Just a 20 year old

 Our POV: sees young guy sitting on road, let's go see how old he is!! 21?? YES YSA are who we've been praying for! He asked what's up?! He WANTS to talk to us?? Yes OF COURSE you can walk with us while we teach you the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This guy was just soaking it all in as we walked around the block, dropping all our big guns Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, THE true church of Christ, baptism and he was nodding and saying "yeah!" to everything we said!!! 

And then all he wanted was our instagrams. We laughed at what was probably going through his mind while we were pouring out our souls 

His POV: 2 girls want to talk to me? Sure I'll listen to whatever they have to say and then get their instagrams

Sometimes I forget that I'm just a 20 year old girl out trying to share the gospel and that not every person is searching for truth, but when we find the ones that are it makes everything else worth it. Some of those sweet moments from this week:

•Jessie really took our invite to heart, praying to want to want to change 

•Michael's whole countenance changed when he learned what repentance means 

•Forsi's tears of sadness turned into tears of joy when we showed her the Book of Mormon is available in Persian. "My language! I forgot my sadness! God is good!" 

God IS good and He helps me forget my sadness. 

Love big! Love hard!

Sister Rex

Actually answer those questions for yourself

It was a SWEET EXPERIENCE to look into the eyes of Elder Renlund and then to hear him say with such quiet confidence, "I know that He lives." 

This week was full of anticipation as we waited to gather together as a mission to learn from an apostle of the Lord. And it left my heart absolutely FULL

Con of trying to have an open heart all the time: I pour my heart out to everyone these days and it gets STOMPED on ahahah YSA are Class A punks #leavethemloved

We are teaching some BALLER guys, we can't keep up with how much they want to meet!! #pray4girlstojoin they each WANT the gospel, they WANT to learn, they NEED Jesus Christ. They see how real Christ is and it's eye-opening. Sister Renlund posed a few questions that really got me thinking:

"How real is the Savior in your life?

 What can you do to make Him more real in your life?" 

Love big! Love hard!

Sister Rex

I rest my case of why I would never choose to live in Lancaster. 

The 2 most precious hermanas #bestsnacksuppliers

Peep Sister Tobler's missionary clothing line coming to you October 2021 

Sister Thacker almost had to lower me behind this dumpster HAHA

WHEN YOU FEEL IT. THE CHURCH IS TRUE.

What sillies left all these doors open...

We always regret the frosty but it hit the spot in the moment 

Monumental Moment: Sister Thacker ran;)

There were a lot of moments where we felt like we hit the "end" (sign pictured below) but we kept on running (also pictured below). 

After a painfully slow rejection, I was frustrated. "What the heck am I doing? Am I even doing what God wants?" 

Right then we turned the corner and saw him. We've been trying to get ahold of this guy named Bryan and all we knew about him was that he wears beats and has a skateboard. There, sitting on the side of the road, was a man wearing some big beats. I stopped in the middle of the road and yelled "IS YOUR NAME BRYAN?" 

It sure was!!! Bryan came to church with us all the way in Santa Clarita and read the Book of Mormon the whole drive there. 

Not all my frustrations led to finding Bryans, sometimes I stop when we hit "end" signs. But what gets me up and running is remembering what Christ has done for the world. Each day we see heartache and unfairness, things that only Christ's love can heal.

Remember and run for Christ!

(Even Sister Thacker who hates running ran for Christ this week hahaha "Jessie is worth it!")

Love big! Love hard! 

Sister Rex

It's NOT the end 

The Joshua trees are growing on me

PSA: 4 minute drives ≠ 4 minute walks 

We still laugh everyday that we're companions 

Love me some flat sunsets 

Have you ever seen such a happy smile on someone (who hates to run) running??

Just out for a run!

"Let me put a shirt on"

That is what we WISH every shirtless man we talked to would say, but it was the most commonly used phrase from this week's contacting

#justwearyourshirtpleaseandthanks 

We have some fully clothed friends that we're teaching who have my heart!!! 

"You can't get rid of me, I know it's true and I love it." 

Those are the moments I pray they'll never forget. Moments when the spirit testified to their hearts! I LOVE THE SPIRIT SO MUCH!!! "The spirit speaks the truth... it speaks of things as they really are" (Jacob 4:13). Everyday I rely on the promise that "by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5). There are so many things that fill our hearts and minds, things that leave us uncertain but through the spirit WE CAN KNOW THE TRUTH. And it's the most painful yet joyful experience watching people learn that for themselves.

Wear your shirt and open your heart to the spirit this week!!!! 

Love big! Love hard! 

