We knocked on many a door that did not open.

I did get the pictures and I love them!! I wish I could go to the beach! We did have another storm a couple nights ago, but it didn't rain until we were in bed, but boy did the temperature drop. That was nice (: it got super hot this week. And it's going to get worse! Sister Dunn almost got heat exhaustion and I got a pretty bad headache the other day from the sun because I had left my sunglasses at a members home where we did service. But I got them back! It was from my new mission mom, sister S....l. Omg she reminds me of sister S....e from harmony park but different of course, but it's just that home you walk into and feel like it's how you want your home and family to be like when you're a mom and wish you could replicate it. It probably reminds me of the spirit I feel at my own house! Cause youre right, our family is really impressive ;) I don't know how I deserved to have a house that was so peaceful and filled with the spirit! But it is fun to find new family members while I can't have my own. The S.... and the S.....l family are my dream lol and sister T from Lyn Rae is my mission grandma, and sister M...... here is like my aunt. I LOVE HER! She is seriously the most missionary minded human being I could ever imagine up. She seems to carry the weight of missionary effects for the whole ward and helps us with so many things, missionary and temporal. She lovingly forces us to let her do any and everything  a member can do for the missionaries lol and is completely fearless.

Oh and I have no idea what it is on YouTube, the lady just asked if she could put us on, but there was no info about it. And now she's transferred to her own missionaries.

Oh transfers! I am staying in my trio in the Stonebridge and las Sendas wards! I'm happy. I love my companions and really really wish to see the progression of this area....and to see what the work is like here when people come home from vacation. We knocked on many a door that did not open.

Hey it's like the picture with Jesus knocking! You have to answer because he is there for you! 

It made me wonder how many times the missionaries have come to our house and we weren't there lol missionaries. I'm glad elder price is coming back! Can't wait to see what area he goes.

Let's see...what happened this week? Dinner cancelled on us twice in a row, and I'm grateful because we got to go the TROPICS SMOOTHIE (my new love) and then to the S...S! (The coolest family ever. Every single member of that family is like my favorite person) she was really excited we asked her last minute to feed us. This week we got to drive around with members and see a couple of miracles in being able to talk to people we normally wouldn't have without those people. But for the most part no one was home... And our investigator is frightening us!  He let his little girls talk him out of coming to a baptism with us that we felt super strongly that he needed to attend and his life and everything is getting crazy. And we are just like, well ...... that is what happens when you don't choose God first, he can't help you deal wit the problems and challenges we all face in life. (Htb!) but we will help him because he is great and we love him and he is getting baptized sept 20th!

Yeah yeah

Tell Nannie hello back for me!! I love and miss her too and her suitcase is full of letters! 

I did some indexing this week! Nannie should get a computer and do that. 

I love you madre! 10 months! Ahhhhhhhh

He did His little trick on my voice....

This week really went really well! We had some super fun miracles! We
have been teaching a less active family and getting really close to
them, preparing two children for missions and helping everyone get
into the scriptures. They now have a cousin who has come to live for
the summer and after a couple of our lessons expressed that she wants
to join the church! She does not have parent permission though, so we
explained that if she wants the blessing of joining the church she can
start living the principles now. And then last night, the family
randomly had two other nonmember friends with them! Then, While
cleaning the church building, we met a lady who told us God sent her
to the church and she wants to start coming and become Mormon. We sang
to her and got her information for the sister in her area to come meet
with her. IT WAS SO AWESOME!! We just walked around the corner and she
and the man she found to show her e way to the Mormon church building
were standing there and we all squeed at the coincidence and she
thought we were the cutest little trio. We're on YouTube singing
nearer my God to thee, now and she is convinced we are going to be
famous. So we've been thinking of names to call our band. One option
was angry cactus, but it got ruled out pretty quickly.
It was interesting to think about the things that happen unexpectedly.
I read about that in Ether, and it struck me when it mentions how the
brother of Jared fell down when The Lord's finger appeared. He wasn't
expecting to see Him!! But that was his blessing of faith. Faith is
not just expecting and making miracles happen, it is knowing all
things are possible with Christ, and going to work. We worked and the
results we thought we deserved did not necessarily come, but we did
see blessings! The Lord likes to remind me that no matter what I do, I
don't make things happen. I can be obedient and be worthy of miracles,
but everything is all in His power and will and timing.
He will show me tidbits of what I can do though, and we get to use our
little band. At the beginning if the transfer, I felt extremely
inspired to make a song for our ward; to help build up the area
through music. My companions were way excited and supportive, because
I think the Spirit manifested the idea to them and we  put a medley
together and we just sang it yesterday in our sacrament meetings. It
was really humbling, I was just telling my companions how important
Father made it known to me it was to be a vessel for the Spirit to
work through, to not get wrapped up in how cool it was making a song
and recording it or singing to a group for attention but to let the
angels sing through me and let (not make) something happen right then
and there as we sang a song created by the Spirit. That was a good
time.(: and He did His little trick on my voice, where when He needs
me to bare testimony through music, He makes me sound much much
prettier than how my normal singing sounds. Idk if it's legal to put
this up.....I don't think there are copyrights but here!

