Salutations!

I have to first apologize for not sending an email last week. There wasn't a good reason, I just didn't have a ton to share but I'll give a mini summary of what would have been included:  Tuesday we were in urgent care for a couple hours, we're all good, Sister Reed had just been sick for a while so we wanted to make sure she was okay. Wednesday we were who knows where getting our car fixed for five hours, Friday was zone conference, and then both days of general conference. General conference was INCREDIBLE. When you're a missionary it's basically the best thing. And I feel like there were TONS of shout outs to me. Elder Eyring talking about the woman escaping from the war in Africa(I have heard TONS of those stories), someone mentioned a government leader of Philadelphia, sunflowers are my favorite flower, a general authority who visited my mission and called my mission president like the day before he spoke was on conference, and the temple announced in the Ivory Coast! I cannot even describe the amazing spirit that came over our chapel when the members of my ward heard that announcement. Most of my African members are from Liberia, but a temple in the Ivory Coast will be such a huge blessing to their family members! I am so grateful for conference and the gospel! :) 

This week wasn't the most exciting week, we had so many appointments fall through. That's always a bit discouraging as a missionary, but it just means that we're needed elsewhere! Like Saturday night for example. We showed up for our appointment and no one was home. So we rescheduled and decided to go stop by one of our investigators just to see how she's been. As we were talking with her another one of our investigators who we haven't seen in weeks walked through the door. We were able to set up a time for us to go see both of them! Such a tender mercy! I know that, as long as we're doing our part, Heavenly Father places us and leads us where we need to be at every second of every day. As we strive to do His will we can't fail! He will give us the Spirit to be there constantly as our companion. We're on the Lord's team and that means we're going to be victorious. :) 

I want to end this email by strongly encouraging everyone to go and see the new movie Freetown. I haven't seen it, and I probably won't until I'm back home, but this movie holds a very special place in my heart. It negates the image of missionary work in Africa that The Book of Mormon Musical has so wrongly portrayed. Freetown is an independent film about missionaries who are escaping the civil war in Africa. This movie shares stories just like the ones that I hear every day. We were told that the stories aren't entirely accurate because it is told more from the missionaries' point of view, but it will still provide so much insight. Because of the great Liberian representation in my ward many of our ward members have been invited to a Q&A session with the director of the film at one of the screenings of the movie. Freetown shares of the strength and the faith and the courage of these people who I have come to love so dearly. And I would love nothing more than for you to experience that as well. I ask anyone who can to go and see this movie and please let me know what you think. I promise that it will testify to all who watch just how powerful and life changing the Gospel of Jesus Christ truly is and of how aware the Savior is of us all.

I love you all! 

Sister Rachel Petrick