Smile

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Hello!

So here were my plans for the e-mail today. I was GOING to bring my journal. As a back up I was GOING to use my planner and I was GOING to send pictures home and as a back up I was GOING to upload pictures to send via e-mail.... All the key words were the ones in the past tense. Because I forgot everything! Except for the pictures and the instant photo's were DOWN. What the heck?? Well I'll do the best I can with the memory that I have but it might be a bit rough going. Ha-ha.

That's way cool that you all got to hear from L. Tom Perry just a few weeks after I got to hear from him! That must have been really amazing, especially for the farewell talk. =) Was it random or was it planned? That would have been way cool if he just randomly showed up in your ward. =)

Anyway! I'm doing way well. =) This last week was filled with miracles. We haven't been able to receive referrals in a while and we made a dedicated effort to ask EVERYONE i.e. members, investigators, nonmembers, etc. for referrals... and even though we didn't get the referrals from the people we asked, the Lord still provided and gave us referrals via Headquarters; one from the Mormon Battalion and one from headquarters. We were able to contact both of them. One was a less active named Erica and she has an ADORABLE son named Gerald. Hahahaha. He lost his two front teeth, he's four years old and he's an entertainer. He said some of the funniest things ever. They also fed us a delicious meal of pot roast and roasted vegetables. It was delicious. Also, she brought her non member boyfriend named David and we got to teach him. It was really incredible.

The other referral was a woman named Lynn and she requested a Bible and a Book of Mormon and we delivered it and she was SO excited to get the books and be able to learn more. She was in the middle of a work call but she set a return appointment for Wednesday when she and her friend could learn more. It’s been way awesome. Right before then, we attempted to contact an old potential who apparently had moved.  Instead we met a family that JUST moved into that house three days earlier and they invited us in (WHAT??? That's the first time that's happened to me.... ever I think, that a cold contact just invited us in) and told us to come back so we could give their son a lesson because he needed Christ in his life. Her name is Monica and she knows the Doria's, a family in our ward. =D

Chris is doing awesome! I love her! She is really progressing.

The lesson for this week was a hardcore lesson in learning how to work with members better and get them excited about missionary work. =D We're still working on it but we're trying to apply principles I've learned from Teri, a case study (that happened in Boston,) things we learned during devotional, preach my gospel, etc. and adapt it all so that it works in our area. It’s really actually a miracle that we're both new because we aren't stuck in our ways and are able to adapt and try new things to see if they work. =) As President Hinckley has said, there is a better way than tracting for missionary work, and that way is through the members. =D So just know that each and every one of you is truly, seriously VERY important to missionary work and it’s fun! =) Does it sound like I’m having fun? Because I totally am and you could have almost as much fun as me as you work with missionaries... he-he!

We FINALLY met up with Anna again. Holy cow! It was really humbling. She called us angels, and called us pure. It was really, really humbling. We're doing everything we can to help her, and more importantly to have the Gospel help her. But we can't do it alone. Every time we go there I am my own testimony of missionary work and how the Gospel’s ability to help people strengthens it. She just has to let us help her.

Other really cool things have happened at the Battalion as well. A little fifteen year old girl came through the Battalion yesterday on the tour and she came up to me and said "I want to go on a mission. And now I want to go here!" Hehehe. Pioneer dresses and all. =) Also we were talking about the 1,300 non members who have come through the tour and have been introduced to the Book of Mormon. A guy told me that the Mormon Battalion is still affecting lives today, because if the Mormon Battalion hadn't marched, then this visitor center wouldn't be here, and all these non members wouldn't have been able to be introduced to the Church. That was way cool. =)

Anyway! I'm gradually getting comfortable enough to be spazzy with my companion so things have been pretty funny, ha-ha. Somebody stole her sandwich from the church fridge and she was MOST upset. =)

Transfers are tomorrow! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we both stay in Chula Vista, but its looking pretty likely because President Donaldson wants to keep the pilot program people together. So we're 97% sure we'll stay together to finish the 12 week program. It’s good. I love it! Pray for miracles and they will happen!

Love you all!

Keep smiling!!

Tardiff