Learning how to turn Lemons into Lemonade

Hey you,
There are two ways that I could look at this past week. I am going to choose to look at it as the week that made me stretch to my limits and then expand some. I know that there are just going to be hard times, that is simply just how life is. Wichita Falls is a tough area because our area is relatively small and all the doors have been tracted a couple times. The people are nice but there has been a lot of rejection lately. We have spent a ton of times on our bikes again this week just trying to find people to talk to BUT I can testify that it is not until after a trial of our faith that we see the blessings. Yesterday we were able to see a miracle though!
We have been teaching a lady named Betty Swan. She is 89 and such a doll. She has been taught on and off for a couple years and is getting close to her time on this earth. Well last time we met with her she said "ya know, I think I am going to be baptized in your church" we were so excited. Yesterday we were able to invite her to be baptized and she remembered and said YES!!! We are so excited and her date is in the middle of July. She has lots of hurdles to go through with her kids but we know she can make it.
There are two other sweet kiddos we are teaching named Tiffany and Robbie. They are 10 and 12. Those two have been waiting and waiting to be baptized but cannot until their court date in July when we find out if their grandma gets to keep them. We are praying really hard otherwise they will have to wait until they are older. It is incredible to see the light of Christ in children and the strength of their desires.
​The ward here is stinking hilarious! The kids are so routy is cracks me up. ​Today when we drove to Walmart to get our groceries and we saw a little girl who had climbed up on top of the car. I was dying of laughter and then we realized OF COURSE, it was a little girl in our ward, sure enough there goes her mother. So good. Discipline people, it is a thing! See the mission prepares you for life :p
I have learned a lot about the spirit this week. I can promise that as we follow the promptings the spirit gives us it does not get less scary haha, BUT we do recognize the promptings more easily and the spirit can work more fully in my our lives. I have found so much comfort from learning to recognize the spirit. The first several times everything is a bit hazy but it gets clearer as God sees that He can trust us with the tasks He has for us.
I love this gospel so much and I am so grateful for it. I hope you are all having a good week. Thank you so so so much for all the letters this week it meant the WORLD to me. Mail helps TONS.
P.s. Planning on the balcony helps!
Love,

-Sister Engelbrecht

Hard work feels so good!

This week we have busted our behinds! I started a journal this week to record a spiritual experience I have each day. It has helped me see how much God's hand has been in my life. I have been on my knees quite a bit the past couple weeks with my health and I think that I have finally found my answer. Wait for it...this past week I went gluten free. Doing this on a mission was is really difficult but after that advice kept coming over and over again I knew it was time I try it. It has helped me so much. I am feeling so much better. I know that I am supposed to be in Wichita Falls at this time because of all the people that know a lot about Gluten free diets that have been placed in my path. If anyone has any advice or ideas let me know, the journey has begun I guess. The elders in my district are awesome though because two of them have done it with me and helped encourage me.

Also this week we were able to focus on less actives, and through that we have found several potentials. One of the days this week we biked all day in the 97-100 degree weather plus humidity and I thought I was going to die (no drama :p). I had prayed a lot for courage that morning and I was determined to let all my fear go. I know that through Christ anything is possible! Sure enough we did stop and talk to everyone. The first person we met was Justin. We were looking for a ladies house and the house looked vacant so we asked him for directions. He told us that they had moved downtown and told us how we could get there. At the time he was working on his car but he seemed nice enough to talk to us. When I offered him a pass along card he smirked and laughed at the fact that it was a picture of Christ. I tried to not let it back me down and continued to press forward handing him the card. When he took it, we testified of the Savior. I told him that the Savior loved him and Sister Young bore an awesome testimony too. In that moment I saw his demeanor change and there was a light in his eyes. I know that a simple testimony of Christ can soften someone's heart. Even three sentences and the spirit is there. This is God's work not ours, but we have to be the medium through which He works.

Another man that we talked to was Ronny. We stopped and talked to him as he was taking a walk down the road. When we told him about God he told us how much he loved him. He served in Afghanistan and lost both his leg and his eye. To hear a burley guy express his love for God was so humbling and reminded me that we truly are all his children. We gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to read 3 Nephi 11 about when the Savior comes to the Americas to minister to the people, just like when the Savior went to Jerusalem in the bible to minister to the people there also. He told us he would read it and asked us if we could come over that night and tell him more. We unfortunately had other appointments but told him we could come back the next night. Unfortunately, when we went back a woman answered the door and said he was in treatment and was not doing well. We are not sure if that was the full truth since we had just barely talked to him the day before, but we have his phone number so we think we will give him a call.

Everyday this week, Sister Young and I have come home completely wiped. It is such a good feeling to know that you gave it your all and that the Lord has to be proud. Something that I have realized is that in order to be the person I want to when I get home, I cannot put energy into changing myself but rather I have to put all my energy into serving the best I can and that is the only way I can become that person. I love the Lord so much, I have a testimony that He can help us with absolutely anything even biking in 97 degree weather. He hears us and knows us! When was the last time you let your fear go and did something that forced you to trust God?

Love,

Sister Engelbrecht

​(Signs are everywhere thanking God for rain...such a different world here)​