Well have I got some news for you,

So much has happened this last week! We went to the Redlands Temple on Wednesday and went to Cafe Rio afterwards. The Temple is always the boost I need. There is a spirit there that I don't feel anywhere else, and the spirit is in no short supply as a missionary. Cafe Rio also is also a well needed support. :) (pork burrito, black beans, mild, enchilada style, with a side of house ranch :) This last week we also said goodbye to our two-weeker Ami Latu. As we went our separate ways we yelled "Harrah for Israel" once more across the crouded church parking lot in Rancho Cucamonga. The biggest bit of news I have share this week is that I AM BEING TRANSFERRED! We found that out on Saturday night. Elder DeVaney will be staying to take over the area. It seems every time I leave an area we finally get a good teaching pool going. :( That makes it even harder to leave. Another thing that will make these next few months interesting is that I was called to be a Zone Leader! This came as a shock to me. If I were President Godwin I probably wouldn't have picked me to fill one of the two zone leader positions open. Let us hope for my next zone's sake that the statemet " who The Lord calls he qualifies" is a true statement. After my nine month stay in the mountains It will feel strange leaving. I love it here in the mountains so much. Driving through thick pine trees on curving mountain roads off to my next appointment has quite literally been the majority of my mission so far. There are two things that I will love about being a zone leader: I am guaranteed a car and I am guaranteed a hard working comp. The thing I am not looking forward to is dealing with disobedient missionaries that require reproving. It is amazing that so much has happened on my mission and I still have a year to go. I am happy that I had my three month stay in Big Bear. The people are wonderful and I had so many great experiences here. I love my mission. I hope that continues despite a drastic change of circumstance.

I love ya guys

Well on Wednesday night we got a call from the APs. They asked if we would take on another two weeker! He is also Tongan! In fact he is our last two weeker's cousin! his name is Elder Latu, and he is big. :) I tried to wrestle him, and it did not turn out so well. :) We have a couple of fun weeks ahead of us. I hope he gets something out of his missionary experience. I know I get something out of every two weeks I am out here. In other news we picked up a new investigator yesterday! His name is Jason and he is friends with a young man in the ward. It just so happened that we were planning to teach the restoration to there eight year old nephew Joseph and Jason was able to come to the lesson too! He has agreed to read and pray about The Book of Mormon and we will teach him again this Sunday! He is a well needed addition to our teaching pool. We are definitely in the building stage at the moment. I hope that our building will lead to additional baptisms here in the Big Bear Ward. It is our last two weeks for Elder DeVaney and I. We are not sure who is leaving yet, but we know that one of us will probably go. It has been an eventful three months for us, I hope it continues for both of us no matter what happens. You know missionary work isn't easy. (big surprise huh) I heard a talk from Jeffrey R. Holland this week that changed my perspective on why missionary work is as hard as it is, and that is what I will close with.

"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?
You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.
Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.
For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul."
Love,
Elder Roos

Ello Chaps!

This week just flew by! As they seem to always do. On Tuesday I received six letters from family and friends! So I felt very loved this week. Elder Brown now has less days than I do months left being a missionary. :) I hope I get a good next Comp. I'll let you know how he is when I do. :) We have had some good teaching opportunities lately. We are preparing a Jason Rogerson to be baptized on the 18th of February. He has progressed so fast in a short amount of time. When I first met him I thought "yea.. we won't have much luck with him," and now he is more active than many members in the branch. :) There are things to be happy about here in Running Springs. On Saturday we had Interviews with President Godwin. I always look forward to meeting with him. He can be a little long winded :), but he always has great advice. This morning I went to a members house for a voice lesson! This has been in the plans for a couple of weeks now, and It will continue every p-day at ten. Sister Brady teaches singing a lot different than what I am used to. I wanted to do it so I can keep this voice of mine exercised, and hey maybe I'll learn a few things. :) I wonder what my average ":)" count is for these weekly messages. I'll have to count them up at the end of my mission. :) Oh, and there I go again. Well I'm still alive, I miss y'all, and I love y'all

Dear you,

 

