Catch-up post

- Mother's Day we got to talk to Holly! It was good to hear her voice, and she sounded like she was doing well... Well, unless you take into consideration the fact that she had limited use of both her arms. She fell down a set of stairs by getting tangled in her own feet (she said it looked like she'd been clothes-lined at the ankles) and caught herself with her hands at the bottom of a short flight of stairs (8 steps or so). They thought she'd broken them, but she didn't. But she couldn't move them much and couldn't type to send us an email the next day. But besides that she's happily serving in her capacity as a missionary!


Holly's letter from 5/17 -

So my arms are doing much better. I have some gnarly bruises, but my range of motion is much better. I still can't drive and I look a little funny when I brush my teeth or eat or do anything like that, and my hair looks a little crazy 'cause I can't really reach my head very well--but most of all it gives me and Sister Bean an opportunity to laugh. And the ward members keep having us over for dinner and giving me chocolate, so I'm happy!

Our investigator Ray came to church on Sunday--whoot! He really enjoyed it and he continues to accept and love everything he learns. He says he's not ready to accept a baptismal date yet, but he's steadily moving closer to that point. Hooray! Also, I fasted yesterday because I was getting so desperate for something good to happen, and last night this cool Filipino guy we taught a couple weeks ago called us to set up an appointment. At the very end of that one lesson his wife came on the seen, said "We're Catholic" and practically kicked us out. On our way out we tried to set up a return appointment and he said, "Uh...I'll call you sometime." We didn't think we'd ever hear from him again. Three cheers for prayer and fasting! It works.

Sister Dennis went home Wednesday, and Sister White was transfered (they were the other companionship of sisters in our ward). Sister Fonua and brand-MTC-new Sister Tolman were doubled in. They are awesome. I met Sister Fonua my first night when we were contacting in Newark. She is a wonderful missionary--we went on an exchange last week and I have already learned a lot from her.


Holly's letter from 5/24 -

Last week was BUSY, and this week is looking like it is going to be the same. Wonderful treat with Zone Conference on Wednesday--I always enjoy Zone Conference. Lots of talk about continual conversion, becoming master planners, and making executive decisions to be different. There is no 'try' in our mission! You either are or are not the missionary the Lord expects you to be.

President did a good job of getting us all riled up and raring to go. He promised us baptisms every week if we do our part, which was more than enough to perk up my ears! I especially felt like I needed a spiritual boost this time. The work is never easy and the past couple weeks have seemed especially stubborn as Sister Bean and I have sought to turn our plethora (sp?) of potential investigators/media referrals/other investigators into solid, progressing investigators--and then to turn THEM into baptisms. I have found over the past 6.5 months that just when my companion and I have discovered someone/something really good, that is when the adversary pulls out all the stops.

BUT. He's not very smart, because then I know exactly what I'm doing right, bahahaha. :D

So, Sister Bean and I have been especially prayerful about our investigator Ray, and we had an awesome experience with him the other day--a wonderful respite from a long streak of running on a hamster wheel, so to speak. He came to church last week and loved it, but he has still been stand-offish about baptism. We decided to focus an entire lesson on it and do everything we could to get HIM to give us the right answers, instead of us telling him what he needs to do. The majority of the lesson was spent reading verses from all the standard works about baptism and authority. Ray's wheels got turning as we asked him to tell us, based on what the scriptures teach us, why baptism is so important, what it means, what its purpose is, etc. By the end of the lesson Ray was telling us that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that the blessings he sees in the church are "proof that Joseph Smith really was a prophet", and about a dream he had the other day that he was covered in pure, clear, blue water, and that he has felt light and happy ever since that dream. He recognized that as an answer to his prayers. He agreed whole-heartedly to be baptized and is praying for a date.

So, no matter what is thrown at us, life is good.

ALSO -
If you are planning on "joining" us for Holly's birthday "party", all letters or cards must be in the mail no later than next Friday. Thanks for making this the best birthday a sister missionary could wish for! :)