This week....

Tuesday our phone broke, we had to go get a new phone on Wednesday at the mission office, lost all our numbers tried to move numbers from old from to new phone at the sprint store they said they couldn't. What a waste of miles on our car. So we decided to bike, my bike had a flat tire because of those stupid thorns that Utah is invested with, they put pukas in all bike tires. Thursday we had zone conference, that was good and then we had a meeting with everyone in the stake about member missionary work, I think that it was effective. Friday My bike got fixed. yay! Saturday It was hailing! I have never seen hail before! I actually didn't really get to see it on Saturday because we were teaching a lesson when it happened so I was that we weren't in the middle of it. Sunday I had to speak again... I hope that I'm getting better at speaking and not worse. I was also at church from 8:30 to about 3:30. Its great! One of our wards is what we call the senior citizen ward because everyone in that ward is like 70 and up. Yup it's like I'm going to church with many grandparents and all the women come right up to my face and tell me how beautiful I am and that they need to get really close because they don't have their glasses on. ha ha.

Good thing! It started to cool down for a couple of days this week, so hopefully it stays this way while we are on bikes!

Investigators

Yesterday was also a hard day, we have once investigator who was supposed to get baptized this saturday, but she doesn't come to church! She keeps telling us that she is going to come, but then something happens and she doesn't. It's really sad! She has been taught by the missionaries for like 25 years and she has never accepted a baptismal date. She knows that it is true! But her husband has no faith in her that she'll get baptized. How sad is that! We will keep working with her and hopefully she'll come around.

Our next investigator is Wiley is a special soul, he has lots of questions and lots of beliefs. He like the Book of Mormon and the Plan of Salvation, but he believes in that and reincarnation. Which I don't think he really believes in. Yesterday we showed him the video finding faith in Christ and after we showed him that video the spirit was so strong! My companion, the member that was with us and me felt the spirit so strong and we knew that he felt it to. But he just kept fighting it. It was like all his questions were answered, but he continues to look for more answers. He said that he has prayed about everything and his answer hasn't come, he is expecting for the phone to ring or the lights to flicker. That isn't going to happen. It's like feeling the spirit isn't enough. But it is! We fear that we'll have to drop him, but maybe it's for the best.

We have a couple of appointments this week and hopefully they'll turn into investigators!

 The less actives we are working with some of them are really progressing and they are so amazing! We are really trying to get them to the temple!

Zone Conference

So awesome. Zone conference is pretty cool. It was 6 hours!!! But it didn't even feel like it. My mission has taught me how to lead music, because everyone always asks me to lead music. So I don't just wave my hand and write my name in cursive anymore, its great!

Some cool things I learned is that we really clarified the meaning of asking for numbers. When we ask how many people have you baptized we say a number and by asking that it seems that those baptisms aren't important and that we only wanted a number. It's just how we answer a question. Like if someone was to ask me how many people is in my family I would say a number. And each number represents a soul each person is important. Each person that we teach, each of Heavenly Fathers children are important.

Another thing that we talked about was... Member Missionary work and getting the members involved. Tracting where ever you go on your mission in INEFFECTIVE! I would send you guys the diagram we made, but it wouldn't make sense. Members and missionaries need to work together the whole process. Missionaries are not going to be there forever but the members may and if these investigators have a good support they will stay in the church. We as missionaries are the harvesters members are the cultivators. (I hope that this made sense)

Quote for members if you are scared of how people are going to react to you inviting them to activities or even just FHE Elder Holland said this, "When it is done out of love offense will never be taken." It'll be alright, pray before you ask and if they say no, try again in a couple weeks. If someone keeps popping into your mind that is the spirit telling you that the Lord is preparing these people.

Thought for the Week something that I also learned from zone conference

Last thing that I loved, in Mosiah 28:3 The sons of Mosiah said that it would make their body quake and tremble that even one soul should perish. I really hope that one day, I can be like that. There are so many people that I love and I fear that they will not have salvation! That is what we are sharing with everyone a chance for salvation! I hope you that you have that same feeling for those you love! And keep praying that the Lord will prepare their hearts.

Also, Something that I learned in Sacrament meeting. "Many of us think that the mission field is somewhere else, that it is in some distant land, but the mission field is where ever you are." Bro. Mayebe

I love you all so much! And I feel your prayers!

-Sister Swain