Classy La Center

What a great week here in good ol la center! Sister McMullin and I get along great and we have a lot of goals on how to turn this area around and make it a baptizing ward. Our zone is working really hard on getting our goal of 20 commitments. We almost have another one! Sibyl is so ready for baptism and she is praying about a baptism date and for help to overcome some hurdles for baptism. We were able to contact a referral from a lady in the ward. Her name is Ellie and she is in her eighties. She is so sweet and loves Christ so much. She actually almost got baptized fifty years ago with her husband but struggles with the Book of Mormon. We offered to help her around her yard and she invited us over. It was raining so we just went over and got to know he. We talked about faith in Christ and how the knowledge that he lives has the power to really change our lives. She even made us lunch and gave us both a necklace that she has made. She says she is looking for a more meaningful relationship with Christ...basically the gospel and the Book of Mormon. We made a lot of appointments to see less active members and investigators that have kind of been lost through all of the transitions of missionaries in this area. I am praying to stay here next transfer. La center really needs a set of consistent missionaries to get the fire going back in this area. We also taught the Penders this week and Nicole came to sacrament but didn't stay for the block. Her mom said she didn't feel good but she has to come next week. We are really getting the ward involved in their re-activity. Nicole's primary teacher wants to be involved in getting her to class. Sister Pender wants to get sealed to her mother and her kids so that is her motivation. It's a great goal that we pray will commit her to making church and the gospel a priority in her life. 

La center is ready to receive the gospel and we are concentrated on finding those who are prepared for this message. I was kind of home sick this morning when I was reading in the scriptures. I was reading in 2 Nephi 10 and Jacob is teaching the people and he tells them to not let their heads droop because they have been saved. He talks about how they were lead out of he land of their inheritance to the land of promise by the hand of the lord. I was thinking about my own land of inheritance of Kennewick and in Rexburg. I loved that life and I loved being at byui and seeing or talking to my family every day. It was wonderful. But then I was led out of that place to my own promised land. The Washington Vancouver mission!!! And it is so wonderful. The miracles here are real and I have learned so much more about my savior and really developed a personal relationship with him. It's important to recognize that we are all being lead to our own promised land by Heavenly Father. When we let him do the sailing then the blessings will be more than we can receive. When I think about all we all have been given it seems unfair because we are human and we sin but we are loved so deeply. It amazes me about how much we are loved. 

We have done a lot of tracting this week and people kept telling us to go away or that thy believe in the Jesus from the bible....it breaks my heart because we do too! The restoration is centered in Christ and strengthens that belief. But we still work and are happy to be here. It's crazy how much the ward back home has changed. It kind of makes me sad that everything will be so different when I get back. However it is proof that the gospel is going forth and that is so wonderful!! We are pretty excited for this next week and we are going bowling today for pday! Basically the high life here in northern Vancouver area!! We are loving preaching the gospel. La center is still super classy with confederate flags, windy roads, moldy falling apart houses, and cars that have been in the ground for at least a decade. It's definitely an adventure every day which makes everything more interesting. I love you all so much and remember who you are!! 

Sister Stephens