Cowboy Voice

Beautiful people!

Church signs for the week:

"Are you hungry? Soul food served here"
"Christ's graduation party. You're invited"

That second one is a tad bit confusing to me. I know that the seniors just graduated from high school and all, but.....

Anyway...
It's interesting, this week has been all about the Priesthood. For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, or are thinking, "Priesthood? That sounds creepy and weird..." Let me explain. The Priesthood in a nutshell is: The authority and power of God. And God gives this power to man to act in His name. Heavenly Father has allowed me to have experiences that have strengthened my testimony of Priesthood power this week. For that I am eternally grateful. I would like to share a few of those experiences with you:

-This week I was able to receive a blessing from my wonderful District Leader, Elder Jones, in which he promised me (and thus, the Lord promised me) that I was in the right place at the right time. That filled me with peace. And that night was the best sleep I have gotten in a veryyyy long time.

-Remember E, and how sick she's been? Well the blessing last week was a very spiritual experience, but this week it was magnified. We went back to check on her, and on Thursday (the day after the blessing), she was all feverish and weak and said that she felt like "the sickness was leaving her body". She woke up Friday and she was completely healed. I mean, no symptoms at all. Back to her old self. Her hair had started to grow back. She was not tired at all. It was a miracle. A miracle performed through the power of God. I'm not sure I would have believed it myself if I hadn't seen those large bald patches on her head before, and then see those same patches of skin almost grown over with hair. It was absolutely amazing. And a turning point for her and her family. Three of them attended church on Sunday, and really enjoyed themselves. The sad part is the kids are going to be living with their dad for the summer and left this morning. And so we had to say our goodbyes. And let me tell you, when 10 year old K gets tears in his eyes when he finds out that you might not be in Valdosta when he gets back? Then sometimes, you get little tears in your eyes too. I love that family sooooo much.

-The elders were able to come give a blessing of comfort to N, who has been going through a rough time, a divorce with her husband, abuse, no job, and four children. She has finally made the decision to move into a women's shelter with her children for a while. However, it is in Waycross. So we came over to help in any way we could. After the blessing, she just sat there, with her eyes closed. And when she opened them, they were filled with tears. Her four-year-old, who is always moving and making noise, had sat next to me, very quiet the entire blessing. And her baby, who had been wide awake and squirming when the blessing started, had fallen fast a sleep in a matter of moments. It was a beautiful moment, and one that I will never forget.

-We were visiting less active young single adults, and came across a young man and his grandfather, who is not a member. This old man expressed to us that he knew that our church was true, and wanted to be baptized, but he couldn't give up smoking and his health was too poor. We talked to him for quite some time on that porch, listening to his life story. And what a story it was. He is 84 years old and had been married to his wife for 62 years before she passed! When she was at the hospital, there at the end, she was really struggling. A few different pastors and preachers came and prayed over her to help her, and in his words, "They didn't do nothin." Then, his daughter called the LDS missionaries and had them come give her a blessing. He said that they "laid their hands on her and prayed for her." And he said that immediately she calmed down and a voice in his head told him that she would remain calm until it was her time. Then, he said that he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but there was no one there. As he told this story, his eyes filled with tears. And in a gruff, smoky, cowboy voice he told us that a grown man shouldn't be crying like that. "But that's the only miracle that I've ever experienced."

Being on a mission is the most amazing experience that I have ever been a part of. I am forever grateful for the amazing people I meet, the things I am able to witness, and changes I am able to see. This gospel is true. God loves His children. We are the ones that over-complicate things. It's just that simple.

Thank you for your love and prayers, they have been felt this week.

Sister Szilagyi