!" Hahaha. It was a chaotic first meeting. I loved it so much! They totally just swooped us up and we spent the next part of our evening with this family who just happened to be in Downtown Spartanburg, SC for one night. I literally love them. 

Sunday was Easter! Easter is surely becoming one of my favorite holidays and seasons. I like don't even know how to describe what I feel about it. My soul is just full of so much Joy and Hope and Love! 

I got to play a cello solo one more time in sacrament. I played "I Know that My Redeemer Lives". It was a good final send off to the ward. Then we had lunch with the Courtneys. I love them so much! And we had dinner with Brother and Sister Mathis! I love them too! 

You know how last week I talked about all the crosses? Well, on Sunday, Sister Ward and I went on a cross scavenger hunt. We stopped at every church we could find with a cross and took a picture. It's such a beautiful tradition!

I definitely shed some tears on Sunday. For many reasons. Mostly because I am full of Love for this Gospel and I'm so grateful for my opportunity to serve and to share Jesus. 

Always remember, God Loves you. Jesus Lives! Jesus Loves you! And I Love you.

-Sister Ray

Easter Day Crosses