WEEK 14 KALKASKA (WEEK 32 OF MISSION)

posterity pic at Leadership Conference in Lansing last week! 

Why they don't play bball in Northern Michigan winters

another incredible week in kalkaska. seriously though, we just are so lucky to get to witness miracle after miracle in these little villages in northern michigan. 

fun fact that i forgot to mention last week: the high council member over kalkaska is brother gartner, he lives in traverse city and he is a director. he has directed many church videos and commercials and things, but he also directed GLORY ROAD. and he has been in our branch the past two weeks. so that was cool! 

I also found a new favorite hymn this week. It is called "How Gentle God's Commands." it is right next to my other favorite hymn, "Be Still My Soul."  i would encourage you each to read the lyrics of those two hymns this week!! they are awesome!! 

so deborah draher got baptized this weekend. it was awesome!!! she was so excited about it and it was a wonderful service. she also told brother hoover, as they were putting together the program this week that she wanted the closing hymn to be something upbeat and peppy. so he played called to serve, and she said that is what she wanted to do! she said she hopes to go on a mission soon! so that is incredible. also, brother and sister draher approached brother hoover this week and they said they want to go on a mission as well. i mean... cmon. this is just incredible stuff. then at church, two random people show up from bellaire. turns out they are members of the church who are just coming back into activity. miracles left and right! 

Deborah Draher

sue is doing really well. we taught her the word of wisdom this week and she committed to live it. isnt it incredible that the Lord established that in 1833? i mean... it basically sets up the food pyramid, which took us foolish mortals until the 20th century to figure out! haha joseph smith was most definitely a prophet of God! we will be at sues this next week for dinner and a lesson with her and her sister (who we have never met before). thatll be a great night as well. 

we had some other incredible experiences this week as well, in finding new people to teach. i cant decide which ones to share haha we got a referral from the petoskey elders for a guy named steve. well we finally met with steve this week and he is so legit. we were talking to him about the bom and we opened it up to read moroni 10 4-5 with him, and he says, "look at this!" pointing to moroni 9:25. "My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever." he reads it and just starts crying. it was just silent in there for a minute or so and he just says he loves the bom and stuff.  it was so cool.  he wants to pay tithing, like he was so excited about being able to pay tithing and do service and stuff haha SO PREPARED FOR THE GOSPEL. 

Steve Muller's Backyard, pretty legit

i could go on all day about these awesome people we are meeting out here, but i will shut it down, dont wanna bore anybody. but i do invite everyone to read and pray about the book of mormon. NOTHING brings peace to the soul and mind like the book of mormon. we are FAR TOO complacent in the church about the truths that we possess. i would also encourage everyone to examine your testimony of Jesus Christ, God our Father, and the Church. there are so many people out here who have fallen into inactivity in the church because someone offended them, or they didnt get a visit from someone they thought should visit them. that is the opposite of what Christ would do. He served others. He came into the world, "not to be ministered unto, but to minister." we need to be the same way. if you are struggling, look for someone who is struggling and help them. How deep is your testimony of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father? if your testimony is deep, help someone else with theirs. if yours is shallow, help someone else with theirs. it will deepen your testimony as well. if anyone needs a testimony of the truthfulness of the church, serve a mission in michigan, where there is soo much confusion and strife about churches. be grateful for everything we have been given!!

love you all so much! have a great week!