Hello my Family!!!
This week has been another wonderful week on the mission. This email is kinda later than usual today, but this morning we went up to Independence because an elder in this area had an interview with President, so we all rode up there together. It was really nice to see President Van Komen, because he is going home on Thursday! It's so crazy. He is going to be missed so much. But we're also getting very excited for President Keyes to see what he is like. President and Sister Van Komen have been running this mission for the past three years. They have really become the "parents" of the mission. If any of you ever get to meet them, you will love them. They're driving home to Utah this week. But they are really some of the most loving people I've ever met in my life, and their examples are so amazing to me.
It was SO great to be able to talk to the family yesterday! It was so good to hear all of your voices, and it really felt good to know that Chloe still remembers me. It's only been a few months but she really sounds like she's growing up! Brynlee, it was so great to hear your voice too! You are just getting so big, but I'm glad your birthday was so good. Happy Birthday Bryn! And Ashley, I miss you and I was so happy to talk to you. Same with you Isaac, it was so nice to be able to talk to you. You mentioned that there was a flood there or something? Well the Missouri River is flooding too! Lately, it's just been flooding over in a different part. But here in Leavenworth the river is rising. It's pretty crazy. Braydon, I loved talking with you again. We're pretty lucky to be able to be talking twice, huh! I love you. Brock, Heather, I love both of you so much too and it was SO great to be able to hear your voices. I'm glad you had such an amazing time on trek, and it's so exciting that you get to go again! Wow... you are both pretty blessed to be able to do that. Dad and Melinda of course, it was so good to talk to you, and to hear that the whole family is doing well. And happy late birthday again to you Melinda!!!
Well, this week in Missionary work has again been wonderful. Sad to say, we still have not had a baptism for Rickie Acree. She told us she had something come up for work. But she is still doing well. I really just think that she has been getting a lot of bad feelings from the advesary that she really doesn't need. Something seems to be keeping her away. But we went over there this week to talk to her about it, and she told us that she really honestly wants to be baptized. She told us an interesting story, and Mom, this is pretty cool because I'm so glad you sent Rickie your testimony... She told us that last week she started packing up her stuff and was ready to just move out, so she could get away from any problems, get away from the missionaries and the church, (because it was making her feel unclean) and just get away. She told us that when she went to work she saw that testimony you wrote Mom, and all of a sudden the spirit hit her like it had in the past, and she knew she needed to be baptized. She is just having such a struggle with the advesary right now in preparing for it! But she is amazing, and she WILL be baptized on Tuesday. ;) She told us that she would promise to be baptized on that day. So, it better happen! We're really excited for her though, it will be a wonderful day. We asked her who she wanted to baptize her, and since she doesn't know many people in the ward very well, she wanted one of us to do it, so she prayed and prayed about it and couldn't decide. haha... But eventually, she told Elder Taufa that she would like to have him do the baptism, and she asked me to confirm her. We're really excited, but hopefully I won't get transferred this week! (I can't belive it's the end of the transfer again!) So, if I get transferred, it will be on Thursday, so I won't be able to be there for her confirmation on Sunday unless I get special permission to come back. I don't feel ready to leave Leavenworth. These people in Leavenworth and Lansing are my family! I have come so close to so many of them, I don't really want to go. But, we'll see what the Lord has in store!
Also, this week we once again met with Stephanie. It is so hard sometimes when we meet with her at parts of the lesson because she begins talking about her little daughters who passed away. There were a lot of tears shed in this last lesson, as we talked to her about the gospel principles. It was interesting because while my companion and I were teaching the lesson, the Leavenworth 1st ward elders showed up, thinking that they were the ones teaching her. (We found out Stephanie is actually in the other Leavenworth ward, not 2nd ward.) So, anyway, it turned out that all four of us taught the lesson. It was actually a great experience though. And Stephanie is learning so much. I invited her to be baptized on June 25, and she gladly accepted! It was pretty great. I'm so excited to be able to see her be baptized, (if I'm here, another reason I want to stay!)
Last night we met with Andy Bestor. I don't know how much I've talked about him before, but he is about 21 or 22. His wife is a member of the church. It's kinda different teaching him sometimes because he is so close to our age. But, it was a great meeting. I was able to teach about the Restoration of the Gospel through Joseph Smith. That is probably my favorite thing to teach. I LOVE talking about the first vision. I love it because it is the one main thing about this gospel that makes it unique, and more importantly, true. And throughout the lesson he kept asking questions like, "I just don't get why you say your church is true." or "What is so different about your church from all the other churches?" I just loved to see the light in his eyes as we expained why, and as it seemed to hit him that it was all true. He has come such a long way, from originally not wanting anything to do with his "wife's church". But now he seems to understand that this isn't just another church. This is the same church that Christ established when He was on the earth! And now we're a part of it, and we have a prophet who leads and guides His church on the earth today!
This week we ate dinner with the Matinas in our ward. They are such an awesome Samoan family. Brother Matina is a really big guy, but he is so loving, and we have so much fun with him. After dinner, we had a Family Home Evening with them and asked me to play and sing the song, "O Lord, My Redeemer". I really like that song. I have heard it lots before, but hadn't sang it really like that. We enjoyed it though, and Elder Taufa had his ukelele with him so he sang Love at Home in Tongan. It is pretty sweet. A lot of times he plays it at night when we're getting ready for bed. He's an aweseome companion. He has been teaching me some Tongan, which has been fun. But we've had a lot of fun. He's taught me a lot how to be a real person with other people. How to be a missionary, but really how to really care about them and be their friend. He's pretty amazing. He gave me a blessing this transfer at a time when I wasn't feeling too hot. But he's an awesome elder.
This week I really learned a lesson of the power in the Book of Mormon. There is so much power in that book and it is the keystone of our religion for a reason. If someone knows the Book of Mormon is true, they will KNOW that everything else in the church is true! There is a reason Moroni counseled us to read and pray for ourselves to know if the book is true, it's because it IS true, and we can know that through the power of the holy ghost. In learning about the Book of Mormon, I went on exchanges this week with an Elder named Elder Espinoza. (where you spent 24 hours with a different missionary) He is from Honduras, and speaks little English. He actually didn't know any English till he got out here on the Mission Field, because he's a spanish serving missionary. Anyway, we did some "spirit tracting", where we prayed before we went out, and then went and knocked on some doors that we should knock on. As we were going along, he told me to try something. He told me to hold a Book of Mormon in my hand, and when they answer the door to introduce ourselves, and then to immediately hold up the Book of Mormon and ask if they had heard of it. I thought it was kind of a different way of approaching someone. But I tried it, and the spirit came so strong, and the first person we talked to actually happened to speak spanish, his name is Jesus, and he was so interested in learning more. I know I share little stories like this all the time and it might seem like I'm just making it up, but I'm not. ;) The power of the spirit is so real, and Heavenly Father really leads and guids us to those who we need to share the gospel with.
I'm doing my best as a missionary. I love this gospel, and I love the fact that I am spending every day serving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I'm so blessed to be doing that. I'm so blessed to have such an amazing family back at home. Thank you all for being the amazing examples you all are to me every day. We are so blessed to be a part of this gospel, and I'll talk to you all next week. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Jesus Christ's true church restored to the earth today. I love it.
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