April 9, 2012

How is everyone doing? Things have been going really well. We got a total of 9 others lessons this week! Most of them are just from former and potential investigators that we visited. None of them were completely interested in taking the lessons right then, but that's okay, we're planting seeds in them. We were able to pick up a new investigator again. It was an investigator Sister Tubbs and I had been teaching but then she kind of dropped off the planet for 2 months, but we were able to get in touch with her again and set up a lesson. So now we have a total of 4 investigators! One of them, she is getting excited for her baptismal date in June! We hadn't talked about it for a while, but finally we mentioned it and she is excited. I think as she has learned more, she is getting more adjusted and her concerns are leaving, making her feel more comfortable and ready to be a member of the church. Our other investigator, he actually left his girlfriend for a few days because he finally decided to take a stance on them getting married. The result, they have agreed to get married within a year’s time. So next year on April 5th they should be getting married and the next day he can get baptized! Now he just has to quit smoking...and he seems a little addicted, he did start when he was 12. Our Bahia investigator...we just don't know what to do with him. Our ward mission leader found out later from him that he believes that our purpose in life is just to praise God. What a meaningless life. I can't comprehend how someone could believe that. There has to be a greater purpose to our lives than that. And there is. Our purpose is to prepare to meet God. To learn and grow. To put aside our natural man and to attain spiritual gifts, Christ-like attributes, because those things will help us become better people. We've also been getting to know a lot more less actives. Things are going good. And by the way, I am physically doing better. No more pink eye. And Sister Garfield and I get a long really great! Our nightly planning sessions turn into laughing sessions. Haha. Yep. Had a good Easter yesterday. So when we went to church, we didn't have a dinner appointment. But while we were greeting people, Brother Manwell asked what our plans were. Said, "Don't know." "What!?! You mean you don't have a dinner?" "Nope." "Well, it would be our pleasure to have you for dinner." He was excited. He and his wife are great people. I love the ward. They are all pretty great. Yes. Anyway. Life is good and I love all of you SOO Much!!!

Great Conference

What a week! So Monday I got Sister Tubbs dropped off at the mission office. I went down to Loomis with Sister Barker and Sister Orro. I went to dinner with them and to some visits. It's really pretty there! And then I stayed the night with Sister Williams and Sister Garfield. Tuesday Sister Garfield and I headed back to Paradise. So, I love Sister Garfield. She is just awesome. Sweet, happy, hard-working... So we get along just great. She is from Riverton, Utah. I love working with her. I feel like most transfer weeks happen to be slow. But not this last transfer week. It was great! We were able to make contact with a lot of people. And Sister Garfield works great in unity already, with no practice. It just happened. Actually, I fasted for that. I really know that fasting works. I have had so many prayers answered by fasting. There is a special power to fasting. So, I am getting better from being sick. I feel like there's a curse on me though. haha... so Friday morning I woke up with pink eye. My life is really kind of funny. I think it's funny because I have no idea where I got the pink eye. Yet, when a year or two ago when Ryan and the nephews had it, I didn't get it. Funny. Oh well. I was able to get some prescribed eye drops, so I am using them and hoping in a few days my eyes will be cured of that. Ha, yeah. Anyway. Two of our investigators were able to see conference! That was exciting! Conference was exciting! So good! There's so much I need to improve on! I loved everyone's talks. I really don't think I had a favorite. But I really liked what President Utchdorf said about how this life is about letting things go. Sometimes that is hard, but good in the end. I also loved how (I forget who now) someone talked about being truly converted to the gospel. That's something I see with less actives. They never were really truly converted to the gospel, but to the people that were there when they were baptized. It's so sad. I also loved how they were talking about families and what we can do to make them better. I just love our church leaders. They are so inspired and truly know what we need. I just can't wait until the conference ensign comes out! I am so excited for that. So this last week we had some good lessons with 2 of our investigators. Sister Garfield is good. She reminds me that no matter how far way a person is from baptism, we still need to invite. It is good. Very good. I am excited for this transfer. Miracles will happen. I just know it. One time when we were looking for a less active, we ended giving a Book of Mormon to guy who agreed to meet with the missionaries. But he's in the process of moving...to where he does not know. But we got his phone number and we'll get him the missionaries. We have also been bold and inviting people to take the lessons. There was a part member family we visited. The member husband was not home. But we talked a visited with his wife for a while. I asked her about her religious background and then invited her to learn more about what we believe in. She never thought about that...so she said she'll think about it. We left her the Plan of Salvation pamphlet and then will stop by this coming weekend to see what she has decided. I really hope she lets us teach her! It would be so good! She and her husband are really great people and could benefit a lot from it. Anyway, overall I think that was my week. I love you all so much and love hearing from you! Have a good week!

March 26, 2012

Hi dear family! How are all of you? I'm tired and sick... sore throat, ears, funny voice...I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel as though every wrong with my body goes wrong here in Paradise...sick, funny skin conditions...weirdness. Anyway. Enough of the complaining. Sorry.
So we had transfer calls come in last night. Sister Tubbs, like we knew, is going home. My new companion will be Sister Garfield. All I know about her is that she has been out for 4 months...so I'll be the senior companion, WEIRD! Yeah, so hopefully all will be well.
This last week was kind of different. On Monday we ended up having a lesson with our investigator (the one who's baptismal date is in June). She is still doing well for herself. She came to church yesterday! Oh, and she received a priesthood blessing this last week! It was good. And Yep. The other of our investigators we weren't really able to meet with... technically we have 5 investigators, but really I feel as if 3 of them have good potential currently. Oh wells. We have other potential investigators that we can work with. Um... sorry, I feel as though my brain isn't with it today. Sorry. Let's see...........
So Thursday night we drove to Auburn. Because Friday morning Sister Tubbs and one of the 3 Auburn sisters got to go to the temple since the 2 of them are going home. So I spent Friday morning I spent in Auburn. It was that Thursday night that I started feeling sick... so did Sister Tubbs. What a companionship. Unity in getting sick. Anyway. You probably are tired of hearing that. I am. Haha... So Auburn is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I really love it there. But I only spent like half a day there.
Friday afternoon we had a really cool visit with a less active member. The couple are both converts. The wife has MS and is pretty much stuck to a wheel chair. The husband, he knows he needs to come back to church. We set up a return appointment for in 3 weeks...he'll be out of town until then. We'll we were talking to him I asked if he was going to be taking his Book of Mormon with him. "I had thought of that," he said. "You should." "Yeah...that's a good idea. I could do that." "Yeah, and you should start reading it from page 1." Yeah, so he is going to start reading again from The Book of Mormon! And then before we left, he wanted to say a prayer for us. And as he was praying, he felt the spirit really strongly and started crying. That was way cool. I know he has a lot of potential and that he will be coming back to church soon. :)
Saturday we had a relief society activity. We made hygiene kits and backpacks for the homeless. That was good.
Yep. That's really all I can think of that's exciting. Or new. Oh! Random. Yesterday while Sister Tubbs was saying goodbye to a family (whom half of them are recent converts), I ended up attempting to help a boy with his math homework...first time I did that on my mission. I felt bad because he really didn't know what his homework was asking him... and it was just talking about ratios. But that family does struggle with things like that. But I hope it made sense to him.
I'm excited for General Conference this week! It'll be good. Very good.
Love you all lots and lots, tons and tons!!!!
Love always,