Lehi Taught us that there is oposition in all things. this week I have seen some great times, and I have also seen a few things that haven't been so great. Lets get the not so great stuff out of the way now. Our investigator Kaylee who is 14 informed us that her dad won't allow her to be baptized until she is eighteen years old. that makes four people attending this ward who want to be baptized but cannot due to court or parental restrictions. Frustrating, to say the least. I hate it when there are factors, which are out of my control. Now that we have that out of the way we can talk about my birthday! I AM 20! Isn't crazy how time flies right on by. My birthday was a great day. I had presents to open and I had friends in this ward to celebrate with. I also received a pretty nice gift from God on the night of the fourth. We were getting ice cream and we got a call from Mathew, a priest in the ward. just down the road there were two of his friend who were asking questions about the church. We walked down the street and had an hour long discussion focused on The Restoration of the Gospel. When we all of the questions were answered one of the girls said "we need to talk again!" So this week we are setting up a return appointment! Two new investigators was the best present that I got on my birthday. :) Another event that was significant this week was saying goodbye to our two week missionary David Kaufussi. We had all grown close over these last two weeks. I am glad he was there for my birthday. We dropped him off at the stake center in Rancho Cucamonga. At the meeting held by president Godwin Brother Kaufussi gave a short talk on his experience with us. when It was time for him to leave he yelled "harrah for Isreal" across the parking lot, and Elder DeVaney and I echoed the same. It is goodbye for now to my Tongan friend. I wanted to thank all of you to who sent me a package or a letter for my birthday. It meant so much to me. I will work on getting replies out to all of you. As far as birthdays go this one was probably the best one that I could have had away from my family, though I do miss them terribly. I hope you all had an amazing week.

This week was a lot of fun. We fed Lamas, we went bowling with the Elders Chorum, and we played with the endangered desert tortoises that a member owns. :)But more important than all of that, we set a date for Kaylee to be baptized! Kaylee is Suzanne's daughter. She is fourteen years old and has made the decision to follow the example of Jesus Christ. I really hope we can keep her on track to make that happen. In contrast to that news we found out that the court won't allow our investigator Mario to be baptized until he is eighteen.(He is fifteen now) This was very unwelcome news. He is a ward of the court so they make the decision if he can be or not. They do not understand what there decision actually means for Mario. He bore his testimony on Sunday expressing that he knew that this church is true but that he could not do anything about that knowledge. We will continue to teach him and read the Book of Mormon with him despite this news. This work is full of ups and downs. It is a good thing that the ups stick with me for a lot longer than the downs. In other news It is my birthday this week! I never thought I would live until twenty but here I am. :) I hope all of you have a great fourth. I'm going to go and get some food now. :)

Dear family and friends

I cannot describe how incredible this weekend was. I had the chance to be a part of two baptisms. Suzanne was baptized on Saturday and Bronson Luce, a young man I taught in Running Springs, asked if I could baptize him on Sunday. Suzanne's baptism will be a cherished memory for the rest of my life. The entire program ran perfectly including a talk on baptism given by her three children Taylor, Riley, and Bryce. The only thing that went wrong is that the Big Bear building does not have a working water heater at the moment. :( The water was cold. When Suzanne and I stepped into the font both of us reacted to the cold water. She said " wow it is cold," and I replied "don't worry it will be worth it." After we were dried off and in our seats, Sister Jo Ann Holm gave an amazing talk about the The Gift of the Holy Ghost. During her talk Sister Holm asked Suzanne how she was feeling. Suzanne replied saying "There is just so much happiness, so much joy." The spirit was a lot stronger than I had anticipated. After the service I asked "did you enjoy your baptism." She said "yes, It was so worth it." As I have thought about, that my mind was brought back to my home, where a picture of Christ is displayed with the words "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." The sacrifices we make to follow Jesus Christ are so small compared with what he has in store for us. Bronson's baptism was an amazing experience as well. In April I had the opportunity to baptize his mom. He too has finally decided to take that step. It was great to see everyone in Running Springs again. I keep telling them that they won't see me again, and I am always happy to be wrong. When the baptism was finished his mother was in tears. I hope Bronson remembers the spirit that he felt for the rest of his life. On a complete side note there was a lady at the baptism that I tracted into seven months ago! She is now investigating the church! It is cool to see how even the planting of the smallest seed can grow immensely down the road. Something else happened this last week that is worth mentioning. Before the baptisms we picked up a two week missionary from Rancho Cucamonga named David Kaufusie. He wanted to give mission life a try, and they chose Elder DeVaney and I to be the missionaries to show him the ropes. It is times like these that I wonder if President Godwin knows what he is doing. :) He is Tongan! We have had so much fun these last five days. I now have a Tongan name. It is "pālangivai". It means White Water!! :) I think you can figure out why this is my Tongan name. :) Well Until next week. I love my mission, and I'm sure Nate will love his too!  

