Decatur is Exploding!!!

Me: Where did the name Decatur come from anyways?

Sis. Wilson: " Ya see tha Decatur (crater) over yonder? That's probably where the name Decatur came from." The South!

Did I mention that people here in the South just talk all the time? Well yeah they do haha. We'll be chatting to someone about how they have received answers to their prayers and they will go off on this hour tangent about how their daughter, son, spouse, dog, cat, horse, cousin, and themselves have come to know Jesus. It's awesome!

Conference is coming!!!!!! I'm so stinkin excited!!!!!! Guess what's even better? Erin's getting Baptized after conference on Sunday!!!!!!! She is so ready. We took Erin to Women's Conference and she loved it! She cried during Pres. Uchdorf's talk! It was amazing to see the promises of accepting the gospel really do bless people! We tell people that every day but it was amazing to see it in action! The Gospel is TRUE!

I attached a picture of Sis. Wittwer, Ivy, and I:) I don't think I've told you about Ivy. Ivy was a member referral from Dianna:) She is the most happy, amazing, and charitable person I've ever met. Her personality reminds me a lot of Lise Tuttle:) This is one of those people that you know you've met in the pre-existence. She met her husband on a bowling team! She also is an amazing quilter. She is a grandma of the sweetest girls in the whole world. One of them is mute and requires a little more attention from Ivy and her mom. Whenever Jazmin see's the sister missionaries she does the sign language sign for sisters and asks when we are coming back. Every day she gets off the bus and asks "Sisters?" She is the most precious spirit I've ever met! Ivy watches her reaction to the sisters and says there's a certain glow about us and because of Jazmin’s reaction we must be special. I swear she is already a member. She also said she knows us from somewhere and asked Dianna if it was possible that we knew each other before we came here!!!!!! Ivy is amazing! She is so prepared!

We told Ivy about our Book of Mormon challenge and she committed to do it with us!!! We wrote our testimonies in the front cover. She said but I can't promise I'll join the church!!!! Funny Lady haha. She gave Sis. Wittwer and I those quilts in the pic. She gives quilts away to charity and was showing us all the ones she had made and then without hesitation she said and these are for you! She is the most godly person I've ever met. There is so much potential it's insane! I'll definitely keep you updated.

Sis. Wilson and I are the coolest team. She is amazing! I love her dearly:) She takes care of me and I take good care of her. She's also hilarious! We are feeling great!

Taylor has email! what's his email?

Ask a question for conference it will be answered friends:)

I love ya fam:) Have a week that's steadfast in Christ:) 

Love, Sista Gibbs

Quilts Ivy gave Sis. Gibbs and Sister Wittwer

Sis. Wilson, Erin and Sis. Gibbs

Video

Here is a video of Sister Gibbs and Sister Wittwer, apparently while they are driving.  It is fun to see her laughing and her smiling face.  It looks they get to use a car once in a while.  Having a little too much fun!!!

Decatur Disciples:)

Hey Fam:)

How is everyone? Thanks for all of your emails and support:) I have the best family in the world! So guess who my new companion is????? Sister Wilson!!!!!! She's from Provo UT and basically has a ton in common with me. For instance she loves ice cream. Did I mention that all companionships are inspired by God? Her favorite Disney character is also Tinkerbelle and she's a dancer! Boo yeah! She is an amazing missionary. Her spiritual talent is her polite spine. She tells people how it is. For example, when people stop keeping their commitments she tells them to shape up in the nicest way possible. I'm telling you it's a talent.

Guess what Y'all! Sis. Gibbs knows her way around Decatur!!!! Well Heavenly Father does and he leads the way haha:) Without Sis. Wittwer I get to lead and I remember a whole lot more than I thought. Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need to grow. I was getting a wee bit comfortable in my missionary work and relying on Sis. Wittwer too much. This week as really helped me grow. I've really learned how to take charge of my own missionary skills.

