Sister Fletcher in the Florida, Tallahassee Mission: Blessings on Blessings!!

HI! :) I don't have a lot of time today because we have a zone activity in Mobile soon, but I wanted to touch on a few amazing things that happened this week.

Last Monday we were able to go to the beach with a member and an investigator. It was so awesome! I miss the beach so much, man. Here, the sand is SO WHITE! and the water is warm. We taught a lesson on the beach and it was great :)

We did tons of service this week including cleaning out a lady's attic where the floor was nowhere to be found!!!, serving food at a Young Single Adult activity, yard work, and painting. Service is always so much fun!

President Smith came to our church meeting this week so that was awesome. He and his wife actually drove Sis Jackson and I home. It’s so amazing to see how much they love their missionaries. They are both such selfless and inspired people.

Fairhope holds an Art Walk every first Friday of the month so we were able to go this week. It was the PERFECT place to contact and meet people. We met three women who came out from Mobile who completely made my day with their kindness, energy, and pure love for God. We got their information so the missionaries out in Mobile can teach them and grow upon their foundation of Jesus Christ.

Yesterday we had Zone Conference which lasted from 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.. It was a long day but I learned so much! Mobile is such an awesome zone! These people are already some of my best friends! After the conference, we had a huge finding activity where we broke off in companionships and knocked on doors or talked to people around Mobile. We were supposed to all meet back at the church at 7:00 p.m. Sis J and I found a lot of awesome people out there. Then we were about to head back to the church but decided to knock on one last door which we both felt really prompted to do. Inside was an African American family consisting of a younger husband and wife and their two little daughters. After being invited in and talking for a while, the Spirit directed us to share the message of the Restoration of the gospel with them. Even though we were way past time to meet back at the church, we knew that was what was needed. They were so receptive to the message and so excited to read the Book of Mormon as a family. We promised them that if they read with faith and asked God if it was true with a sincere desire, they will know through the Holy Ghost that it is. Tears came to the wife's eyes, and she said: “I can see the passion you feel about this gospel and the love you both have for it so why would I not want to read this book? Why would I give up the invitation y’all gave me because I just want the Spirit you do! It was such a tender and touching moment. It made me sad leaving and realizing we can’t teach them because they are out of our area,(the elders in Mobile will) but I know they will have this true gospel no matter what, and that's such a blessing. Anyways, afterwards all the sisters came back to our apartment and we had a sleepover and now we are all together today!

I just wanted to end by touching on something I have been studying a lot lately. I've realized more fully that there is a difference between having a testimony and being converted. Elder Bednar once said, "If a testimony is what you know to be true by the witness of the Spirit, then conversion is consistently being true to what you know." Having a testimony does take work, it is something you need to consistently try and grow, but being converted is LIVING the gospel everyday. Conversion is what we should really strive for, being Christ-like, emulating His light in us. In the Book of Mormon, in Alma 23:6, it says: "And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophesy, and the power of God working miracles in them. Yea I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did they fall away."

I can testify that if we are truly converted to Christ, we will never fall away. He will walk by our side through it all. I hope you all have a great week! Thanks for reading my emails. You are all in my prayers!

so much love,

sister fletcher