Not just names, these are people I love

Hello Everyone,
I hope you had a lovely fourth of July. We had a lot of fun and spent time on Sheppard Air Force Base. This week I have started to fall so in love with the people we spend each week with. Christ has shown me so much love for them and I am starting to get really attached to them. There have at the same time been many events that happened that caused me to get on my knees for them.

Melinda- came to church yesterday and we were so excited. We are not sure how much she really understood but when she got home she told her foster mom that we baptized her at the church in a blue dress. It was quite alarming to us and we are really worried about how much we can prepare her and how well she will understand the gospel. She is such a special daughter of God and all I want for her is to be able to know in all purity Heavenly Father. However, I am sure she has a special relationship with them far before this earth life.

Mike and Steve- It was Mike's birthday this week, he turned 54. He has never been married or had kids and we knew that no one would come to visit him, so we planned something special. He has been sick now for a whole month and was not in the best of shape when we saw him. We came in with the squeaker things you blow in for birthdays and also a couple Happy Birthday banners. We made him put on a birthday hat on for a few minutes. He was so surprised and I know that it was love that he needed. We had a lesson with just Steve and he was so prepared and knew that the things we were teaching were true. His heart is so open to the spirit and he has such a desire in his eyes to understand, I love him so much. Last night we received a call from Mike saying that Steve did not know if Joseph Smith could in any way be a prophet and if it wasn't resolved we would need to stop teaching him. It came out of nowhere and broke my heart. That is where my faith has to come in. I cannot make Steve know that Joseph Smith was a prophet but I KNOW the spirit can. We are going to need to go into this coming lesson with complete trust in the Savior.

Terry- (A recent convert from California who moved here to get away from her drug and alcoholic past) She has had a really rough week. The 18 year old homeless boy she has living with her got arrested this week for breaking and entering as well as stealing. The problem and the blessing is that Terry has such a good heart but she gets herself in bad situations. She is such an amazing, strong woman for pulling through all the hard things she has done. We are worried about her and the people she is around. The way she applies the gospel in her life is remarkable. I TESTIFY that the Atonement works and that the power of your Savior Jesus Christ heals ALL wounds. I am so grateful to be a missionary and to be trusted in this sacred work.

These are not just names, they are people that I love so dearly and I am turning over completely to the Lord. I am learning that when love becomes completely selfless, it is the love of Christ. When my thoughts are directed to the Salvation of Heavenly Father's children, this is when the change comes.
I love it here in Texas and I know that the Lord is shaping me and those around me through His grace. My companion is incredible! When I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror there were 20 notes waiting for me of scriptures and the sweetest comments. It said "Happy Six Months". She is teaching me how important it is to listen and turn my heart outward. God knew that I needed her and that hopefully I can be even the smallest impact on her. I am so blessed.
LOVE YOU MUCH!!!
-Sister Engelbrecht

GO TO CHURCH!

Life is made up of thousands of tiny moments in time that change us and help us mold into what the Savior wants us to become. That has never been truer to me than it has this past week.
We lost a couple elders in this area this week because the mission has had so many missionaries going home lately, but truly it has been a big blessing. Sister Young and I have been so incredibly busy this week which made this week feel like a blink of an eye.
Every night this week when I sat down to write in my journal, there was so much to write, but I felt so grateful for the outpouring of work the Lord has given us.
We gained 5 new people to teach, 3 of which are investigators.

Let me start by telling you about Melinda. She is a 27 year old who is in the foster care system. She has schizophrenia (I cannot spell it) and something else. Her mother and father and and aunt and grandparents are all dead. She has an aunt left who is just horrid. We met her because the elders had run into her from talking to her foster mom who happens to be a less active. We were able to teach her first lesson with them and she is incredible. She "sees spirits" and has a crazy imagination. The moment I met her I was overcome with love for her. She has been very mistreated her whole life and knew that as missionaries we had the potential be change her life through the message of the gospel and the healing power of the Atonement. As we taught her about God's love her demeanor calmed and she lit up as we talked about the savior she was smiling from ear to ear as she said "I love Him, Jesus, I love Him" Chills. The second time Sister Young and I went to teach her she felt the spirit so strongly that she was shaking and in awe. She kept telling us that she was able to feel the peace that she has been longing for. It is going to take us quite some time to teach her and make sure that she is accountable enough to be baptized but this girl, man she is incredible. Her baptism date is for August 8, 2015.

As far as the supreme court ruling on Friday, I want you all to know that I have a testimony of this gospel and I have absolutely no worry that God is going to take care of the hard times. I am grateful that we all have different perspectives, that was His plan for us all to be unique and we just have to love each other. We are told that the world is going to get more difficult and the only thing we can do is the simple things. GO TO CHURCH. READ and CLING to the scriptures. Most of all lets pray our hearts out and thank God for our freedom to believe in Him and His plan.

Lookuing back on this week I am reminded of so many faces and so many experiences that I feel so blessed to have been a part of. What made them even better is that I was 100% focused on each one of those moments and not worrying what was coming next. Quality time cannot be replaced.
LoVEs and KIsSes
SiS. E

-Sister Engelbrecht