Hello from the battle front,

Yesterday we had a great lesson with Suzane Cuaz. We are making the some of the final preparations for her baptism this Saturday. Since I have met her I have said that I haven't seen anyone this ready to be baptized on my mission. She recently read the entire Gospel Principles book, she reads the Book of Mormon with her kids daily, and most importantly she prayed and received an answer that this is church is true before we even met her. Her experience has been the miracle of my stay in Big Bear. At the end of the lesson we just had she asked me if I would baptize her and she asked Elder DeVaney if he could do the confirmation! In my eyes there is no greater honor than participating in these holy ordinances. I am happy that Elder DeVaney has the chance to  see success early in his mission. In complete contrast to what I have been just talking about Elder DeVaney and I have been battling the last few weeks with an ant colony that lives in our walls. When I they ate my fruit loops and brownies I wasn't too upset, but when they tried to break into my Nuttella.......... IT BECAME WAR. :) We have since acquired all manner of poisons and ant traps to deter them from a complete take-over. I am happy to report that the scales are tipping and our flag is rising. I will give you more updates on the epic war between man and ant next week. :) Last on my agenda of things to report is express some of my feelings for my father. On my mission I have seen many broken families. I have seen many priesthood holders not rising up to their responsibilities. My mind has been drawn back to my own father who, in his patient yet powerful way, has been a leader for my family in the good times bad. Just as our heavenly father does for all of us, my Dad has set a high bar for me. He was a missionary in Norway, He was married in the Logan Temple, He is now a worthy priesthood holder, and now I am led to follow and do the same. To avoid any cliche connotations that this message may Carry, my Dad does have his share of follies. It is because of those that he has been able to help me when I have too fallen. Dad, I love you. Happy fathers Day.

So Guess What!

It was just another Wednesday night. I was winding down after a day of seeing people, when I got a text from my last comp in Running Springs. It said: "hey Lisa just got out of an interview with Pres and she is getting baptized this Sunday at five! She also wants you to baptize her" That text message blew my mind! :) I had set a date with her before I came here to Big Bear and that date came and went. Finding out that she was really going to do it  and that she wanted me to baptize her was one of the greatest pieces news I have received on my mission. The baptismal service was sweet; The Spirit was strong. Lisa has gone through a lot in her life. It was incredible to see her fears washed away by the cleansing power of the atonement, through baptism and confirmation. We had special permission to have her confirmed right there after she had been baptized. I hope I never forget the happiness I saw in her face when she was feeling the spirit so strongly. She has many obstacles ahead (as we all do) but she is through the gate that leads to Eternal Life. Not to mention she has a "trail guide" now, which is the Holy Ghost. President and Sister Godwin head the chance to attend the service as well. I told to President that I was grateful that the spirit has inspired him to keep me in the mountains. He replied "don't get to used to it," or something to that effect. :) President Godwin is a great man. I feel like the blessing of seeing this success was undeserved on my part. I think of the missionaries elsewhere giving it their all and not seeing much success through their missions. The Lord is doing a great work here in So. Cal. I'm just glad I can hitch on for the ride. :) On a completely different note some of the zone came up here to Big Bear for a hike called Castle Rock. You can see the lake from the top of the trail, so beautiful. Well that is all for this week. More miracles always are on their way ....

