2 Month Missionary

It has been an incredible month!! I can't believe it's the end of July already! This past week was so great because we had Zone Conference with 3 other zones in our mission.  We all met together at 9:30am and stayed at the chapel til 5 in the evening. It was amazing to go and see the missionaries who I went through the MTC with.  The bond you share with people out here is unreal. You become so close to people in such a short amount of time, and all you want is the best for them.  What really was a confidence booster was to see all the "newer" missionaries there.  It was strange to realize that I was no longer the youngest person!! I was a 2 month missionary!! With this, I also realized how much more calm and confident I am with the work.  I'm still learning like crazy and nowhere near a perfect missionary, but I know that the Lord is with us all in this "work of salvation." We can have peace of mind that as we do our best to just share what we know to be true, He'll make miracles happen. 

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Week of the Baptisms

We had 2 kids in our ward this week get baptized!! Although they weren't investigators that we taught, it was still amazing to be there and to feel the spirit at both services. We're crossing our fingers and saying our prayers for our own investigators' baptisms soon! :) I learned a lot about being a missionary in a different way this week.  The baptism on Saturday was for the Ward Mission Leader's daughter and they invited so many of their nonmember friends!  It was so special for their family to be able to share the gospel in such a simple way.  These people that came to the baptism now have a much better knowledge of what the Church is about, and they didn't learn it from missionaries knocking their door or trying to stop them on the street, but by a simple invitation from a friend.  I learned this week how big of a role the members play in the missionary work, whether they're coming to teach on lessons or inviting their friends to church activities. :) I'm so grateful for the great ward and members I work with here! We couldn't do our job without them!

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6 Weeks!

First of all, I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! I'm going to do better from now on! And special shout out to Riley (FHE bro) for motivating me to post to the blog.

I can not believe I've survived my first full transfer.  My first three weeks in the mish felt like the longest of my life, but the time has seriously started to fly. I can not believe it's already July! We had our own Independence Day celebration by doing a district conference call!  We all sang the Star-Spangled Banner together! :) That night, I told my companion we also had to celebrate by having BBQ Ribs and mashed potatoes for dinner. I didn't realize how proud I am to be an American, until I left! While door knocking, we often come across a little yellow sticker in the front window by the door that says "We do not buy, sell, or enter into conversation at the door.  All uninvited traders, PLEASE LEAVE." Those stickers kill me because I know they'd let us in if they knew the importance of our message, just sayin'. :) Anyway, while door knocking, we found a house that had an American flag hanging from the window! They had a yellow sticker, so I was a little worried to ring the door bell, but when I did, the lady stuck her head out the 2nd floor window.  I said, "Hey, are you American?! I'm American!! Happy 4th!" :) She came down and opened the door and talked to us for a good 10 minutes! I found out she was from New Jersey and had moved to England with her husband.  She was so sweet and we were able to tell her who we were, why we were here, and she took a mormon.org card.  I felt so blessed to be able to make such a simple and easy connection with someone that we otherwise wouldn't have been able to talk to!  All thanks to an American flag!

I wish I had more time to share more experiences.  My comp, Sister P. and I have been blessed with some great people to teach, a great ward, and some fabulous weather the past few days. I actually got a little sunkissed on my face yesterday from tracting. Catching some sun in England, say what? :) More good news and stories to come in the next few weeks. The Church is true and missionary work is such a privilege! Love and miss you all. 

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