August 8, 2016 -- Sometimes We Assist With Divine Intervention

I'm really coming to love Elmira. There are all kinds of people here and definitely no lack of diversity. You can always find people on the ball courts playing, or walking on the streets, or on their porch enjoying the nights when it cools down.

We started teach a lady named Michealeen. It's pretty interesting how we started teaching her. About a month ago, the other elders in Elmira tracted into her house. She was not interested but they left her with a Book of Mormon. Two weeks later those elders were talking to some random guy on the street when this car pulled over. The lady in the car started testifying of the Book of Mormon. The lady in the car was Michaeleen. The elders weren't able to get her info before she drove off again. Two weeks later, those elders and Elder Hubbell and I we doing some service at a local farmers market. It was my third day in Elmira BTW. Anyway we were doing our thing when lo and behold Michaeleen showed up and we started talking to her about the Book of Mormon. She had been reading it, but when we asked for her address to start teaching her, she just smiled and said if we are supposed to meet again then God would have us run into each other. She only told us that she lived in Southport, which is in Elder Hubbell's and my area. After she left, the other elders said they overheard her say that she lived on Maple Street. That gave Elder Hubbell and I a good point of reference. We had seen her car and knew what it looked like. So one night, Elder Hubbell and I got in the car and started driving down Maple looking for her car so we could pop by her house. After about two minutes we found it but we didn't knock on the door because it was late. We went by the next day. We knocked on the door. Michaeleen answered it and just started laughing. She was surprised but in a good way. After a small conversation, we sat on the porch and taught the restoration. We have been teaching her all week and she loves the Book of Mormon.

It just goes to show you that the Lord prepares people over time. You never know what good you do as a missionary when you hand someone a Book of Mormon even when they are not interested. It could lead to someone saying yes to the gospel. You never know, they might just randomly pull up beside two missionaries talking to a person and testify of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

The picture below is of the missionaries I am serving with in the Elmira ward.

 

The sky is blue, the Church is true, and life is good.

Love, Elder Carlile

 

Elmira Ward Missionaries