Surprise! It's a Baptism!

Familia!

Sorry my email is a little late today. The wonderful Haws family offered to give us free teeth cleanings this morning (Brother Haws has his own Dentistry practice) which was during our regularly scheduled email time. He said my teeth look beautiful. :)

This week turned out to be a little different than we had planned, but so much better!

We have been debating about what date would be best for our investigator Dane to be baptized for a few weeks now. We had originally set it for the 12th of October but last week we weren't sure if he was ready so we talked to him about pushing it back to the 19th. We had concerns about receiving ward support on the 19th because it is ward temple day and two of our ward missionaries will be taking out their own endowments on that day, meaning a large majority of our ward council and fellowshippers for Dane would not be in attendance. Ward fellowship is so vital for Dane and we really wanted to make sure he had the support of the ward at his baptism.

Jennifer, Dane her first convert, and Sister Cannon

We gave him a list of the baptismal requirements in D&C 20 and the baptismal interview questions and asked him to read them before our visit on Tuesday to see how he felt about them. When we had that visit he had studied each question and answered affirmatively to each one. He was so ready! We asked him when we would like to be baptized and he chose the 12th. After a lot of questions and concerns on our part over the past week we both felt great about that decision. So we called our district leader and scheduled the interview for that evening. By 7:00 that night he had passed his interview and we began planning a baptism for Saturday.

The rest of week was a whirlwind of phone calls and planning and meeting with Dane to continue to prepare him for the ordinance and give him support. When Saturday came both Hermana Cannon and I were giddy with excitement.

Pre-baptism excited faces!!

The service was absolutely beautiful. Robert, one of our ward missionaries, who will be heading out on his own mission to the Philippines in about three weeks, and who accompanied us on about 50-60% of our lessons with Dane was able to baptize Dane. They were both a little nervous but it went so well. I felt such an amazing rush of the spirit as Dane went under the water. I can't explain what a beautiful feeling it was.

Jennifer with two of the ward missionaries.

Sister Cannon, Jennifer, Dane and Robert

After the ordinance I was able to give a talk on the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This was another highlight for me. I felt the power of the Holy Ghost testifying through me as I bore my testimony to Dane and to a room full of investigators, fellow missionaries and ward members I have come to love. There is no greater feeling than knowing the words which you are testifying of are true and that the spirit is touching others' hearts through you.

I feel so blessed to have been part of the whole process with Dane. I not only got to be here for his baptism but I got to experience his whole conversion, from finding, teaching, growing to membership in the church. It was such a wonderful blessing and I'm so grateful Heavenly Father allowed me to be a part of it.

Sister Cannon & Jennifer with Andy

Our investigator Andy also had a major baptismal breakthrough this week. We haven't brought up baptism with Andy for a few weeks now because we were trying to address some of his more immediate concerns such as the Word of Wisdom. In the middle of our lesson this week, however, he suddenly brought it up and started talking about his desire to be baptized! We couldn't believe our ears. I remember just sitting and saying a prayer of thanks in my heart as he opened up to us. He still has some word of wisdom issues to work out as well as fear of change but he has a desire to be baptized which is a miracle! He was able to attend Dane's baptism and he told us that he experienced a feeling of happiness as Dane came out of the water. We explained to him that is the spirit! He asked us to give him two weeks to pray about it and Hermana Cannon explained to him exactly how to ask Heavenly Father if he should be baptized. I am confident he will receive his answers if he continues to display the faith he showed this week.

We also had continued miracles with one of our less active sisters, Toni, this week. We were able to teach her on Wednesday and then have her over to dinner on Thursday at the Relief Society President's home. She has a lot of questions and lot that she doesn't remember from her childhood growing up in the church but I am confident that she can find happiness in coming back to church. She has a lot of unhappiness and hard trials in her life right now but hopefully we can help her experience the atonement of Christ and see that He really can help her through those struggles. She came to church on Sunday and told us today that she felt herself smiling a real smile in Relief Society which she hasn't done in a long time. The sisters were so great to fellowship her and love her and I am so excited to see her life continue to change.

Hermana Cannon got sick this week and so part of Friday she spent sleeping while I planned for the baptism. She got kind of stressed about the whole last minute baptism thing. Luckily I like planning though so I was able to take over some of it so that she could rest.

Jennifer and Hermana T with their fingerprinting cards.

On Wednesday we ended up having to drive all the way to Santa Barbara to be fingerprinted again for our FBI clearance, which apparently they have to redo. In some ways this makes me excited thinking at least something is being done but if they have to reapply it could take a while. I'm trusting the Lord. I'm trusting the Lord. (That's what I have to repeat over and over again.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in Solvang. I have really felt my purpose here and I know I am here for a reason. While I have trust that the Lord will do what is best for me I am hoping that I will be able to continue working in this area for another transfer to continue to work with our wonderful investigators and ward, helping them and learning from them. I love the ward so much! We have such wonderful members who are so sweet to us. I don't even know how to thank them for all they do. It just makes me feel so happy to sit is sacrament meeting or see our dinner calendar and feel like I'm home and love them all so much. Unfortunately, this might be a sign I'm leaving. Each time we visit with some of our investigators I kind of get the feeling that I might have to accept that Hermana Cannon is going to take care of them. I hope they will all get baptized even if one or both of us leave. We have so many that are so close and it's hard to leave them all. I'll go where he wants me to go though haha.

Wow. I think I might be done a little early. I love you all SOOOO much! Thank you for all the love and support! You are the bestest family ever. :)

Love Jen

General Conference is Wonderful!

Dearest Family:

Wasn't General Conference wonderful?!?!?! I absolutely loved it! I hate to admit it but this may have been the first time I stayed awake the whole time. It was totally worth it though to have to be in a freezing chapel wearing a skirt. The talks were all so good. I'm so sad it's already over.

This week may have been my favorite of my whole mission. Things have just been going really well. I love Solvang, the ward and the people here. Hermana Cannon and I are continuing to get a long and I am losing myself in the work further each day. I am so excited to go to Argentina but also so scared. Today Sister Truman called from the office for me and Sister Cannon and I had a slight freak out moment. I have to go be fingerprinted again at the police station here. I don't know if that means things are moving along or that they are finally getting started. As long as I know it is all in the Lord's hands I'll try to be patient.

Our first major miracle of the week occurred on Tuesday night. We had a dinner appointment with a family in the ward and their non-member friends. We had met Mayra, the non-member woman, at the Relief Society Broadcast on Saturday and were so excited to teach her and her husband about the restoration. We both felt prepared after personal study and got to work practicing what we would say. As we EDPEP'd (explain, demonstrate, practice, evaluate, re-practice) we really began to struggle explaining dispensations clearly. We continued to practice but it just didn't seem to come. We eventually moved on and hoped for the best.