MY Good People!

Another great week in the paradise of big bear! We had one of the funnest lessons I have taught on my mission this last week. It was with Suzane and three of her kids. Elder Devaney and I went to the church about a half an hour before hand to set up a maze/ obstacle course with anything we could find. The course spanned the entire cultural hall. :) When the kids showed up we blind-folded them with ties and they had to make it through the course listening closely to "the still small voice"(us) guiding them through the twists and turns. We taught them a lot about the Holy Ghost and how we really need to listen closely to the promptings we get. We then led them to a big chalk board that had The Plan of Salvation drawn out in detail across it. The kids seemed to learn it well enough to turn around and teach us when we were done explaining it. For the final portion of our lesson with them we showed them a big bowl filled with water. We sprinkled pepper across the waters surface to represent sin. To represent baptism and repentance we added dish soap which forced the pepper to the sides of the bowl. The kids love the church and what they are being taught so much. It is a shame we don't have permission to get them baptized yet. Another fun event this week was the ward party on Saturday night. It was held at the LDS Youth Camp here in Big Bear. To entertain us after dinner was a performer called Farley The Fiddler, who has a show at Disney Land. It was very much a kid oriented show, but man that guy can play the fiddle. :) I had him play The Devil Went Down to Georgia when his show was done. :) All in all it seems that each and every week I have memories that will stick with me for a very long time. The ward loves us, I'm doing well and I thank you for all of the support.

Dear Zion

I've come to realize that a good week for a missionary can come down to five minutes of success out of the 10,080 minutes we live each week. A few of those minutes of which I speak were on Friday. We had a lesson with our investigator Steve. As I have done many times before we had Steve open his Book of Mormon to 2 Nephi 31, the chapter on baptism. We read the chapter with him until we reached versus 9 and 10, where we come across the famous line "Follow Thou Me." Elder DeVaney then invited him to be baptized. After only a moment, he replied "Absolutely!" I have been on my mission long enough to know how important that moment is. I have also been on my mission long enough to know that this was the easy part. :) Steve will have many hurdles yet to face before we can make baptism a reality. The difference now is that we know that he is willing to take that hard road. Another couple of minutes that made this week successful were the ones we spent with Suzane Cuaz. After discussing the details of the restoration I committed her to baptism for the 23rd of June. We hope and pray that her kids Taylor and Riley who are of baptismal age can join her as well, but without there father's consent it will not happen. I have a feeling that baptismal permission has been the bane of many missionaries trying to baptize many of the broken families here in California. Well I hope there are a few minutes next week that will make it another success for the ward here in Big Bear, and ultimately for the Lord.

Until next week

Dear Family and Friends

Big Bear has been a blast so far. We have met a lot of great people, and I can see why it is a coveted area in the mission. I was pretty certain that Running Springs was the most beautiful area in the mission. Big Bear has proven me wrong. The work is going better than I could have anticipated.  The Lord has provided new teaching opportunities that we desperately needed. Meeting the Cuaz family has been one of the most exciting developments since we arrived here. Suzane Cuaz is a single mother with four kids. She wanted to join the church when she was very young but her mother wouldn't allow it. She has prayerfully asked what church she should attend and the answer she received is "you already know." Suzane and her kids have been to church twice so far and we will be teaching them later this week. I look forward to seeing progress with that family. On Thursday I went on exchanges with another missionary in our district. The reason for the exchange was so that I could do a baptismal interview for a Larry Crawford, who was just baptized into the Lucerne Valley Ward. This is the first time I have interviewed anyone for church purposes. When the interview was finished I knew that he was more than ready to be baptized. It is great to see someone so willing to follow the example of Jesus Christ. On a side note Lucerne Vally is a vast desert. It reminds me of "Tatooine" off of Star Wars, or more specifically "Mos Eisley" (you'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy... I know I am a nerd:). So in short Lucerne valley is Spirit Prison and Big Bear is Spirit Paradise. :) While we were on Exchanges Elder DeVaney Contacted a media referral we got on our phone. Steve Close called the number on the back of a pass along card that he got from some missionaries years ago. (yes, a little thing like giving someone a card does matter.) Yesterday we taught him the Restoration and he is pretty excited about it. It is nice to not only get new investigators, but solid ones as well. Another neat experience started as we got a phone call from our Ward Mission Leader, brother Nielson. He informed us that there was a less active member who needed a blessing. It just so happened that this less active member was none other than Aaron Brinks who is a famous MMA Fighter. We met him at the church and it was clear to see why he would succeed in such a sport.  The blessing went well. He came to us in a lot of distress and left feeling at peace. It is amazing what the spirit can do. Maybe Aaron can teach me a few moves. :) Anyway! I hope all of you are doing well. I will try to get better at writing letters. I'm having fun out here.

