"Horse racing & crazy hats, prayers answered, rear ended for a purpose?, baptisms coming, & Press Forward in Opposition!"

BLOG

Another week has come and past. Another Monday here for me to ramble for a little while and try to rack my brain to remember every cool and interesting thing that has happened in these 7 days... and all I can remember is the time that we went out for a run in the morning and saw a lady asleep on the stairs with a bowl of chicken. #newyorkprobs

Ok I lied, I do remember a little bit more.

The randoms...

1. Currently in Saratoga there is this thing going on called "track season". Basically it just means that EVERYONE in the world is here to watch some horses race. I don't get it. This week was a very special event called "Travers" apparently it's a big deal. Don't ask me why. But, on the day of Travers we did enjoy ourselves by running past the track and seeing a bunch of fancy people and horses. Also, everyone was wearing fancy, dramatic hats. Welcome to Saratoga.

2. We got rear-ended this week (more to follow on this story).

3. This week begins our 3 day exchange. Should be exciting.

The work...

1. Remember how I am a firm believer in praying for specific things? Well recently we have been praying that we would be able to teach a member's friend. This week a member approached us and was like, "Hey sisters! We are having you over for dinner this week... and also there will be an investigator there for you." We were both just like.... I'm sorry what? This is what a real referral is like?

So we went to the dinner and this girl is incredibly prepared. She is 17 and best friends with the member's daughter. We invited her to be baptized on the first lesson and she said "yes!" Then when we asked her why she said, "Because I want this to be a part of my life forever and I want to be married in the temple." SO GOOD. Then when we asked her when she said, "Well, I was thinking before school started because I wanted to be able to be a part of seminary, but then they told me I could be in seminary without being a member, so I'm not sure." We pretty much died out of joy. Also, she is planning to go to BYU next year. So great. Seriously though, prayer works.

2. Glenn is getting baptized this week! HURRAY! He has made a lot of progress just in the short time I have been here. He seems committed and is inviting a bunch of people, so we are very excited for his baptism this weekend :)

3. Ok remember how I said that we were rear ended? So here is the story that accompanies this event. We were stopped at a stop light, going to see an investigator, when all of a sudden we got hit. It was like, the baby-est hit in the world, and the damage was so so minor. But, because it was a mission car we had to get out and talk to the guy and get all the info and blah blah blah. So all this ended up taking about a half hour.

When that was all done it hit us, that that must have happened for a reason! But what was the reason? Were we supposed to meet the guy who hit our car? Were we NOT supposed to be where we were going at the time we would have gotten there, so Heavenly Father delayed us? OR were we supposed to be where we were going later?

We weren't sure.

So we continued on our path, praying that Heavenly Father would guide us. Well we got to the investigator's home, and no one was there. So we tried their neighbor, and nothing. So we got in the car to drive somewhere else, and all of a sudden the thought came to my brain, "go back". But I thought, go back where? Then the thought came "go back, and I will guide you." So we flipped around and just started driving, not really knowing where we were headed. Finally we ended up at these apartments that we had tried tracting a few days earlier, with no success and not the happiest feelings. But there we were. We prayed again, and we both felt really strongly that we were supposed to go to this apartment. We went there, and no one answered. So we knocked again. And still no one. So we were really confused. We left and knocked all the apartments around, and no one was interested. So why were we there? Why had this series of random events happened that led us back to this apartment complex that frankly, we never wanted to come back to.

My answer is, I still don't know. We had to leave after that to make it to a dinner appointment. But here's what I do know, when Heavenly Father prompts us, we follow. Sometimes the reason is really obvious. Other times, we have no idea why we are doing or saying the things that He advises us to do, but we do them. And sometime down the path, a miracle happens.

4. In other news, Heavenly Father has shown us so so so many tender mercies. We had a lot of finding time this week, and each time it would go something like this,

knock on a bunch of doors

everyone is grumpy haters.

we feel kind of bummed.

Then I say, "We gotta keep going, because whenever there are a bunch of haters that means that someone great is just around the corner!"

next door we knock,

new investigator.

So press forward in opposition. That's what I've learned.

