The Spirit Rocks!!

Hey Y’all!!
So sadly I just wrote y’all a big 2 page letter that was super awesome and then the computer freaked out and lost it! Sad!! But that’s ok, luckily I can write you another one- it just might not be as good or as long! But it’s all good it will cover the same topics- cause we had an awesome week that I want to tell ya’ll about!!!

Ok so first off Sister Johnson and I are doing great together! I have never had this much comp unity before- like I will get an idea and then before I can even say it Sister Johnson will suggest the same thing I was thinking. It is just so cool because we are on the same page- we have a lot of oneness going on. Plus we have a lot of fun together- she’s a goof ball and a bit of a drama queen so I make fun of her for that and she makes fun of me for being such guy (all of my burping and putting my feet up on the table, etc) ha ha we have a blast! Also Sister Johnson plays guitar- she learned to play while she was at BYU cause it was a good stress reliever for her. So she was so excited when she found out I was learning to play and had a guitar at the apartment!! She jams away on my guitar all the time she loves to write songs and just plink around. We are doing really great together and I think that has a lot to do with the success we had this week!

So we had zone conference this week and it was fantastic! I especially loved getting to see all the missionaries! I miss that being down here in Pleasanton- I never get to see anyone, so it was great to be around a ton of friends!! Plus there were other sisters there- we had a blast together, ha ha at lunch time the sisters always sit together and our table is always the loudest one in the gym- we had each other laughing so hard this time that even President turned his head to see what was so funny! Lol So ya that part was great, but even better was the trainings. President trained on the value of hard work and it was awesome. Sister Cutler trained on having a positive attitude and how much that can help us. Then the AP’s trained on following the spirit and letting it guide our lessons and also teaching our investigators to recognize it. They also trained on prayer and getting our investigators to pray. These last two topics are ones President said he felt very strongly about that we needed to learn and work on. I am so grateful to have such an inspired mission president because those last two topics- spirit and prayer came into play for us later on in the week!! I’ll get to that later. :)

So just a random tender mercy story I thought I would share with you- so at Zone Conference we always have a clean car contest so we clean our cars super well the night before or the morning before conference so that we can win cause the prize is extra miles!! So the day before conference we went to the Swaims and washed our car and then the morning of conference we went to a do it yourself car wash right by the chapel where we were meeting and we were washing it again (we really wanted to win!) While we were washing our car we got a phone call saying that we were late and that conference had already started. We were told the wrong time by our new district leader. So we rushed over to the conference and didn’t have time to finish cleaning the car. I was so stressed out cause we were late and the car was a mess and we weren’t gonna win extra miles. So once we got into the chapel I Was still upset that we were late- I hate being late to meetings!!!! Well when we got there we were just splitting up for AP trainings and so when I walked into the relief society room President shook my hand but then he held onto it for a second and he looked into my eyes and said. It’s ok, you’re here, that’s all that matters, now forget about it. I was like, wait, what? How did you know? President then just grinned real big and walked away to greet other missionaries. So, that was kinda cool. But the real tender mercy came later- when the clean car awards were announced. We got third place- 40 extra miles!!! I couldn’t believe it! So ya, the Lord looks out for ya for sure! :) Even in the small and simple things.

Another little story for ya, so on Wednesday night we had our new member lessons and Sister Swaim was going to teach about prayer (we picked it especially because Gary said he was gonna come this week and he still has not kept his commitment to pray) So when 7 o clock rolls around we get to the church and Sister Swaim isn’t there, instead one of our ward missionaries, sister Fricke is there and she said Sister Swaim called her and asked her to teach, apparently Sister Swaim got pink eye. But Sister Fricke seemed to think the lesson started at six thirty and so she was there waiting for us so when we got there she said that she had to be somewhere by seven fifteen. So she asked us if we could teach. So we were like ok. Then all the sudden my brain went into panic mode- oh no we have to teach last minute and we aren’t prepared!!!! Then all the sudden something clicked in my mind, um duh, Sister Kleisler, you are a missionary and you do this all the time! Lol So Sister Johnson and I taught the lesson and it was fine, but it was so funny cause I flipped out for a sec and then remembered that I am a missionary! Ha ha

So now time for my investigator update. First off Toby is ready to be baptized, we reviewed the baptismal questions with him and we think he is ready, his dad thinks he is and Toby really wants to be baptized, so his mom said ok, as long as she can take pictures. So he is being officially interviewed by our District Leader, Elder Smith tomorrow. He is all set to be baptized this Sunday! :) So that is great and very exciting, but the even more exciting news is a long story and it is all about Clarissa.

