Going on Three (March 31, 2014)

Hi family,

I don't really have much to write about this week. Things have been kind of hit and miss.

We had exchanges again this week with the Palo Alto Sisters, so I got to go back to Palo Alto and see people again. Things have been difficult the last transfer with the Sisters there, and so Sister Staker and I felt like we should do another exchange with them. It was a really good exchange and a lot of good things came out of it. I realized how important personal study and preparation are to receiving personal revelation, as I went into the exchange not knowing what to do. I continue to pray that things will be okay there.

We contacted a referral this week from mormon.org, who we had been trying to contact for a couple of weeks now. Joyce just had her second back surgery since her first one went wrong, and her brother asked her to have Elders come and give her a blessing while she was in the hospital. She told us that her three daughters were all baptized in the 90's but for whatever reason, she was not. She told us that her number one thing on her bucket list was to be baptized! The only thing is she has a long healing period and won't be actually bake to be immersed in the water for almost a year. But we do have another appointment with her tomorrow and are going to be teaching her, seeing if there is another way that she could be lowered into the water. I'll keep y'all posted.

We also contacted another referral from mormon.org that day, Vivian. She has had a difficult childhood and is overcoming a lot of things still. She told us that she is looking for something that is "real." She explained how when she was a little girl and would pray when she was all-alone, she knew someone was listening to her, and she's looking for that feeling again. We're really excited to start teaching her.

Friday was a mess in itself. We had all our appointments fall through, and things just kind'a melted emotionally. We ended up parking the car and going through our area books and member records looking for things we could do the next day in Pleasanton. It's been really difficult working here, because there have been a lot of good Sisters here in the passed, and everyone just compares you to them. I feel like a lot of the former investigators that we meet just talk on and on about how great the missionaries were that taught them. Well, sorry. I am not a tall blonde bubbly Sister Missionary that has no problem talking to people and laughs at everything. I've felt a lot that a lot of people were converted to the other Sisters personalities, and well, I don't have that personality. And Sister Staker doesn't either.

So we basically were stressed out, hot and tired. I almost asked if we could cancel out dinner appointment, just because I really wasn't in the mood for putting on a face. But we went anyway, and God knew we needed to. Sister Hinds is about 22 years old and she was our dinner appointment. We'd met her before and she's been really sweet to us. She ended up showing us her wedding pictures from a year and a half ago and talking about things. The photography aspect was very relaxing. It was a needed break. At the end we were talking about the Book of Mormon in our message and how we all had gained a testimony on if, and afterwards, Sister Hinds thanked us for being who we were. She told us that she liked that we weren't "out there" personalities, and she could tell how much the Gospel meant to us. I don't even know how she knew exactly what we needed to hear, but she did. As she said the closing prayer, she prayed for us by name specifically, things Sister Staker need and things I needed. It was almost like getting a blessing. I realized again, right then, how much of a difference it is to use names and needs of people specifically. I know that she has touched my life, and I'm very grateful for the tender mercy Heavenly Father gave us that day.

The women's broadcast on Saturday night was something I've been looking forward too all week. It had a homey feeling thinking that all of the women I love were watching it at the same time as me. I thought that it was beautifully done, especially with the added videos and things. I heard a lot of things that I needed to hear. I excited for General Conference next week. Before the Broadcast, there was a dessert social, and Viridiana came! It took me by surprise since she said that she didn't want to meet with us anymore. I explained to her the broadcast and general conference and modern day prophets. I keep praying she will feel the Spirit and have a change of heart about baptism.

Well, the only other news I have is that transfer calls came late last night. For the first time on my mission, I will be staying a third transfer. The hard part is, it won't be with Sister Staker. She's being transferred after only one transfer together and she will be finishing the training of a new Sister. I will be getting a new Sister Training Leader companion on Thursday.

Angelina's notes from church really helped me today. In fact, I 'm going to put them above my desk where I study so I can remember them.

  

I love you all. Hug Danika extra tight for me.

Hermana Montgomery