5. Also, we set Kieran with a baptism date! He is doing so great. We've only been teaching him and Ashley for like 2 weeks, and he has already read in the Book of Mormon all the way to Jacob! So good.

Anyway, that's all for this week. Just know that we are blessed and happy here in Saratoga. There are definitely many good things to come.

XOXO,
Sister Langford

"Leaves changing, ballet shoes, endorsing Mini Missions, & lessons learned from John the flea!!"

The BLOG.

Bonjour my friends.

Does anyone else have their mind blown every time they think about everything that can happen in a week? Just one single week, SO MUCH can happen. This week was a perfect example of that. I'll try and focus on the super cool stuff that you would care about.  How the leaves are already changing color, or how I ate peach cobbler ice cream by the gallon, or how there are giant ballet shoes all over town that I like to take pictures by.... oh wait...

First of all...

Last Monday evening we got a call from President Wirthlin telling us that we would have a mini missionary with us from Wednesday to Monday... and good news, it was my home girl, Jade, from Potsdam! So she has been living the missionary life for the past 5 days. It has been so fun and such a good experience. I'm not gonna lie, I had some moments of panic and stress, but overall, it's been a blast. If anyone has the opportunity to go on a mini mission I would soooo recommend it. EVERYBODY GO ON A MINI MISSION. ok ok.

Second...

This week was also Zone Training Meeting. Sister Lloyd and I had the opportunity to train on faith to find, which is probably my favorite topic so I was really excited, but also nervous about it. Thankfully, our training went great. The spirit was really powerful and it was so cool because by the end of our training everyone was already adapting the "as if" principal into their lingo and at least 4 people bore their testimony about our training. It was super awesome to see things like that happen. Its's just one more blessing about being a Sister Training Leader. It definitely makes you stretch to your limits, but it's been a really blessed calling for the past... 7 transfers...

Also in our training, we shared a story that I thought I would share with you all, since it's fun and also inspiring :) It goes like this...

There once was a flea named John. John was a super cool flea, for a lot of reasons, but most importantly because he was the highest jumping flea in all the land. John could jump so high that sometimes the other fleas thought that John could fly. One day John and all his flea friends were jumping around when a human scooped them up and put them in a jar. Now, this was no problem for John, because he could just jump on out, but then the human put a lid on the jar and screwed it on tight.

At first, John continued to jump as high as he had before, but after a couple of times hitting the lid, he realized that it wasn't as fun as it was before. After a short time, John became conditioned to jump just below the lid of the jar. Even after the lid was removed, John only jumped to just below the lid.

Now, nothing had changed physically in John. He still had the ability to jump far out of the jar. Yet, in his mind, he had forgotten his potential. He had set his expectations lower, and he could no longer accomplish what he once could.

Sometimes in life, we are like John. We have the ability to be great, to exceed every expectation, (remember, in the pre-earth life we were like John, before he was put in the jar), but sometimes in life we have experiences that put a lid on our expectations. We lower our expectations, we settle, and we live far below our potential.

Thankfully, we still have the potential to be great and to remove those lids! That's where faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement comes in. Through Christ we can succeed and exceed all of our expectations. It is all through Him.

Thank you all for indulging my story time. Now back to the miracles of the week.

1. Our new Investigators K & A.  It blows my mind that it was less than 2 weeks ago that we met them. They are doing so amazing and progressing like mad.  They have both been bearing testimony to us of how much more peace they have felt in their lives since meeting us. They have felt so much guidance from the Book of Mormon. It's such a blessing to see them grow.

2. Mr. G. is also doing amazing. He has switched his baptism date to Aug 30th so that he can find an apartment to live in before his baptism. His face seriously glows every time we talk with him. It's amazing to see someone so changed by the gospel.

3. Another little story. This week we had an evening where pretty much everything fell through. We were feeling a little discouraged for one reason or another and feeling a little pointless as we walked around. Finally after feeling hopeless for about 5 minutes, we decided to pray for direction. As soon as we finished praying, we looked up and saw two guys sitting on the steps of an apartment complex. Instantly we both started to walk towards them. Miraculously, we were able to teach them the restoration and you could tell that they both had been prepared to meet us that day. They are now both investigating and doing well. For me it was just another tender mercy from the Lord. Just Him reaching out to me when I was feeling a little discouraged and lost.

