Alabama the Beautiful

Hey family:)

This week was fabulous!

We met the coolest family tracting this week. We read the Book of Mormon with them and they absolutely loved it. We taught the kids how to open randomly to a scripture by doing a pitch swing strategy. They loved it and did it while we were gone too. We also taught them how to start reading with and end with a prayer and they loved that even more. It was one of those moments when we teach and their eyes say that they get it. They even nod their heads and say, "that makes sense." The Mom started to cry! They said they wanted to be baptized! Wahoo! We've seen them almost every day since we met them! Wahoo!!!!

We also went to a fun appointment in Centre, AL next to the outskirts of the Coosa river. I can't remember what the lake is called!!! Anywho, the family we taught can noodle! Like catching fish with their own hands! The Dad even told us how this 6ft cat fish came up on the deck and he couldn't get it without plunging in with it! He didn't catch it but it was a fabulous story:)

It was BEAUTIFUL there. They live right off the lake and basically eat fish all the time. They also had mini aquariums all around their house. They love fish to look at and to eat.:)

We took a member with us and the lesson we had with them was fabulous! Spirit was so strong. They reading the Book of Mormon and ate up every word we said! The member is too neat. It was her first time out with the missionaries and she gave a powerful testimony about the Book of Mormon. Our Investigator said, "I want that kind of testimony." It was so neat!!!! They even fed us! Southern hospitality is so real! We got fed every day this week!

We had a neat dinner appointment this week out in the country:) These members are awesome and they know how to talk to and feed us. True Southerners. We went to their trailer and had dinner outside in a gazebo!!!! It was awesome! Macaroni and cheese, ribs, col slaw, chili, you name it and it was there. We wanted Denise to come but she couldn't! We will bring an investigator next time. Talk about love!

The Gospel is true and we are the happiest people on earth!

Thank you for your prayers. We feel them here.

Happy Halloween! We are going to be angels!

Love you!

Steadfast in Christ

Love, Sister Gibbs

 Happy Birthday Dad!!!! Sounds like y'all had a blast!  We ate dinner at a members
home this week and they had paper lanterns! They asked us if we wanted to send one
off and we said of course. We got to write a message on it and here it is! The Chinese
believe the message will be taken to the person you write to via sky! It was awesome! 

Everyone is Named Gibbs Here:) #Facepaint

 To the best family and friends in the world who fight for good,

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

Ok the county fair was so fun! We had a booth at the fair all about Mormons. People advertise their church here like it's Bama gear. It's awesome! We had a poster board about what we believe and all kinds of copies of the Book of Mormon, pamphlets, and Family Proclamations to the World. Sister Nielsen and I painted children's faces and the Elders taught people in line the Restoration. It was so neat!!! I bet we painted over a hundred smiling faces:) We painted and taught from 9:00 to 5:00. The people were coming to us!

 Sister Nielsen and I would ask the kids if they went to church and then we knew exactly what to say to their parents! Sneaky! The kids here in the South have such a firm testimony in Jesus Christ. The scripture came to mind,

 "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 19:14

It was neat to look them in the eyes and tell them that God loved them. They will forever have a good association with a Mormon missionary. That's huge! Whenever we ask people if we can teach their kids they always say yes. They are so in tune to the spirit. Service does soften stony souls. We got a ton of phone numbers, taught many lessons, and handed out many Book of Mormons. Probably one of the most fun days on my mission. :D

I know that Heavenly Father smiles on us. Our spirits here in the mission field can get kinda bruised and marred, but Heavenly Father always brings us joy. I'm sure he was joying over the scene:)

"The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." -Zephaniah 3:17

Also I met some family at the fair. She's a Gibbs and she's black!:)

Our investigator Denise came to a Wednesday night Principles of the Gospel class and she loved it! Her biggest concern was not feeling welcome at church and SHE CAME!!!! I think she liked it.

The family that we've been teaching who is Hindu are doing great. We showed them "Finding Faith in Christ" and they loved it. We taught them all how to pray and we witnessed their first prayer!!!!!!!! They are so humble.

Well It's been fun. Love y'all. Thank you for being my family. Have the best week ever:)

Steadfast in Christ

Love, Sister Gibbs

PS This morning I resorted to braiding the parts of my hair that always get in knots. I think I will keep them braided until next week. hahah:)

Display at the County Fair

Face Painting!! 

 Cute Sister Nielsen!!

Elder Matthews taking a turn. 

 Elder Tessa Painting

We Are a Forward Leaning Mission!

Hey family!

This week has been awesome! We've done a lot of work and we feel great! We were so tired last night from biking, walking, and all the fun stuff we do. It's a blast!

If I could capture a moment in my mission one of them would have to be Sister Nielson and I flying down a hill on our bikes singing "I Believe I Can Fly" while resting our feet on the bar above the peddles. There's tons of hills! I remember when I saw sister Wittwer do that for the first time I thought she was going to fall off her bike! I know this is a good work we are doing.