The first step in the miracle occurred when I received a letter that day from an old seminary teacher, Sister Egbert. I haven't seen her in a long time but I loved her in Seminary and it was such a wonderful surprise to get a letter from her. She somehow found my address and sent me a beautiful letter talking about her mission and some experiences she had. It was exactly what I needed at this time and I was so grateful for her wisdom. One message from her letter was especially applicable that day, however. She explained how at one point in her mission after teaching about the restoration, she found herself discouraged that they were not getting return appointments. She pointed out that our message is so beautiful people should be begging us to come back and explain more. She began a process of fasting and really focusing on her teaching skills over a month. She then explained how after weeks of study she began to see that the Lord was blessing her with the ability to teach clearly as she had investigators ask questions such as "Where is this pattern now". They really understood how God works throughout history.

This was exactly what I needed to hear right before we went into our lesson. As the evening progressed we realized we wouldn't have the amount of time we hoped we would have to teach the lesson, but things worked out perfectly so that we were left with just two couples and us at the dinner table. We began teaching and the Lord literally filled our mouths with the words to say. The spirit filled the room and this couple began asking questions such as, "So does that mean there is a prophet today?" and "How do you know Thomas S. Monson is the prophet?" It was music to our ears! We testified in unity of the divinity of our message and left them with a Book of Mormon. As we left we knew we had taught by the spirit and that Heavenly Father really had blessed us to teach through him. It was a beautiful experience. Some of my favorite moments in the mission are when I can feel the spirit testifying to people as I teach and I know I am doing what the Lord would have me do.

That day we also had a fun adventure with Louie our Syrian friend. He doesn't understand a lot of English but we tried to teach him a little about the restoration and help him read a little to practice his English. He has five kids waiting in Lebanon right now for immigration issues to be able to come to the US and he misses them a lot. He really is just a nice guy who is super lonely. He kept saying, "You are welcome!" (meaning we were welcome there in his home.) He offered to take us to lunch and so we went to a super overpriced coffee house place for sandwiches. He is so great though. At the end when we tried to set an appointment he said, "You no set appointment. You come all the time. We friends. We best friends. You call and say, Louie we come over in an hour and then come. We eat dinner or lunch." He's just so funny and sweet.

On Wednesday evening we had another miracle over dinner with our investigator Connie. She is the super sweet 78 year old woman we are teaching who kisses us on the cheek every time we see her and is basically like our Grandma. She and Pat Opp, her adorable sister-in-law, took us to Panda China for dinner. We had prepared a lesson about fasting for her in hopes of helping her received her answer about baptism through fasting and listening to General Conference. As we began teaching our lesson she mentioned that she forgot to bring her Book of Mormon and that she wanted to show us something. Connie has been reading the Book of Mormon by asking a question and then opening up to a random page and reading for a few minutes each day. She told us in our last appointment that all of her questions had been answered (which is a miracle in and of itself) but this week we asked her to focus on receiving and answer about baptism. We asked her what she wanted to show us and she told us that she had already received her answer! What the heck?! She had just let us talk all through dinner and for five minutes about our lesson before telling us she knows she needs to be baptized! No big deal. We were so excited! She explained that her next task is to pray to have the strength and desire to accept God's will. She now knows what she needs to do but she needs to accept God's answer. It is taking some time with Connie but we are so excited to hopefully set her baptismal date in our next appointment and see her change her life. She is so wonderful and has so much work to do for her family in the temple. She really is so prepared!

On Friday this week I had exchanges with Hermana Coleman. I had the opportunity to go up to Santa Barbara with her and work in her area. It was wonderful to talk to her as we drove and really learn from her and myself as we talked about our goals for the mission and how to change and become what the Lord needs us to be. Being in Hermana Coleman's area was a great opportunity for me to practice my Spanish since all of her investigators are Spanish speakers. I was nervous but also excited for the opportunity. My goal for the day was to really work on teaching by the spirit. Since my experience on Tuesday, I really want to work on teaching powerfully and I figure the best way to do that is by the spirit.  If I am always listening to Him my teaching will be powerful and fit the needs of my investigators. Throughout the day we had many great opportunities to teach and as I focused on recognizing and acting upon the promptings of the spirit I was really able to feel the Lord working through me. It was such a great learning experience and really helped me to rely on the Lord, especially in speaking Spanish. We both found ourselves saying things in teaching opportunities that might not be "the norm" but we knew because we were teaching by the spirit we were teaching to their needs. There were many people throughout the day who didn't seem interested at first but as we continued to teach and listen to the spirit we were able to see their countenances change and their desire to learn increase, right before our eyes. Hermana Coleman and I also had a great opportunity to talk throughout the day. Through talking with her I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and how to be a better missionary. Throughout the day we didn't necessarily have any grand miracles but everything I learned through talking with her and through teaching the people we found gave me a fresh determination to serve more fully. I am so grateful for Hermana Coleman and her wonderful example and the kind way she listened and helped me learn.

Jennifer and Hermana Coleman

One awesome quote I loved from Hermana Coleman was, "If you don't trust your companion you're not really trusting Heavenly Father." I really love this idea. Heavenly Father gave me the companion I have for a reason so if I'm not putting my trust in her I'm not trusting God and his decision to put me with her. Awesome right?

One final miracle of the week occurred yesterday after conference. Toni, a less-active member in our area, had been texting us for the past few days telling us she needed us but she was never able to arrange a meeting with us. We were finally able to visit with her after General Conference on Sunday and really get her story. Up to this point we have talked over the phone and in short visits but we hadn't been able to really hear the whole story and understand her needs. I feel such love for Toni and was so grateful to be able to talk with her. She expressed confusion and sorrow at how her life had turned out. She grew up going to primary and knows the church is true but her life has somehow become something she never planned. She feels trapped in her situation and doesn't know how to get out. She is the same age as you, Mom, and I feel a connection with her like you. It's as if her life is what yours could have been if you hadn't made the choices you did. She married a non-member and didn't stay faithful in the church and things have kind of spiraled. Her husband has also been out of work but without the help of Heavenly Father and the church they don't have the hope that we've had.

We were able to talk to her about the Savior and how through His atonement He can help her and things will look up. We asked her to read her scriptures and pray every day and we are going to make sure she comes to church on Sunday. She has shown such humility to ask for help, when I know it is difficult for her to admit that she is in this situation. I am so grateful that we are able to be here to help her on the path to happiness again. She expressed that she needed sister missionaries and I was once again given a confirmation that I am here for a reason.

On Saturday after conference we were able to drive up to Goleta with our investigator Dane to witness a baptism. It was a beautiful baptismal service and the guy being baptized was so converted and changed. We have decided to push Dane's baptism back a week to the 19th of October in hopes that he will be more ready. He is keeping his commitments but we want to make sure his heart really is changing. I think with a little more time we will be able to see him really further develop his testimony and become a lasting convert. (Hopefully not just because he wants to marry us lol!).

