I Only Design Thy Dross to Consume and Thy Gold to Refine – January 27, 2015

So, reason I am writing on a Tuesday again...Today we get to go to the temple!! Aah! I'm so excited. I borrowed a dress from one of the members of our ward. Yay! So, I will not have time to find a present today, but I will next P-Day. Also, expect my next e-mail to come on a Tuesday, because the library will be closed for President's Day.

I am doing rather well. My confidence is growing a lot. I think it's because I'm starting to understand how important my message is. I know that sounds silly. I should already know how important it is, but I wasn't very excited about it. Now that I'm getting more excited I'm not so nervous to talk to people. I'm sill scared to approach people by myself, but as soon as I get going the words just come. It also helps to look at them and see them as a child of God. Then I start to feel love for them and it makes approaching them easier. The worst they can do is say no, right? 

I'm trying to be an adult I guess. I wanted to be the best missionary now and that really weighed me own a lot. I thought that if I just prayed and toughed it out everything would turn out okay. Right now I'm just taking it day by day and trying to get better. I'm really okay. My mission is fun. I love it. But they weren't lying when they said it was going to be hard. 

Alright, onto happy story time! Haha :) 

I realized that I haven't talked much about the K family. They are from India and their names are V K, K K, and V. I forgot his last name, but he's they're son. I think he's either eight of seven. They are wonderful and very fun. V is very smart and has lots of opinions, haha. K K and V K were married in India after the custom arranged marriage practice. They got to meet each other and K had the option to say no, but she liked him.:) They moved here in 2006 I think because V got a job working for Humana.Their family is going through a really hard time right now. V has stomach cancer and he is very close to it being terminal. Recently it has spread to his liver. K is being very strong, but is still saddened by it. She finds strength in our visits, but we rarely get to have actual lessons with them because V is always in pain or sick when we can come. It hurts my heart because I love them so much and the gospel would really help them be comforted and strengthened. Brother Lindman and Brother Simpson gave V a priesthood blessing on Sunday. We weren't able to attend, because of a fireside that we took Donna to. Brother Lindman said it went very well, so we're going to call or see the K's and see how they felt about it. They're in my prayers all the time and I hope that everything works out. 

We had another lesson with B last week. We read the Book of Mormon with him and he seemed to like it. He still hates questions and we can't seem to get him out of his shell. Dad, how do you unlock a cop? 

Ok, really cool story! We have a new investigator named, J and he is a dad of four kids and his wife's name is P. She's kind of scared of us and didn't attend the lesson. That'll change though, muahaha. We taught the Restoration and he was awesome! After we recounted the First Vision we asked him how he felt. He said that it made total sense and that if Moses could see a burning bush why couldn't Joseph Smith see God and Christ? 

Wait...say what? Did you really just say that?! Because that's what we thought too! 

We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he wanted to read the whole thing in one month. We invited him to be baptized and he said, "Yeah, if I read this and know it's true it's just logical right?" 

Oh...my....goodness!! Ahh! We have yet to schedule another appointment with him, but we can't wait! We're hoping to get his whole family involved and we hope to gt them all to church. 

Speaking of baptism...drumroll please....D wants to be baptized on Valentine's Day! When we asked her yesterday if she would be baptized on that date she started crying and said that was perfect. Woo! You were right about leading a horse to water. Sometimes I felt that we were dragging her to the font and now she's actually pushing herself to be there. Sunday was probably the best day for her. She keeps getting these migraines and wasn't going to come to church. So, we called her and said that if she came to church, her migraine would go away. She showed up to sacrament meeting and she didn't get a headache all day long. :) All the talks that day even applied exactly to her and she felt like her prayers were being answered. 

We took her to the Mission Home Fireside which was awesome. It was just a testimony meeting for recent converts and investigators. The Scott's were there and D sat by them. The fireside was beautiful and was great because D could talk to them afterward and it just strengthened her so much. all the testimonies were great. But there was one investigator who showed up really high. His testimony was....well....interesting, bless his heart. He was Sister Griffith's investigator. She was sweating bullets when he was up on the stand. 

Other than that it was great! 

After the fireside I got to talk to a deaf investigator. My signing sucks big time, but I was able to get to know her a bit. It was fun. :) 

Oh, Sister Ward and I almost died yesterday. So we were tracting and we starting walking toward this house that was really scary looking, but it was no big deal. Then, I saw this sign that said 'Protected by Invisible Fence' and I thought nothing of it. I thought that maybe there was just a lab or something walking around so I ventured forth. But...Sister Ward stopped dead in her tracks. On her mission she had been bit by a dog and she might have slight PTSD, but as soon as she heard a dog bark she yelled, "Sister!" I turned and saw two enormous hounds barreling toward us. They were going to kill us. I swear. The Spirit said run. I don't think I have ever sprinted that fast in my entire life. 

We made it outside the invisible fence and died from laughter. Sister Ward almost peed her pants. We hope nobody saw that. 

Sister Ward is great!  We get along very well. We never fight or get openly irritated at each other. She is a great companion and friend. I love her. :) 

By the way, my name is Sister French by half the people in the ward. I now respond to it. Someone gave me a french Book of Mormon. I'm learning how to read it. ;) 

I miss you all a ton!! The Gathering Post was the best thing ever!! My day was made. I just loved reading it over and over again. It looks like you're putting pictures up in the house. Exciting! Mom, I hope that my drawing of you gets placed somewhere! 
Mom, you are not getting fat. You look great! Hotty train! Woo woo! 

Thanks for the quote Emilee. :) I loved it! 

Josh...yo....where's my e-mail from you, dude?! Geez louise! 

You know, out here I see a lot of dysfunctional families. Thank you Mommy and Daddy for loving us and teaching us. My family is the best family ever! We are so freaking blessed even though we have Emilee. JK! JK! Haha! But seriously, I love you all and miss you. Don't be afraid to send me letters. I love mail in the middle of the week. :) 

I love you and miss you terribly! 

Forever and always, 

To the moon and back, 

Your favorite oldest daughter, 

Raye!

PS: More pictures to come!