I'm never coming home.

Look what arrived in Ann Arbor! "#goDad!"

Hello everybody!!!!

I pray for you often and hope you are doing amazing!!

My week was pretty much amazing and I am never coming home.
Going on a mission was the best decision I have ever made!!! It is hard, but so worth it. In my short 2&1/2 months I have met people that I can't picture not playing part in my life. My testimony has grown, and my love for the Savior and my Heavenly Father has deepened. I have a testimony of diligence and of miracles. God truly is the same "yesterday, today, and forever". He reaches out to ALL of his children in love.

N #1 is still progressing and doing great!!! Though we had a little scare this week haha. To make a long story short (I can tell you all about it one day haha), we thought he had already been baptized. Luckily we were wrong and he's on date for November 17th:) we did have to push his date back a week because it is taking him longer to understand some of the doctrine, but he's still growing in his testimony! He came to church yesterday and he loved it. He loves the ward and is getting some great fellowship. 

R is not counted as a progressing person anymore. He reads the Book of Mormon every day to help N but he has no desire to pray and gain a testimony of it. He is still sitting in on lessons though, so maybe one day he will commit and have a change of heart.

Our teaching pool grew this week!!!!! Wooooohoooooo 6-9 tracting every night is not a thing this week:)
The first person we met is named N (#2). He goes to the community college in Ypsi. We found him outside of Meyer. We were walking through the parking lot when it was dark. I spotted the light from his cig and felt the prompting to talk to him. He said he has been wanting to have a better relationship with God and that he is looking for a church "home". He said that he had been thinking about it a lot and that; "it was funny we stopped and said hello" right after his realization. He is SO cool!!!!! We are meeting with him again tomorrow night.

Our next person is L. On Sunday we got her as a referral from the SLC visitor center missionaries. She  literally messaged them and said; "hi. I want to know how I can join your church". Like whaaaaaaa?!

We went over and visited her a couple hours later, and she was SO happy to see us. She is single and divorced, she has a young son, and she is finishing up treatment for breast cancer. She has spent the last 10 years researching about the church. She has many friends who are members and she has noticed the way it's blessed their life. She is currently Catholic, and goes to church each Sunday but she isn't satisfied. She says her relationship with God feels like it "stops at the door". She is seeking to find a personal relationship with him, and she said that she is seeking for things that are "eternal". We bore testimony to her and invited her to be baptized on November 24th. She said "absolutely! I have been wanting this for so long. What do I have to do?"

And oh my goodness. I will never forget the feelings I felt while sitting in her home, listening to her story. I was blessed to feel both the Savior's and Heavenly Father's love for her and for her son SO strongly. It was truly humbling. I know without a shadow of a doubt, that we have a loving Heavenly Father. He knows us by name and we are his children. I know that we have a Savior Jesus Christ who sacrificed his life for us, so that we might live. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father is allowing me to play a very small part in her story. I can already tell that she is going to change my life.  I love her and I can't wait to teach her!!!
Also, her son is ADORABLE!!!!! ❤

And one kinda funny moment... we went into Kroger to store contact and I went up and started talking to this guy. He seemed to be listening and he honestly looked kinda interested until he said; "do you speak Russian? No. Do you speak Spanish? No. Do you speak German? No. Well then, "heil Hitler" hahaha then he saluted us and walked away.... I still don't understand that conversation!

I have taken part in president Nelson's challenge to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year and so far it's been awesome!!! I made it into Mosiah this week and there were a couple of verses that struck a chord with me. In chapter 9 it's taking about a war between the Lamanites and Zeniff's people. Verse 17-18 says; Yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers.
And God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might; yea, we did go forth against the Lamanites, and in one day and a night we did slay three thousand and forty-three; we did slay them even until we had driven them out of our land.
Now those may not seem like super profound verses but there are a couple of lines that stuck out to me. The first being; "we did go forth in the strength of the Lord".

And the second being; "and God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might". 

I loved those lines! In being a missionary and trying to help people come unto Christ, I've come to realize how the battle against satan is getting worse and worse all the time. He is working hard to destroy what's good. Reading this was a reminder to me that, when we go forth in the strength of the Lord we will win every time!!! That doesn't mean the battle (our trials) will go away, or that we won't get tempted, but what it does mean is that Satan can't win when we have God on our side. By ourselves we are nothing, but with God we become something. 

Satan can and will try as hard as he can to change our focus so the light gets dimmer and dimmer, until we are blinded and don't remember that it's there. Trust in the Savior and Heavenly Father. Cry unto them every day and ask for their help and support. I promise that they will be there!! They want you to succeed. Remeber that we cant do it alone, and go forth in his strength. He won't let you fail.

Let me know if there is anything I can do for any of you! I thank you for the support!

Love you all!!
Sister Sedlacek