I have been transferred to.... 'drum roll'...

BIG BEAR LAKE CALIFORNIA! After spending six months in an amazing mountain area, I have the chance to be in the mountain area next door! Though we are building the work here from the ground up, I am happy to stay in the mountains. Especially when it will be one of the coolest(temperature) places in the mission come summer time. Though it is going to take some time to get work going, I know this will be great place to train. Speaking of which, my greeny's name is Elder Travis DeVaney from West Jordan UT. He spent eight years playing football back home and he has a fetish for studying and drawing dinosaurs. He is very well rounded. :) We have been getting along very well. In other news I GOT TO TALK TO THE FAM YESTERDAY! It is funny how long you look forward to that and it is over in a flash. It was a needed boost for me at this point in my mission. Like I said the work here is slow, but we do have a couple of things I am excited about. A young man in the foster program named Mario Barr has started taking the lessons from us and has committed to be baptized! Due to the complications of his family situation we don't know how long it will take to get the permission to do so, but fear not we will do our best. Tonight we are teaching him the Plan of Salvation. We are striving to be as obedient as we can be. We need all the spiritual power we can get right now to get this area going. Well I'm nine months out on my mish and things are going well for us in the great San B mission.

It is official, I am being transferred. I feel my stay here in Running Springs has been very well spent. Sunday was one of my last chances to see all of the people I have grown so close to in these last six months. It has been hard saying goodbye, but the spirit has called me another way. :) To add to the anxiety to going to a new area I found out that I am going to be training a new missionary! This is both exciting and scary. My greeny and I will be whitewashing into an area, which means it will be new to both of us. This puts a lot of pressure on me to get the work going as well as getting this new missionary up to speed. To add to that I was also asked by President Godwin to be a District Leader! So I will be a "White-washing-Trainer-District Leader". This will be a different missionary experience than what I am used to. It is one that will require all of the diligence to be obedient that I can muster. So I may need extra prayers this month with the added pressures I will have. God always gives us opportunities to stretch. I been stretched quite a bit as a missionary. I hope in this new challenge I won't have to many "growing pains." :) Lisa is still on track to be baptised! That will give me a chance to come to Running Springs in a month or so! Not much more to say than thanks for all of the support, and I will have a chance to talk to my mommy in a week. :)

Pics - 4/30

And it came to pass That It was another great week in the field with a few more stories to remember. On our way to district meeting on Tuesday we stopped to take pictures of the valley. A guy named Ted pulled off next to us and asked "are you guys Mormons?" We were like "..... yea :)" He said he had been going through some very hard times and he wanted us to pray for him right there. (a common occurrence actually) After finding out that he lived in Running Springs we asked if we could come over. Yesterday we had our first lesson with Ted. The spirit was strong and he has committed to be at church this Sunday! He is one of the most promising new investigators we have had in a while. We have been very blessed to pick up at least one new investigator each week. Another miracle that happened this week was when we set a baptismal date with Lisa Ornalez! It has been hard to get lessons with her the last couple of transfers, but when we did we were bold. We read 2 Nephi 31 and challenged her to baptism. These types of lessons are the ones I will remember for years to come. Her family has been going through some hard times. I know that the gospel in their lives can heal many wounds. For now Lisa the mother of four is the only one so far with a date, but we hope that her example will push her daughters along. In other news I find out if I am going to be transferred on Saturday. We had Interviews with President Godwin this last week, and though it was undetermined, He made it seem that I would be going. I have been here for six months, which is about the length they want missionaries in one area. I have mixed feelings about leaving Running Springs, especially with all of the great work we have been doing lately. But as they say "I'll go where you want to go dear Lord." I have seen a lot of good happen here In Running Springs. I will surely miss it. It's a good thing I would only have a five hour drive from home to get back here. :) Well nothing is for certain just yet so I will let you know next week. I miss you all soooo much. 

