Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 12:53 PM
Subject: Answered Prayers

My dear friends and family,

This week has been so special for me. It has been absolutely wonderful. So many miracles happened and I received so many tender
mercies. This was one of the BEST weeks of my entire mission. I remember a few weeks ago saying that I had the most difficult week. It
is a testimony to me that adversity is part of the plan and we become stronger when we face challenges. President Gilliland taught me that
if we endure well, we receive tender mercies. We can trust that Heavenly Father will bless us beyond our comprehension if we will keep
pushing forward and do our best. This week was SO good!!!!!!!!

I have some big news!!!! Transfers calls came last night..... and I am going to train a new missionary that will be coming from the MTC!!!!!!!! =) I am SOOOOOOO excited!!!!!!!!! I mentioned before in one of my letters that I had a neat experience two weeks ago. I was having my personal study time and I had really strong impressions that I would be training and the day that she went into the MTC I was getting those impressions. I am so excited to meet her because I know that she is going to be incredible. She will be a strong missionary and she has a lot of potential. My goal is to train a trainer. As soon as I finish training, I want her to be able to train a new missionary. We train for two transfers (3 months). That will take me into April, where I will complete my time in California, and will return to Nauvoo. This sister can take over Loomis and train someone else there.
That's my goal. =)

This week, we had our zone meeting and it was absolutely AMAZING. We talked a lot about charity and love. The Spirit was SO strong. At the
end of the meeting, we all knelt down and Elder Langford offered a beautiful prayer and prayed for every member of the zone by ame. Afterwards, all of the elders were hugging each other like they were best friends. Aww... you've gotta love the missionary love! So Sister Nelson and I hugged each other and then watched sadly, wishing we could hug the elders. hahahaha I love our zone and we've had so many good memories and experiences together. Most of them will be staying for this next transfer, so I'm grateful they will still be around!!!! I learn SO much from all of the elders and I'm grateful for their examples.

We have been working with one lady that hasn't really come to church much since she was baptized years and years ago. She would come to
church with her daughter when she was in town, but other than that, she wouldn't come. This week, she came to church all on her own and
she is reading the Book of Mormon again!!!!!!! Our ward mission leaders said that in the 14 years he's been around, she's never come
to church on her own. He responded, "THAT is a soul saved, right there." It felt so good to see her at church. She was just glowing and
happy to be there. Prayers are answered.

I have been pouring my heart out in prayer for our investigators, our potential investigators, those that we haven't found yet, my companion, the missionaries we serve with, the ward members, my family, etc. This week we had more investigators at church than ever before. It was absolutely incredible. The chapel was packed and the Spirit was strong in Sacrament meeting. A convert from a few years ago spoke and it was INCREDIBLE to see how strong his testimony is. I want all of my investigators to be like him in a few years. I have a specific miracle to share about church yesterday....

There is a specific family that I have been pleading with the Lord for us to be able to have a spiritual experience with them. Because of different circumstances, we hadn't been able to see them hardly at all in the last three months. So the wife is a member of the church and her husband is incredible, investigating the church. The wife's father passed away this week and as she was dealing with the loss, she came across the song "Be Still My Soul". She listened to it over and over and over this week. On Saturday, she found sheet music online so she could play it on the piano. She played it over and over and loved it. Sunday morning, she said a prayer in her heart as she was getting ready for church that she would hear that song in church. Only Heavenly Father heard her prayer and knew that two sister missionaries were planning on playing "Be Still My Soul" in Sacrament meeting that very day. =) During gospel principles class, she leaned over to me with tears in her eyes and said, "When you sisters went up to the stand, I didn't know what song you were doing at first. But when I realized what it was, I started bauling and I never cry. You were an
answer to my prayers." The husband knew how touched she was by the experience and I know that the experience was an answer to MY PRAYERS.Prayers are answered.

Last night, we went to a recent convert's house with one of our awesome ward members. This convert hasn't been able to attend church
recently because of a change in his job. We went over and were able to witness him blessing the Sacrament and exercising his Priesthood. He
was also able to bless olive oil and to consecrate it. I could tell that he was very nervous, but the Spirit was so strong. I loved the experience of watching this man exercise his Priesthood and to see him be coached along in the learning process. Oh, this Gospel is TRUE!!!!!!! The last time I watched oil be consecrated, I was in the Garden of Gethsemane.

We started teaching a new family this week. Our ward mission leader's family invited a family to take the lessons and they are totally prepared. Prayers are answered!!!!!

We went to the temple this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, my goodness... it was SO good to be in a House of the Lord again. I knew that Satan
didn't want us to go to the temple. This weekend, I got really sick and was praying hard that I would make it through an endowment session. I woke up Saturday morning and was feeling ok. Prayers answered. Then when we got out to the car, we realized that the windshield and windows were totally frosted over, and I didn't think to pack a windshield scraper for our California vehicle. =) So we pulled off our name tags and started scraping away as quickly as we could!!! We made it to the Pilchers house and then jumped into their car. We made it to the main road that goes up to the temple area and all the sudden, it was like the street to the temple didn't exist anymore. Sister Pilcher has been to the temple countless times, but we couldn't find that street to get to the temple! We tried to find it in the GPS and it wouldn't come up there, either! Finally, we called the
temple to get the address, said a prayer, and we were able to find the right street. It really was quite weird that we couldn't find the street, but we made it! When we pulled up in the parking lot, Sister Stearn was there, and Veronica was, too!!!! Veronica just wanted to be on the temple grounds while we went to the session. As we walked toward the temple, I felt the Spirit SO strongly. I was so excited to be back at a temple and this was Veronica's first time EVER on temple grounds. I looked up toward angel Moroni and I just took a deep, happy breath and thought, "Oh, this is the good life!!!!!!!!!!" We took Veronica into the waiting room and then went on into the temple. Throughout the endowment session, I kept receiving very specific impressions about some of our investigators, my new companion, etc. I was also grateful that after three months of not going to the temple, I was able to remember everything and it was like I had never been away. The Spirit helps us remember things. It is AMAZING!!!!!! The Celestial room in the Sacramento Temple is GORGEOUS. I absolutely LOVED it!!!!!

I feel like the heavens have been pouring blessings down in my life and I am so eternally grateful for the tender mercies that have come. I know that Heavenly Father hears our prayers and He answers them in the right ways, at the right time. I also know that in the times when we are struggling, we can trust that we will be ok if we stay faithful. A few weeks ago, I was really struggling. But now it is past and it seems as though it is so far in the past. The Atonement truly can heal our hearts. Have resilient faith!!!! Keep pressing forward!!!! The future is SO bright. I'm grateful to know without a doubt that He hears our prayers and He loves us. I know that with all of my heart. I love this Gospel and I LOVE being a missionary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Sister Heather Ripplinger