This week was filled with miracles and exchanges!

So I'll start with the craziest miracle from this week! We have been teaching this older lady named Cheryl. She is so funny, she LOVES rock music and Nascar! We call her Grandma Cheryl! I have the funniest memories with her, but anyways, she has been struggling with smoking for her whole life and we have been working with her over these past couple weeks to help her quit. That is the only thing holding her back from being baptized! This whole week Elder Woodbrey, Despain and I have been praying so hard and sacrificing things and going the extra mile to be able to see a miracle with Cheryl because we honestly were losing hope if she would ever quit smoking... We had a lesson with her on Weds and told her if you want to be baptized on Feb 1st, you have to quit smoking by this Saturday. We promised her blessings and talked about how she could overcome it through the atonement. We knew that we had to take her cigarettes that day as well to be able to help her quit. So we went back and forth on that and then she finally looked at us and said, "Ok I'll give them to you but we have to eat some root beer floats right now..." .  Haha, she gave us her cigarettes and then she asked us as we were eating, What was that one thing that you guys did to me a long time ago with the oil and the hands?" We were like a blessing???? and she said yeah and that she wanted one! So we gave her one and Elder Woodbrey gave an amazing blessing to help her quit! We left after that... It was so crazy we went in to the car and we all looked at each other and said that was it, she's done! Let me tell you we have done this many times before, where we take her cigarettes, but this time it was just different. We prayed and thanked Heavenly Father with all of our hearts.... I haven't thanked Heavenly Father like that in a while.... but fast forward to the next morning... We had a lesson with her at a members house and we ask her if she smoked. She told us,"No it was weird.. I woke up this morning and I didn't have the desire to smoke and I still don't. I'm done!" At that moment I seriously wanted to go crazy and start running and jumping off the walls because of how happy I was! But I had to keep my cool until after the lesson. Then when we all got in to the truck we went crazy! And to this day Cheryl is still not smoking and doesn't have 1 drop of desire to pick a cigarette up again. She is now looking forward to her baptism date confidently on Feb 1st! Ah man it was the best day ever. I have so much love for Cheryl it's crazy!

Other miracles, I went on exchanges with Elder Barlow, who's currently a zone leader in Moses Lake (where the temple is getting built) and it was crazy packed with miracles! It all started that morning in planning when we set the goal to find 8 new people! To start the morning off, we dry scooped some pre workout... hahah so we were hyped to go find that day! We prayed to know where to go and who to talk too.  I can't describe in words the way the Lord was putting us in the places that we needed to be in at the right time! We found 4 new people that day and invited 2 of them to be baptized and they accepted! It was one of my favorite exchanges because we were being led by the spirit the whole day. I could literally feel my mouth being filled with the words that I needed to say during the lessons! It was amazing!

I made panikeke this week too for the boys when we went on exchanges with Elder Hagues and Elder Keller! Some of my favorite Elders in the mish! Other than that this week was packed and I honestly can't remember a ton of what happened because of how fast this week went by! But I do know that I love the way my mission is going right now ! I feel so good and it's because I can feel the changes happening to me as a missionary and as a person! I know this church is true with all of my heart! I know that the Book of Mormon is true and can bring daily comfort to you! I hope you all are preparing for General Conference this April! Its going to be the best!

I love you all! Les amo mucho!

Elder Ka'ili