"This is God's work. The Gospel is true. AND I LOVE YOU!" #rhyming

Wow Wow Wow!!

You guys. This week though. It was full of miracles!! Also, we are riding on the metro to DC right now, and are currently going through tunnels and it sounds and looks like screeching dementors in this tunnel. Scary. And random. Haha. Also... CHRISTMAS IS IN 13 days. Not like I'm counting or anything haha I just love Christmas!! Not to mention Rach gets married in like 3... SAY WHAAT?! 

Tuesday, one of our ward missionaries, Jaya, took us to Cheesecake Factory! Wow. So much love for the food there. I got the Luau Salad and it literally looked like a luau in salad form! Definitely got the peanut butter chocolate cheesecake there... even though I'm so intolerant, it was worth it!! We had a lesson with Carlos that night where he received an answer to his concern and question about Joseph Smith being a prophet of God. It was so amazing. We showed the five minute restoration video at the end of the lesson and the spirit filled the room. It was there the whole time but was stronger during the video. There was a long silence after the video. Carlos broke the silence and said, "okay..... yeah. I believe he was a prophet." Jaw dropped. MIRACLES. LITERAL MIRACLES RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES. 

We went to the temple visitors center on Wednesday for Luis last day in the USA! He went back to Peru. So sad. :( but it went so well! I saw Sister Moore serving at the TVC! I went to high school with her! And her twin is in my mission. I also went on a blitz with Sister Snow and we found 3 new investigators for them!! God is seriously SO GOOD!! I cannot even express in words, how MIRACULOUS everyday is out here in the field. My eyes have been opened to see how God's hand is so evident in our lives. Every single life. We are His children and He does look out for us. I can testify of that.

Thursday we went on exchanges with the Brambleton sisters!! WAHOO! So much fun. I was with Sister Ketch, who BTW is my sister! Sister Lang trained her too. P.S. Sister Lang definitely goes home this week. My heart. Broken. So sad. You better go to her homecoming! Sister Frei goes home this week too!! Crazy stuff!!  Anyway, it was my first exchange as an STL and it was totally hectic and chaotic but what's new?! haha plans had to be moved all around... etc. Craziness calls for a good time. I had a ton of fun :) Sister Ketch is awesome! She is a rockstar missionary. We had a good time laughing about all the memories with Sister Langford. Hahah.

Friday we had another lesson with Carlos, and Sarah came. He was struggling with a concern about if the pope had the priesthood and if Joseph Smith had it too, at the same time.. like two different people holding the keys or something. Anyway, basically long story short, the spirit totally took over that lesson. We were sharing some scriptures with him and it seemed like he was getting semi-agitated and antsy... when all of a sudden a jaw dropping miracle happened. This is the conversation that went down...

Carlos: "okay lets do it. 23 right?"

(My mouth drops.)

Sister Hyer: wait, what? So anyway..

(She didn't quite understand what he said hahah she just moved on)

Carlos: "23 right?" 

Sarah: "you mean like the 23rd of December? You want to get baptized?" 

Carlos: "yeah."

Me: "what made you come to that conclusion?"

Carlos: "ever since I started meeting with you girls, my life has been changing. On the inside. In a good way. I been searching for answers and 'God said you want a concrete answer? Okay send the sisters.' I had an answer the whole time, it was right in front of me. Just the way you sisters talk about God and Jesus... you can tell you love God.... (and he went on about us)"

Wow. Yeah I was SO amazed and my heart was so touched by his answer!! It was a testimony to me to be an "example of the believers in word and deed." People notice. You never know the impact you have on someone as you follow God and live the gospel. 

Saturday we had a good Correlation meeting and Hector took us and the Leesburg sisters to lunch at Pei Wei. Super delish. Funny story. Sister Hyer was waiting for me in the bathroom. She got a little bored and started clogging (the dance) in the bathroom. A lady walks in. She gives her a weird look hahah and all I hear is sister Hyer say "HA sorry it's cold, just clogging to warm up..!" Lady doesn't give her the time of day and just asks if she was in line. Hahah I could just feel how awkward the whole situation was, while I was in the stall. I was dying trying not to laugh out loud. Hahah so funny. Giovanni fed us dinner and taught us a new word in Spanish! Luis told Giovanni to teach us Spanish so we get to learn a new Spanish phrase every time we see him haha. He taught us "santa vocka" that means holy cow. Fun fact for ya!

I got asked this week if "Hymas" was a German name. Haha never got that before! Do I look German? I don't know, maybe I do! Random question, do we know any Doug or Brenda Hymas's that lived out here? Also, I got some saaad news about my recent convert Diane. Remember her? From ft Belvoir? She moved to Reston when I was still in the fort. Anyway, I got news that she doesn't want any contact from the missionaries and how she doesn't want to be a member anymore. My heart broke. BUT sister Hyer told me some comforting words that she heard from someone else's mission president. They said, "You have to remember, this isn't the end of their story." SO TRUE. I know it's not the end of her story. The same goes for everyone too! Such wise words.

I wish I had unlimited time to write and tell you about all the amazing things that are happening out here, but that would took years! Everyday is a rollercoaster. Everyday I have the blessing to talk with so many wonderful people. Everyday is a party with Sister Hyer haha. Everyday God blesses us with miracles, so many I can't even count. I am so so grateful to be here. I love being a missionary. This is God's work. The gospel is true. And I LOVE YOU!!!

Xoxox,

Sister Hymas