Hello humans.
I first want to just express how excited I am to be sharing what I'm about to share with you. Many of you may already know, but everyone needs to prepare yourselves because this is BIG.
Are you ready?
Probably not, but here it comes!
MISSIONARIES ARE BEING LET BACK INTO LIBERIA!!!! HOW EXCITING IS THAT!?!? The last known case of Ebolla has been gone from the country for about 50 days now, so it's no longer under such high radar. It was announced on KSL on Tuesday that there have been mission presidents called for Liberia and Sierra Leone! I have already been able to see so many blessings come from this! There are members in my ward who have been sending copies of the Book of Mormon, pamphlets, pass along cards, anything they can to family and friends back home who haven't been able to join the church. UNTIL NOW. This gospel is so true and I cannot even describe how much joy it brings me to know how much stronger the church in Liberia is going to become! I've already been told that in certain places you have to get to church two hours early or you won't get a seat. People will stand out in the hallways and parking lots of church buildings just to hear what's being taught. It is so humbling and so incredible to hear all of these stories and how much these people love their Heavenly Father and Savior.
The rest of the week was incredible as well. We had the BEST ward party. The theme was Dancing Through the Decades and we had a dance floor, a photo booth, pizza as the meal, and a LIVE BAND made up of members of the ward. They played everything from The Beatles to the
Black Keys to Aretha Franklin, it was so much fun! And they had everyone come dressed up as their favorite decade. I am just so in love with this ward. This ward feels like home to me and I am so grateful for all of the people who I have met who have taught me more of who I want to become. Serving in the Philadelphia 1st ward has completely changed me, my mission, and my life.
We also taught a few new investigators with week and there are two who I want to mention. First is Lovette. She had originally met with the elders but didn't like the idea of three men coming to see her so now we teach her! We taught her the Restoration and she had a LOT of questions, all great ones too, but it was a really cool testimony builder. She had a lot of questions about a modern day prophet and how there's only one. She said that there was no way one man would be able to do Christ's work. One man could not be everywhere sharing Christ's word. And I was able to think for a second and then say "Lovette, he's not alone. He has an army of 85,000 missionaries, just like us, all over the world, sharing the gospel with him ." And I don't know if she felt it, but right in that moment I felt such a strong witness that I was there doing the Lord's work. And that 85,000 is just the young proselyting missionaries. There are senior couples and service missionaries as well and those numbers add up. His work is hastening and we're all a part of it! And it's such a joyous work!
The next I want to mention is a woman named Jessie and her husband Chen. They're from China and they also have a little girl. They went to church with one of Jessie's friends in Seattle and then found our address here and just showed up! And I was lucky enough to be one of the first to see and greet them because I already just love Jessie so much! She had a lot of questions because being from China she doesn't have a Christian background, but she loved church and was so happy and bubbly the entire time. It made me so grateful for the knowledge that I've always had of the Savior. I absolutely had to come to know him
myself but because of my family and the ward that I grew up in I have always loved the Savior and I have always known so much of what He's done for me. It was incredible to see Jessie's eyes light up as I told her about the Savior's life and his miracles. She asked me what a miracle is and I really had to think, I never had had to define that before. I told her that it's something wonderful and unexpected. It's something that happens when really it's not supposed to. Christ rose a man from the dead, that's not supposed to happen but because Christ was so special, he was able to produce miracles. She looked like a
five year old on Christmas morning, it was heart warming. She's unfortunately not in our ward boundaries, but she gave me her email address and to,d me she wants to tell me all about how her missionary lessons go and that if I'm ever in China I can stay with her! :)
Sorry for such a long email, it was just such an incredible week and I had so much that I wanted to share with you all! And to end I want to wish a Happy Mothers Day to all of the incredible women in my life! There are so many of you who have influenced me so much and I wouldn't be who I am today without each and every one of you. Thank you!
Love,
Sister Petrick
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