4. We found many other people and miracles come out like crazy... but I'm low on time, so just know that this week was blessed and I could go on and on and on and on.

But here's one funny quote...

"One time, I had an ice cream breakfast for sandwich." -Sister Lloyd

Another great week to come!

XOXO,
Sister Langford

BLOG BLOG BLOG

Hello all my friends.

So much news this week that I don't even know where to begin. ahhhh.... hmmm.... Ok I think I have an idea.

SARATOGA.

Hey everyone. Remember how I am now in Saratoga. Let me give you a little sneak peak into what Saratoga is like. There is this street called "Broadway" and I'm pretty sure that what they did was pick up a street from New York City and planted it in upstate New York. Then, they placed a lot of really classy people and adorable houses around it. THEN they put in stores that you will not find anywhere else in New York like Starbucks, Coldstone, and Target. Then you go to church... and you guys, IT'S A WARD. Like, a real life ward. The chapel is double the size of any other I've seen on my mission, plus they had to open the accordion doors to the overflow for sacrament meeting. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN NEW YORK. You guys don't even know what kind of alternate universe I am in here in Saratoga. But you know what? I AM IN LOVE! Before I came to Saratoga I really prayed that I would find myself in a place where I could really connect with the people and feel like I belonged, (since I had a hard time finding that in Corning). I came to Saratoga and I instantly knew that prayer was answered. I since have had many tender mercies to show me that Heavenly Father heard that prayer.

PEOPLE WE TEACH.

When I arrived in the Toga we had 4 people to teach. But, all four of them are super solid and 3 of them will be baptized within this transfer.

Kat and Graceann: 18 year old girls. I haven't even met Graceann yet, but I met Kat last night. We were talking with her about her upcoming baptism and how she was feeling and everything, and I instantly could feel the spirit confirm to me that I am here for her. I know that I can connect with her and help her at this point in her progression. So I am so excited to be working with these darling girls.

Glenn: Also getting baptized soon. Super cool guy who is very prepared for the gospel. I am excited to see him grow and grow.

Paul: 91 year old man. Every time the sisters come over he gives them a cookie, apple, and two chocolate kisses. He is a funny old man. But hey, he knows the Book of Mormon is true!

So I came, and that is who we were teaching, and I was excited for these people, but I was, (and am), excited to bring what I had learned from my time in Corning. So I said, Sister Lloyd, let's find.

And let me tell you, within a two hour time period we found 5 new investigators. I don't have time to tell you all of their stories, but let me just tell you about two of them.

Kieran and Ashley: Sister Lloyd and I had been working hard all day. Let me give you the background knowledge that that morning I woke up with a wicked cold. I haven't been even a little bit sick my entire mission, and yet this day I woke up feeling like death. So after Sister Lloyd and I had already found and taught 3 new investigators, we were walking to Rite Aid to buy some medicine and tissues. As we were walking we saw two teenage kids walking toward us. At first, I wasn't going to stop them, but for some reason I did. I just said "hey! Can we talk to you guys for a minute?" and we did. Well long story short, we taught them the restoration, then the next day we taught them about the Book of Mormon. They told us that they couldn't stop talking about what we had shared with them and they felt like we had been an answer to their prayers. Then on Sunday a member came up to us and said "Sisters! I heard you met Ashley the other day on the street!" We were super confused that she would know who we met... but turned out that her mom was really good friends with this member, and this member had been working on sharing the gospel with her mom for years. Also turns out that because of that, her mom is very supportive of Ashley learning about the gospel. It's hard to type out all that happened and the long version of the story, but suffice it to say that The Lord is honestly and truly preparing people to be taught. And sometimes I think, what if we hadn't stopped them? What if we didn't have the faith to teach them right then? What would have happened? I know miracles come, when we exercise our faith. I've seen it again and again and again.

