Hey everyone!
     I'm doing really well here, I
 love serving in the heart of Salt Lake City. The area is a little 
rough, but all in all everything is amazing! 
     We had an awesome miracle I
 want to share with you. So this week we were teaching an investigator 
and she is like 80 years old. The rest of her family are members of the 
church but she has always been satisfied with Catholicism. We went over 
to visit her, and she was really sick. We gave her a blessing, and after
 the blessing she was crying. She told us that she has had 100's of 
missionaries come over in the past, and this was the first time she had 
ever felt God's power and love through us. She told us whenever we shake
 her hand or give her blessings, she feels like God is doing it, not us.
 It was amazing, and she is getting baptized this Saturday. I'm so 
excited for her to take this step in her life, but I'm even more 
grateful for the presence God is in our life. It was an incredible 
experience, and I just felt like I needed to share this with all of you.
 I testify that the Priesthood power is such a blessing and it is so 
real! When we are worthy to have it, and when we exercise our Priesthood
 we receive countless blessings and miracles from our father in heaven.
     We
 were just at a place called the Sorenson Center because we were 
updating some of our progress records online, and this lady walked in 
the room and she was like, "Hey do you Elders want to meet the mayor of 
Sacramento?" The other missionaries with us were like, "No that's 
random." But I was like, "Guys, the mayor of Sacramento is Kevin 
Johnson, he used to play ball for the Suns." So we went outside and we 
met him. Didn't get to talk to him very long, but he was a really nice 
guy. He was talking with some younger kids and stuff, he was also with 
the mayor of Salt Lake City so we got to meet both of them. yes I got a 
picture with him.
     It was a great 
experience. He played with Barkley when the Suns should've beat Jordan 
in the finals in 1992. Yes I know I'm a missionary, but that doesn't 
mean my basketball mind has evaporated or anything haha. He was cool, I 
was also wearing a purple tie and he was like, "Elder, I like that tie."
 I told him, "Thanks, I wore it on a good day because the Suns are one 
of my favorite teams!" Haha it was a cool experience, I loved it.
     I love it out here, it's been awesome serving here in the Pioneer Stake. Transfers are in 8 days so we will see what happens.
     Thank you for your prayers and support, I can feel your love all the way out here in Salt Lake City. 
 
 
     This
 week we were shopping at the City Creek shopping mall and I got a great
 deal on a new LeBron James Cavaliers Jersey, I'll send you a picture of
 me wearing it. I hope you guys didn't buy me one as a surprise or 
anything when I get home, that would be awkward haha so if you were 
planning on it, don't please! haha I already have one.
Love,
Elder Strate
 
Wow, that story about the woman really inspired me! I'm going to serve the same mission.Everyday I feel like God is guiding me, and I know that He lives, the missionary work is amazing and we really feel the hands of God on it.
ReplyDeleteWhen are you coming to the mission? Elder Strate will be there until August. He is serving as the AP right now and covering a YSA ward, but was called to serve as a Spanish Missionary. I think he's hoping to end in a spanish area.
ReplyDeleteThis is his dad by the way. Not Derek. :)
ReplyDelete