2/14

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Sister White and I are planning on celebrating the holiday by heart-attacking as many members and investigators as possible, especially those who helped us with our AWESOME activity on Friday.

We've spent that last 2-3 weeks planning for "A Trip to the Bahamas". It took a lot of time and effort to plan and set up (we arrived at the church Friday morning shortly after 8:00am to set up and didn't get home until after 10 that night!), but it was well worth the stress it inevitably caused. We built an artificial airplane in the hallway of the church, complete with windows and seats, and took all who attended on a "trip" to the Bahamas. The pilot gave his normal spiel about departure, flight duration, weather, etc. while Sister White and I quickly changed into white robes. The passengers played right along and pointed to imaginary objects out the window and bounced their children in their laps when the captain warned about turbulance. Suddenly loud bangs erupted around them as the lights flickered and the captain said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we seem to be having a problem, please remain in your seats and secure your seatbelts! Flight attendants, prepare for impact!" All lights in the building went out. We were worried about frightened children, but fortunately everyone seemed alright. Smoke filled the plane, eerily lit by a black light. We let everyone sit for a minute before drawing back the curtain at the front of the plane. "We died," Sister Sosa said in resignation. We announced that the plane had indeed crashed, that no passengers had survived, and that we would now be their guides as they moved through the Plan of Salvation. We guided them by flashlight through the dark hallways to Spirit Prison and Paradise and the Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial Kingdoms. In each place we read a scripture and had a member pretend to be resident of that kingdom, describing how they lived their life and why they inherited that glory. The activity ended in the Celestial Kingdom (the chapel), where a family dressed in white represented eternal families and spoke of what they did on earth to ensure that they could be there together for eternity. We bore our testimonies and sang Families Can Be Together Forever. It was probably THE best activity I have ever participated in! More members attended than we expected, and some of our investigators came as well. The Spirit was strong and everyone said how much they enjoyed it, especially when they reached the Celestial Kingdom. I'm already planning on making sure it happens in whatever ward I happen to be a part of, probably for the rest of my life!

I don't know if I've told you about our investigator Roy. Sister White and I began teaching him the second week of the transfer. He knew a member of the church about 10 years ago and went to church with her once but never pursued it further--however he could never get the church or the Book of Mormon out of his head. He's always felt like something was missing, but it wasn't until after his divorce and he began to think of his daughter's welfare that he put two and two together. He woke up one morning shortly before our first meeting and felt almost like a voice was telling him, "You've got to understand the Mormon religion. You've got to read the Book of Mormon." This time he listened, somehow found Bishop Barton's home phone number, got ahold of his wife, who in turn gave us his information, and the next day we were sitting in the church foyer with him and a member couple. We have seen him almost every day for the past two weeks, almost always in a member family's home, and he is preparing to be baptized this Sunday. As he always says, he is a sponge! He loves everything we have taught, he loves the Book of Mormon, he loves coming to church, he loves getting to know the members, and he can't wait to be baptized. He has borne his testimony to us several times and is doing his best to pass on what he is learning to his little girl, Lily. If not for her and his age, he said yesterday that he would serve a mission. He has noticed the difference between when he meets with us and when he goes to family and friends' houses, is filled with the Spirit, and feels so much joy that he just can't keep it to himself. Every day he is full of questions and says, "What are you going to teach me today?" He is eager to learn and to serve, and can't wait to get a calling after his baptism. He is by far the most prepared and the quickest progressing person I have ever taught. I am stunned by his humility and soft heart. He knows that this is what he's supposed to do and is not looking back, despite ridicule from family, friends, and his ex-wife. We love him so much! It never ceases to amaze me the amount of love I feel for these people after such a short period of time, and if the person is really prepared, I can sense the kind of person they will be after baptism and the kind of influence they will have in the church. I know that the Lord has great things in store for Roy and Lily. The church needs them just as much as they need the gospel!

I love being a missionary. I love you. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for me. It helps the work. I hope you'll continue to take every missionary opportunity available to you--because they are many and they are the fastest way to pure and simple happiness!

Love,

Sister Black