It has been a wonderful week full of little miracles. Sorry I can't tell you everything! Thank you so much for all the letters! I know it won't be as easy in Argentina so I appreciate them all now so I will know I'm loved even when I get there and don't get letters lol. Tell the family and all my friends hello. Thank you for being such wonderful examples and supporters! I love you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much. :)

Questions: EDPEP stands for explain, demonstrate, practice, evaluate, re-practice. It's a way to role-play and practice teaching.
Other news:

THANK YOU so much for the wonderful package. I am wearing the slip right now and LOVE it. I also love all of the yummy food. Hermana Cannon and I had fun with the spray cheese and crackers yesterday and I am so grateful for chocolate haha! Thank you also for the soft lips and eye liner.

Just FYI because I think you will think it's cool. The punter for BYU, his last name is Arlano, is from my ward as well.

Success in Solvang

Familia,

Hello everyone! How are you!? I hope you are all doing well and enjoying life. Things are going great here in Solvang.

Sister Cannon and Sister Millet

On Tuesday we spent most of the day in Santa Maria for interviews with President Castro and a little training put on by the Sister Training Leaders about planning. It was a wonderful day with lots of good information.

There is so much good stuff I might just make a few bullet points with all the goodness:
God and Jesus Christ spiritually created the world before they physically created it (Moses 3:5) and planning is the way we are able to spiritually create our week.
We should leave our area better than we found it. Don't let all your hard work in your area go to waste because you didn't record it well enough in the area book.
Remember every name in the area book was a miracle for some missionary.
Pay the price to have unity in your companionship.
Treat planning as a divine activity so you can receive divine inspiration.
Did I bring about much good among Heavenly Father's children?

President Castro also gave the four Hermanas in Solvang a beautiful promise. He said that if we maintain our focus miracles will happen here and that promises regarding baptism with be realized. He also said, "You are here because your voice will connect with certain people. Don't worry about your weaknesses, use them to develop empathy."

That probably isn't as exciting for the rest of you, but it was a pretty cool meeting and I loved all that was said.

In my personal interview he gave me another amazing promise. He told me that if I keep working hard to fulfill my purpose and become the missionary I am supposed to become that my Spanish will be made up in Argentina and that it will be as if I had been using it the whole time here in Solvang. This was such a relief for me and I am going to rely on that promise as I try to learn all the Lord wants me to learn here without worrying about Argentina. I am finding myself getting more and more anxious about leaving as time goes on and the day approaches that I might be leaving. He talked to me about how the Lord has a plan for me being here and when I leave. We may not know it yet, but he does have a plan.

This week has been somewhat interesting. Our numbers haven't looked so great which has been a little discouraging for me but it has still been good. I have also learned about myself and am constantly trying to improve.

On Thursday we had five appointments planned back to back to back. We worked so hard on Wednesday to make sure everything was planned and we had members for all the lessons etc. As it turns out, our members backed out and three of the five appointments scheduled cancelled. I was pretty discouraged. Hermana Cannon and I discussed this morning the point of numbers and key indicators. If we see great numbers but no real change in our investigators it really doesn't mean anything. This week, although our numbers were not what I would like them to be, we spent a great deal of time trying to make sure our investigators were taken care of, that we were contacting them through the members, that they were able to come to church and have spiritual experiences throughout the week. I'm learning that, yes it is great to do it all, but what is most important is taking care of those investigators we already have and really helping them to progress towards baptism. President Castro told us in our training this week: In the end it doesn't matter if we reach the goal. It's what happens in the process that's important. I just need to remember that.

That day one lesson that did work out was with Amanda, our miracle find in Los Olivos last week. Her friend from school, who is a member of the ward, came with us. Amanda had a lot of questions about music, tattoos, modesty etc. Savannah and we were able to answer some of her questions and talk about the Book of Mormon. It was a great lesson and I am so excited to continue to help this sweet girl who has been through so much find peace and truth and guidance through the gospel.

We are working a lot with our investigator Dane, who currently has a baptismal date for the 12th of October. He has severe hearing problems and our greatest obstacle with him has been communication. Each time we teach him, however, the communication seems to increase. We are really working to keep our teaching simple and have the gift of discernment and as he continues to learn and have the Holy Ghost with him more we believe his understanding is strengthened by the power of the spirit as well.

We were so excited to hear he has no problems with the Word of Wisdom this week. He seems to accept everything we teach so fully. It really is a miracle.

Our biggest concern with him at this point is making sure he is converted to God and is coming to church to worship and feel the spirit not just to find a wife and get married. He is so lonely and really wants a family more than anything, which we totally understand, but he has expressed thoughts that church is just to find someone to marry and we are trying to help him see the blessings of the restored gospel in his own life, not just in finding a family.

On Saturday we were able to invite him over the a member's home to watch the Restoration in hopes of helping him really develop his testimony that this is Christ's true church restored to the earth. As we watched the movie I personally felt the spirit so strongly and was really touched by the message more than I ever have been when watching before. The spirit in the room was so strong as we stopped the movie and just sat for a few seconds letting him absorb the feeling. He really enjoyed it and I think it helped his testimony of Joseph Smith grow immensely. As we discussed how he can know the truth he asked Sister Bell, "How do you feel the spirit?" I was so excited that he was finally connecting that the spirit is how you know of gospel truths. Up until this moment I wasn't sure he really understood how necessary it is to receive a spiritual witness. He then explained how he had felt it in the past as a sort of tingly sensation. Best quote of the week right here (it's hard to explain how great it is when you can't envision him saying it with his deaf accent): "Thank you God. That feels good." It was such a wonderful lesson and I was so grateful we were able to have that opportunity with him.

In Ward Council the next day Gigi Bell (the amazing YW president whose house we were at for the lesson) explained how she has been praying for missionary opportunities. When she got our message asking if we could come over in the middle of the day on a Saturday it was hard for her to say yes but she did anyway. Then when she saw that it was Dane it was even more difficult because she knows how awkward he is. She talked about how she has to be willing to do what God wants her to do, not what she wants to do. It was an awesome testimony about how sometimes God asks us to do things that are hard, but that is how we grow. She's awesome.

We also had a wonderful lesson with Carl this week. We taught him "The Gospel" and I was just so impressed with his sincere desire to change. Earlier that day we had watched a video from the district and were amazed at the change that took place in one of their investigators and I found myself thinking, "I wish one of our investigators were like that." I realized that night as we taught Carl that we do have an "investigator like that." Carl understands the atonement so well and has such a desire to do what is right. I am so grateful for him and his wonderful example.

Another one of our great miracles this week is with a few of our LARCS (less active recent convert). We taught Yolanda this week with her Visiting Teacher and the Liljenquist family. Last Sunday we visited her and she was pretty upset. We were pretty worried about her and expressed our concerns in Ward Council. This week she was contacted just about every day by someone in the ward. It was so great to see the ward work together to take care of someone who needed it.

