11/1 - November 4th marks a year down, 6 months to go!

Goooooooood Morning!

It is a BEAUTIFUL fall day in Toms River! Sister Bluth and I are the only missionaries in our ward, covering Ocean County, the largest county in New Jersey. This is the Jersey Shore I've heard so much about. It's a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Jersey City and Hoboken. I was thrilled to see grass and trees, especially at this time of year--the colors are absolutely gorgeous. But it definitely gives a sense of distance and isolation. We are in Cherry Hill territory, and it took an hour and a half to get here from Morristown. Sister Greenwood is the only missionary in our district that I know, and we only see other missionaries at our meetings on Tuesday. Sacrament meeting was quiet yesterday--very few students, newlyweds or young families here. The first counselor in the Bishopric recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

So! Lots to get used to here, but I'm loving it already. Tuesday night we drove directly from transfer conference to meet with Bishop Barton. He is a big, growly Jersey man who knows how to run the work in this ward. His goal is to replace full-time missionaries in his ward with...the members! He has a detailed, written ward mission plan with lots of member involvement. This is the first time I have arrived in a unit and felt like the Bishop ran the work, not the missionaries--which is the way it should be! He invited us to speak in Sacrament yesterday, took 20 minutes at the end of the meeting to talk about missionary work, and also taught the third hour--all about missionary work. And the members are all on board as well. We spent a lot of time this week teaching them how to use Preach My Gospel. We assigned every member we taught to memorize the principles of the first three lessons so that they could participate in teaching on team-ups and be prepared to teach their friends and families when approached with questions. Sister Card came up to me all excited on Sunday to report that she had found her copy of Preach My Gospel and already begun her memorization. As expected, the work in this area reflects the involvement of its members. Two recent converts passed the sacrament for the first time yesterday; we have three people set with baptismal dates as well as a decent number who are progressing and ready to be set with dates--one, Tracey, will be baptized this Sunday!

Sister Bluth is one of the gentlest souls I have ever met. She is from New Mexico and is the fifth child in her family to serve a mission. I met her back in February, when I was still with Sister Picard. She was the only missionary to arrive that transfer, and Sister Picard and I went street contacting with her in Newark her first night here--it's called Fear Buster. If talking to people in Newark doesn't cure you of a hesitancy to talk to strangers, I don't know what will. As it is suburban we do a lot of knocking here in Toms River, and I am definitely rusty! Sister Bluth is very determined and persistent and gets her message in before the door closes. Over the course of the last year I have found ONE investigator by knocking. Sister Bluth has found many, so I have a lot to learn from her! We've a lot of fun this week. This area is HUGE and there's no rhyme or reason to the roads--that's just Jersey, though--so getting around has been interesting. Our apartment is in the basement of a member's home. I can touch the ceiling! WithOUT standing on my toes! I can easily see over the fridge. And the kitchen counter reaches between my knee and hip. I call it the Hobbit apartment. I think all of you would actually have to duck in some areas. But it's very nicely put together and decorated.

Well, that's about all the news I have for today. I'm hoping if we get our errands done quickly we can go to the Shore! I haven't seen the ocean in a long time.

Love you!

Sister Black

10/25

The fated text arrived last night, and, as expected, I am being transferred. I have spent more than a third of my mission in this area. At risk of sounding a little melodramatic, I am crushed. I am leaving at a time when the escalator is moving up--a lot of people with whom I have been working for a long time and whom I love very much are so close to baptism. BUT life does go on. I remember being devastated to leave my first area. And I find a lot of peace and joy in knowing that I am leaving this area strong and running, much better than I found it.

Giovanni was confirmed yesterday. It is now his habit to glow like a streetlamp wherever he goes. He radiates joy and good humor, even on his down days. Richard will probably be baptized this coming Saturday. The entire Nyero family (Carolyn, Cynthia and Felix) finally came to church yesterday. That is usually the straw that breaks the camel's back. I look forward to hearing of their baptism soon.

I think it's about time for a funny story. So, in an effort to be a better, more loving companion, I decided to surprise Sister Cope and make breakfast yesterday. It was ready at a quarter to 8, but she was still getting ready and I didn't want it to get cold, so I stuck it in the oven. Then I realized that while I was in the shower she might make her own breakfast, so I used the magnetic letters all over our fridge to make a large, very obvious "LOOK IN THE OVEN" sign, complete with a huge pointing arrow. I then proceeded to get ready and began my personal studies. A few minutes later Sister Cope also sat down at her desk--without breakfast. So I made a paper airplane with "LOOK IN THE OVENNNNNNNUH!!!!" written on it and threw it at her head. Cue the giggles. In all her rummaging through the kitchen for a quick breakfast she had still managed to miss the huge sign and resigned herself to Reese's pieces. Moral of the story: maybe TELL your companion you made breakfast.

