Another great week out here in Loomis, California. The sunsets here
are out of control gorgeous and the weather is still beautiful. We
still walk around in short sleeve shirts on most days. I feel bad that
you all are probably freezing in the snow by now...I would tell you to
come visit Loomis, but I don't know how well that would go over with
President Weston. :)
Thursday I was able to attend the temple. I have been looking forward
to going to the Sacramento temple since I got out here and it was well
worth the wait. Sister Laws had just gone a couple weeks before I got
here and so I had to go with someone other than my companion. Luckily
Sister Dyson, from Lincoln, was due for a temple visit and we were
able to arrange it to all work out for us to go down. I went in the
temple with questions and seeking answers. After our session, I sat
there in the celestial room pondering and praying for a long time. I
felt a lot of peace in my heart and just know that Heavenly Father
definitely has a plan and He will allow everything to work out. The
temple is such an amazing place and there is nowhere in this world
that you can feel so much quiet and calming feelings. I love the
temple and I am thinking about finding time to work at the temple at
least once a week when I get home. What an amazing blessing it is to
have a place like this in our lives. If you are worthy and have a
temple recommend, go as often as you can.
Saturday I had a bit of a scary experience. We were at home and had
just gotten all ready for bed. I was lying in my bed writing in my
journal for the day, when all of a sudden I started coughing a lot.
One of those coughs that is really deep and congested sounding. I had
not felt sick all day and this had just come on all of a sudden. I
continued to cough in order to clear my throat and it wasn't working.
I was wheezing at this point and having a hard time breathing without
it hurting. (I know my mom is totally freaking out right now as she
reads this) Sister Laws was in her bed and was trying to figure out
what was wrong. I could still talk and it's not like I was choking on
something. I just continued to cough and wheeze. I sounded like Noah
when he is having an asthma attack, really. Sister Laws and I went
downstairs to the kitchen to see if a drink of water would help. I
drank the water and still nothing. I could not stop coughing. Sister
Thomsen came downstairs and was asking me questions trying to figure
out what could be wrong. They checked my back and sure enough a red
rash was all over my back and my neck was itching like crazy. I was
having an allergic reaction to something. I have never really been
allergic to any food and so I really had no idea what it could be that
caused it. Not even 10 minutes before was I totally fine and getting
ready for bed. (What's really funny, is that earlier that day as
Sister Laws and I were having lunch, I saw some papers on allergies
and we were talking about how neither of us had never been allergic to
anything. I guess I set myself up for this.) Sister Thomsen grabbed
the Benadryl and called the neighbor to help Brother Thomsen give me a
blessing. I took two Benadryl, got a blessing, and within 30 minutes,
I was totally fine. I woke up in the morning and it's like nothing had
happened. We are still trying to figure out what it was I am allergic
to. Our options are organic pumpkin ice cream, organic milk, or a
chocolate chip cookie. I have no idea though...scary stuff.
Wendy is still planning on getting baptized this Saturday. She
attended church yesterday for the third time and was feeling a little
overwhelmed by the end of all three hours. She gets very anxious and
was overwhelmed by all the people there. We were a little nervous
because she said that she was feeling overwhelmed by being baptized on
Saturday and thought she might be doing a lot too soon, but last night
we went over and helped calm her nerves about everything. I explained
to her how the week before someone gets baptized is always the hardest
week because the adversary knows that this will be such a blessing in
her life and will help her progress. Satan doesn't want that for her
and she completely understood that. She knows that this is where she
needs to be. She loves the people and it really is good for her to
learn how to trust good people who are kind and have good morals. It
is something that really draws her to church. Be those kinds of people
in your own wards and you will make the difference for someone else
who is investigating the church in your area. I promise you that.
We had the opportunity to do a lot of service on Saturday morning. We
helped one of the investigators in Loomis 1st ward move and clean her
house. She is moving to Roseville and we have already been in contact
with the missionaries there, who are going to hopefully move her
family in and maybe even start teaching her. The church has helped out
a lot with her family and I think that has really affected her family.
We also were able to help Wendy unpack a lot of her boxes, so that she
would have more room in her bedroom. Man, people acquire a lot of
stuff over the years. Haha. I love doing service and I love when
people humble themselves and ask for help. A lot of us, even myself,
have trouble asking for help. But as members of the church, each and
every one of us covenanted at baptism that we would "comfort those
that stand in need of comfort", "mourn with those that mourn", and
"bear one another's burdens". We are all there to help each other and
we need to ask for it. When you ask for help, you are allowing someone
to keep/fulfill those promises they made at baptism. Pretty cool,
right?
Elder Stanley G. Ellis of the Seventy is touring our mission this
week. All Wednesday long we will be in meetings and lectures with him.
He is randomly picking missionaries to interview on Wednesday
afternoon and we have to prepare a 5 minute talk because he will be
randomly calling people up to speak on a specific topic. What a cool
experience to be called on/interviewed by a general authority. On
Wednesday night, he will be speaking at a fireside for nonmembers and
less actives. He will be speaking on the Book of Mormon and we are
hoping to have 4 of our 5 progressing investigators there. I have a
good feeling that this will be a turning point for Tony and Gerald.
They both have questions about the Book of Mormon and I think this
will answer a lot of their questions. Pray that it softens their heart
and opens their mind!
As I have said before, I am reading through the Book of Mormon from
cover to cover, for the first time. I am already in Alma 30 and I
think my whole BofM is basically yellow from highlighting. The
scriptures are amazing and have been such a strength to the lessons we
teach. Every single thing you say can be backed up by the BofM or the
Bible. Something I am really proud of, is that I can teach the whole
Plan of Salvation and Restoration just using the Bible. It helps when
you can have evidence of each of the things we know to be true and
people seem to understand it more. Alma Chapter 24 is super good and I
would invite you all to read it this week. This is when the
Anti-Nephi-Lehi's bury up their weapons of war and choose to sin no
more. I thought to myself of my "weapons of war". Things that I need
to work on and stop doing and "bury" away. All of Alma is good, once
you start, you probably won't be able to stop. Seriously.
I hope that you all are having a great week! Thanksgiving is coming
too quick. I can't believe people are putting up Christmas decorations
already. Where has the time gone? I love every single one of you and
wish you the best. Pray often, study your scriptures, attend all your
church meetings, strengthen your families, and "by small and simple
things, will great things come to pass."
Stay sweet. Love you all!!
Love,
Sister Allen
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