Something I've learned about missionary work... and really just about life, is called the "as if" principal. The principal is, if you want to be something, (ie, successful, happy, bold, courageous), if you want to have something (in this case people to teach) then you have to act AS IF you already have it. If you act as if you are already happy then everything you do will be joyous. If you want more faith, then you act as if you have all the faith in the world. If you want to baptize a bunch of people, then when you meet someone you act as if you are going to baptize them. It's a simple principle really, but it's seriously all about faith you guys. FAITH MAKES MIRACLES HAPPEN. I know it. I've seen it.

It's sad to me, when I see missionaries, or people in general, who live below their potential. Because we are God's children, we all have the potential to be great. But we sell ourselves short and we justify. I know that there is no set back, no weakness, no trial that is greater than God or our potential strengths.

Ok. I'm sorry about that tangent but Sister Lloyd and I are just feeling really passionate about this right now... especially since we are giving a training on it this week in Zone Training Meeting!

Anyway, I guess my point is I'M IN LOVE WITH SARATOGA, THE LORD WILL BLESS US AND FAITH MAKES MIRACLES HAPPEN.

XOXO,
Sister Langford

"Goodbye Corning it's TOGA time, Facebook or Babylon, weekly Miracles, & hoping to Survive the Pack!"

BLOG.....

Hello hello hello.

Everyone. I come bearing CRAZY news. Who is ready to hear about my crazy crazy week? Ok, we can talk about it all.

1. TRANSFER NEWS. TOGA. TOGA. TOGA. Saturday morning we are minding our own business, studying the word, when we get a call from the mission office. My first thought is "what the heck!?" President Wirthlin comes on and asks me to be a Sister Training Leader in Saratoga Springs! YOU GUYS. I'm leaving Corning :(. It's pretty bitter sweet, and I seriously did not see it coming. I've only served here for two transfers. It's gone soooooo fast. But let me tell you, I'm am STOKED to go to Saratoga. Apparently it's a really ritzy area about 45 minutes north of Albany (I'm going clear across the mission again), and it's known for its horse races. Plus get this, my companion is going to be the one and only SISTER LLOYD. Sister Lloyd was in the MTC with me and she is exactly one foot shorter than me. Oh yeah. It's going to be sweet.

As far as leaving Corning, it's pretty bitter sweet. Before I left Norwood I prayed that my next area would help me to grow and that I would know my purpose and be able to fulfill it. I think I told you all about that before. Well now as I leave Corning, I feel SO much peace knowing that I have grown immensely while I've been here. I've realized that God doesn't expect instant perfection from us, all he expects is progression. It's incredible. I also know that even though I didn't see anyone baptized here, I fulfilled my purpose. I did what the Lord wanted me to do. I became an instrument in His hands. Last night I was telling Sister Glenn that I hope that how I feel now, as I leave this area, is exactly how I want to feel when I leave the mission. I'm grateful for how I have changed and I'm excited to hit the 'toga where I can grow even more. But let me tell you, I am NOT looking forward to packing today.

2. FACEBOOK. FACEBOOK. FACEBOOK. Here's the OTHER big news. The Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders in our mission are now officially on Facebook. Dude, its weird. To quote one of our Assistants "the first time you get on Facebook it's like getting pounded in the chest with Babylon." He's not even lying. The night we got home from MLC us and the Zone Leaders hopped on Facebook. We filmed everyone's reaction as they first logged in. It's pretty hysterical. Anyway, we are still cleaning it up and getting it all figured out, but be looking for some sweet missionary posts comin' your way!

3. President Wirthlin played a song from Frozen at MLC. and that is all.

4. THE BIG EVENT. This week was also the Owego stake's "Big Event". It was so good. All the missionaries, and a ton of members were there. We ate a ton of food, hiked a bit, played some volleyball and ultimate Frisbee... it was just a gooooood day.  Did I take any pictures of it? No, because I'm a failure. But please enjoy the selfie of Sister Glenn and I wearing our hipster glasses.

So that's all the crazy stuff. Now can we talk about the miracles we saw this week?