The Clarissa story- Well we had a couple of appointments with them this week. First was on Tuesday and we had the Partridges both come with us and we talked about eternal marriage. It was really great and they were able to ask the partridges questions about marriage and what not. It almost turned into a marriage counseling session and so I had to be careful of that, but it went well and I think Gary and Clarissa came to the conclusion that they are not ready to get married yet. So they are talking about moving out. Having Gary stay at his relatives, and then come over for the day. So then Wednesday night they came to new member lessons- and that was good. Then Friday we decided to pop over and see Clarissa and talk to her about this whole moving out situation and really get the ball rolling. So we go over there and Gary was there too- so we figured all right, not a coincidence. So we shared the same lesson, y’all need to figure out what your gonna do so you can keep the law of Chastity and the way you will know what to do is through prayer. We asked them if they had prayed about it yet and they said no. But Gary said that he said a prayer on the way to work the other day, and that was the first time he had ever prayed since like a little kid or something. So for him that was a major breakthrough. So when it was time to go Sister Johnson asked Gary if he would say the closing prayer. He said no, he wasn’t ready to say a prayer in front of people yet, and he wouldn’t even know what to say. I remembered what we had been taught at zone conference earlier in the week and so I said Gary what are 3 things you are thankful for. He said 1 my boys, 2 Clarissa, 3 My house. I said great, now what is something you need some help on in your life- what would you ask God for? He said, help making these decisions. I said ok, great, you basically just said a prayer- now say it to God!!! So he was like uh, ok. So I said, let’s all get on our knees and you are gonna say the prayer. SO we did and Gary said a great prayer. The whole time I was waiting to feel the spirit and it didn’t really come, so I prayed for it and waited, still nothing. After he finished we all stayed on our knees, I waited a few seconds and then said, now Gary how do you feel? In an answer to prayer and honoring my request the spirit filled that house so thick as soon as the words left my lips. The spirit was so strong in that room it was bursting out the sides!!! I felt it thick encompassing me and it was amazing!!! Sister Johnson and Clarissa were both crying and I looked at Gary and he said- I feel good!!! So we gave Clarissa a hug and Gary a handshake and hopped out of the house real quick so that we left with the spirit still there. We got in the car and thanked the Lord for allowing the spirit to fill their house so thick like!!! It was just a huge break through for Gary and now there is no way he can deny the church is true- he still just isn’t going to progress as fast as Clarissa and that is ok. So anyway we told them we weren’t gonna come over again till they had made a decision about the whole moving out thing and so when we saw Clarissa at church on Sunday with the boys (Gary was working) we asked her if they had prayed together about it. They hadn’t and she was feeling super stressed and she was depressed and awful. They are in a ton of debt and behind on payments to things and etc etc. So after church when we got back to the apartment I laid down on the couch and just felt horrible! I am so attached to my investigators and to have one who is struggling so much, I felt it and I was stressed and I felt so sick. So Sister Johnson being the amazing companion that she is tried to help me work it out, but we just didn’t know what to do about Clarissa. So after a few minutes of laying there I sat up and looked at Sister Johnson and said- I have an idea and it’s totally not mine, it came from the spirit. She was like, no way cause I have a crazy idea in my head right now to. I told her my idea was to move Clarissa’s baptism up to this week- this Sunday! She said that she had the same thought. So we jumped up and put our shoes on and ran out the door!!! I felt so good- all that sick feeling was replaced with pure joy!! We got to Clarissa’s house and she was still all stressed and depressed. We had a prayer and then blurted out what the spirit told me! She was like, Yes!!! Her countenance automatically changed and she said that this is right, she felt so at peace! It was awesome, so we gave her the baptismal questions to make sure she was ready and she passed totally!! So she will also be interviewed by Elder Smith on Tuesday and she will be baptized this Sunday along with Toby. But the story continues. After we left her house we went to the park to EBP and while were there Clarissa called. She said that Gary had just called her and he said that the meat coolers (he works at a grocery store in the butcher part) had all broken down and he had to stay there until they could get them fixed, but they were going to pay him over time for it. Clarissa saw this as an answer to prayers- she was so stressed about their debt and their overdue rent and then right after she commits to being baptized this week, the Lord gives her a way to help pay the bills. What a blessing!! So we were excited for her and went back to work, we got another phone call, but we were in the middle of a contact so we just let it go to voicemail. We listened to it later and it was Clarissa. She said that after she got off the phone with us she said a payer thanking God for helping them and answering her prayers and getting the overtime for Gary. Then after she finished her prayer the phone rang and it was her grandma saying that they wanted to pay her to babysit her nephews for a few days. She was just feeling so blessed that all these things started happening!! We were so happy to tell her that it is all because she is making right choices and following Christ! So ya that is the story- so sweet!! So Clarissa is being baptized and so it Toby both this Sunday- the 5th!! I said that we are gonna dunk Clarissa first so she can be my fist baptism!! He hee I am so excited!!!!!

Thank Y’all for your love and support. I am grateful for ya and all that you do! Keep your prayers coming cause the week before baptism is always hard (so I hear) so both me and my investigators could use your prayers! Have a great week, and next week I will have baptism pictures for ya!!!!!!!!

SMILING EXTRA BIG ALL THE WHILE
Hermana Kleisler

P.S. This letter ended up being longer than the first, so y'all are lucky! lol