9,000 Words

Dear Everyone, 

A picture is worth a thousand words.  Please enjoy this 9,000-word email. 

1. I'm obsessed with fall. 

2, 3. We just got a new exhibit at the Visitors' Center called the "prayer wall" and it is SO cute!!! Before there was a "Special Witness Wall" with the modern-day prophet and apostles but after a long survey was done throughout all the Visitors' Centers throughout the world, the greatest need for those walking in was a connection with God. Thus the prayer wall was born! :) 

4. My shoes lasted just long enough to last the summer. Winter is coming 

5, 7, 8. This wonderful woman was baptized in Indiana!!! ♥️♥️ She. Was. SO HAPPY! She ordered a Book of Mormon online in September. Despite her health challenges, (she was the one that popped her hip out over the phone a month or so ago hahaha) she was determined to make it to church and be baptized. I was able to watch her baptism via Skype and then call her afterward to congratulate her. When I asked her how she felt, she just cried and said, "I just feel SO good." Definitely the highlight of the week. 

6. Sweet members that visited us at the Visitors' Center  

9. We just found out today that I will be going back to the Spanish program this week. So here is our last picture together! Another English transfer short-lived.  But I wouldn't have traded it for the world. 

I can't complain, Brothers and Sisters. I love this great work no matter where I am. 

Here is one of my favorite scriptures from the testimony that Alma gives of Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon that I read this week:

"[H]e cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round."

Jesus Christ can't be wrong. It's impossible! When we trust in Him, we can't go wrong either. He is perfect, and I love Him for it. 

Have a wonderful week!! ♥️

Hermana Hayes 

WONDERFUL WEEK!

Hello Everyone!!!

HAPPY NOVEMBER! This is one of my favorite times of the year. The Christmas trees at the Visitors' Center are up and we are so excited. We'll be getting another 14 sisters soon. 

This week was FULL of tender mercies and exciting things!!! A man we have been teaching online since JUNE was baptized this last weekend with his dear wife in Connecticut! ♥️ This is a MIRACLE because they were originally going to wait for their adopted son to get back from his military mission in March of 2019 so that he could baptize them (he's a member), but they just couldn't wait anymore. They didn't care who baptized them--they just wanted to be baptized. 

We also just had so many times where either I or Sister Friel would say that we should go to a certain street and the other would say, "I was JUST thinking that!!" It happened about 4 times this week but I'll share two experiences that were the highlights of my week. 

1. Two Tuesday's ago we had lunch with a member and we were planning our day last Tuesday (hopefully that makes sense, haha). As I was getting ready for the day, I thought, "We should go back and tract by that member." We said a prayer to begin planning and the FIRST thing Sister Friel said was, "I was thinking about the member we visited last week, we should go back there." I just jaw-dropped for about 10 seconds because I was just SO HAPPY the spirit was speaking to us!! 

We went to the street over from the members home, and the first woman we saw was walking her dog. We went up to talk to her and she was very kind but not interested. After testifying and trying our best to help her feel the Spirit, she said, "You can talk with my husband. He's over there." 

We went up to talk with him and he was actually in the middle of talking to a maintenance guy about the battery on his car which had apparently like exploded after one week of being used and he had a billion appointments and errands to run, etc. They were in a heated discussion, but as soon as we walked over, he calmed down. He said he was busy at the moment, but that us simply being there calmed him down and that he would love to talk with us later in the week. HE gave US his number and we will be teaching him soon :D YAY!! 

2. The next day we were in our area, we both felt like we had to be on a certain street. The first door we knocked on was of a woman who had great friends in the church and extra Halloween candy :) haha! She mentioned the road adjacent to her was full of cute families that we might have success with. We went down that road after our conversation and met a woman who had the BEST experiences in her childhood with the missionaries but moved away and was never in contact with them again. There are so many details to this story that Sister Friel and I made an 11-minute video right when we got home because it is FAR too elaborate to explain over email, but the point is God lives :) He truly does guide us as we seek Him!! 

I love this gospel. I love the spirit and I am so happy to be a missionary. No need to worry about me. Haha I hope you are all doing well! I love you! It's been a WONDERFUL WEEK! 

Hermana Hayes 

PS: We were twins for Halloween :)