Sister Rex 

GAINED 5 LBS EATING THIS BREAD. Legit weighed myself before and after hahahah 

The hairstyle of this transfer #sweatysweaty 

A glowing sky that brightened a long day

We love our dirt roads!!! #dustyandcrusty

But then we realized there was no way out and I began to rethink my "FULL SEND" of running through a closing door 

At first we thought it was funny that I was trapped on the other side of the gate 

I really thought I was going to have to scale the fence but then THE DOOR WAS OPENED and Sister Thacker and I were united #alwaysstaywithyourcomp 

A good broken

There are a lot of broken people here. A song that I've always liked hit me in my soul as I realized how much I FELT the lyrics: 

       "You look away to avoid the hurt." 

The last time I was around these parts I looked away. I put up walls around my heart and without realizing it, my joy became a barrier to sympathy. It took painful, pleading months of prayer to break those walls down:

       "If you want a heart of sympathy, pray to God to help you see the world that Jesus sees."

The walls weren't the only thing that broke; so did my heart:

       "Once you see... your heart will break and you'll lay awake. You'll understand God loves them too."

Driving through these homeless filled streets, sitting in homes where parents plead and pour out their hearts to their children who blanky stare in another direction, teaching people who want to be baptized but can't because of limitations. These are moments of "a good broken" because they've filled me with God's love for all His children. 

I finally see. It has always been the broken ones that Christ heals (Matthew 4:24). But He can only heal those who come to Him (3 Nephi 9:13-14).

What broken part of you will you let Christ heal this week?

Love big! Love hard!

Sister Rex

See you never Santa Clarita 

How I felt leaving Sister Palmer:(( 

BUT AYO LET'S GO SISTER THACKER 

When God sends you BACK to Amargosa YSA

Not completely pictured: the wind that has caused half my hair to fall out. Really holding onto Alma 40:23 "even a hair of the head shall not be lost."

Lancaster does have SOME green!! 

And this. Is an iconic group of elders. 

Not in the mood to be converted, but let me show you my jarred kitties

We were just chatting out on this porch when a black nail polished hand shot out of the front door holding a little jar of lemon drops

"Wanna lemon drop?" 

After his mom clarified that we knew he wasn't interested in the church, the rest of this mystery hand came out- long blue hair, tattoo sleeves on both arms, giant earrings, and he plopped right down with us 

"Oh sweet I can talk to you then! I wasn't in the mood to be converted today." 

People see the tag and they RUN from us, but we've learned to stop chasing the ones who don't want it because THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT THE GOSPEL NOW

On Saturday the ZLs called us absolutely frantic; this week as a zone we hadn't found a single person. "What can we do right now??"

When things aren't going our way sometimes we stress what more can we do?! All our missionaries are working HARD and they're frustrated too. I realized that all we can do right now is turn to the Lord, this is His work. We can unite in prayer and fasting, we can align our will with His so we can be lead to the people that He is preparing.

We had an "emergency zone prayer" and by the end of our night, we had found 7 families!!! In the past I've tried to give more, to try harder, to work longer, but I've learned what I really need to do is pray more. 

#soeasyyoucantdoit TURN TO PRAYER THIS WEEK, IT WORKS!!!

Love big! Love hard!

Sister Rex

OUR FAVORITE NEIGHBOR BOB

The porch where Rebecca came to the knowledge of her Redeemer and where my heart GREW

Soaking in all my palms before heading back to the desert 

Last run with Sister Palmer:((

If you want to be entertained, watch videos of Rebecca on laughing gas hahaha

The lemon drop guy's jarred kitties

Were you a cheerleader?

EVER GET TO SEE YOUR BEST FRIEND GET BAPTIZED??! 

Almost every transfer I get asked "were you a cheerleader?" and it just cracks me up - in another life I'd be one #WHATTEAM #TEAMCHRIST

Luckily for me missionary = cheerleader

We get to cheer people on as they come unto Christ!! That has been the BEST part of my mission, screaming and squealing and celebrating the little victories. 

The gospel of Jesus Christ in action changes lives! Standing next to a soaking wet Rebecca after she came out of the font was a moment I'll never forget because it was so real for her. She just sobbed as the day she never thought was going to happen became a reality. 

It wasn't all screams and squeals with Rebecca, there were a lot of tears and heartache, but those challenges were the moments that brought her closer to Christ.

I 

I believe 

I believe that we 

I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE WON

Because Jesus Christ is on our side!

Love big! Love hard! 

Sister Rex

A belated 4th pic #crustypics4life

A zone of miracles, I LOVE these people

Come a long way with this one;))

Pretty evenings @ the park 

THE BEST DISTRICT 

Sister Palmer in her natural habitat

My favorite picture on the planet 

Soooo extra