Another one of our LARCS, Shane is also progressing wonderfully. Last week we talked to him about sharing the gospel with his family. He was pretty excited about the opportunity and when we visited with him this week he told us he had talked with them. He came to church again on Sunday and really enjoyed it. We were involved in an EDPEP for the joint 3rd hour meeting in which we showed and practiced with the ward how to share the gospel with their friends in a short invitation. It was a great opportunity for us as a ward missionary team to prepare and help the ward and afterward Shane told us how helpful it was for him. He said, "I didn't know how to do it before but now I do. I'm excited." It was so sweet and we hope the rest of the ward felt the same way.

At church this week we had 9 investigators attend! It was such a miracle! Carl, Dawn and Woody were able to come for the first time in about a month. Dane and Connie were both there as well and the Stacy family came to see the primary program (which was an amazing review of all the Preach My Gospel lessons and so full of the spirit!). It was incredible.

In our training on Tuesday the STL (sister training leaders) taught us about contacting our investigators daily through the members. That way we are able to know how they are doing without bugging them to death. We tried that with Carl, Dawn and Woody this week by having the Haws family invite them to church instead of us. Dawn texted Sister Haws back immediately and said they "would be honored to sit with them." and then they actually came! They never text us back! It just goes to show how effective it is to work through the members.

Other news of the week: a member of our ward Alec Watson was some sort of special guest at the BYU Utah football game because he has a sickness. I think they said it's called Thursday's hero. He was on ESPN and everything.

AH! Time is about up. Darn. I love you all soooooo much! Sorry I didn't get to share everything. Have a wonderful week and I will talk to you soon.

Love you!

Jen

P.S. I have exchanges in Santa Barbara on Friday! Yay!

Have a Delightful Danish Day!

Monday, September 23, 2013

My Dearest Family,

I love you all soo much! Thank you for all of your wonderful letters this week. A big thank you to Aunt Nancy for her wonderful package! She sent me all sorts of wonderful goodies which I love, but have been on too tight a budget to buy for myself. It has made Hermana Cannon and me so happy this week. Thank you sooo much! I don't know how you know all the wonderful things I loved and needed but you got them all!

I am mixing some of my email to President Castro and to you so hopefully it all makes sense. I think it sounds really missionary this week so....sorry. I promise I'm still normal.

Hermana Cannon and I have really become closer over the past few weeks and I'm so grateful the Lord chose to keep us together as companions. I wasn't as humble and loving as I should have been in our first transfer but as we have talked and made companionship goals, and as I have prayed to have the humility and charity necessary for unity in our companionship, He has really blessed me. We are getting along better and better and I can see how true unity is so helpful in being a missionary and in teaching our investigators. I have been blessed to feel more at home in the mission and in the area, am less homesick and more focused on the work. Our progress with our investigators is also affected as we are united in helping them.

This past week our companionship goal was humility. I know developing true humility is a lifelong process, but as I am continually aware of myself and how much I need the Lord and others I hope that I will become more of the servant my Heavenly Father wants me to be.

We have seen great success this week. Although we didn't reach the standard of success, which is our constant goal, we worked hard every day to be diligent, obedient and faithful and we reaped many blessings because of it.

On Monday evening we had the wonderful experience of helping a less-active member receive a priesthood blessing. Toni has been less-active for years and the ward didn't even know she was here. The previous elders received her as a referral from church headquarters and Hermana Cannon and I have been in contact with her for a few weeks now but because of situations in her home we had not been able to really teach or visit her yet. She called us the week before and really asked for help so Monday night we were able to get her a priesthood blessing with Brother Millett and Brother McCleary. Brother Millett explained where the authority comes from and then he gave her a beautiful blessing. He had only just met her, but after talking to her for weeks, I knew that everything he said in his blessing were things that she needed to hear. It was such a beautiful, spiritual experience.

That evening we were able to go to dinner and have Family Home Evening with the Haws family. They are sooo awesome! They were one of the first families we had a lesson with in this area and it was awesome to get to talk to just them. They are so sweet, their kids are adorable and on top of all that they are awesome missionaries. We did an EDPEP (explain, demonstrate, practice, evaluate, practice-basically a role play) with them to help them practice inviting their friends to do something such as come to an activity, have dinner with us and them etc. They just made us so happy with the wonderful spirit they bring and their willingness to help. I love them!

Also on Monday we went on an adventure with Brother Millett, I stood outside Michael Jackson's front door, climbed on to a giant rock, and we saw a movie being filmed! I love living in a crazy place like this!

On Tuesday we got to volunteer at a PTSA dinner for their ELL program. It felt like going home being inside a school with kids! I loved it. We got to sell delicious looking desserts and talk to people. The cute little kids did some fun Spanish dances (hopefully you'll get to see pictures, the internet isn't cooperating). One of them was to honor the elderly so they all came out with canes and ugly wrinkly masks and danced like old people falling all over the ground and wobbling as they walked. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen.

We have been working with a lot of less-actives in this area and I have seen how much happiness it can bring to help bring others back into the fold. Some of my greatest joy has been helping less active members in the area feel loved and supported and bring them back to the ward.

Yesterday we had another experience with a less active member named Yolanda. Yolanda was baptized just over a year ago and for a while had the support of her sister and brother-in-law but when they moved she lost her connection to the church. She struggles with depression and has been going through a lot but I don't think the ward was really aware of it. We were able to help her receive her temple recommend and last week she did baptisms for the dead for the first time which was a wonderful experience. Yesterday she called us in the morning in tears and asked if we could come visit her that afternoon. She's had some issues with her car and wasn't going to be able to make it to church but she wanted us to come by and visit that afternoon. We felt so grateful that she could trust us, but we are worried that she doesn't feel that connection to her visiting teacher or other members of the ward. We were able to bring our concerns to the ward council and, hopefully, help them understand that to be blessed with new converts we have to make sure we are taking good care of the ones we have. That afternoon when we visited her we listened for a while and shared a message of peace that she has been seeking. As things were wrapping up we didn't feel that she had received all the help she needed. We stayed for a few more minutes and began talking about general conference coming up in a few weeks. As we discussed what a blessing it is and how we can prepare, her spirits lifted and we could see a noticeable change in her countenance. As we left she was smiling and happy. I was so grateful to be able to help her.

Another less active member we have been working with is Shane. He is 42 and was baptized six years ago. He is a little slow and maybe has some sort of disability. I love teaching Shane. He is so sweet and really just wants to learn. He promised to come to church on Sunday and guess what! He made it! I was just as excited as if he were an investigator. It has been years since he has been to church but he seems to really enjoy the gospel and love his savior. I hope we can get him connected with the ward as well so that he can stay active and receive the blessings and happiness the gospel brings.