Awkward moment of the week: Sister Arguelles had leftover hot dog buns and apples from a party and brought them to church for us. In our haste we left them behind, but the Zone Leaders grabbed them for us and called to let us know. Imagine Sister Cope's face when over the phone Elder Rope said, "Oh, and we grabbed your buns...(realization hits)...and apples...(hysterical laughter from Elder Guinto in background)". Sister Cope managed to keep her composure until she got off the phone.

That's all I got.

Love you!

Sister Black

10/18

Giovanni was baptized yesterday. At church he was absolutely fidgeting, he was so anxious. Several times throughout the week he would tell us, "I don't want to wait for Sunday, I just want to be baptized already!" The service was beautiful. Many of his family members attended, and there was a great turnout and a lot of support from the ward. Giovanni has definitely been one of the biggest miracles of my mission thus far. I can't believe we only met him three weeks ago. He has changed so much in that short time! I wish you could have seen him literally jumping for joy when he saw the baptismal font all filled up. I will never forget the look on his face. I am so grateful that I've been here to see such a miracle.

In other news, the zone leaders spilled the beans and told me they are 100% positive I'm being transfered next week. After nearly seven months I feel like I'm leaving the MTC all over again. I will miss this area very much. It's the place I have learned and grown the most. The ward is like my second home--the people here have been such a strength and support, more like family than just members that I work with. I hope President changes his mind, or that the Elders are wrong. BUT. I'll be good. I'll be faithful. I won't complain wherever I go. And I'm sure when I leave that area I'll be mourning all over again.

I love you all! I hope you're being good and thinking good missionary thoughts. They're the happiest ones. :)

Sister Black

10/13

I'm so sorry this is so late. Columbus day + a companion who has gotten really good at scheduling back-to-back appointments all day = no emailing until Wednesday. :) Aaaaaaaand it's going to be short.

Giovanni passed his baptismal interviews with flying colors and is ready to jump in the water! He's told all his friends and family about it and asks us every day if he can just be baptized already.

Last week was one of our best, and it's just getting better. With transfers nearing, I'm afraid that my time on the Hudson front may be drawing to a close. I'm crossing my fingers that I'm here for just a couple more months. Hey, maybe President will leave me here forever! Zone Conference is this week, I'll give him puppy eyes and see if he'll let me stay.

All right. Gotta go. Got an appointment.

Love you bunches!

Sister Black

10/4

Conference was absolutely wonderful, and over far too quickly. One of my greatest joys this time around was to watch it with my good friend Ray, who was baptized back in July. Ray has been doing really well. We see him at least once a week, he attends church faithfully and has an appetite for the gospel similar to a shopvac. He studies at work every day from the Book of Mormon, the gospel principles manual and even studied Sister Fonua's spare copy of Preach My Gospel for a time. He almost read the whole thing and is now hankering after a triple combination so he can begin Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. He is anxious for the welfare of his friends and children and, despite feelings of inadequacy, frequently teaches and testifies to them. He tells everyone that their problems will all be solved if they would just read the Book of Mormon. His faith and testimony are completely solid, and if he lacks anything it is patience--during our last visit he suggested that we teach with shotguns and threaten stubborn investigators with destruction (both physical and spiritual) if they don't comply. Since we began teaching him he has been curious about President Monson and the other General Authorities and has been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to hear them speak. Throughout both sessions he both nodded and grunted his approval of what was said and took notes. I love Ray so much! I can't wait to return and go to the temple with him.

Giovanni surprises me every time we see him. He has relatively easily sailed over some major spiritual hurdles and is steadily progressing towards his baptism on October 17. I have been amazed by the change that such simple things as prayer, study of the Book of Mormon and church attendance have made in him. He can never say enough how happy he is, how excited he is to continue to learn. He has received some awesome support from the ward as well. He has had dinner twice at a member's home now and is quickly making other friends. He loved General Conference and told us yesterday that he feels like grabbing a megaphone and shouting the good news of the gospel to everyone who passes by.

I thank you for your support and prayers. I pray that God keeps you all safe and happy, and prepares the way before you to achieve everything necessary to your welfare and happiness.
Love,
Sister Black

9/27

This week was like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. Remember those new simplified training techniques I was telling you about and begging prayers on behalf of my brain for a few weeks ago? They refer to it simply as Leadership Training, specifically for zone leaders, district leaders and trainers. Sister Cope and I were both required to attend last week. For three days straight we immersed ourselves in Preach My Gospel and the scriptures, watched segments from The District 2 (reality TV style documentary of a district in San Diego, CA used to instruct missionaries), received training from President and Sister Bahr, the assistants and selected zone leaders, and roleplayed everything we were learning. I've never roleplayed more in my life, nor have I ever appreciated roleplaying so much as a learning and application tool. We had the opportunity to roleplay situations and challenges we were having with real investigators and experiment with ways that we could help and teach them. It was focused very much on following the Spirit, asking inspired questions and listening intently to the answers that were given, discerning their needs and teaching the doctrine accordingly. It has been, and resulted in, some of the best experiences of my mission thus far.

