called to serve: September 30, 2013

Transfer calls came - I'm staying in Tidewater and training again. Both of my companions are leaving, so I'll be getting two new companions. I'm excited to stay - I've developed a lot of relationships with people here and I'm happy that I will still be able to teach them. The Bayside sisters got whitewashed, which means they transferred all of them out and put three fresh people in. This means we won't have roommates anymore, which may actually be a little strange since the Bayside sisters have been sleeping on our floor for a whole transfer now.

Aside from transfer calls, the week was fairly calm. We haven't actually been able to talk to Nick or Jackie since we taught them the Law of Chastity. We're worried that Jackie didn't like the Law of Chastity and that's why she's been avoiding us. Nick came to church yesterday and actually bore his testimony in Fast and Testimony meeting. I felt like a proud mother sitting in the congregation, listening to him testify of the Atonement and the Book of Mormon. I love that I've been blessed to watch him grow in his knowledge of the gospel. I hope that we can meet with them this week and talk to Jackie about her concerns. But sometimes you have to give people some time and just keep praying for them. The Lord has a plan for each individual and we don't always know exactly how things are supposed to work out.

Picture from Walk with Christ

We had the second part of our Catch the Wave fireside this week. It was an activity we called a Walk with Christ. We put together an art exhibit in the cultural hall of the meeting house and invited people to come. It was a huge success, so much more successful than we were expecting, especially because everything seemed to go wrong at the last minute. There were so many miracles, and I gained a greater testimony of the power of faithful prayers. Here's one example: About 20 minutes before it started, we learned that the people in charge of bringing food were only going to be able to provide a snack, instead of an entire meal like we had advertised. We were pretty worried, because a lot of people were showing up and we were not going to have enough food. I turned to the other sisters and I said, we need a miracle, like the loaves and the fishes. So we gathered together in a circle, and I said a prayer, asking Heavenly Father to help there to be enough food for everyone who showed up. Only seven people brought food, but we had enough for all 200 guests, and there were overflowing leftovers! I am so grateful that I could witness such an incredible miracle. I know God answers prayers and I know that faith is real, because there definitely was not enough food for that many people, except there was!

my companions and I at a dinner appointment

We taught Tyler again, one of the less actives we've been working with. We were able to address more of his concerns. It was interesting to me to see where the Spirit guided us during the lesson. We had gone in planning to discuss how we can receive personal revelation. When we had finished talking about that, I just felt prompted to share the message of the Restoration. So I did. The Spirit was very strong, and I could tell that his heart was touched. I looked at him and very boldly told him that I thought he knew what he needed to do, he was just afraid to act on that prompting. I felt like Ammon when he discerns the thoughts of King Lamoni. I know the Spirit is real, and the Holy Ghost guides us to know what to say. It was a crazy moment, but...he came to church!! I know those promptings were from the Lord, and not from me. Tyler also bought a baby ferret this week, so we got to hold it. Ferrets smell so disgusting, in case you didn't know that about them. And they're really squirmy. It was a weird experience.

We went to the beach again this morning, since my companions are being transferred away from Virginia Beach. I can only send two pictures per email, so I'll pick a few and send them in several emails and ask my mom to just put them all up on the blog.

I love you all and appreciate all of your prayers and support. The Church is true, don't you ever doubt it. I see miracles every day. I am so excited for General Conference, and I hope you are too. What a marvelous blessing to hear the words of living prophets. Have a great week!

With love,

Sister Jasperson