Expired...

Dear Family,

Guess what?!? I am now expired...at least my ministerial certificate is. Sad day is what that is. They are working on getting me an updated one, but who knows how quickly that will come.

Also with this new area, we are slowly building up a teaching pool. Our schedule is looking more full this week, also we actually have dinner appointments this week. I don't necessarily love the food that comes with them but it really is more efficient as a missionary since we do get to know the members and help them trust us and we get to teach. It will be good to teach more with Sister Bogar she is really good at making people feel really good about themselves. She cut hair for 7 years and has had to listen to a lot of people talk and she is good at it.

Cloud: He came to church last week we were able to give him a copy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet. We talked about it at our meeting this week. He came with it all read and he said that he had questions last week but after reading the pamphlet and praying everything made sense. We also taught the Word of Wisdom and he was a little concerned about tea, as we were talking more about it, he stopped us and said it doesn't matter I just won't drink it. What a blessing he is to us. He will be coming to hear Elder Nash speak on Thursday.

Danny: Is doing great, still reading, still praying. He knows the church is true, he knows that Joseph Smith is a true prophet, he just wants to be absolutely sure before baptism. He keeps talking about it as if it will be soon, every lesson we talk about setting a date, yet he still does not have one. He hasn't missed a week of church since we met him.

Ryan and Lilly are also amazing. We were able to teach them the Plan of Salvation. They had a lot of sincere questions and they really liked how the gospel answered them. Lilly had planned to come to the gratitude dinner and they both wanted to come to church but Lilly is pregnant and is experiencing quite a bit of nausea associated with that. They are reading from the Book of Mormon and progressing well.

Branjal and Pratibha: are a couple from India, we have met with them twice now. They have a lot of good questions about God and have spent a lot of time thinking about Him. The Spirit was really strong at our last lesson where we talked more about the Plan of Salvation and our purpose here on earth.

We are still feeling our way around our new area looking for those married couples. Also we finally have ward boundaries and ward directories so this week we are going to set up appointments with the younger couples in the ward and get to know them better. This will help us better understand how we are going to use them as fellowshippers and also ask for referrals!

In the Book of Mormon today there was a scripture that really hit me, it talks about in the resurrection those who were wicked will be wicked still, and those who were righteous will be righteous still, and those who were happy will be happy still, and unhappy, unhappy still. What hit me was that happiness is a choice, not just now. Just as we choose to keep the commandments, we choose our attitude. This week has been really difficult for me, it was my original release date and with it came a lot of feelings about going home early and all that came with that. It has been a struggle to put on a smile and go forward but everyday I have tried to smile and be happy and go find souls to save. I know there is a purpose to all things, there is a reason God called me here, I know that He will never let me go through anything alone. What a comfort that is to know. I can and will choose to be happy for it is my choice!

I will be doing exchanges with Sister Ricks Tuesday in Portland, and the following week I am planning on going to Owosso and working with Sister Thackerary. We are using members to drive us to the areas to save miles on the car and are just going to follow the Spirit and hope that I can be of some help and support and guidance to these wonderful sisters. I love them all so much and am grateful that I can help them in any way that I can.

What else...we walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and run to catch buses and walk. I don't remember feeling this tired, but that is good it means that we are busy. Please still pray that we work well with our 3 wards. Sometimes I still feel quite confused as to the vision of what we are specifically trying to do in the area. Again Find, teach, baptize...yet I understand that, but what about all the hundreds of members that we now get to work with. That is this week's task to understand, we now have ward maps and directories and off we go! We are starting by visiting all of the recently married couples and those who are between 18-mid 30's.
Also Elder Nash from the 70 is doing a mission tour this week and we we get to go up to Mt Pleasant to hear him speak on Saturday. I am quite excited, it is Mt Pleasant and a general authority, couldn't get better!!

I love you all, thank you for all of your support.
Mahal ko po kayo,
Ingat,
Sister Rebecca Jensen