1. Investigator B.  Dude.  We had two of the most solid lessons with her ever. The first lesson we taught her about the word of wisdom and get this, her entire family sat in. This has never happened. It was so good. And even though it was kind of a crazy lesson, the spirit was powerful. Then the next time we stopped by, we decided to read the Book of Mormon with her. After we read, she again started to testify to us how she "knew the book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet." So then I asked, "How do you know that?" She said "I don't know. I just read it, and it feels good and right. And let's be honest, if you read this book you know that no farm boy from New York could write this book." We then testified to her that if the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith were true, then so was everything else. And if everything else was true, she needed to live in accordance with it and be baptized. (Keep in mind this woman has denied the baptismal invitation like 5 times). So we asked, "Will you be baptized?" She was quiet for a minute and then said, "If that's what God tells me to do, then yes, I will be baptized." OH MY GOODNESS. It's so amazing to see the change that has come over her since the first time I met her. Miracles you guys. miracles.

2. J.   This fellow is so solid. This week we taught him the Word of Wisdom and he was not too excited to live it. He kept trying to make excuses, but it was so cool, because the member who was with us was a convert, and she offered to buy his coffee off of him!  Oh man. He's comin' along. He also made it to church again, two weeks in a row. He is seriously just going some real good places. I'm excited for him.

3. A. We did a church tour with him, when we got to a picture of Christ being baptized he just stopped and looked at it very intently. Sister Glenn said, "What do you think is happening in this picture." He responded "Baptism".  He then told us how for some reason he didn't feel like his baptisms in the past had been valid. He was looking for a more complete baptism. WHAT? So we took him in where the baptismal font is and explained to him the priesthood authority and how baptisms here and complete and valid in the eyes of the Lord. He got so excited and basically committed himself to baptism! So good!

Well everyone. that was the week. Miracles happen. I'm gonna miss my darling Corning, but I'm super excited to see what Saratoga has in store. We'll see ya on the flip side. (Pray that I don't die as I try and pack all my stuff today)! 

XOXO,
Sister Langford

"Sister Reunion, unhappy ending?, & transformation Sunday!!"

BLOGG

Hello friends.

The weeks keep flying and I seriously don't even know what to do about it. I honestly can barely remember what happened this week. We probably taught some people and then drove somewhere or something... ok let me think about it....

Ok, I remember. Let's chat.

1. We had the all-sisters conference this week and that was a blast! I remember last year when I went to this same event and I was just like "meh... I don't know ANYONE." and this time I was like "Oh my goodness I know everyone and have pretty much been on an exchange with like every sister in the mission!" So it was good fun. I got to see all my friends and talk about sister things. I got to train with my home girl Sister Fiefia which was a joy. All in all it was a super awesome day. We finished the meeting by letting go a ton of balloons in the church parking lot. Did we kill a couple of deer? maybe. But the Tangled effect was pretty bomb. You gotta love all-sisters conferences.

2. Then we came home and got back to the usual missionary work. Let me tell you though, we had some super sweet miracles. We went and taught our investigator, B, who we hadn't seen in about a week (Which for us is a long time). Last time we saw her we committed her to watch the full length Joseph Smith movie on mormonchannel and hurray she did! It was so funny. She was like "yeah I liked the movie... but why didn't you tell me it was going to be so depressing! Where is the happy ending? I thought he would live until he was like 80 and everything would work out... be he was killed! Come on sisters!" It was pretty much hilarious. But then we started talking about Joseph Smith and everything he went through and she was like, "Yeah, there's no way some farm boy from New York could write this book. There's no way he would do what he did if he wasn't a prophet." IT WAS SO GOOD. This was like a huge step for her and we were so so excited. Anyway, its the small miracles :)

3. On Saturday we had a true tender mercy from the Lord. We had prayed that people would be put into our path who were willing and ready to act on our message. Well, as the day progressed, nothing spectacular had happened. We had a church tour set up with one of our investigators, but she never showed up :( So we were chillin' at the church, waiting to see if she would come, when all of a sudden this member family rolls in with their son's girlfriend (remember the girl who literally ran out of the house when we tried to teach her?) yeah her. Her name is M. She, M, just sits right down next to us on the couch and is like, "So, do you guys want to teach me a lesson?" ummmmmmm...... hello yes. So we went into a room and taught M the restoration and it was super sweet. Then on Sunday she came to church and just fit right in. It was amazing. So basically I have learned that if something doesn't work out, it's because Heavenly Father has something better in mind.

