Mississippi Jackson: The Dream Team

Hello, my dearest friends! It is a lovely, warm afternoon in Biloxi, Mississippi. We are trying to rapidly adjust to the sudden fall of cold weather and then the rise of warmth. I never know what the temperature will do from day-to-day. It's surely an adventure!

So, I bet you're all dying to know who my new companion is. I mean, besides the election, that's the biggest talk of the town, right?

(...right.)

Straight from Purvis, Mississippi, God gave me the lovely Sister Greenhalgh! (Pronounced "green" as in the color green, and "halgh" as in "Halle" as in "Halle Berry" and then add a "j" sound. Yeah. Just like that. Simple.)

You read that right. Purvis!

Sister Greenhalgh was one of the amazing sisters who pinkwashed Purvis when Sister Barney and I left. She's been blessing it ever since, and has now come to bless the lives of those in good ol' Biloxi!

Sister Maughan is also off to tend to the sisters in Jackson, Mississippi as a Sister Training Leader! I'm so proud of her. She's going to do so well! She will seriously bless so many lives. I'm so excited for her!

The Biloxi District is now as follows:
D'Iberville Elders: Elders Hunt and Chukwu
Biloxi Spaniards: Elders Scoresby and Dubosz
Ocean Springs Elders: Elders Houston and Clark
Ocean Springs Sisters: Sisters Thompson and Crosby
Biloxi Sisters: ME! and Sister Greenhalgh

The adventures of this week include running through the (almost) pouring rain, finding tour buses for bands we've never heard of, naming every cat we see "Chad", freezing our faces off by the Marina on the Air Force base, getting crushed (or crushing it?) by the airmen in a bowling match, and getting lost...in the dark...on the way to said bowling match.

It's all fun and games and baptism dates here in Biloxi.

It's amazing the strong Spirit you feel when you and your companion have the same goal in mind. When you as a child of God know of your purpose and your direction, the path through life becomes clearer, and the things you have to do to make it to the end also become clearer. What a blessing it is to know that we are children of God with a divine destiny!

Part of reaching that divine destiny is repentance. I have talked about it before, but the more I teach, I realize how important repentance is.

Repentance is not just forsaking large sins. It is not just seeking forgiveness for breaking a large commandment. It is not just for those who are sinners. Well, we are all sinners, but I hope you know what I mean.

Repentance is a gift from God meant to make us better. Repentance is for sinners and saints. You are not excluded from repenting because you go to church, read your scriptures, and say your prayers. There is always something we can do better; there is always some piece of ourselves we're missing; there is always some part of Christ we need to seek after.

I am so privileged to be able to bring this principle to others. I cannot tell you how truly grateful I am to be able to talk of the things of the kingdom of God everyday, to call others to repentance, to bring others closer to Jesus Christ. I cannot honestly relay to you the Spirit in this experience, the joy I feel on a daily basis, the intense love I feel for God's children. I am overjoyed. My heart is full of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for this experience.

To be a missionary is to have the power to call others to repentance. I am able to give them this opportunity and they must accept or reject it. I am able to speak plainly of gospel truths that will never change and allow them to pray, ponder, and feel if this is true.

This week, I have been able to watch a boy's eyes light up as I ask if he'd like to be baptized. I have poured out my soul to an elderly woman who would not even take the chance to ask if what we were teaching was true. I have watched God answer our prayers immediately and help us achieve our vision.

This gospel is true.

Do not doubt that.

This week has been absolutely fantastic. Amidst the cold weather and orange tree-trimming, the doors never opened, the doors closed, the missionaries who have left, the ones who have come in -- the Spirit is always the same. The Spirit is always just as strong as it was before. And it would not be if what we were doing was not true.

Have a good week.

Love y'all!

Godspeed!

Sincerely,

Sister Rose