PEEPS!
Oh my goodness it was
EASTER yesterday! I hope and pray that all of you found time to ponder on what
significance the beautiful message of Christ's resurrection has for you. I love
that Easter is in the springtime. I love how the landscape changes from shades
of dull gray and plenty of barren trees to vibrant shades of green, full of
life. The knowledge of Christ and His gospel brings new life to people. Just as
winter turns into spring with the help of the sun, so do the lives transform of
those who come unto the Son. Sometimes people think that since Christ walked
the roads of Palestine 2000 years ago, it has nothing to do with them. It has
EVERYTHING to do with each one of us. We have the same decision to make as did
His disciples of old. Will we choose to follow Christ? Will we leave our nets
(sins) and follow the One who is mighty to save?
Guess who had the
blessed opportunity to teach a training in District Meeting? Yours truly. I got
to talk on my FAVORITE TOPIC THOUGH!!! POSITIVITY!!! So much fun to get to
train on a theme that I loved sharing with FFA members across the country last
year #LookUpLookOut and now to fellow missionaries!
This week we had
exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders in our Zone! Super fun. Sister
Hepworth went to high school with me back in Utah and it was so much fun to
catch up with her! This is her last transfer before she heads back home! We
went and did service at a cemetery in Decatur for part of the day. Joking about
finding a dead body the whole time cuz this cemetery was a wee bit sketchy.
There were about 8 missionaries and a few other ward members there helping
clean up some branches and tidy up the lots. It felt good to do some heavy
lifting of branches :)
During the exchange I
got to help teach a lesson with Sister John-Griffith (she is from England and
has the most LEGIT accent ever) to an investigator named Roy. He is a Christian
gentleman and loves learning as much as he can about Christ. I noticed his
bible sitting on his table and how used it was. As we were teaching the first
lesson, which is focused on the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we
taught about how Christ established His church 2000 years ago, with His
authority and priesthood power given to His apostles, and how that exact same church has been once again restored to the earth through
latter-day prophets. A church with Christ at its head and apostles, prophets,
seventies, priesthood, baptism by immersion, the gift of the Holy Ghost,
temples, baptism for the dead, just to name a few. The spirit was so strong in
that lesson and at the end Sister John-Griffith invited him to be baptized by
one having priesthood authority from God and he accepted! Such a neat
experience to have not only us testifying but also a sweet slightly more elderly
member from the Sister Training Leader's ward there as well. Her thoughts and
inspired questions were wonderful throughout the lesson!
Sidenote that just came to mind as I'm typing up this
email: I love you all no matter your religion, faith or creed. I respect all
people's beliefs and rights to worship how, where, and what they may. Our
beliefs make us who we are. That being said, I share my beliefs very openly in these emails as you've probably come to
find out. Please don't take offense, I share everything out of love :)
We set up an
appointment last week to meet with a referral, Isela. When we showed up for the
appointment Thursday she ANSWERED THE DOOR. (I only put that in all caps because
people hardly ever answer their door here in these parts). We had a simple,
sweet lesson about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how much
our Heavenly Father LOVES us. She wants to grow closer to Christ and we are so
PUMPED to help her progress and learn more :)
We have been working
with a family who doesn't come to church that often in our Branch over the past
couple months and we had dinner with them this week! During the dinner the mom
brought up her 12 year old daughter Maria's desire to be baptized. Sister Ewell
and I turned to Maria and she was smiling real big and nodding. We asked her
what she thought and Maria expressed her desire to make that step!! Her younger
sister Ashley (age 9) is considering baptism too! WE ARE SO EXCITED!!! I am so
grateful for the joy that the gospel brings families.
Saturday brought
an Eater Egg Hunt at the Chamblee Church Building. My heart could barely handle
the cuteness of Latino kiddos running around and tossing eggs into their
baskets and sacks. Whoever hid the eggs were ruthless, I occasionally stepped
on some that had been buried deep into the grass. After that hallabaloo, our
branch president, President Madsen, showed us missionaries his training swords.
Yes, I am talking medieval knight swords. He showed us a few moves and
techniques on how to actually fight with one. Army of Helaman getting prepped
LOL (Book of Mormon story about a small army of young men who went to battle
and none were killed because they obeyed God's laws and remembered what their
parents had taught them) link to the story : 
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/53?lang=eng
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/53?lang=eng
We had a lesson with
Stephanie Sunday night! So everyone has been mentioning the delicious food they
got for Easter... I GOT REHEATED PIZZA. Beat that. Our discussion with
Stephanie was so much better than any kind of food. The Spirit was so strong as
we watched the Easter video (the Prince of Peace one that y'all were supposed
to have watched) and then chose one of the principles to watch as well. We
watched the Gratitude one and oh goodness, tears were spilling. I was touched
by Stephanie's trust in the Lord and how she unfailingly relies on Him for the
health and safety of her family. She is such a courageous woman.
The sisters that live
with us found a baby turtle. Named him Moroni and kept him for a day.
I hope all those who
are having FFA state conventions are embracing the nerves and excitement of
competing or running for state office! Best wishes from your biggest fan out
here in Atlanta!!! Buena suerte!!! Philippians 4:13
Con Amor,
Hermana Draper
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