January 5, 2015

Valley Forge 

Dear Family,

It sounds like you guys had a fun week! It also sounds like there
was a lot of traveling that was going on. We didn't really do much on
New Years Eve because we ran really low on our miles. So we we went
over to a members house and ate breakfast. After that we parked our
car in an area where some of our potential investigators live and
walked around and knocked on a couple of doors. Then we walked over to
a place called the Civic Center (they do activities with the
community). We talked to the person in charge about if there is
anything we can with in the community (possible investigator
findings!!). We get to go back and help out this week. Then we pretty
much went back to our apartment and looked more at our
potential/former investigator lists. Which took a couple of hours. We
didn't really have much of a party.

It was awesome because on Tuesday we had a really great lesson with
a less active! It was interesting because earlier in the day she
called us and told us that she wasn't feeling good and if we could
come back another day. Then 10-15 minutes before the original
scheduled time we had with her (which was 3:30) she called us and said
that she was feeling a lot better. So we went over and talked to her
about why the Book of Mormon is so important and how it can help us
come closer to Christ. This less active has been smoking and I felt
prompted to tell her that if she is having that moment where she wants
to go out and smoke then she should grab her Book of Mormon and start
reading it instead of smoking. I told her that and she said that she
was going to try it. You could really feel the spirit in the room
during this. We have also been working hard to getting her to start
coming to church since we now start at 11:30.

Another less active that we also work with went into the hospital.
The first time we visited her sung a song to her and talked to her and
her husband. Then we came back the next day with the plan of reading a
chapter of the Book of Mormon. We went in and sung a song from the
hymn book. She could really feel the spirit when we were singing. Then
we started to read a chapter in the Book of Mormon. When we were
reading she opened up and told us what she felt and we talked to her
about it for a couple of minute. We started reading a couple of more
verses then one of my companions felt that we needed to stop reading
and sing to her. So we stopes reading and sung a couple of more songs
from the hymn book (we didn't finish the chapter). She loved it a lot.

One of the members that is in the ward I am serving in went in the
hospital too. She goes out to our lessons with us a lot! She is a
convert to the church and is a great member (one of her sons made it
into the PGA. His name is Mike McCarraher... You might want to start
looking out for him dad.). So her room was right by the less active
members room. We went and talked to her for a little bit. We shared a
gospel related story with her and she loved (I will send you guys the
story soon). It was such a great visit with her!

I hope you guys have a wonderful week. I love you guys a lot!

Love,
Sister Paige Bluemel

The story I was telling you guys about!











The following event took place in a ward in Salt Lake City in 1974. It occurred during a sacrament meeting and was told to me by a Regional Representative of the Twelve who was in the meeting. A young man, just before leaving on his mission stood in sacrament meeting and bore in essence the following testimony:

Brothers and Sisters, as you know, the past two weeks I've been waiting for my mission call. During the time I was waiting I had a dream. I knew it was not an ordinary dream. I dreamed I was in the pre-existence and awaiting my call to come to earth. I was filled with the same anticipation and excitement that I had before I received my mission call. In my dream I was talking to a friend, and I felt a special closeness to him, even though I've never met him in this life. As we talked a messenger came and gave me a letter. I knew it was my call to go to earth. In great excitement my friend and I opened the letter. I gave it to him and asked him to read it aloud. It said: "You've been called to earth in a special time and to a special land. You will be born to the true church and you will have the priesthood of God in your home. You will born into a land of plenty, in a land of freedom. You will go to earth in the United States of America."

My friend and I rejoiced as we read my call, and while we were rejoicing the messenger returned. This time he had a letter for my friend. We knew it was his call to earth. My friend gave me the letter to read aloud. His letter said: "You've been called to go to the earth in circumstances of poverty and strife. You will not be raised in the true church. Many hardships will attend your life. Your land will be fraught with political and social difficulties - which will hinder the work of the Lord. You will be born in Costa Rica."

We wept, my friend and I, as we read his call. And my friend looked at me with tears in his eyes, and said, "When we are down on earth, you in your choice land and me in Costa Rica, my friend, please come and find me."

The this young missionary, with tears in his eyes, said, "Brothers and Sisters, I have received my mission call. I am going to Costa Rica."

There is a sequel to the story. About a year after the sacrament meeting, the bishop received a letter from the missionary in Costa Rica. The letter had one sheet of paper in it and on that sheet written in capital letters were four words:



I FOUND MY FRIEND. 




love you





Love,
Sister Paige Bluemel