It is not often you get to shake hands with an apostle of the Lord. On Saturday I did just that. We arrived at the meeting in Fontana at two, an hour before it was time to start. As time grew closer My comp and I went to the restroom at 2:25. On our way back to the chapel we passed Elder Ballard and his security guards. :) I nervously looked at him and greeted him as I softly said "Elder Ballard" with the slight nod of my head. He replied with something like "how are you Elders today." When got back to the Chapel I turned to another missionary and told him That we passed Elder M. Russell Ballard in the hall, and my companion said "WE DID!?" Ha :) He didn't recognize him nor did he hear me greet him.:) After everyone was seated quietly we started with everyone lining up to shake Elder Ballard's hand. Accompanying Elder Ballard was Shayne M. Bowen and Elder Scott D. Whiting of the Seventy. We also heard from Douglas F. Higham who is an area Seventy for a part of California. All of their talks were amazing, but it was clear who the apostle was when Elder Ballard spoke. He was a lot funnier then I thought he would be. He got up to the pulpit and the first thing he said was "well.... let's go home!":). As he looked over all of our faces he said " you guys need to put on more sunscreen!... We don't want you comin' home with cancer!" :) He proceeded with his talk and the spirit was strong. He saved some time at the end of his talk to answer questions and address concerns. At the close of his talk he simply bore his testimony by reading 3 Nephi 11. If you have not read that chapter recently I suggest you do so. He got choked up as he read it gave us his Apostolic witness that Jesus Christ Lives. He called blessing upon us for the work here in The great San B mission. It is safe to say that this was the best meeting I have ever been to on my mission, if not my life. I am going to work on applying the wisdom they had for us in the coming weeks and months ahead. The work in Running Springs is still going well. We are getting new investigators and getting them on the path of discipleship. I hope my fam has fun in Mexico, but I would rather be here.

Dear Southern Utah,

This email won't nearly be as exciting as the last, but there are a few things to report on including the epic snow storm we had. The people of Running Springs never fail to tell me how fed up they are with the snow. I've never had this much winter in my life! The good thing about snow storms is it helps us get into more houses. Would you deny a couple of missionaries covered in snow at your front door with ice shrapnel filled winds laying siege upon their faces? I didn't think so.:) That actually did help us get into a couple of houses that normally turn us away this week. In other snow related news we got stuck! We got a truck A.D. (after destruction) that would supposedly keep us out of that kind of trouble with it's four wheel drive etc. But after an amazing lesson on the Book of Mormon with a couple of our new investigators Dean and Linda, we got stuck in the middle of a snow storm heading back to the main highway. After pushing, digging, sliding, and freezing for forty five minutes we finally called our Branch Mission Leader Earl Purkiss. With his help we finally got the truck we have named Bruce back on the road.:) We finally got home at 11:30, Which is a bit past our curfew. :) The work here has been going good, but we are definitely in a building stage again after those two baptisms. We are working with a few people now that I have high hopes for. In sadder new an investigator we started teaching recently dropped us after looking up a lot of "anti" on Joseph Smith. I told her that her reading the Book of Mormon and asking God is the ONLY way she can know the truth. She wouldn't listen. In happier news M Russell Ballard is coming to speak to the mission this Sunday! I am very excited for that. It isn't to often I get to hear an Apostle of our Lord speak in person. I will let you know how that goes next time. I have a firm testimony of this work, and every experience I have builds on that. I hope all of you are doing wonderfully. Thank you for your prayers.