I had a cool Emmaus experience this week. I was reading in 1 Nephi where Nephi is nervous to kill Laban and he said he's never killed a man before. Well I've never gone on a mission before. Nephi said that he shrunk and would not slay him. The spirit told him again to do it. He received strength even when he was nervous. His strength was given through following the promptings of the spirit. I know that this mission is hard and I've never been on one before but that is no excuse! I will work hard my whole mission and as I act on the promptings of the spirit I will receive strength! I love the scriptures. I know that this can apply to anything we do. Congrats to everyone who reads the BOM because new experiences don't have to be scary! Just kidding it applies to everyone but it sure helps to read it:)  Our Mission is finishing the BOM together by October. Wahoo! We are so blessed to have the BOM.

 Well have a happy week! Especially G-pa, Happy Birthday!

HAPPY late BIRTHDAY WHITNEY:)

I love you!

Love, Sista Gibbs

P.S. I heard a really cool Jesus rap this week:)

Sis. Gibbs and Sis. Wittwer

 Sis. Wittwer, Sis. Gibbs, Elder Posadas and Elder Hamblin

Sis. Gibbs and Sis. Wilson

Sis. Gibbs and Sis. Wilson

I'm fixin to get a new companion!

Guess what friends! Sister Wittwer is going to be a Sister training leader sshhh on Wednesday! I'm getting a new companion! Not gonna lie I'm really sad but she is going to be the best sister training leader ever! I love her so much! So this means I have to tell my new companion all about Decatur and show her around and basically plan by myself for the first week. Wahoo! I'm nervous but it's going to be awesome. It's going to be sad when our investigators find out but hopefully some Wittwer things have rubbed off on me

This week was awesome! We had zone conference this week:) Guess who came?!! Elder Zwick and Sister Zwick!!!! GA. Wow our prayers are always answered at zone conference. Dad, guess what he talked about? Marian D. Hanks and shared Mosiah 18:29-30 with us, "all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever." That is Alabama! He replaced some of the words like Waters of Mormon with the Tennessee River and so on. Wow, there is fertile faith soil in Alabama. Elder Zwick promised us that if we use the Lord's time perfectly there will be a great miracle here in Alabama. Did you know that Elder Zwick rode into an area in Brazil (Trevor) near Coricheba, wow can't spell that, (#life without google) on a horse with his companion and opened the area!!!! He is amazing. 

Ipads are coming in January!! Elder Zwick said that that is a major part of the miracles that we are going to see. Plus the MEET THE MORMON MOVIE!  That is going to be amazing for the South! People will watch it because it's about Christ, everybody loves him here, and they are going to ask us about the Mormons!!! We are so excited! Elder Zwick shook all of our hands. What a good man:) He really is a powerful man.

Sis Wittwer and I have really learned how to be a team. She's taught me a lot about helping people feel loved. We had an amazing lesson at the Bishop's house with Erin. First of all Erin fit right into the Bishop's family. She got them laughing and smiling within the second we walked in the door. Everyone was so happy to be living the gospel and teaching the gospel that the spirit was duct tape strong! You could feel it in the air kinda like Decatur, Alabama right before it rains. I'm telling you that room was humid with the spirit, we were swimming in our spiritual suits hahaha:) Erin really loved the fact that no one gets paid in our church. She said that that's what hit her the hardest. She realized that we really are serving because we love God not because we get a pay check. It's amazing to see people build their testimony. 

Wow, what a week. Alyssa thank you for your letter:) You will be getting one soon. I love you all very much! Please pray for Sis. Wittwer this week.  Love y'all. I'll catch up on letters promise:)

Sister Gibbs

Zone Conference

Huntsville

 Sister Gibbs and Sister Wittwer

Visit by Elder Zwick

What a Week:) Stahy Swee' Shugaur:)

Hey Fam!

Happy Birthday Mom!:) How was it? Sounds like it was a party:) I sent you a letter. Tell me if you get it.

Guess who got Baptized! Breona and Alydia!!!!! Wahoo! They are so sweet:) It was amazing to physically see the change before and after they got baptized and confirmed. There eyes are just full of light! Leading up to the Baptism was kinda crazy. There's a lot of work that goes into it. Who knew? Just kiddin:) Sis. Wittwer says that the week before a baptism is always crazy. So the best flaw in planning was we forgot to make sure Bro. Banks (6.5" black ward mission leader) had white clothing. We had to borrow Bro. Brown's (a member) pants! They were a wee bit too small. It was hilarious to see him waddle down the hall. By the way Bro. Bank's roll plays are the bomb! Last time Sis. Wittwer and I were comic con fanatics. The Elders had to teach us and everything was related to Harry Potter and Star Wars. (Devin) It was awesome! 

"Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven." Speaking of that lovely scripture, Sis. Wittwer and I had a lovely appointment this morning and this is the scripture that got us there. 

Seretha! She is the mom of two recent converts/less active Matthew and Malek. They are amazing kids in middle school and high school, but they are giving their mama grief. We scheduled this appointment with her at 10:00 on a P-day. After studies we were questioning to go because she usually stands us up. I know, bad missionaries but we decided to go anyway like good missionaries:) When we got there and sat down next to her we could tell she was having a really hard morning. She started telling us about the trials she had been facing like trying to find a job and parenting her kids. She said her heart was too full and started to cry. She vented for a long time and just cried. I could see that it was important for her to cry and grieve with us so instead of trying to fix it, we listened. She has been through a lot and is in a really humble place. 

Throughout my short time on my mission I have seen a couple of people really have a truly humbling experience, but none of them have been like hers. She was telling us all kinds of things that I couldn't help her with, but the Lord could. All of us were in tears. I thought of the name on my tag and what promises I had made to Christ even before I became a missionary, "mourn with those that mourn, comfort those who are in need of comfort."  I realized that this is one of the reasons I was called to Alabama. I can't fix all of these peoples problems but I can tell them through the spirit what Heavenly Father is trying to tell them. It was comforting to know I didn't have to fix her problems but I was supposed to sit, cry, and pray with her. I can do that! PLOT TWIST:)

Heavenly Father guides us in everything we do. He knows us and will help us. I love it! I love Jesus! By the way the other day I think I was praying in a black accent while saying my personal prayers. I was really tired:)

I love you:)

Have a blessed week!

Love, Sister Gibbs

P.S. Got a letter from Taylor. Will he have email?

Baptism of Breona and Alydia September 6, 2014

Breona and Alydia's brothers 

District in Decatur

The BBQ Sistas :)

HHHEEEEEEEEYYYYYY FAM,

How are ya? Thank you again for all of the emails, letters, and goodies. THANK YOU! So the ward has given us the name of BBQ Sistas because the best BBQ places in town are Big Bob Gibson's and Whitts (Gibbs, Whittwer) clever eh :) I love the members!

So this week was awesome! Brianna and Alidia are getting Baptized on Saturday! They are Jennifer's daughters. The rest of the family will be soon to follow! Wahoo! They are so amazing I love them so much it's weird to think I met them like 2 weeks ago. Crazy!

We met an amazing gal this week. She is so prepared it's insane. She basically teaches herself the lessons. She didn't know how to pray so she taught herself and had her own little Religion because she didn't know where to find it! She is the coolest! Decatur is so prepared. Thank you Heavenly Father :)

So, funny story…yesterday we were biking in the rain and my chain came off my bike. I got off to fix it when a man came to help and said he wasn't right with God and wanted to be. We could tell he had been drinking but tried to chat with him. He asked us if we taught the word of God and began to be overcome with emotion. He could barely see our tags in all our jackets and such but he knew who we were. He knew nothing about Sister Gibbs but he knew about Christ so he was able to be prompted to change his life. All I had to do was stand there with Christ on my name tag. It really reminded me of who I represent and got me thinking of how I can represent him better. I'm sure that when he sees me pass by someone who needed to hear about his gospel without talking to them, it just breaks his heart. I want to fully serve him and I can only do that with his help. I'm so happy I don't have to do it alone. The man was really concerned about our safety so he gave me a sweet light reflector vest to where. Yeah! We are goin to try to find him when he's sober.

Keep being Steadfast in Christ

I love y'all so much :) Next week I will tell you about a normal day in Decatur Alabama :)

Everyday is adventure! Love ya!

Love, Sista Gibbs

P.S.

We are at the church today because it's Labor Day and the library is closed.  The library is a couple of blocks from our house and the church is a couple of miles.

Love you mom. Have a happy Birthday! Thank you for everything! I got the package and I almost cried :) Comfort food is awesome but knowing my Mom loves me is better:) I love and miss you! Stacy sent me a package too. Will you tell her thanks so much for me.