Monday, December 2, 2013

Perma-smiles. forever + always 12/2/13

Ah! Where to even begin?! Please be patient with my brain, which is in SHAMS as I attempt to put into words the joyous times of this past week. Firstly, I love the Lord + it is Him who has brought me the happiest of happys this week! I feel like a colored Baptist lady who wants to jump out of my seat in the library and scream “hallelujah!” and do a little happy dance! I love this life, I love this gospel and I love this week.  Too bad my physical body can’t keep up with my spiritual soul! I can’t wait till heaven when we don’t have to take hours out of our day to rest our fleshy bodies but we can just live + love + learn all the day long! Hahah k I’m getting carried away.
This week the Chase family was gathered to give thanks for all the blessings we’ve been given (yes, Sister Watts and I have been adopted.) I feel like Hannah Montana (no not Miley Cyrus…btdubs, I'm totally still in this world but not of this world and holy heck, poor poor girl!). Sister Watts and I have been living the best of both worlds. We wake up to family scripture study/ brekky (breakfast) and come home to dinner and family prayers and night chats yet… we get to go out all day and work our butts off for the Lord and His glorious work! It’s da bes. I’m so grateful for this wonderful family and all they’ve been doing to love us into their family.
We had the neatest miracle this Thanksgiving. A local organic farmers market donated boxes and boxes and more boxes of food for us to give out to families. I can’t express to you the joys of serving others. We were able to be an answer to so many family’s prayers yet I think I was the one who got the most out of it. Mothers cried, husbands shook our hands with so much gratitude, children jumped for joy, it was just so incredible. But the greatest miracle happened at the last stop. We were on our way home (to the Chase’s) for Thanksgiving dinner, we had a one box of food left. We pulled over and prayed that the Lord would lead us to that one house that would be blessed by this box. So I started slowly driving and both of us agreed a certain house. We knocked on the door, no answer. Why would we both feel so strongly that we should pull over to this random house? As we got to the car, a young man came out. His southern accent was alarming. This was no transplant city boy. His odor was evidence of his need for this box.  After we taught him the message of the restoration, he casually goes, “your guy missionaries have been over here teaching my grandma.” Come to find out, this was a family the elders have been working with but haven’t been able to get to the son. Kyle felt the spirit so strong that Thanksgiving day. He enthusiastically committed to come to church. As we bore our testimonies, we knew Heaven’s angels literally led us to this random rickety home next to the train tracks. He came to church and he loved it. There is no question that the Lord is in this work.
I want to bear my testimony that the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in these last days. I know with absolutely surety that Jesus the Christ leads this church and this work. I know that through the prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord brought back in completeness His gospel. I believe that covenants or promise with God are what will enable us to pass through the gates and into heaven, but it is only by proper authority of God these have to be made. I’m grateful for the covenants I’ve made with God when I was baptized and when I went to the temple that are binding the Lord’s love + guidance to me. I know under those sacred covenants, families can be together forever. The knowledge I have of God’s great plan of happiness for me and my family is real, undeniable and so perfectly true. I know that we are all children of God, heirs to His kingdom. Our lives are full of purpose. He asks for so little and gives so much in return. I’m grateful for this life and for my knowledge of the life to come.  
I just want to jump for joy! Alma sums up what I am feeling perfectly in Alma 26:16 ," Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."
K so for the Funny stuff:
We have an investigator who is partially deaf and she needs us to literally yell when we are teaching here and I always burst from laughter and have to continually pray to keep the spirit and reverence but it’s just too funny. Picture me and my comp teaching/screaming about plan of salvation. Needless to say it’s true and it’s true no matter how it is delivered.
We’re at this less active family’s home and they have SO MANY DOGS. Truthfully my immune system has almost wiped out my allergies to animals out here (because every household in GA has cats + dogs GALORE) but they still aren’t my #1 and probably will never be. I like to think God gave me too much love for humans and spared little for animals.  Anyway, so this PITBULL comes walking out of the room, glaring at me and Sister Watts. I almost pee myself in fear alone THEN they mention how she is a rescue pit and has trust issues. Excuse me what? At a point in the lesson she starts growling at us. I hear myself laughing/fearfully crying and this poor lady is not even phased by our obvious terror. I grabbed my blue Book of Mormon to shove in its mouth if she went to bite me and carried on with the lesson.  We started screaming when we got back into our car, in shock we came out of there alive.

Mom + dad, I love you! Cheers to the freaking best week ever and cheers to living the best of both worlds! (cue: hannah montana's laugh)
Peace and Blessings!
Sis. Avery Miyahara














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