4. OK THIS IS THE BEST STORY. So if you choose to skim the rest of this blog, at least read this part. So who remember's JF? He's our investigator. He is this old guy with a huge white beard and long hair that goes to the middle of his back and he pretty much only wears wife beaters. He's the best. So he has been doing so so great, reading the Book of Mormon, he's done a church tour, all that good stuff. When we went to teach him on Saturday he assured us that he would be at church on Sunday and that he had a surprise for us. Well Sunday morning comes, and he is nowhere to be seen. We go and find the member who was supposed to give him a ride and he's like "oh I couldn't find his house!" *facepalm* So ten minutes before church starts we zoom to Riverside (which is like a 7 minute drive) to show the member where Jim lives. I'm not gonna lie, we were kind of ticked. But as we rolled up to Jim's house, there he was, standing outside ready to go, hair cut short, no beard and wearing a shirt and tie. OH MY GOODNESS it was life changing! I wish I had a before and after picture because it was so amazing. But he had the best time at church and made so many friends. The first thing he said to us at the end was "Well, I'm comin' back!" It was too great. Blessings from heaven :)

The laugh's...

"I think you guys are like ninja's!" -little investigator kid

"Whatever they aren't ninja's! Have you seen them play volleyball?" - His dad.


"Hey Sister Langford! You look like this Asian girl in the conference ensign. I call her Lasiangford." -Elder

Well guys, that's my news from the week. This weekend we have MLC again and I think some exciting announcements could be made... I'll let you know next week! We also find out if we get transferred this week.  (I can't believe it's that time again!) So I will keep you all posted on that one too. Thanks for all :)

XOXO,
Sister Langford

"3 Day Super Exchange, goal Reached, & The Lord always has a purpose!"

Hello my friends.

Oh my goodness gracious. This week has been another crazy crazy run around with your head cut off week. But hey, its better than being bored riiiiiight? So let's get to talking.

The first and biggest news is....

THE THREE DAY SUPER EXCHANGE.

Oh man those were three very blessed and fun days. I got to spend them in Owego (the land I love) with Sisters Ashcraft and Collins. I can't remember if I said this last week, but the purpose of these crazy exchanges was to help the sisters catch the vision of what's possible and especially show them how they can teach more and how they can teach better. So naturally, going into these exchanges, we were pretty stressed. I was just thinking "How can I even inspire these sisters and help them catch the vision?" I was feeling pretty inadequate to say the least. I just prayed that my efforts (no matter how weak they were) would be enough.

Well through out the course of these three days, I met some people that I absolutely adore and KNOW there was a reason I met them, and we had some super stellar experiences. I will tell you about just one...

So on one of the days we went out with this recently returning less-active girl named K. Well we decided that rather than try and knock on doors with four people we would split up and go two and two. Sister Ashcraft and I went together to go knock on some doors. Well we were knocking and knocking... and we were not having any success. And I'm thinking in my head "ah man! I'm supposed to be here to inspire her... and nothing is happening!" so we stop and I say "Hey can we say a prayer? I just don't know if we are in the right place right now." She agreed, so we prayed that we would be led to the right place so that we could find a new investigator. Right then Sister Ashcraft was like "come on, lets walk this way." So we did. We are walking and walking and then we see this old lady up on the top of this massive hill. We just looked at each other, and then started trekking up the hill. We got to the top and started talking to her, but she said she couldn't talk then, so we set up a return appointment. The day that I got home from the three day exchange they texted me and told me that they had gone back and taught her and that they picked her up as an investigator! PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED!

We had also been praying the whole exchange that they would be able to teach 20 lessons this week. It was a pretty big prayer, since they had been no where near that before. Last night they texted us as said "Hey sisters! Guess who just taught there 20th lesson this week!?" SO BLESSED. I just know that Heavenly Father made the efforts that I could give enough. Not only was I able to inspire those sisters, but they truly inspired me and had such a great effect on my mission. Such a blessing to be able to go on that exchange.

Now back to Corning...

