Family!

Date: May 20, 2013
Area: Idaho
Companion: Sister Barnett
Family!!
This week has gone by so fast. And I am pretty sure that I will continue to say that until the day I am home. Can you believe that I have already been out for a month and a half?!? Time is flying by. This week has been pretty great! But it seems like that every day is starting to be like the one before. Isnt that weird? Yeah not really, I do the same thing every day. But that is okay because I love it! I see my testimony grow every day! And sometimes it is just by little things. Here is one example. Yesterday my companion and I were teaching a lesson and I didnt get to say very much in the lesson. She really likes to talk a lot. And Therefore I never really say anything. I was writing about it at the end of the day and as I was writing I wrote.. I am writing this because I have no one to tell all of this too. What was I thinking??? I have Heavenly Father to talk to and He will listen to anything and everything that I have to say. So what did I do? I prayed about it to help me not have hard feelings toward my companion! I climbed into bed a little bugged and then the next thing I know she is throwing her stuffed animal at me. His name is pigchop. He is an ugly sheep that looks like a pig. Hence the name pigchop. We probably did that for about twenty minutes and we were having the best time ever. That right there was an answer to my prayers. Heavenly Father knows me and He knew exactly what I needed.

He answers prayers. And even though that was something so small and simple and kind of silly, It helped me so much. Heavenly Father knows us and he is just waiting for us to pray to Him to ask for help. He wants to help us and he doesnt like to see us struggle.

Well, last Monday we went shopping at Deseret Book, and I got something amazing! I got primary books that are the scriptures that have the pictures with them. I dont really know the scripture stories and I want to learn them. So what better way than to have a picture book? I love them and they have helped me so much and I know the stories now! Well some of them! Later that night we went and taught Jessie. She is the lesbian and we talked a lot about baptism and well she decided that she wants to get baptized. There is one small problem though, she is living with another lesbian and that is not okay. So we talked a little about that and she still wants to get baptized. She is thinking of the options that she has as to where her roommate would go. We are going to continue to teach her and hope that she accepts everything that we do teach her.

We are also teaching a guy named Charles and he is a tough cookie. He is very caught up on things that should not matter at this time. Things that he will not accept until he accepts the gospel. We were talking a lot about tithing and my companion kept saying things such as, what if I was in need of food, would you help me out? (this went on for about 30 min) I didnt think that that was really appropriate and that this whole situation was about her. So I related it to Jesus Christ and his atonement. I said, Jesus Christ went through so much pain and suffering for us. He doesnt ask much from us. All Heavenly Father wants from us to for us to return to Him and to pay 10 percent tithing. I went more in depth and he was starting to understand. But then my companion started talking about herself again. Then I said.. You know what, we need to drop the whole tithing thing for now. You are not going to accept tithing until you accept this gospel. So for now, we are done talking about tithing. We didnt say another thing about it. I am learning a lot from my companion of things what not to do. Is that horrible? It kind of is. But that is how I am learning.

Tuesday, we had district meeting and as always, it was fun. We were all talking and someone said something. And I was about to say true to tushay. (<---- spelling?) and it came out as trushay. Yeah needless to say, that is now a new word in our mission. Haha I didnt think anyone heard me, but they did. Well, that night we started exchanges and I was so excited to be this sister her name is Sister Dingle and she is awesome! She is my grandma. And that is because she trained my trainer and my trainer is my mom. Therefore she is my grandma! Haha :)

 Wednesday I was with Sister Dingle all day. We had an awesome day! We met with Sara, she is the one who tells us that we are headed to outter darkness and well, that lesson was awesome! I was able to teach and we taught so well together. I felt so good in that lesson. I think Sara is starting to understand that our beliefs are pretty much the same. I invited her to church with us and she said yes! We are also going on a church tour with her! She does believe in the Book Of Mormon because there is no evidance of it. Well I told her to read in 2 Nephi 27 and then to read Isaiah 29 and to compare them. They both talk about the coming forth of the Book Of Mormon. And then I invited her to pray about it. We are meeting with her this Wednesday and I am excited to see what she thought of it. That night we taught the Young Men, well they taught us and they are doing so well. They are going to be such great missionaries! I love the work that we are doing!
Thursday was a great day! We went to the temple with all of the sister in the mission! there are so many of us. There are about 43 I believe!

The session in the Idaho Falls session is awesome! In the session we move to different rooms throughout the whole thing. I loved it. I love being able to go to the temple. The temple is so pretty and amazing. I love the feeling that i get when I enter. Even just being on the grounds is amazing. The feeling is so peaceful and it is such a comfort! I wish that I could go to the temple as often as I did before I left. But I know what I am doing the first week I get home. I am going to the temple and I am going to go as often as I can!
Friday was also a good day. We had our weekly planning and we also met with the 7th ward bishop just talking about the people in the ward and those that we need to visit. We are starting to meet with our ward mission leaders and getting them to work with us a lot. That wasnt really happening before I came in. I am hoping to change that. I am trying to make a few changes. But I am trying to do it in a way that my trainer thinks that they are her ideas! Haha :)
Saturday we didnt do a whole lot. But we did go to dinner with Brittany and Jessie (the lesbians) and it was a good time. After dinner we went back to their house to teach them a lesson and after we were done we were talking to them and they had hangers on the couch that they were sitting on. And Jessie said that she saw someone put their body through a hanger. So what did I want to do? Try and put my body through the hanger.

Needless to say, It didnt work. Even though I have been loosing weight I wasnt skinny enough to get my body through the hanger. Haha. It was fun trying and it was really funny to see. Dont worry, we did take pictures. And I will be sending my SD card home within the next couple of weeks!

Sunday was such a great day! It was Kendas Baptism! It was amazing. I loved being apart of her baptism. The whole day just felt clean. I know that sounds cheesy, but it did. It was raining all day and the earth was "washed clean" Kenda has her baptism which she was washed clean and we were able to take the sacrament and I was washed clean. It was just a great feeling thoughout the whole day. And I loved it. I can not wait until we have our next baptism.



Well everyone, I hope you are all doing fantastic! I love you all and I love the support that I have received! I keep all of you in my prayers every night! :) I can not wait to write again!
Love,
Sister Halbison