November 7, 2011.

Where has the time gone?

I mean that as in my e-mailing time and also the month! I'll quickly update on the highlights of the week. The best part of the week was getting a NEW investigator named Danielle!!!! We tracted into her two weeks ago and she is amazing! She is the happiest, most fun, funny person. She is very happily married and has two beautiful boys. She says that she loves Jesus and has felt the Spirit as we have been to her house twice to teach her. Her husband isn't interested right now. We have had two great lessons and have been able to teach by the Spirit. Not only have we developed a teaching relationship, but we have become great friends. I know we will continue to be friends even when I am gone (not that I am leaving or anything...). I think the main struggles right now will be getting her to come to church and setting her with a baptismal date. She wants to be baptized, but I don't know if she realizes that we want to set a date with her. We were going to at the end of our lesson yesterday, but right before we would have said it, her best friend came over and the timing just didn't work out. We are seeing Danielle again on Saturday. I love to see her embrace the gospel. She is already making many changes in the way that she prays and in reading the Book of Mormon. She has been very prepared in her life as she recognizes little things like how when she gets to bed too late, she feels that it's not good (Word of Wisdom), and many other ways that the Spirit has taught her. I love her.

We had many other lessons with members that went really well and I am getting to know the branch more. It is a wonderful branch and I wouldn't mind living somewhere like this. There are so many ways to serve those in and out of the Church. I bore my testimony yesterday in Sacrament meeting. (Side note: You wouldn't think I'd be nervous to do so after nearly 18 months, but my heart was pounding and I had to talk myself into it hahaha). I bore testimony of Relief Society and how I know that it truly was inspired of God and organized under the Priesthood. I have started the new Relief Society manual "Daughters in My Kingdom" this week and it has been amazing to read. I haven't had too much of an opportunity to be involved in Relief Society so far in my life, but I am SO excited to embrace it and do all that I can to serve. I also know that Visiting Teaching is an inspired program and I pray that I will never miss a month of visiting or reaching out to those I am blessed to serve.

That's about it for this week. It hasn't been too cold here and there are still beautiful fall leaves on many trees. I have been collecting some leaves and it has been a good reminder of how much Heavenly Father loves us to create such beauty for us to live in. I really know that He answers our smallest prayers and never forgets about them. This might be a silly story, but it illustrates this point. A couple weeks ago, while taking out my earrings, I dropped my earring back. These are real black pearl earrings that have a gold, very small back. I searched for over a week. I moved dressers, tried using a magnet, and used a flashlight and didn't have any luck. I prayed with faith that Heavenly Father would help me find it. Although my prayer wasn't answered right away, I somehow had this assurance that all would be well (I know, it doesn't seem like a big deal...just a little earring back, but it was important to me, and therefore to Father). While getting ready for church yesterday and not doing anything different than my normal routine, I stepped on something sharp and lifted my foot up to find my lost earring back. I knelt in prayer and tears filled my eyes as I thanked my Heavenly Father for caring about something so small and not forgetting my simple prayer to find it. He loves us. We can be so much more with Him in our lives!

Have a fantastic week and know that I love you all! Thank you for all that you do. Be strong and of good courage! :) We have reason to rejoice no matter what life brings!

Love,

Sister Barton :)