Hello World,

There are few weekends in my life that can compare to the one I just experienced. The combination of baptisms and Easter is more than any missionary could ask for. The first was on Friday, where I had the opportunity to baptize Diana. It has been such a blessing to know her. Through the entire program she couldn't restrain her tears. I do admit I was pretty nervous to do the baptism, but it went perfectly. As I was getting changed into my dry clothes, I felt the chills which I personally feel when the spirit is with me. I know that her baptism was of great eternal significance. After I was dressed I gave a talk on The Gift of the Holy Ghost, and then our branch president led in her confirmation. When the final prayer was said I asked her if it had met her expectations. She replied that "It was better than she could have imagined." Diana is a follower of Jesus Christ, which is a manifestation of her strong faith. The second Baptism was for A.J Lundgren. His baptism was on Saturday morning and it was as celestial as the first. I started teaching him the week we arrived in running springs. He has been seeing missionaries for ten years and he has finally taken the step of baptism. The change of heart I have seen with him has been huge. During the baptism he was the picture of sincerity. He is a man who doesn't express too much emotion, but with the Spirit of God unrestrained his emotion was also unrestrained. His father in law baptized him and we had the confirmation in the light of an Easter morning. The reason for the Easter holiday is the same reason we can feel the true joy that I have felt in circumstances like the ones mentioned. It is because of Jesus Christ and His Infinite Atonement. On another note I would like to thank my amazing family for the box of Easter candy! I would also like to thank my dear Grandma Sandy for her package of sweets as well. The support I have received has been amazing. I love you all and I will see you all very soon. (I'm a third of the way through my mission:) 

To Everyone,

This mission has been full of firsts for me. It is the first time I have lived away from a sweet mother who cleans and cooks for me. :) It is the first time I have been personally involved in others coming to Christ. It is also the first time I have gotten in a car crash. For those who have driven with me in past years you are probably not surprised. :) Believe it or not I have been an overly cautious while driving, but it only takes one mistake to get into a car accident. I was driving down the highway here in Running Springs and I made a left turn and I didn't see the oncoming car coming. They hit our back end. If they would have swerved a foot they would have missed us. that initial hit pushed us into the bumper of a car turning right. So the first half of this week we were on foot while I car is being repaired. :( Ironically enough we were able to talk to a lot more people that way and we picked up a new investigator! on Sunday I was able to turn this into a great analogy for living the gospel. when I got to this area I drove in snow and on ice for my first time. I also have never experienced so many drivers darting down skinny mountain roads so fast that you don't see them until the last second. We also have had the experience many times to drive through fog so thick you can't see the yellow lines on the road. But it was the moment when I wasn't fearful of crashing that I made a mistake. At the beginning of this life God has handed us keys to the new car that is our bodies. Though at times we may be careful in keeping gospel principals, when we let our guards down by letting ourselves be distracted or deceived by Satan, we crash. Where this analogy falls apart is that there is no auto body shop on earth that gives you a car better than the one you crashed when they are done fixing it. The Atonement of Jesus Christ on the other hand does. Not only are our spiritual wounds healed but we are lifted even higher than we once were. Yes I just turned a moment of my utter stupidity into a gospel lesson.:) Another first for me in my life will be this Friday, when I will have a chance to baptize someone. Dianna called me one morning B.C (before the crash :) and asked me If I would baptize her. I am so grateful that I will have the chance to be a part of this sacred ordinance. another first for my mission is the fact that we have two separate baptisms this weekend! One for Dianna and the other will be on Saturday for A.J Lundgren. I have loved becoming his friend and preparing him for baptism. At the priesthood session he came to me and a member of the branch council and said that after ten years of going through different missionaries and wards, he feels that he is finally ready. He said that it was the right branch and the right missionaries (ME!:) that have brought him to this complete 180 degree turn. I loved conference. Holland's talk about the "11th hour" and Uchtdorfs talk about "envy and forgiveness" were my favorites. I felt there were many things that I could 'liken' unto myself. :) well thank you for your prayers and letters.:)