We have also had some great finding experiences this week. On Thursday we knocked a street in Los Olivos. We talked to many interesting people which always strengthens my testimony in one way or another. Even if they don't accept the gospel, I love seeing for myself how the gospel really can help everyone, whether they know it or not. Our success of the day was with a man named Louis from Syria. He couldn't understand us very well but he asked if he could come to our church. He even called us the next day to confirm the address! He ended up not being able to come because of work, but I was so impressed with his earnest desire to follow Christ more fully. I hope we will have the opportunity to teach him soon.

Just as we were getting in our car to leave Los Olivos, Hermana Cannon saw a young teenage girl named Amanda walking home from school and we started to talk to her. It turns out she has had a pretty difficult life and has been in foster care for years. She has a great belief in Christ, however, and as we testified and gave her a Book of Mormon she told us she would be interested in learning more. She even has a friend who we know in the ward who is willing to help teach and fellowship her. We were so excited at the miracle of finding her and at her sweet humble spirit. She just seems so strong despite such a difficult life and I can't wait to help her find more strength and happiness through the gospel!

Our investigators are all continuing to progress. We got frustrated with Dane this week when he wasn't understanding repentance and we couldn't get him to focus. As we asked him about his desire to meet with us we almost thought about dropping him. We talked to him about how he needs to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and then didn't set a return appointment. It has been difficult with Dane since the beginning because of the communication barrier and we were just getting frustrated. Luckily, we have a great ward mission leader who helped us to understand that Dane might be communicating in a different way but if he has a desire to be baptized it is not our place to decide not to allow him to enter the way. When we went back and talked to him a few days later he told us that he knows he needs to focus more and that he will do better. Then when we taught him the 10 commandments in our next lesson he really did focus better and we saw improvement. He is still on track to be baptized on the 12th of October! We are so excited for him.

It's been a great week full of helping others which really does bring so much joy. I love working in this blessed area and seeing the Lord pour out his blessings upon us, the members, and our wonderful investigators.

Other fun stories:

On Wednesday I ate the best meal of my life at Sister Klitgaards. I stuffed myself full, but oh my goodness she's an amazing cook! We also got to watch the video they sent you. That's awesome!

On Thursday we ate dinner with Pat Opp and Connie Betz. They are both super old ladies and they have more energy than Hermana Cannon and I combined. Connie married Pat's brother after knowing him for 5 days. And Pat played tennis on Thursday for 3 hours and beat a 50 year old and a 30 year old. Yeah, they're that legit.

Two face from Dark Knight-his mom is in our ward. She taught RS this week! NO big!

Oh well that's all. Time's up. Sorry I ended lame. Love you all!
Hopefully pics next week.

LOVE Hermana Millet

Off to Neverland

Dear Family:

I got letters this week from Sister Wardle and Robbie and Jonah (two of my kindergartners) It made me sooo happy! They were all so sweet! I will hopefully find time to write everyone back today.

Make aebleskivers at the Klitgaards house.

Kolee and I
(This is a stuffed dog we sent to her)

I have so many wonderful investigators to tell you about this week! I don't know if I've given you all their background info so here goes:

Dane: Dane is about 40 years old and is partially deaf. As we were walking into our apartment complex one evening he asked if we talk about the Bible and asked if he could meet with us. We have been meeting with him twice a week now for about three weeks and he is progressing really well. He keeps all of his commitments and has been to church twice. Our greatest challenge with Dane is communication. We can't understand him very well and we're not sure he understands us. He has a baptismal date for October 12th. We believe he can be ready by this date but we want to make sure he is really experiencing a change of heart. He seems really interested in history and facts and sometimes gets stuck on one verse or concept and doesn't understand the whole picture we are trying to convey. One sister that accompanied us on a visit mentioned that she has worked with autism and wonders if he lies somewhere on the autism spectrum. Dane is very lonely and really wants a family so we're helping him to understand that his relationship with God should be of most importance and that he should come to church to come closer to Christ, not just find a wife and get married. He has great intent though and each time he reads the scriptures he writes down questions and comments. We are excited to continue working with him and we pray for the gift of communication and discernment every day to understand what he needs.

Carl: We were worried about Carl for a while when he wasn't able to meet with us and wasn't returning our calls. This week, however, we were able to talk to him and better understand what is going on. He is worried a lot about his family right now and his son, Woody, is having a hard time adjusting to a new environment. Woody was previously living with his mom, who is a drug addict, and it is hard for him to come to a home with structure and rules. Carl really just wants to be a good father and bring his family closer together. We were able to share an example of Alma praying for his son, Alma the younger, in The Book of Mormon and how the angel who appeared to Alma the younger told him it was as a result of his father's prayers. We talked about how Carl's journey toward Christ will really help his relationship with Woody as he shows him a good example. We also talked about how relying on Christ will really help him to overcome any weaknesses he may have and help to give him the peace he is searching for in his life. He chose a baptismal date of October 26th assuming the custody of Woody and divorce and wedding can all go through before then. Dawn, Carl's girlfriend and soon to be wife, is not as ready to accept the gospel and that causes a little bit of a problem in his progression as well. They are trying to be unified in their lives but Carl is so ready to join the church and Dawn is not ready yet. We are trying to help them find unity in their family and teach them as a family without holding Carl back in his progression.

Jaime: Jaime is a Spanish man who has been taught by the missionaries for years, when the Spanish missionaries in Lompoc have been able to travel down to Solvang to teach him. He has such a desire to follow Christ and really understands the importance of the covenant of baptism. We have presented him with a date and he is praying about it this week. We had a great moment this week when we shared Alma 34:30-33 and asked him why he is waiting to be baptized. Why wait to receive the blessings of baptism? He paused and said, "There is no reason." I am so excited for him to make the choice to be baptized and see it happen this transfer! His biggest obstacle to overcome is getting to church. He works on Sunday's and will have to ask his boss to have time off. He wasn't able to make it yesterday, but we have faith he will continue to progress and be baptized soon. We taught the plan of salvation to him on Friday and it was a great experience.

Personally, I was doing relatively well understanding but my confidence in speaking Spanish has diminished greatly since being in the field and not speaking it as much as I should. I didn't want to participate so I let Hermana Cannon and Brother Millett do most of the talking. I could tell a few times Hermana Cannon paused for a moment to let me jump in but I was scared and had determined to give up. I was so grateful, however, that Hermana Cannon didn't give up on me and she said, "Hermana Millet, why don't you explain the spirit world." I was terrified but I started in and was able to find most of the words. It was nowhere near perfect but it helped to restore my confidence and I was able to explain a few more concepts throughout the evening because I didn't give up. I was so grateful she gave me the opportunity.

