Connecticut Adventures

Hola mi familia!!

Just another week up here in Norwalk, CT!  It's crazy to believe that it's April already!  I am coming up on my 8 month mark pretty soon.

That is so crazy.  I couldn't be more grateful for the time I have already had, and for all the time I still have left!  It's going by so fast... haha.

Hermana Tirado & Hermana Dodson found some "SWAG"

This week we had kind of a funny experience as we were teaching one of our new investigators, Juana.  We found her tracting a couple weeks ago, and she is AWESOME.  She has the cutest little family, and we are so excited to bring the gospel to them.  Anyway, in our second lesson with her, we were teaching the Plan of Salvation, and had the intentions of inviting her to be baptized.  Just as we were about to finish the lesson and give her the invitation, her doorbell rang.  She got up to answer to the door, only to find a group of about 6 or so people standing there with Bibles.  We were super confused, since we knew Juana had a Catholic background, but we weren't sure if she had a Bible group she had invited over or something.  She seemed a little thrown off too though that they were there, so even though she invited them in, she still was cordial to us and sat down next to us, and let us finish part of the lesson while the other people chatted amongst themselves.  The prompting to invite her to be baptized had vanished (obviously not quite the right place or time...).  We decided to offer a prayer with these people, and then leave, avoiding a possible Bible Bash.  I stood up to say the prayer, and right when I started, immediately the Spirit left the room.  I was talking to my Father, but I couldn't concentrate, and it was not a successful prayer at all. Other religions have habits of praying along with you as you pray.  So when I started to pray, all 6 of Juana's visitors started to praise The Lord outloud.  I commend them for wanting to pray, but a room once peaceful and filled with the Spirit, turned into what sounded like a crazy Relief Society activity.  Come to find out, the visitors were member's from Juana's congregation.  Juana is inactive, and so the pastor sent them to go check up on her.  We felt so blessed that they had showed up after we had already taught Juana about prayer.  She had the opportunity to feel the difference between our prayers, since we pray in the way Christ commanded us to pray, and other forms of prayer.  They also showed up at the perfect time, preventing us from giving her a baptism invite, but also protecting her from their possible ridicule had she accepted and told them. SO now we've got a little bit of a competition with this other congregation for dear old Juana... Hahaha.  They've got cookies and juice for the kids, but we've got truth!! Bring it!!

Sadie loved riding the subway when she was in the Bronx.  She misses it…including the odd people and weird creatures. ;)

On Monday, to celebrate Elder Stephen's birthday, we went to a member's house and had a BARBECUE!! BOOYA.  The weather has been solo nice here.  Anyway, the elders rode their bikes to the BBQ, and since it is my dream to ride a bike on the mission, one of them was nice enough to let me steal it!! Woo hoo!  President is very anti-bike for sisters (modesty reasons or something like that... don't know.  I just want to ride a bike!!), so I was feeling pretty special to ride the bike around the street.  Upon hopping off the bike though, my skirt got completely wrapped about the seat and was stuck there for a while... The good news is I was wearing thick tights..Hahaha!! The bad news is that afterwards all the elders started laughing at me telling me that now I know why President doesn't let sisters ride bikes. Hahaha.  Whatevs.  I still want one.   Hahaha.

Sadie and her buddy Alexson, who was recently baptized.

I am so excited for conference this weekend!! I was able to watch the Sisters Conference and it was amazing.  I know that this is our chance to hear from the prophet of God!! It is so exciting that just like in Bible times, we can sit and listen to someone directly called of God, with His power and authority, tell us exactly what we need to know to succeed and endure to the end!! This church is true, and Jesus leads and guides it! D&C 1:38

Love you tons!!!!!

Sister Dodson