St. Cloud Has Great Clouds

Letter received from Sister Hart 7/1/2013. Privacy edits by her mom.

The skies are either blue with fluffy white clouds (full of rain) or just grey and raining. Earlier this week there was basically a hurricane storm. Like those videos you watch on Youtube with the palm trees blowing and rain is pouring from every direction that the world actually is all hued grey? Yeah i watched one of those from my couch. HA.

Fact. My District leader calls me sister fart... and asked me if i had a soul... nothings changed.

Also no one thinks I have a family because i am the only one without a picture... its hilarious actually.

Scotty, you'd love the people down here.. well you love people everywhere so it wouldn't be that different, but you'd like it. ESPECIALLY in St. Cloud. It seriously is the greatest place - forget coco and the the beach *although i still pray to go there* St Cloud is great and the people are great. This morning, this old man, who we see at the lake front where we run, stopped us to "chat". He is from Boston and is always saying when we don't see him that we "Giiiilllls youre breakin mah haart." Just like that in a bostonian accent. Anyway this morning he invited us over for wine...at 6:30... he was two sheets to the wind already soo we happily declined.

Other news my gator from day 1 is SUPER prepared to hear the good word. I love teaching her. We told her about the restoration and she was like yes I want to know more. give me something to read... OKAY - you don't have to ask me twice. I love her sweet spirit - not in an actual "sweet spirit" kind of way either.

Our new pres is here.. no news on changes or anything yet soo we shall see. Also, so I don't forget - one of my favorite ward members, (convert of 11 or some odd years ago - was devout catholic - great conversion story) anyway she is a fellow ginger and LOVES DONNY OSMOND! She has a signed photo of him in her kitchen cabinet that she opens everyday hahah! I died laughing and she asked me why and i told her my connection...she proceeded to say that if he ever came down and needed to go to a church to go to st cloud - i couldn't agree more. The testimony meeting that the Osmonds had after a concert in kansas city i believe is what helped her seed sprout in her conversion story. so yeah. Also a lot of people in the ward work with disney and would see him when he would perform down here- they are still impressed by the fact that he chose to ride the employee bus to the stage rather than take a car... cool. Way to be Donny - you've helped a lot of the members down here with their testimonies and I thank you for that.

I have become the "cool" missionary in the ward....CHYEAH!!!!! haha. All these cute girls - one a redhead that reminds me of 14 year old me and one of Ellery - they are always asking about what my insta name is and what not. They couldn't believe that i got my "cute" clothes from a thrift shop and i told them that i had pulled a Macklemore before he even did...they were like WHAT you know who that is.... yep kids still think that you have been a missionary your whole life.. oh well.

This week was rough. not going to lie. They never tell you that once you leave this- literally- spiritual high from the MTC that you will have to work 12x as hard as you ever had to feel that again... SO ROUGH. (thanks to all you RMs in my life who failed to mention that) It seriously gets so discouraging when you get doors slammed, bible-bashed, and it starts pouring rain - BUT i just think back to a quote that my MTC teacher told me that she always thought of as she got discouraged on her mission(she served in nebraska at the winter quarters visitors center) its by Francis Webster, he said

"I have pulled my handcart when i was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope, and I have said, I can go only that far and then I must give up, for i cannot pull the load through it. I have gone to that sand, and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me! I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there. Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No, neither then, nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come with the Martin Handcart Company."

Every time I read this it brings a new hope, (yes i am now thinking of star wars) it reminds me why I am out here - to bring others to the light and knowledge that I have so that they can overcome their hill slopes and sand just like I do - by putting my trust in the Lord.

I do not know what I would do if I didn't have the gospel in my life - the atonement is real! I feel privileged to wear Christ's name everyday, and I am continually learning how to better represent Him! I have learned that repenting isn't only for the big stuff - its for the little things too. TO repent means to change. I pray every day that I can change to become a better tool in the hands of the Lord - that i can have that faith to raise my voice and to share this "good message." I am so grateful for the blessings of the gospel that have been evident throughout my whole life. I love it!

I would encourage and invite each of you to find out how you can be a better tool in the lords hands. remember "Every Member a Missionary" you don't need the tag, in fact you are more successful at finding without it more times than not.

Thanks to all the letters and notes and support from you all!

I love you soo much and hope all is well!

I love you and I love the Lord!

xoxo

sis. zoë hart