Week 17

Dear Family,
Well, another week goes by. I have been out for a few months now, and it is still freezing. Gosh dang it. I love the gospel, but it makes you warm, thus I am certain that cold weather is from the adversary. Definitely certain on that one. haha. However, you will be impressed to know that I can now drive in blizzards, ice rain, sleeting rain and a plethora of other weather conditions. This morning was a bit interesting. I woke up and started reading from the Book of Mormon when I started to hear a super annoying noise. My comp came out of the bathroom and was like what is that noise? I answered I have no idea. Then, she was like will you come out and see what it is with me. Sure. So we went out to the stairwell. I noticed flashing lights and realized it was the fire alarm. I was in my shorts and t-shirt and no shoes. We ran out of the building into Ice Rain. SUPER COLD. We saw the fire truck and the fire man. He came over and said, "Someone pulled the fire alarm." FEW. I was very relieved especially since I could go get my feet warm. That Started my day.

Lacey...She is super awesome. Her son is the same age as I have been out...four months, but Nine month old clothes are too small on him. Elijah is basically the most adorable baby (aside from our babies) on the planet. Lacey dresses him up like an old style Chicago gangster and brings him to church each week. He's pretty dang cute. Unfortunately, I am not able to hold him. It is the second hardest rule for me to follow. All the other rules are basically easy, but man that one blows. I follow it though. There are a lot of rules, but I constantly think of the rules or commandments that God gives to the Nephites, and I realize that all though they did not understand it they did do it. I was thinking about that a lot in 1 nephi 17 when he was not allowed to light fire while they were in the wilderness. You might be thinking, how did they cook food? Well, Heavenly Father promised them that if they kept this commandment he would make the food sweet to them, "that they cook it not." I thought that was fascinating, truly, "when the Lord commands, and man obeys that man will always be right" and to take from another prophet, "the lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men save he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish it." I never realized how much I would rely on those words as I do now. I am not perfect at always doing what is right, but I can see myself improving little by little.

Penelope? Mother, did you really name your chicken Penelope? I no longer can name my firstborn Penelope, she will think she was named after Grandma's favorite Chicken. haha. Just kidding. That is an awesome name, what are the other Chicken's names? Are they growing well? I got the photos and proudly displayed them to my companion. I will be showing them to my zone this week. haha. Won't they love that. I also got the letters. I super enjoyed them. I really do love letters. I probably shouldn't love them so much, but I totally do. I try to write several each week on P-day, because I know how much I enjoy them...hopefully, others will enjoy and appreciate them as well.

The gospel does change people. It has definitely Changed me. I can only see slight improvement but hopefully by the end of my time, I am much changed. Tell nick Hello for me! Also, tell Brigham and kris congratulations on the mission call. That is super awesome. The more they prepare now the easier the mission will be. But, let me get one thing extremely straight.... If it is easy for you, you are doing it wrong. Elder Holland said, "if you do not participate in a little of the Garden of Gethsemane on your mission, how can you call yourself a representative of Jesus Christ?" If you are trying to be the best missionary you can be, days will still blow. You will run into trials, you will face adversity, and you will cry. However, your testimony of Jesus Christ grows much more in the furnace of affliction then in any other way. I personally can bear witness to that. It has not been in the few moments of Joy that I have experienced that I have grown, it has been through the countless disappointments that I have grown. Tell them, to be yoked to the savior and he will carry them through. I know that to be true. I go through my own personal struggles every single day, but I know more than ever that this is my Heavenly Fathers work. I know that he is calling for the laborers for the last time. I witness the signs of the times daily, and it is confirmed to me through the spirit that we are in the final hour. So, the song, "whose on the Lord side who, now is the time to show" means more now than it ever has before. Any way, tell them that I will be praying continually for them.

Dads lesson sounds pretty awesome. It is true. We all have a responsibility to do the saviors work. We all have our responsibility to build up the Kingdom of God. Pretty awesome.

Ok...you asked about my investigators. We have a few, but my area has a lot of wonderful families, thus the adversary works even harder. Which means, I have to work even harder. I told you that I have dropped and gained and dropped and gained investigators the entire time I have been here. However, the ones I am teaching now are super awesome. I so love them. They are hearing his voice and hearkening. I really enjoy all those I teach. It is amazing how the experiences I have had in my life helps me connect and help others overcome there struggles. I find it fascinating that the Lord know so much about each of us that he know exactly what we all need. Most my investigators like the fact that I am "NERD" status, that I haven't just lived the gospel blindly, but that I have questioned, I have studied, and I have come to know for myself that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints is true. Am I converted to the culture? ABSOLUTELY NOT! But, I am converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Truly, tradition followed blindly is a sign of stupidity. Absolutely true. But, I love the people I am teaching, and I pray daily to teach more.

Saturday, I did service all day long. Service is powerful. It has the power to take an average day and change it to a magnificent one. I served at a food pantry all day. I had to stack foods, and other products. A 13 year old 6"1 boy was helping us out. He told me he was a football player, and that he wanted to be a receiver. I dedicated the rest of my time to throwing the cans of food, boxes of cereal, and bottles of juice to him. I would find them and throw them to him across the room, and he would catch them and place them in a box. He had to do it quick so that he didn't get hit in the face because of my continual throwing. We would also hand him bags of food that he would have to run through shelves and obstacles to get to a certain destination. I kind of felt like Jackie chan in the Karate kid, making him do all these crazy things to help him be better at football. It was pretty awesome. After that, we went to a house where we cleaned for three hours solid. Thank Heavens for all my years of cleaning at Grandmas. I scrubbed the floors, did the dishes, swept, shined the tables and a bunch of other chores. It was way fun, and they so appreciated it.

My health is actually severely improving. After getting off the metformin, I am doing a heck a lot better...however, the Birth control makes me nauseated...GO FIGURE. Everything else is going well. I received a package from Aunt Gail this week. It was awesome. It had a calorie counter and a weigher. I have started recording and counting. However, if beth has a way to copy the Insanity...I would very much use it.

Well, I love you all a lot. Mother, I miss you too! Don't worry, I'll see you next tax season haha. My prayers are still being sent up to heaven in your behalf and as always may the force be with you.

Love, Sister Cissily