We did a lot of following up with people this week. Some people stood us up some people were there! It was awesome!

Our friend D who we have been teaching for the past two transfers said she would come to church on Wednesday! We teach Principles of the Gospel that day with the Elders. Almost every church here has a service on Wednesday. This is huge for D to come to church because she loves her church but has been feeling the spirit in every lesson we've had! She got an answer that it was true but now she's praying about if this is where she needs to be. She is so good at receiving answers she'll have it in no time:) We are excited:)

Zone training was awesome! We played a name game that everyone should play before you die. Everyone stands in a circle and one person points to another person, says their name and starts to walk towards them. If the person pointing and walking touches the person before they say another name and walk then they are out. It's too fun:) I almost won!

Our zone training was a lot about relationships this time around. President Hanks is always looking to help us be better people not only better missionaries. I prayed to know how I could better my relationship's with other and I got the impression to have a better relationship with my Heavenly Father first. So I talked to him in my prayer like my best friend told him some jokes and laughed and it made a world of a difference. People her in the South are so good at that. They will talk to God anywhere they are! Loud and proud:)

Well I love y'all and hope you have a fantastic week!

Steadfast in Christ

Love, Sister Gibbs

P.S. WE FOUND OUR FAMILY!!!!!!! Yes, the family that we posted all over our house in stick figure form! Sister Nielson and I were walking into Dollar General and we past this family who was in the parking lot. The Holy Ghost said you need to talk to that family but we were already past them! TOAST! We turned right around and shook their hands. It's amazing what a handshake can do. It melted a little of the awkward. As we asked some questions to get to know them we scanned the family and sure enough there are two boys, 1 girl, and the dad was wearing a Bama shirt. He was waiting to get tickets to the game! The Mom was close by too. We told them we could share a message with their kids about Jesus and they were super hesitant. We wouldn't take no for an answer while trying to be as "normal" as possible. Part of me wanted to yell, "We've been looking for you everywhere!!!!!! Come, everyone let's get baptized. :) We have an appointment with them on Saturday:)

Biking up super steep hills- they are everywhere here!!​

 I hope you can see how steep that hill is- cause I about died.

Sister ??, Sister Anderl, Sister, Nielsen, and Sister Gibbs

"Have you ever wondered what God thinks about the world?"

Hey family!

Well I guess we are famous! We have a cousin as an apostle, Elder Stevenson! I didn't pick that up! That's crazy! That's so cute that Sophie can say my name:) It sounds like y'all are having fun.

My week has been awesome! I have a new companion!!!!! Sister Nielsen! She's adorable. She was in Laurie and Ernie's ward! We both did ballet. She danced at Bountiful Ballet and went to BYU before her mission. We look exactly alike but she's prettier:)  Blonde curly hair, blue eyes, and is pretty much my twin! Hahah.  It's so nice to work hard and to be in the spirit of missionary work. There is no other sustaining spirit than the spirit that guides us to help others. Wow. I smiled all night long as I slept the first night with her there! We did ballet in the morning:) Life is too good. We switched companions! Sister Anderl is in Locust Fork where Sister Nielson, my new companion, just came from! We have a blast!

We met so many cool people this week. A Hindu family, many sweet old ladys who talk our ear off, teenagers in the store, Glenn Beck fans who say "Glenn Beck isn't like the other Mormons! He believes in Christ!" All kinds of people. We are loving it:)

One of our faith experiments is posting pictures all around our house of the family we are going to find this transfer. We drew a stick figure family with 2 boys, 1 girl, and they have to be wearing some kind of Bama gear. We are totally going to find them and not just in our apartment on our mirror but in Rainbow city!!!!!!

Last night we tracted and asked if they would like to hear a hymn? It was too cool! Sister Nielson has an amazing voice and the spirit was instantly there.:) Wow it was awesome! So far we are still working on finding people who will progress. So we will let you know when we find them:)

Ok, there is nothing more cool than inviting people to General Conference. Everything we talk about always relates to a latter day prophet and it's always fun to say "Do you want to know if he is of God? Well, come tomorrow and you'll know!" Almost all of the people we talk to express concerns about the world and how bad it's getting or about their families staying true to Christ. First of all it is normal in the south to strike up a religion conversation where ever you are. Once when we invited someone to church in Wal-Mart a woman invited them to her church before we had left the isle. With this religious enthusiasm they all talk about the 2nd coming and wonder how to specifically prepare. General Conference is exactly that!!!!!! We invited everyone it was too fun:)

The highlight of the week was definitely teaching a family about who Jesus Christ was! Wow. So neat.

Hope y'all have a great week.

Love y'all!

Steadfast in Christ

Love, Sister Gibbs

PS It rained a lot this week with the hurricane on the east coast. It is gorgeous.

Sister Nielsen and Sister Gibbs

Transfers

Sister Anderl and Sister Gibbs