Hey Everyone!!

So as you all know.. I have been pretty sick. So I went to the urgent care again this week, and they put me on the highest antibiotic they have. They told me that if this doesn't work that I need to go and see an ENT. So lets hope this will work. I have been sick with this for 3 weeks now. I have never felt so close to God though. He is really stretching me and pulling me to grow into the person He wants me to become. Man! Heavenly Father is a perfect Father. He loves me enough to let me grow. I am so grateful for all the trials in my life. They have turned me into the person that I am today. 

So I have gotten this a lot on my mission. But it has just happened even more recently. So has I was thinking about this and I received revelation. So we have talked to a ton of people this week and the majority of them tell us that they are comfortable where they are. They aren't interested in learning more/converting over. So I imagined myself having missionaries coming up to me from a different church and inviting me to try theirs out. I realized that I could not tell them that I am comfortable where I am. I couldn't state what all of these people where telling us. Because I am so not comfortable. I am out of my comfort zone every single day. There is no growth in the comfort zone, and no comfort in the growth zone. Heavenly Father wants us to grow. He is anxious to bring us to higher ground. All of these people are deceived by satan. The mark of Christs church wouldn't be us in our comfort zones. As we move forward with faith outside of our comfort, He sends us the comforter to do the rest. That just really hit me this week. I am grateful to say that I am not comfortable. I am progressing towards my Heavenly Father. The definition of being damned is to stop progression. That is definitely not what I want.

This week we started teaching a lady named Jane. She is a referral from one of the members in the ward. On the very first lesson last week we extended for her to be baptized on September 19th and she accepted! Throughout our lessons she has told us that her only regret is that she didn't raise up her kids in the true church. She is the definition of elect. We invited her to also pray about Joseph Smith being a prophet in the first lesson, and she told us that she already knew that he was a prophet of God!

The field is white already for harvest. When a field is ready for harvest it is tan. But the Lord is telling us that the field is white. That's means that it is over-ripe. The Lord is hastening his work, but He needs willing hands to go, work, and harvest what is already ready. Missionary work is work, but it is the best work. And if you work, you WILL see miracles.

 I love my mission so much! I can't believe my time is coming to leave. I will not go without a fight. Even though I am not feeling 100% I will give 100%. We get into the apartment exhausted every single night, but we recognize that as the best feeling to have. I am so far from perfect.. and I make mistakes every single day. It is discouraging at times. But I know in whom I have trusted. My Savior redeems me every single day from my weaknesses. I am so grateful that His grace provides for what I cannot do myself. I will come home to that finish-line completely exhausted. And I am so excited to do that. I wouldn't have it any other way. 

I can't put into words what a mission can do for you. It changes you. I will forever be in my heavenly Fathers debt for this great opportunity. Everybody needs a mission. Well I hope you all have a great week full of growth. Be missionaries. Go out and harvest in the Lords vineyard. Its full and ready.

Love always,

Sister Steffani Stokes<3