Connie: Connie is a 78 year old woman who has been coming to church for over a year with her sister-in-law/best friend, Pat. She hasn't met with the missionaries regularly until we came into the area but Brother Nash introduced us and we were able to schedule a meeting with her about a month ago and we have been teaching her every Sunday afternoon since. She is so sweet and I love our meetings. Each lesson has been so fitted to her needs. She asked about what we believe about life after death so we shared the Plan of Salvation, and then she asked about prophets so we taught the restoration. She thinks she is guiding all the lessons and doesn't realize the questions fall right in line with what we have prepared to teach! Each lesson seems just like a great conversation. Yesterday we really explained authority and why it is important to be baptized with the proper authority. She has been baptized twice already but I think yesterday we helped her understand how important it is to receive that authority from Christ. When I asked what her concern with baptism is she explained how her brother and sister-in-law both had cancer, then her brother passed away and then she had back surgery. These challenges are all passing and I think Connie is getting close to making the decision for herself. We talked a little about real intent and how Connie needs to be ready to act on the answer she receives from the Lord. She told us how all week she has been nervous about praying in front of us but Brother Nash helped to explain how the spirit can help you and shared his experience with the same concern when he converted. At the end of the lesson she gave a beautiful prayer.

Andy: We had an awesome week with Andy! He is 36 and has been meeting with missionaries since January. We considered dropping him toward the beginning of last transfer because he wasn't progressing a whole lot but he has turned around so much! This October he will be clean from drugs for 2 years. He still smokes and drinks coffee, however. This last week we talked about the word of wisdom and read my favorite scripture about the people of Alma in Mosiah 24 and how the atonement helps them overcome their burdens and afflictions. He totally related and started to understand that his addiction is keeping him in bondage. Then he came to church and the Sunday school lesson just happened to be about the Word of Wisdom. He shared with the class his renewed understanding that smoking is hindering him from feeling the spirit and that he needs to quit. He is now going to try to be completely addiction free by October 1st! This is such a giant step for him!

We've also been teaching a lot of LARCS (less active and recent convert)

Yolanda was baptized a year ago but she has been struggling and didn't get the attention she needed. We taught her the first new member lesson this week and helped her get a temple recommend so she can go to the temple. She went for the first time on Saturday. She started to tear up the night before as we explained how each of the names represents a person that is waiting to be baptized. It was super sweet. We love her.

Toni is a less active that I found on my exchange with Hermana Bartschi. She called this week in tears saying she needs help. Her home situation isn't great and her son is really against the church. She asked if it was Sister Millet talking and said she only feels comfortable talking to me and that she feels a special connection with me. As she said this I had a feeling that I am here in this area to help her. I want her to form a connection with the ward which is most important but I am so grateful that I can be here to help her.

Shane is a man who is not all there and was baptized about 6 years ago. We taught him the restoration again to see how much he understands and he did great! I taught him like I might one of my kindergartners and it went so well. It was so fun and I had a moment of just loving being a missionary and teaching the gospel.

Our alpaca friends: Ted, Teddy, Big T and Tedster. They're our best friends. :)

I think that's about all. Today Brother Millett is taking us to Neverland Ranch (Michael Jackson's old ranch place). I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your support and love. The church is true. Missionary work is great and I love you!

Love Hermana Millet

Danish Days Here I Come!

Familia,

Guess what! I'm staying in Solvang! Hooray! It's a little anti-climactic to get a call saying that nothing is changing but I love Solvang and I really didn't want to leave the people or the area. Plus, Danish Days are coming soon. I don't really know what all that entails but I hear there are costumes worn to church and we get to serve delicious food to the community or something. In this town, I know it's got to be good, whatever it is. Maybe I can convince one of the sisters to make me a Danish dress lol! All of the other Hermanas are staying as well so for us transfers don't mean a whole lot. We will be getting a new district leader and a few new elders in our District but most everything is staying the same.

This picture is for Grandma! I saw this and thought
of her.  And, I love her a hug around the neck too!

Thank you sooo much for the package! I especially loved the puppy. I sleep with him every night (shhh, don't tell anyone I'm sleeping with a stuffed animal at 22 years old). I also loved the "I love you" sign language pin. They were definitely my favorite. As well as all the things that I asked for and you sent so promptly. You're the best. :) I love you all and miss you soo much and that made my day.

I hope you don't think I am being too negative about my investigators. Thank you for your words about agency Daddy, I really appreciated it. I know that I cannot control what my investigators do. I just want to make sure I am being the best missionary I can be so that my weaknesses don't affect them. I appreciate all your words of advice and help. Thank you for the continued letters. I know you all get busy and it is hard to find time to write but they really strengthen me. I am still going through waves of homesickness and receiving letters from you brightens my day.

Here is my letter to President Castro, sorry my writing isn't very eloquent these days:

President Castro,

This week we made it a goal to achieve the Standard of Excellence with all of our key indicators for the week. We have been working hard up until this point in the transfer but we hadn't been able to reach the standard of excellence in all key indicators at one time. So this week our goal was to work hard and have the faith necessary to reach our goal.

Monday started out as a difficult day during p-day which started out the week with a lot of stress. That night, however, was full of miracles. We ended up having a last minute dinner appointment that we hadn't prepared for and as we sat in the car right before it was to start, pondering what this sister that we would be eating with would need to hear, we said a prayer asking for the spirit to be with us. From that point on, the night was beautiful. We had a wonderful dinner with Sister Ballentine and her non-member boyfriend and were able to share some of our beliefs with him. Her member friend, Sister Young was also there, and we were able to discuss how we can help her less active son. It was a miracle that we were able to attend this dinner with all three individuals and strengthen each of them.

That evening we went to a street in hopes of contacting Blake, a referral we received the week before but hadn't yet been able to contact. As we walked up to the house we met two young men and began chatting. They just happened to be going to the same house which provided a perfect way for us to meet Blake's parents in a natural way. We had heard that they are not very enthusiastic about the church but we were able to be there in the right time at the right place to have a positive interaction with them which will hopefully help in Blake's journey to the church.

The rest of the night we spent tracting in that area and we felt completely guided on our way. We both just had a feeling of peace that evening and were guided to houses that we needed to visit. At one house we were able to visit with a woman whose parents had both just died. She told us that she knows who Christ is but that she is angry with him at the moment and that she knows she will need to talk to us soon. She wasn't ready at that moment but we gave her our number and we will be going back soon to help her through her grief by finding the gospel of Jesus Christ when she is ready. We also found a new investigator that night!

After such a stressful day it was such a beautiful blessing to feel the peace of the Lord leading and guiding us in our way. In just three short hours we had 1 lesson with a member present, 3 other lessons, 1 new investigator, 6 declarations and 1 baptismal invite.

On Tuesday we also received a miracle member present lesson at a dinner appointment. When we arrived to the home for dinner, they weren't ready yet so we began teaching them a lesson before dinner. As we began the lesson with this sister and her children, one son looked out the window and saw his non-member friend in the front yard. He invited him inside and we were able to teach the gospel to him with the family. It was such a simple act but such a miracle that we needed this week.

