Hey, y'all!

To be honest, I feel obligated to say that in every email because this is the SOUTH. 

It's fun for me. 

It was one heck of a week in Perry.

We have.. basically 0 progressing investigators. (Progressing basically means that we see them regularly and they keep their commitments.) So we do a whole TON of finding people and contacting people and knocking doors. We do as much walking as we possibly can because that makes it easier to talk to everyone.

But we had the most incredible miracle on Sunday! In the mission we do this thing called Windows of Heaven. We do it at least once a month. We prayerfully pick a 2-hour chunk of time in which we plan to go to an area and stay there the entire time, talking to EVERYONE that we see - no justifying, no fear. We decide the area the morning of and spend the whole week prior to windows of heaven pleading with the Lord to show us where to be that we might find His elect. The whole idea of WoH is that we covenant with God to talk to everyone we see in a place - a parking lot, a street, downtown - for the two hours. We just ask that God will put people in our path whose hearts are soft and who are prepared to receive the restored gospel. Sister H and I had planned to go and do windows of heaven downtown. However, as we arrived we learned that ALL of the stores are closed on Sunday. We were the only souls in the whole area. We did talk to one lady, taught her a 5 minute restoration, but she didn't feel that she was willing to change and accept the gospel right now.  We both felt we needed to leave downtown Perry and walk further down into a neighborhood. We talked to one other lady, who also wasn't interested. It was now 1 hour into Windows of Heaven and we had no new investigators. However, the Spirit continued to guide us down the street and then right onto another street. I recognized where we were - we had contacted on that street my first week in the area. The last house on the street belongs to a woman we met in a parking lot one night and shared the Easter initiative with her. She said that we could come back, we had an appointment scheduled, but she ignored us each time we tried to make further contact with her. A little half-heartedly, we knocked on her door. She answered. "I don't know if you remember us but we met you in a parking lot about 6 weeks ago. Would now be a good time for us to share more of our message with you?" She allowed us into her home and we taught the entire restoration - the Spirit was so strong in her home. . Sister H and I had never taught an entire lesson together, but the Spirit unified us and we were able to teach by the Spirit. As we testified y about the Book of Mormon and how she can know of truth, she beamed. We invited her to be baptized and she accepted! She will be baptized late June/early July. WeI were so amazed as we left her home - the Lord had guided us to her, via beginning downtown for windows of heaven.  I cannot even describe the Spirit that was in that living room - I am so humbled and in awe. It was such an incredible miracle and we are going back to see her on Tuesday. It just.. filled me with this incredible joy and enthusiasm. As I reflect on it now I just.. can hardly conceive of the great privilege it is that God has allowed me, weak l as I am, to take part in the building of His kingdom - in preparing the world for the Savior's return - in inviting others to come and receive truth. I actually can't think about it without just crying and.. I am so thankful and God is good and I think I'll just be a missionary forever and ever and ever. 

It rained a WHOLE TON this week - like 4 days straight. It was pretty fun, actually. I enjoyed it and we managed to not have to go out and contact while it was raining. But I did miss the sunshine.

Today, as in Memorial Day, the Perry Ward had a cook out at a big old park in Byron, GA. The ward used to do it all the time but quit about 3 years ago because the turn out was so bad. They did the cookout again this year. The ward was planning for about 50 people to come, and got more like 100. It was such an awesome turnout and tons of families that haven't come to church in WEEKS came. We got to wear sweats because it's p-day and we literally spent 4 hours playing soccer/wate rballoon volleyball with the ward. We met so many people and it was just such an amazing ward social. I was super thankful that I got to play sports for so long - it feels good to be really tired. We are going to sleep so hard tonight!!

Yours,

Sister Gore

p.s.

The picture of us with the books is at that place called Loaves and Fishes. It is a food bank and also a free library kind of deal. I love going - the people work us so hard and it is awesome to be of any kind of help to such a good program. We counted hundreds of books last Thursday! 

At loaves and fishes

Rain for days