Miracles in Every Day

Hello! I think my email and pictures may not have sent last week so you might be getting double today.

This week was good. Monday was pretty hard, Sister Nilsson and I are not that great at planning yet and everyone seems to go out of town until February, when school starts back up here. So things are still a little slow, but getting better. On Monday, most of our appointments fell through so we ended up door knocking the last hour and a half of the day. It wasn't until our last door that we met a man named Brett who was willing to listen and have us back.

Tuesday was preparation day, that's why my email was late. That night we had splits for Ginninderra ward. I went with sister Loney, the ward mission leader's wife who is so great. We went to see Aining, a recent convert from Indonesia. We discovered that it is really hard for her to understand what is going on in most of the lessons and talks at church with the language barrier, but she still goes every week because she knows its what's right. So I helped her figure out how to get to all the lesson manuals on the gospel library app on her iPad. I would have never thought that I would be able to help someone figure out technology. On Sunday I sat next to her in relief society and tried to explain things to her as we went. It's cool because we are better friends now.

Wednesday we had a lesson with our investigator, Steven. He still hasn't come to church:( He is enjoying reading the BOM though, and we are trying to help him see why all of these things are important, and get the desire to come for himself, and not for us. We also taught a potential investigator, Loisa. She is a really cool older lady who is protestant (we have met tons of protestants this week for some reason, they all seem really cool). We had a good discussion with her about how our faith helps us through life and we tried to explain the Book of Mormon to her and its importance. We're not sure how keen (a word I've picked up here in Aussie-land) she is about reading it but we are going to keep visiting her and help her daughter, who she lives with, move soon.

Thursday we were able to meet up with Melanie again. Our investigator who I thought was avoiding us. We had a good chat with her and her less active mom, Kim. They will talk your ear off, so hopefully we can get more teaching in the next lesson, but we are happy they have opened the door again!

Friday we had dinner with an inactive member, Siope (from Tonga), and his fiancé Emma. Sipoe knows that he's not living his life right and he wants to be active again after he and Emma get married. But that's not going to be for over a year according to Emma's plans. But he surprised us and said that he really wants Emma to start taking the missionary lessons so she can know for herself what its about! Emma is really cool and open to it so we are going to start teaching them every Wednesday!

Saturday we had a crazy miracle! All our appointments fell through, and we were knocking doors on a random street, wondering if we were really doing any good (how we usually feel right before something amazing happens). Then a man named Elwyn answered his door and says "uh oh, are you the Mormons?" So we didn't think this was going to be good but then he immediately invited us to sit with him on his back patio. He said that he had literally just been reading in the bible in Matthew chapter 10 where Jesus is instructing his disciples to go and preach his gospel and not worry about their basic necessities because he will provide. He thought it was crazy how we had knocked on the door exactly as he read that verse. He also said that Mormons have been "attacking him" recently, meaning that he has had a lot of encounters with Mormons the past few weeks, and weird dreams about how he needs to change the path his life is taking. So after explaining this to us, he said, " so what's all this about?" We were shocked because he wanted us to start teaching him then and there! So we dove right into the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. he received it really well! He accepted our invitation to read and pray about the BOM and asked where and when our church is. He wasn't able to make it because he had an "appointment" on Sunday but we are really excited about teaching him and helping him take steps to help him come closer to Christ  and improve his life!

Sunday, 8 hours of church was awesome as usual. Later in the night, we met the sweetest lady, named Gwen. She was just sitting on her porch with her dog and started talking to us immediately. She said she is in her 70's and has dementia. She was so kind and kept telling us we were beautiful:) We asked if she had ever heard our message and she invited us in. We didn't get very far in a lesson because she would start repeating questions she had already asked us but we said a prayer with her and she was in tears at the end. She is so sweet and we will probably keep visiting her every now and then, even if she can't progress towards baptism in this life.

I hope that this more detailed than usual email makes up for previous really short ones! overall the week was full of so many blessings and miracles. Also, our missionary schedule just changed so that we have an extra half hour in the morning and evening so we can read our scriptures throughout the whole day to become more in tune with the spirit. We also have more time to write in our journals and can go to bed earlier now, which is so good for me!

We encountered many naked people this week. I guess it's just too hot here to wear clothes so most of the men we encounter are shirtless and when we went to a less active members home the other day, he mom wasn't wearing pants during the whole visit! That one was a little much for me but I guess it's her house haha.

It has been so cool to see my prayers to be able to find those individuals who are prepared to receive the gospel, be answered this week. And multiple times! I know that God hears our prayers and he wants to give us blessing and he will if we are obedient, work hard, and ask in faith. Some blessings, he is just waiting to give us, but we just have to ask for them! I'm happy to be a missionary because I know that I am doing the most important work in the world. And I'm so grateful I have family and friends who support me so well through the whole thing! I love you all! Its going to be a great new year!

Love,

Sister Pace

1. Signs like these make me even more excited to knock on their door....luckily this dog was not like it's description at all, haha

2. I feel extremely loved from all the thoughtful Christmas cards. I especially am enjoying the 2017 Pace family calendar!

3. The one and only...... Sister Nilsson

4.lucky for me, Sister Nilsson likes to drive

5.us in front of the Australian national Library, where we email

P.S.  Emmalynn also just got the letters that the Calico Ridge Ward Primary sent to her.  She really appreciates them and sends hugs and kisses to all.