On Wednesday we a received a few more miracles. The night before during planning, Sister Cannon found a street called Lucky Lane in our area and said, "Maybe we'll get lucky and find an investigator there." We had no idea how true that statement would be. On that street we met a woman named Alisa. As we shared a bit of the restoration with her she stopped us in the middle and said, "I just have to tell you, I was praying to God the other night asking him for a sign that He is there and now here you two are coming to my door." We were able to testify that God is aware of her and that we were sent to help her find the truth she is looking for. My goal for the day was to feel the spirit working through me in hopes of knowing that He is pleased with my efforts. As I testified to Alisa I received that witness that the spirit was speaking through me and therefore, that the Lord is pleased with my efforts. One of my worries this transfer has been in wondering if I am the kind of missionary the Lord wants me to be. I was so grateful for this experience which assured me that Heavenly Father loves me and is pleased with my efforts.

That night we went to CHOMP, a local restaurant with a member for dinner. It just so happens that Blake, the referral we were trying to contact Monday, works there. We received another miracle that night as we were able to meet and talk with Blake for a few minutes. Unfortunately, she isn't yet ready to meet with us but we are not giving up on her. We know there is a reason that we are here and we feel a connection with Blake and we will continue to find ways to talk with her and introduce her to the church.

On Thursday our miracle was with our investigator Andy, whom you met at Stake Conference. As he mentioned, he has been meeting with the missionaries for months. A few weeks ago we almost considered dropping him because we weren't sure he was progressing but this last week we had a breakthrough lesson with him. Andy is so spiritual and has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith but he hasn't yet been able to connect that belief to the idea that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet and that this is the true church. On Thursday, however, he really opened up to the idea that Thomas S. Monson could be a prophet. He is going to look up general conference online and we are so excited for him to gain this portion of his testimony. We have faith that Andy will be baptized. We are so excited to continue teaching him as his testimony grows slowly but surely.

By Friday most of our goals were doing well but we hadn't yet contacted any LARCS (Less Active Recently Converted). We focused that day on this effort and Heavenly Father blessed us so much. We were able to visit three LARCS, each of which needed our help. Each and every one of those meetings was filled with the spirit and we were so blessed to be able to visit them.

Alpaca friends we made when visiting a less active.

On Saturday we knew we had a lot of work to do with Stake Conference being the next day and much of our proselyting time being taken up with travel and studies. It was a difficult day for much of the afternoon and we hadn't found any new investigators or been able to teach any other lessons by that evening. As we went back into Solvang before dinner we were able to teach four lessons and get four new investigators in just over an hour and a half. We couldn't believe how the Lord had blessed us. As we walked away from the third lesson we were feeling so grateful and elated to have met our goals. We almost walked right past a man in his driveway but he stopped us and asked to talk and we were able to teach him a small portion of the restoration and set up an appointment to teach him more this next week. The Lord blessed us even more than we had asked or would have seen on our own. It was an amazing day.

By Sunday we were so close but we still hadn't contacted 2 more LARCS. Earlier in the week we discussed together how we know the Lord would make us work right up until the end if we really wanted these goals and He did. We were rushing from house to house that evening but with the help of Heavenly Father were able to have two great lessons with LARCS. Although we wanted to reach our goals, I was so grateful that each of these appointments seemed to be what the members needed. We weren't just getting them for the goals; we really were able to help the people. As we ended the night after visiting with Shane, a man who seems to have some sort of mental disability, I was so happy. He has such a desire to do what is right and our encouragement and teaching of simple truths really seemed to help him.

By the end of the week we met or exceeded all but two key indicators of the standard of excellence. My testimony of faith has grown so much this week as I've seen how faith needs to be used to actively find and teach people. I have also grown in humility as I've learned that we can do nothing without the help of our Heavenly Father. I know we could not have accomplished this on our own but when we have faith in the Lord and are willing to work hard he will bless us to accomplish his work.

.............

So as you can see, it's been a week full of miracles. I wish I had time to tell you about all the wonderful lessons and people we met.

Fun story of the week:

On Thursday we didn't have a dinner appointment and we were running low on food because we didn't want to spend a lot Monday with transfers coming up. Hermana Cannon had the idea to make tuna pasta with some of my white sauce, a can of tuna, and some noodles. It basically looked like cat food, but we ate it and it tasted...okay. We laughed about eating cat food all week.

That's about all. Thank you so much for being the best family in the world. I love you so much! Hopefully I'll have time to write letters today. LOOOOOVEE YOU!!!!!

Hermana MIllet

A Key in the Mailbox.

Here is the excerpt from my letter to President Castro:

Each week I am learning and growing in my desires to be more like my savior and be the type of missionary he wants me to be. This week has been full of a lot of contemplating and thinking about what that entails.

On Monday night Hermana Cannon and I had a discussion about fulfilling our purpose. We talked with a less active woman for a while and ended up teaching her the restoration, which was a wonderful opportunity to teach her things she had never known or forgotten since she had gone inactive. Hermana Cannon then brought up the question of whether or not we were fulfilling our purpose as missionaries by talking to her about her and her family beforehand. I had to do some thinking about that because I want to do all I can to fulfill my purpose and I know we are to be trusted more than loved but I also don't want to become a missionary robot who doesn't understand the feelings of others and whose only focus is on baptismal numbers or statistics. I want to maintain the person I am and make that person better rather than have a missionary self and a non-missionary self. This discussion was a time for me to reflect on who I am going to be as a missionary. I had to pray to my Heavenly Father for forgiveness and for humility to accept who he wants me to become and not hold on to my pride. I'm still not sure the best way to handle helping less actives feel loved and accepted but also make use of our time to share the gospel. I do know that I want to follow the Savior and be the kind of person he would be in all circumstances.

On Wednesday we also had another eye opening evening as we took a member with us to a lesson with a Hispanic woman in our neighborhood that we have visited a few times named Selena. We taught her the Plan of Salvation. She is quite knowledgeable in the Bible and has a lot of opinions about how it should be interpreted. She and the member we brought with us to the meeting ended up spending much of it arguing. We are learning how to be bold and loving and listen to our investigators but "to teach and not to be taught". We want the spirit to be foremost in all of our lessons and we didn't feel that the lesson was focused on the spirit that evening. Hermana Cannon and I discussed that evening what it means "to teach and not to be taught" and how to do that without turning discussions into an argument or by interrupting our investigators. Again, it is a process that we will have to find a balance for.

