Happy 4th of July!!

July 2, 2012

Hello Family!

I'm soooo glad y'all are all safe with all of the scary fire stuff going on.  I have heard a lot about the fires from members down here and it scares me every time I hear about it. I'm glad the girls were safe up at camp too. I know the Lord is watching out for us all! Thanks for all the updates on everyone mom. That is really sad about Sister Frehner. Give her family a hug from me! How is everything else going at home?! I am sooo excited to have another Nephew! He is going to be about 6 months by time I get home... Crazy!

  

Also, Sister Draegers homecoming is coming up this Sunday so I hope you can make it to that so you can meet her! She became one of my best friends! :) Tell her I love her and miss her. Lots of the investigators we are teaching here tell me how big of an impact she made on their lives. I hope I can become the missionary she was here.

If you go to Griff's homecoming tell him I said hello and I miss him so much! I would have you give him a hug, but that may be awkward so just tell him I'll give it to him later... :) haha

Allison, I got a letter from the youth in the Stake this past week and man alive you are Miss popular! Everyone that wrote me was like... You probably don't know me but I'm friends with you sister Allison! Haha and the funny thing is that they were all boys. Tanner I think and Jacob Fisher... and someone else... Tell them all thank you! I don't have their return address.

Well as for me... I have a new companion!!! Her name is Sister Rozas! She is a temple square sister from Chili. She will only be my companion till the 18th and then she goes back up to SLC to temple square. Which means I'll have another companion coming soon. Lots of changes! Sister Rozas has only been learning English for the past 11 months, but it is really good! Everyone always is so surprised when she says how short she has known English. She was serving in a Spanish area before here and she told President she didn't want to serve English because she didn't feel ready, but she is doing so good! And she is teaching me lots of Spanish! :) I’m going to be sad when I have to send her home too...

This past week was really good! Jonatan got baptized on Saturday and he was soooo happy! Sister Rozas and I got to speak at his baptism which was really cool because he had lots of family there that weren't members and they all wanted to come to church the next day after the baptism was over. :) Jonatan is setting the example for his family! Oh! And lots of his family speaks Spanish so I was able to bare my testimony of the restoration in English and then sister Rozas bore hers in Spanish. :) The spirit was really strong!

We have to give another talk in church next Sunday on the 8th... Bishop caught us as we were leaving the baptism and asked us. I am really nervous because he is letting us choose our topic, but I think I'm going to speak on Member missionary work. I'll let y'all know how it turns out. Sister Rozas and I are going to use this opportunity to try to get each of our investigators to church... haha :)

We have an amazing investigator named Noo. I think I've mentioned her before but we moved her baptism date up to next Saturday the 14th! She is progressing so well. Last week in church the records guy was asking all the new members in the ward to fill out the new member paperwork and Noo turns to us and asks where she can get that. haha I love her! I told her she will fill that out after she gets baptized. :) She came with us and the senior sister missionaries last night to a 4th of July sing a long and it was really good for her to get to talk with people from the ward and feel more welcome. I will send pictures home of that! Also mom and dad you should be grateful for her cause she is like our little mommy while we are out here. She is SO worried about us being out at nights so she got us these whistles to use if we are in danger and she taught us all these self defense moves. She is also really concerned we aren't getting fed so she makes sure to feed us every week. We are going over tonight and she is going to make us some of her Thai food. :)

Another one of our investigators who "has our backs" as he would say is S____. He is an ex-gang member and was involved in lots of crazy stuff, but he said being in prison changed his life. He read through the bible 3 times as he was in prison and he said he told God that if he would allow him and his wife to get a house after he got out he would allow his messengers in and take care of them. So he told us that we are always welcome because he has a home because of God. He and his wife had us over for dinner last night and S____ said, "I want my daughter to grow up to be like you sista's" haha His daughters name is Avery! Cool huh? But he is really open to learn. His ex wife and 3 kids are all members and so he knows a lot about the church. As we were teaching the restoration he said, "Are you sure there is another book of scripture?" We pulled out Ezekial 37 and read through a chapter of the Book of Mormon and as he read about Christ appearing to the Nephites he told us he knows it's another testament of Christ! We can't wait to see how his life changes as he gains his own testimony. He also called us the other night and told us that we need to slowly get his wife to sit in. He said she is closed off right now, but as we do "bibly study" (in his words) she will feel the spirit and will be drawn in. I hope they both get baptized cause they are so ready for the gospel in their lives!

I love getting to see peoples’ lives change as they open their minds and their hearts to what God is trying to tell them! I get to see it daily, and I love it! Sometimes it's hard when we see God trying to open peoples’ hearts and they aren't listening, but we are searching for the Elect and the elect will hear our message.

I love you all sooo much! I pray for you daily and I hope everything is going well.

Erianne :)