THE INNER MAN

"When you smile it looks like you are just exploding with joy inside. I want that" -Abbie King

First of all, now I feel like I'm exploding with joy inside?!?!? 

Second of all, SWEETIE BABY COOKIE HONEY, that's what I am HERE FOR!!!! 

I love love love being a missionary & helping people find true and eternal joy. 

Everyone we meet here is going through something SO extremely hard. They are so LOST and so SCARED. Helping them feel the spirit, feel GOD'S LOVE, gain peace, and find answers to their questions is LIFE CHANGING. For me & for them. The best win win I've ever been a part of. 

We are in charge of our zones FB page and usually you ask ONE companionship to be the "hype-men" (they just PUMP people up about Facebook work because no one really likes it) 

We secretly asked EVERY companionship to be our "hype-men" and guys our zone chat is POPPING!! Everyone is just EXUDING with happiness for social media work!!!!! 

Our STL's & ZL's were very impressed... 

I love a good wholesome prank. 

We went to two different churches this week. The buildings were both STUNNING and the choirs were ANGELIC, but it felt hollow! I wanted to RUN up to the stage and tell all of the people about TEMPLES!!  About THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!  About MODERN PROPHETS!!! 

They are so close!! So! close! but they are missing so many precious truths. 

I am infinitely and eternally grateful for the knowledge that I have. 

We are children of God. 

Read that again. 

CHILDREN of GOD!! 

The knowledge of our DIVINE WORTH should be OBVIOUS in ALL of our actions. 

Becoming a TRUE Disciple of Christ starts with TRULY knowing who we are. 

Our words and actions are dependent on our thoughts! 

Our thoughts are dependent on the state of our heart! 

Our heart is dependent on our character!

Character. 

Heart.

Thoughts.

Words & Actions.

Only when our CHARACTER matches the character of Christ can we truly EXEMPLIFY Him. 

"be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love... And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19

The Inner Man. 

Who you are at your CORE. 

Once you strengthen the inner man or your CHARACTER...Christ can dwell in you HEART, you can KNOW the love of Christ & and your divine worth, and be FILLED with the fulness of God!!! Which will be reflected in everything you DO. 

Our outer man will reflect our inner man. 

I don't know about YOU but I want my inner man to match Christ's.... 

Let's all strive to be more like Christ. 

Sister Gilmore pulled a 9 year old kid & their bike out of a ditch yesterday!! Character of Christ?? I think so!!! 

Love Love Love, Sister Spangler 

"That's why your pastor is gonna drown you"

This whole week was so full of goodness & happiness & loveliness & wonderfulness. 

Sunday morning was THE day. DEBORAH was FINALLY going to come to church in person. Her FIRST time. She'd already canceled on us the past couple Sundays but not this time. We were ready & so was she. 10 am hit & there was no sign of her at church. We called her twice & it got sent straight to voice-mail. 

No no no Deborah. Not today. 

We SPRINTED ALL the way back home. 

My hair scarf was blowing, my docs were melting, & Sister Gilmore's backpack wasn't even touching her back. 

We would have beat zoom, the flash, and Usain bolt. 

We LEAPT into our car & sped all the way to Deborah's. TIWI was screaming & a beautiful shade of red. 

Check my speed???? You're right, I should be going faster. 

We pulled up to find Deborah sitting in her car, in her driveway. We don't know how long she'd been there...too nervous to go. 

We PUMPED this woman UP & then PERSONALLY escorted her to church! Better than a police escort if you ask me. 

AND SHE MADE IT!  TO The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!! The true church! The Church with the restored gospel!! 

Snug as a bug in the pew by 10:30am. 

Yes, church starts at 10??? What about it???? 

SATURDAY THOUGH!!!!!!!!! SATURDAY WAS A GOOD DAY. 

Joseph was Baptized. This man is THE most pure man. And his Baptism was just as pure. It was the happiest day and he was so so so full of joy. He showed up an hour and a half early he was so excited.  

He said it was a much better experience than when duck dynasty tried to DROWN him when they baptized him......... 

Sister Gilmore turned TWENTY!! 

Went to ULMs international food festival and got a glimpse into how NOT foreign my mission is. Not at all. Ate fufu for the first time!!! Praying for Brayden a little extra. 

Also everyone on the college campus thinks we are nuns!!!

Fraulein Spangler??

Raindrops on roses & whiskers on kittens.  

ALL I want, more than anything, is for you to watch this video. 

Instant spirt & instant chills. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/easter-videos/2022-04-004-the-good-news?lang=eng

Jesus Christ lives! He is your Savior. 

I love him with my whole heart and soul. 

We passed out flyers: "come listen to us sing @ the pavilion" in an old folks community & we now have 5 avid fans!!!! Every Saturday at 1 catch Sister Gilmore and I BELTING our hearts out for the little grandmas and grandpas. 

It was actually so fun and they BEGGED us to come back. One lady even said she will remember to wear her hearing aids JUST for us. 

I told her she might want to leave those at home........ 

SING 4 OLD PEOPLE!!

PREFERABLY ABOUT JESUS!

-SISTER SPANGLER

HAPPY NARMSHINT DAY

narmshint narmshint narmshint 

*bows three times*

We made up a holiday on April fool's day & pranked everyone. 

"I can get people to do ANYTHING because I'm brown & they think it's part of my culture." -Sister Gilmore. 

Was she wrong????? No.

Narmshint day should be everyday. 

Brother Young, my favorite man in Louisiana, brought us a massive tin of butter cookies. Straight up BLINKED & all the cookies were GONE. Also I had gained 5 pounds. HEHE! 

We made carrot juice with Carl & all chugged gallons. My skin is now dyed. I am the new annoying orange. 

Carl's wife, Kay, has dementia & usually lays in her bed all day knitting. We started talking about gospel music & she LEAPT up and started singing with her whole SOUL. She was BEAMING. Carl was in AWE and said he hadn't seen her that happy in a long long time. 

SOUL GOSPEL MUSIC brings miracles. 

amen hallelujah. 

My heart just genuinely fills to the brim with joy everyday. Sometimes I feel like I could just BURST. Life is full of happy little moments that completely overpower the sad little moments. 

Happy moments: 

Helping Ethel read and jumping for joy with her when she gets the words right.

Joseph's Bible jokes 

Brother Young's stories about pranking his ex-wife that tried to kill him multiple times. 

When a bird, now my favorite bird, had a little diarrhea problem on Sister Gilmore's HEAD and DRESS and ARM.

Biking down any street in Monroe 

Abbie bearing her testimony of the Book of Mormon to her daughter as we taught them. 

General Conference!!

Miso soup! Miso soup! 

"I'VE GOT THE JOY OF THE LORD DOWN IN MY SOUL" go listen to that whole song & imagine you're sitting down by the bayou and the trees are SWAYIN'. Life is good huh.

We got banished to our apartment TWICE because of a little tornado??? The sky was a LOVELY shade of green & the wind was howling. Perfect biking weather!

All weather is biking weather. GO BIKE!  We won't be able to join though, Sister Gilmore biked over a nail and then her bike fell off our bike rack & DRAGGED behind us.....

DAVID WALKED AN HOUR TO WATCH CONFERENCE WITH US AT THE CHURCH. He pulled up SWEATING with his Book of Mormon in hand. 

Joseph came too!! In all his 6'8 glory. We do NOT know who's going to baptize him.... 

happy narmshint day & happy new year 

-SISTER SPANGLER

MONROE FOR 6 MORE WEEKS!!!!!!!