Missionary Maren: 5/11-5/17

Herro!

Monday-- Was a good P-day! We went to the Dailey's and taught them a lesson about the Plan of Salvation using this little wooden puzzle thing we have for when we teach kids! It went well! They haven't been coming to all of church lately, so we went to go see how they were! They have triplets! :)

Tuesday-- We had a study session with the Assistants to the President! It was awesome. Every transfer the STL's on this side of the mission get to have that study session to help us, help our sisters we are over. The AP's are Elder Matheny and Elder Crandell! I served with both of them in my first area in Palmdale and I just love them both so much haha. They crack me up.

That afternoon was the start of my very first exchange! It was fun! I was with Sister Fuatia, from Western Samoa! She is great, and super fun! We didn't have too much success with finding anyone that day, but we did have dinner at the Himle's and then a lesson with Ernie our investigator! His lesson went SO well! We've started using the pamphlets more because he likes reading and learns better when he does. He's starting to really progress and we are hoping to set him with a baptismal date soon! :)

We visited a widow in the ward, Sister Nelson, that night and it was such a nice visit! we taught the Restoration and it was really awesome. She showed us her garden!! (Mom you would love it!!!) And she had some flowers back there that grow all over in Samoa, so we put them in our hair like some real Samoans! :) It was fun.

Wednesday-- We finished up exchanges and later went to a lesson with a less active member, Melissa Barker. She was super nice and fun! Sister Phillips came with us and it was really good to see Melissa open up since they are super good friends. We watched a really powerful and touching Mormon Message and it was great! She didn't make it to church, so we are going to try to start teaching her kids so they will want to come with her.

We ate at Cataldo's with Sister Cook and Sister Kraucyk.. my two favorite ladies in the ward :) They are hilarious. They remind me of the two geese off of Aristocats. :)

We then went to Ward Correlation meeting and it was so awesome! We went over goals and the ward is really starting to catch the vision! They are going to try to find us people to teach within the families that they home and visit teach! Lots of good things happening there! :)

Thursday-- IT RAINED!!!!!! MIRACLES!

Friday-- We had an awesome District Meeting! We learned about making sure Christ is at the center of all of our lessons. It was a very good reminder to always bring it back to why we do the things we do.

Then we went on another exchange! I went with Sister Cashin who is from Missouri and we were in the MTC together at the same time. It was a really good exchange! We found someone!!!! Her name is Erin, and she was babysitting at a house we tried a few days earlier. She opened the door and we introduced ourselves. She didn't know what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believed, so we told her sometimes people call us "mormons". She invited us in because she "has had lots of questions about Mormons and no one can answer them!" So we basically taught her the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ all in one lesson! It was amazing!!! She accepted a Book of Mormon and was super excited to read it and find out if it is true!! She then asked how long it usually takes for someone to become converted. Hahaha we about fell out of our seats! SHE IS SO PREPARED! We invited her to be baptized on June 20th and she accepted! :) Only thing is that she doesn't live in our area and she is 19, so we will have to give her to the Young Single Adult Sister missionaries... BUT STILL WE FOUND SOMEONE WHO WAS SUPER PREPARED! We prayed so hard for that!

Then we had dinner at the McArthur's and Sister McArthur took us to go visit a sweet, sweet sister in the ward who just got diagnosed with brain cancer.. it was super unexpected and the whole ward has been amazing to rally the troops and help this sister and her family out during this super hard time. Her name is Sister Reeber and she is so strong! Her testimony is amazing! It made me really think about priorities and how we need to really appreciate life, every step of the way!

Saturday-- We went to a birthday party for Ernie! The Hunter's put it on for him! It was like a fiesta Luau! It was super fun! :) They are the best! He is 84! What a champ! The Hunter kids showed us their salamanders they found on the father and sons campout weekend!

Sunday-- Church was great! The Todd's came to all three hours and so did the Dailey's! It was awesome! :) The Todd's are a family we are working with! A young couple and the husband is a member, but less active and we have been teaching the wife! They are expecting soon!

We had an awesome lesson with Jacob-- he has been meeting with the missionaries for four months now and he is 17. His parents won't let him be baptized, so his baptismal date is in September when he turns 18! He comes to church and activities every week and is so awesome. He is planning to apply to BYU for winter semester next year! So awesome!

We had dinner with the McMurtrey's! One of my new favorite families! :) They are so awesome! They are way stoked, their son gets home this week from his mission in Michigan!

We were walking around trying to find someone to talk to and Brother Woodruff was sitting outside with his neighbor and invited us to sit with them and we chatted a little bit and shared a message and Brother Woodruff said a prayer and it was just the best experience ever! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

Sorry this was kind of scattered! So much more happened I just don't have time to include everything this week!

Hope everyone has a splendid week! I love you all! :)

Love,

Sister Loar

xoxo

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it."

--Ferris Beuler

Our Bishop's wife made this mini Jerusalem for her seminary class!