The first day of training Sister Cope and I got back to our area just in time for a 7:00pm appointment at the West New York chapel with Giovanni, a potential investigator discovered by the Spanish Elders. His demeanor belied his appearance--Giovanni has tattoos up and down both arms and several piercings in his ears. He was very soft spoken, almost timid, but friendly; I could tell that he had been very humbled. Our minds reeling with everything that we had learned that day, eager to apply it and with the faith that it would work the miracles promised, we explained our purpose to him and said a prayer. We strained to follow the Spirit as we asked questions and sought to understand him and his needs. I felt a sincere love for him as he related to us some of the trials and struggles he has endured. He was very depressed, and even said that he felt God hated him, but expressed a desire to know Him better and draw closer to Him. Sister Cope and I bore our testimonies of a loving, forgiving Heavenly Father and the healing that Giovanni could experience through repentance and the Atonement. We committed him to read from and pray about the Book of Mormon, taught him how to pray, and knelt as he offered the closing prayer. The Spirit was very tangible throughout the lesson, and Giovanni agreed to meet us again Saturday.

Due to our return appointment with him, Sister Cope and I actually missed the Relief Society broadcast. I've heard from a lot of people that it was very good, but would not trade it for the experience we had with Giovanni that night. He got to the chapel before we did, and as we entered the doors I noticed immediately the change in his countenance. For lack of a better description, he looked comfortable in his own skin. His smile was genuine, not polite, and as we asked him how his reading in the Book of Mormon went, he said he had a problem: he was having trouble sleeping at night, because all he wanted to do was read it. As we taught him about the Restoration and continued to ask inspired questions, he spoke of prophets, Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon in ways that I had never expected. He even stopped mid-sentence and said, "I didn't know this before. I didn't think this just now, it's just coming out of me, from my heart, from somewhere else." He said that he had learned, just from reading the first few pages of the Book of Mormon, that he had been wrong, that God did love him. "I'm glad I was wrong!" he said. His only concern was how his Catholic mother would react when he inevitably told her that he was going to be a Mormon. When we invited him to be baptized, the Spirit filled the room, and he smiled and said, "When?" He is now preparing to be baptized on October 17. He came to church with a member family yesterday and told us excitedly that he had already spoken to his mother, and that she was okay with it because she could see how happy he was.

I cannot begin to put in words the joy that Sister Cope and I have felt the last few days. There have still been disappointments, losses and failures, but the ways that our faith and testimonies have been strengthened drown out discouragement. I know more than ever the power of the Atonement and the Book of Mormon, and how quickly they can change our lives if we let them.

Time to go. I love you all soooooooooo much. Congratulations on passing your exam, Mom, and on finally getting a job, Em! I know how relieved you must be. Until next week!

Love,
Sister Black

9/13

Sister Fonua is getting transfered! We were all so hopeful that, since she only has one transfer to go, she would stay in this area, but no. She is needed elsewhere. I have learned so much from her, more than any other period of time on my mission thus far. Transfer Conference ought to be interesting tomorrow. I wonder if they'll keep Hoboken a trio area? Trios are way fun and can be extremely efficient, so hopefully Sister Cope and I will be bringing home another companion tomorrow!

Let me tell you about Pat. Pat was given a Book of Mormon by a professor many years ago and lost it before he could read it, so he called and ordered one a couple months ago. Sister Bean and I delivered his copy and taught him one lesson before the areas were combined and Sister Bean was transfered. He grew up a very devout catholic and even considered becoming a priest, but after the scandals in Massachusetts (sp?)--and aided by his training as a lawyer--he lost faith both in the Catholic church and God. However, since he found out that he is going to be a father he has been studying various religions, trying to restore his faith and find the church that is best for his family. He didn't seem terribly interested in meeting with us and was just happy to get his Book of Mormon and read it at his own leasure. But I had such a good feeling about him that I wouldn't leave him alone. :) I called and called and texted and did everything I could to get a return appointment with him, which was eventually successful. Pat has progressed in leaps and bounds since then. He is somewhere in 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon and has read several chapters from Jesus the Christ, which he says is "light reading". Psh. His appointments are awesome but usually result in a slight headache on my part. He uses a lot of big words. ;) Our last lesson with him was especially rewarding for me. He's been pondering a lot about Joseph Smith and trying to recognize and understand the Spirit and how it speaks to him. He said the other day that he feels he can now say he believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He loves the clarity he feels when he reads the Book of Mormon! I love the Book of Mormon so much . It's the best.

But anyways I have two minutes left. Pray for Pat! He's worried about how he can share these things with his nonreligious wife, and he's finding it difficult to come to church.

I love you!

Sister Black