Our next big learning opportunity was on Friday night. We had a lesson lined up in the home of a member family (the Swolgaard's) with their friends the Stacy's. The Swolgaard's have been doing wonderful missionary work with them and have been praying for them for years.  We had met the Stacy's the week before and then we were able to arrange this meeting. I was so excited about this family and really wanted this lesson to go well. We had talked with the Stacy's about forgiveness a little the week before and Sister Swolgaard told us how much Sarah Stacy appreciated that message. I wondered about sharing the wonderful Mormon message about forgiveness with them but I also wanted to dive right in and get to the restoration of the gospel. In our planning Hermana Cannon and I decided the restoration was the best option and I felt good about the plan. At dinner, with both families, there were 8 children all running around and things got a little chaotic but we were able to have some good conversation with the adults. When it came time for the lesson, however, things were still a little crazy and we weren't sure if we would be able to keep the spirit long enough to teach the restoration the way we wanted so we decided instead to share the Mormon message. We were able to tie that into Christ and our purpose as missionaries and a little of the restoration but not as much as we would have liked. I left the lesson feeling that it went pretty well considering the circumstances.

As we got in the car, Hermana Cannon immediately began evaluating and asking what we should have done better. As we talked, and as I have studied further since then, I have come to the realization that yes, evaluating our lessons is necessary and important and I want to learn all I can, but I also have to learn to accept my best. Maybe the restoration would have been a better decision, maybe not. We will never know. But in the moment, hopefully under direction of the Spirit, we decided to go a different way and that is okay. I learned in Ether 12 today that Moroni was worried about his imperfections as well. The Lord told him, however, that His grace is sufficient for the meek. If I am humble enough to follow the Lord, He will make up the rest. I want to be positive about the choices I make and how I teach as long as I am doing my best and trying to follow the Spirit. I will never be a perfect teacher but God will make up for my imperfections as long as I am doing all I can to be diligent, obedient and faithful.

This attitude has been necessary this week as our miracle family, Carl Dawn and Woody, haven't responded well to our calls and visits and didn't show up to church or our lesson that was scheduled on Sunday. Another one of our investigators, who even had a baptismal date at one time, has also seemed to be avoiding contact with us. It is easy to wonder what we did wrong and to feel guilt about losing one of God's children. The weight of knowing that God is relying on me and my companion to take care of this area and the people in our stewardship is so overwhelming. I don't want to be the reason someone loses out on the blessings of salvation. Heavenly Father is helping me see, however, that as long as I am trying my best that is all I can ask for. I want to constantly improve and become a better missionary and a more Christlike servant of the Lord and He will help me along the way.

This week I have been learning lots of lessons about who I am as a missionary and how I can become better. I'm trying to have more humility to learn from Hermana Cannon and faith to know that Lord will help me."

Now here is some of the fun stuff:

First, let's start out with a story. Once upon a time there were two missionaries who LOVED checking the mail. One day there was nothing inside but a funny little key. Not knowing what it was, nor having time to ask the manager about it at the moment they ignored it and went on their way. Well, this continued for a week, or maybe even two, until one day they happened to remember to ask their manager about the strange little key abiding in their mailbox. "Well," said the manager, "that means you have a package." "A package!" They exclaimed! This whole time the rusty, old, lonely key signified the most glorious surprise a missionary could behold! That evening they finally took the key out of its resting place in the back of their mailbox, found the lock that it belonged to, and pulled out a wonderful little package full of goodies and surprises of all sorts from Sister Millet's sweet, generous Aunt Mary. Sister Millet was SOOOO grateful for the wonderful joys she found in the package and it made her whole week brighter. The End.

Morale of the story: keys in the mailbox are kind of like gold, and Aunt Mary is the sweetest person ever.

PS. One of the happy joys in the package was Dr. Pepper Lipsmackers so now I can feel like Mama every time I put it on.

Next story: On Monday night we went to dinner at the Williams. They are an adorable family that is SOOO sweet. (Shout out to Sister Williams if she happens to look at the blog. Thank you for being amazing to us!) We ate amazing food and taught the plan of salvation (Ygnacio was supposed to come but he's avoiding us now. :() As we were about to leave, little 5 year old Beth who just started Kindergarten whispered in my ear, "When you taught Kindergarten did you share the gospel?" Is that not the sweetest thing you've ever heard? I love her.

Oh, also on Monday Brother Millett took us to see a cool bridge.

Holding up the bridge.

Sister Millett and he both like to tell us all about how people like to commit suicide off the bridge and they put up a fence but that doesn't stop the crazy people from jumping.

Have I told you how awesome the Millett's are? They're hilarious. We also found Hidden Valley (as in Hidden Valley Ranch) and let me tell you, it looks nothing like the pictures. Quite disappointing actually. There are no giant carrots or bowls of ranch dressing with kids having delicious looking picnics.

Jen with Brother Millett (Stake Patriarch) and another missionary.

Tuesday we ate at Paula's Pancake House for Hermana Wright's birthday. It was delicious. I got French toast again. It was amazing. Then we had a funny little health conference in Goleta (not sure how to spell it) where they told us to eat fruits and veggies and be good girls and boys. That night we ate a Burrito Loco with this awesome lady who is like 79 and has cancer but plays tennis and walks 3 miles a day and donates tons of money to charity and is more active than I think I've ever been in my life. (She told us all about how awesome she is as I scarfed down the best burrito of my life the size of my face...actually I did save some of it for lunch the next day.)

On Friday we discovered a Snow White cottage complete with a little dungeon next door.

Cellar next to Snow White's Cottage

It was the coolest thing I've ever seen. I'm kind of on my own version of parade of homes here every day. We also got awesome hats from a less active member who let us do some service by helping her clean out her closet and organize. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it's awesome. And I can't wait to use it for a Halloween costume.

Hermana Cannon and Hermana Millet wearing the
crazy hats they received.

Friday was insanely hot here. Actually, it's been hot all weekend and apparently we're heading into the heat of the summer here. They're just getting me ready for Argentina! I also had a spider on my pillow that got away that night and another one that we had to kill. EEW! Even more preparation for Argentina. Maybe my VISA is on its way!

Ooh! Good news from Friday we finally got pastries from Mortensen's. They are the best, for sure. I got a giant eclair. It was amazing! We also decided during planning to try to meet the standard of excellence this week for our weekly goals. It's going to be insanely difficult but I'm going to try to have faith and work like crazy to make it happen. It's the last week of our transfer and we have no idea what might happen next week.

Last little story: we have met a cute little Honduran family in our apartment complex who always smiles and says hi to us. We were finally able to teach the Mom on Friday. She still has two kids back in Honduras! She is shipping them over one at a time. She works so hard and her kids are so sweet and polite. The six year old daughter gave me a cute picture during the lesson (sometimes I have to force myself to try to listen to Hermana Cannon and the mom and not just smile at Luatany). She is so sweet and I can only imagine being her teacher and having no idea about her home life. They are moving right now because we think they were evicted and her dad is in prison. It is so sad, but she's so sweet.

Ah! Time's up. I LOVE YOU! Have a great week. Talk to you soon!

Love,

Me