That I Might Bring Them Joy: Two Months!

Ola!

Its crazy to think that as of today... I've been out on my mission 2 months! And I'm halfway through my first transfer in the field! Things are just going by so fast.
And yet so slow at the same time....
Hey, isn't Jehosephat's birthday soon? I'm sorry I don't remember the day but... Parabens! (If it isn't soon, then please just reread this when it IS soon....)

Tuesday was AWESOME! We did some service at a ranch that a member, Kaity, is the manager of. We were clearing out a pasture from branches and bushes to make it look nice. Several horses came up to me to say hi! Of course, I was a good missionary, and did not ride on any of them. I'm very responsible that way. The only bad part was that I forgot to put on sunscreen because I thought we'd be in the barns more. So I got waaaaay sunburnt. And just my luck, our first Zone Conference was the next day! I felt pretty miserable (physically speaking) for the rest of Tuesday. That night, in my nightly prayers, I prayed that my sunburn would be healed. I didn't ask for it to be fully healed, just enough so that it wouldn't hinder the work and so that I could fully particpate in Zone Conference without being distracted by any pain from my sunburn.
Also, Sister Kyles went through her first drive through car wash on Monday! I have a pretty great picture of her reaction! Also, in some of our pictures, we like to "face dance" which is basically where we pull a million different faces in the span of 30 seconds and randomly take a picture. You've seen a few of the results, and they're pretty hilarious.

Wednesday, I woke up, we worked out, and when I finally got around to looking at myself, I realized that I had no sunburn. The only red spots I saw were tiny ones around my elbows and on my nose. Other than that, I couldn't see any red at all and there was absolutely no pain. That is a miracle. We (my companions and I) were all pretty astonished, and then we went to Zone Conference. Which was AMAZING. I brought a note for President and Sister Pingree's daughter, Kate, because she let me and another sister steal her room for the first night we were there. So sweet! Kate is 17 years old and Sister Pingree told me she really appreciated my note. I just wanted her to let her know that I appreciated the room, but she was my best friend for the rest of the day! What a bonus :) We talked a lot about love at Zone Conference. One of the big things discussed was "Everything is about Him." We also talked about how charity leads to action, and one of my favorite things that President Pingree said was "When I didn't think I had the strength to move forward, He gave it to me." We also talked about how we can't grow and change without a knowledge of God's love.
There are so many great notes that I have but I'm shot on time! I'll try to send some in a letter.

Thursday, Sister Elliott and I met Lela for the first time! She's an elderly lady with a bunch of medical issues, and is investigating the church. She likes to do her research on religion, and loves to talk. We were able to clear up her concerns and misunderstandings about Jesus Christ and the resurrection, and are going to see her this week. We ate dinner with the Stewarts at a fancy Yacht Club place that they took us to. It was really good! They also brought their Australian "daughter" (close family friends) with them. She's so cool! She goes to UVU and lives in Provo. (Hint for any cousins that may be single and living in Provo, Nikki is also single!) Brother Stewart tries to set everyone up, especially her. Its quite amusing. He gave Sister Kyles, Sister Elliott and me some advice for when we go back. He told us "If you wink and roll the shoulder, I promise you'll get a man!" Needless to say, it was a pretty entertaining dinner.
We also saw the Riveras! The wife, Lachelle, is a member but her husband is not. Their 10 year old son just got baptized, and we are going back to teach the lessons again to the whole family starting this week! I'm pretty pumped about that.

Friday was a blur, and I don't remember much of it :P I just remember that it was hot and sweaty, and tons of awesomeness.

Saturday was the BEST. We went out with a girl named Kaisha, who is going to Ecuador for her mission and leaves in about a week. We went to our second appointment with Derrick, and walked in to see Derrick AND his stepson, Brian, sitting down, ready to go! Brian told us that Derrick talked to him about what we taught last time and wanted to learn too. We grabbed a Book of Mormon for him from the car, and he explained that the day we came to teach and meet Derrick, he was thinking about how the Bible is confusing and how awesome it would be if God wrote another book to explain everything. All I could think was "Have we got a book for you!" He was so excited to read the Book of Mormon, and Derrick told us that that was huge because Brian hates reading. Y'all. Read it. It is literally the best book on the planet! And the most powerful. We asked Derrick if he'd read and prayed like we'd committed him to, and he said that he hadn't been able to read as much as he wanted to but that he liked what he'd read, and he had prayed about it. He told us that when he prayed, he felt good and that it was true. WOOT WOOT! So we taught the Plan of Salvation, and they both liked it a TON and were supposed to come to church Sunday. (That didn't happen... Derrick had to help out his father in Houston all day...) We invited Derrick to be baptized, and as I was asking Derrick to be baptized on the 24th of August, I felt my heart start to pound even more. So I opened my mouth and turned to Brian, after Derrick accepted to be baptized on the 24th!!!, and asked him if he would be baptized on the 24th as well! He accepted!!! He said he felt good about it and that he would have enough time to prepare.

That family has been prepared by the Lord. We've done nothin but open our mouths and follow the Spirit. That is what missionary work is all about- not worrying about what you have to say, and just letting the Lord help you and use you as His instrument by his Spirit.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!! ITS THE BEST :D

Well, I'm short on time and I want to send pictures!!