1. We had a VERY eventful lesson with Vanessa this week. Before the lesson we were feeling kind of like we might have to drop her. She had printed off this whole sermon trying to prove us wrong, and I was just kind of like "Come on!" But we went in with a humble attitude that we would listen to what she had to say. She started to talk and was having a hard time getting it all out. We started to get into a huge discussion about the apostasy and all that good stuff, and then the spirit just filled my mouth and I said "But, WHAT IF what we are saying is true? Because I feel like you are just trying to prove us wrong, and as long as you have that attitude, you will never know." Oh man it was intense, but strangely enough, I think it was EXACTLY what she needed to hear. Just before we left she told us that she would read the book of Mormon and pray with a more open mind. We told her that in order to find out, she would have to be willing to take at least a few steps straight into the dark. It was powerful guys. I think there are good things to come here as she begins to take some steps into the dark.

2. An investigator CAME TO CHURCH. Oh man. It was so good to have a new investigator at church I can't even tell you! #blessed.

3. So this is my final story. We went to go teach The M's, but they weren't home. We were kind of like, ah man! We were banking on this lesson. So then we didn't really know what to do. So we said a prayer and then opened up our planner to see if we had any good back ups planned. We looked and both of us were like "Let's go see L."  So we went to L's house (She is a potential investigator) and knocked on her door. She came out as well as her son and his girl friend and we taught them a very powerful restoration. When we arrived she was really frazzled because her dad had passed away just a few weeks earlier. By the end of the lesson she stood up and said "I feel so much more peaceful. I know I needed to see you two!" It was such a blessing. I know that Heavenly Father has a purpose in EVERYTHING. When things don't go the way we planned, its simply because He has something better in store.

and one giggle...

"They do have... for lack of a better word, souls!' -District Leader

"hahahaha its so funny because we mostly only teach gingers!" - His companion.

Well, another crazy week coming up! We head to Utica again today. I hope the craziness never ends!

XOXO,
Sister Langford

PS. Just want to say a quick shout out to my family. I feel so blessed that they were watched over and protected. I know the Lord truly sent angels to be by their side.

"25 Lessons, Tender Mercies & Free Ice Cream, & Christ will save us if we have Faith"

B to the L to the O to the G.

Hello hello hello.

You guys. This week was seriously nuts. Do I say that every single week? Probably. But seriously this week was more nuts than other weeks of my life. Ok. Let me tell you why it's crazy...

1. We had more teaching appointments than I have ever had in my whole mission life. (We taught 25 lessons this week... which is a crazy ton since the standard of excellence is 20 lessons). 

2. We went on an exchange, and went to Zone Conference. (these things take a lot of time away from your area).

3. At Zone Conference we got news that we would be doing this new thing where we go on like 3 day exchanges with the sisters. 3 DAYS. Do you know how long that is in missionary week time? So we are doing that this week. We are actually going to work in trios. I'm going to Owego to work with the sisters there and Sister Glenn will be going to Ithaca to work with the sisters there. So it's going to be probably the most crazy, fun and stressful week to date. This transfer is nuts and that's all I have to say.

Now lets talk about the miracles of the week.

Tender Mercy #1.

Last Monday, we were literally going to have 0 time to proselyte. We had a dinner appointment and then we had to go spend the night with some sisters in Horseheads. So we were feeling kind of bummed. We prayed that within our limited time, we would still be able to do some missionary work.

Well we stroll into our dinner appointment and their son had his girlfriend there. So the member is like "hey! I was thinking for your spiritual thought tonight you could practice teaching us the restoration *wink wink*" We are just like... "ok". So we start to teach it and this poor girl has no idea what's just hit her. Apparently they did not mention to her who missionaries are and that they were coming over for dinner. Oh man it was rough. So we finish our message and then we are going to go have dinner and this girl straight up sprints out the front door. Sister Glenn and I look at each other and are just like *facepalm*. Well after some prodding from his father, the kid went out to go bring his girlfriend back. We then had a nice dinner and she apologized for running out. It was too awkward.

Luckily, the story doesn't end there. (Although we were pretty sure it would).  On Sunday, we see this member family rolling into church and who should be with them, but the son's girlfriend! #sistersaywhat. Anyway she came up to us at church and was like, "Hey sisters! I'm sorry I bolted the other day! I didn't know what was going on and I felt super awkward. But I talked it over and I've decided that I actually want to give this all a chance and learn about it!" Ok, hello, thank you tender mercies of the Lord! So now we are going to officially start teaching her! This sweet little chica even volunteered to come out teaching with us once she understood what we were talking about! SO GOOD.

Tender Mercy #2.

Also on Monday, after leaving the super awkward meal appointment, we realized that we were actually 8 minutes early! So we had a baby bit of time to do some work. Well we are driving down the highway, and there is this cute little ice cream shop right off the highway that we had been wanting to go to for forever, but never had a chance. So I think to myself,  "ah. we should go get ice cream!" but then I think... "hmmmm... yeah that's probably not the very best idea." So I with held my thought. Right then Sister Glenn goes "Hey! Do you want to get ice cream at that place?" So naturally I gave in.

Well it turned out to be a drive though ice cream shop #newyork. So we ordered our picks and then we are just chillin. Then the lady working the window goes, "Where are you guys from? I see you have those name tags!" *money question* So then we start telling her about missions and all that good stuff. Then we gave her our card to pay for the ice cream, but she wouldn't take it. She said "This one's on us for all you guys do!" Then she told us that she went to a church called the "Christian Missionary Church" We were able to talk to her a bit about the church and give her a card with our number on it.

As we drove away we were just so amazed by how much our Heavenly Father loves us! Not only did he answer our prayers to be able to do missionary work, but the prompting involved free ice cream! BEST ANSWER TO PRAYERS EVER.

Tender Mercy #3.
Remember how praying for specific things is like, crazy awesome? Yeah! So this week on one of the days Sister Glenn and I were praying that we would be able to set someone with a specific baptism date. We had a couple of lessons set up so we were just praying it would happen. Well all our lessons went through and nothing nothing nothing. We only had one left. We went in and they were feeling pretty iffy about baptism. We had planned to talk about the Plan of Salvation, but as we were saying the opening prayer, I received a prompting that we should talk about "CPR" (church, pray, read) and so we did. At the end of the lesson we had set them with all of these awesome goals, and then Sister Glenn invited them to be baptized on a specific date,  (something they have always dodged). AND THEY AGREED.

Tender mercy. Answer to prayers.

Then as we were leaving their house, right before I closed the door, I heard her say, "I just think those girls are so sweet." My heart was then too happy.

AND FINALLY.... one cool insight.

This week at Zone conference during the testimony meeting, one of the elders got up and bore his testimony about the story in the New Testament when Peter is walking on the water. He said that he recently realized how he had always misunderstood the story. We always think of it that Peter jumps out of the boat and starts to walk on the water, then he sees the huge crazy waves and starts to doubt that he can stay on top of it all, it is then, in his doubt, that he sinks. Then Christ reaches out and pulls him up and says, "Oh ye of little faith. Wherefore didst thou doubt?"

But here's what the elder pointed out that I thought was pretty applicable to my life. He said that the way it's worded, we can tell that Peter started to sink, AND THEN he doubted. He then said, "I like to add a couple of words onto Christ's response. I like to think what He really said was 'Oh ye of little faith. Wherefore didst thou doubt that I could save thee?' " Peter was going to start to sink, no matter how much faith he had. He was mortal, and it was part of his life that he would sink. But where Peter lacked faith was in the promise that Christ would save him. I think of that in terms of our own lives. We are not meant to always be walking on water. When we agreed to come here, we knew that it meant from time to time the storms would come and we would start to sink. But Christ's promise to Peter is the same promise he gives to us. He will always save us. He will always reach down and pull us back on top of the water. We never need to doubt that Christ is walking near us, that He is always watching, and His arm is always reaching out.

Well that was the week of one sister missionary in Corning, NY. Oh wait let me tell you a funny quote or two...

"The roof is not my child, but I will raise it!" -Member

"But wait! I was always told that you weren't to beat no children!" -Less-active member during Gospel Principals class...

Alright. We'll talk again after another crazy week.

XOXO,
Sister Langford