IT RAINED LAST NIGHT.

To Padre:

Wow!! I don't know why but it's hard to think of you as elder krueger. There was a elder krueger in the mission and everyone always asks "did you know elder krueger? You weren't related probably, he was Polynesian." And I always hear about people knowing Krueger's in Washington or Texas. But I hope the people in England remember you! I wonder all the time whose names will stay with me forever and who might actually remember my name or face.

I was just thinking about my paintings this week. I met a girl who paints and I promised we would exchange show and tells....except I don't have any of my art except one picture of a painting. There's a ward missionary here who has made us promise to come visit and stay at her house after our mission. And she has the most BEAUTIFUL scene and view in the dessert mountains in her backyard. I love it and said I would come to paint. I am learning all sorts of art here lol I am writing a medley of hymns with a professional composer to sing for one of our wards. And this lady taught us all about quilting this morning and my companion is a interior design major and we talk about that stuff. It is fun(: president had us read a talk about refinement from tad r callister. It was all about how heaven and the celestial kingdom is going to be filled with beautiful art and libraries and dignified language....because when The Lord made the earth, He said it was good, not that's so awesome. Hahah so I just feel excited to be refined and a lady and read good books and study and make art! And look at art.....in Italy!!

I love you and am sorry I haven't written! You are the best dad ever! (: I saw some acu's today and talked to the recruiters for a minute. Told them all about my daddy! MWAH

To Madre:

My companion Sister Chase wants to be weird with you and serve jury duty as well! And thank you for your prayers, we really feel them. We have had such fun together. IT RAINED LAST NIGHT. so naturally we ran out the back door and sat in the balcony ledge. We had just had some trouble with our roommates being...silly and were trying with everything to let the atonement make us not upset. So I went outside and we sat and got all rained on and laughed and sang and let me tell you, I felt the Spirit so strong. The Lord told me right then that that's how His love for me feels. Or at least a part of it. It was so peaceful yet exciting, and we couldn't stop laughing until we finally just ran out into the street and played in the puddles and stood getting soaked. I haven't been in rain for months and The Lord sent the rain to us and it was beautiful. I spent the rest of the evening thinking about how that is why God sent us to earth. That that's why I chose life  and  to receive a body. So I could feel rain. 

And also cactus.

I STEPPED ON A STINKING CACTUS. Those freakin little jumping cactus leave their nasty poof balls all over the place and I was getting in the car right when the needled plunged through my poor little toms. RUDE. My companion saved me though and pulled it out and there was no permanent damage. I just get to say that I was stabbed by a cactus(: 

 I had a this really loud man come in and scream at us at a zone conference about how we aren't committed. (I think he was crazy, but he had 18 family baptisms so that's great! The spirit told me that that isn't how God talks to me though so I felt ok). He showed me how he does talk to me, with love and kindness and laughter when I had interviews with President. That was cool. The Lord reminded me that it is ok to ask for good things, because I wanted to know if president knew I was working hard and wasn't a problem child, and the first thing he told me was how proud he is of me, and he can see how refined I've become and that I make Heavenly Father happy, too. So that was amazing and I try really hard to do whatever will make Him happy. 

He is blessing me a lot. He is letting me write a song! We are working with a professional composer to make a hymn medley for our ward. It's about the Savior's love. It has been fun. He is doing that cool thing where He makes my singing voice sound better than normal when I need to sing by the Spirit! Izzsofunnn.

Teaching is even better though, you're right- that's what a missionary wants! We have our investigator who, I am scared is getting depressed. I just want him to find happiness in the gospel, but that opposition and agency thing, you know. All we can do is remind him that if he wants to come out on top and better, he has to turn to the scriptures and to pray and fight it with The Lord as His foundation. It's literally the only thing that will work. Even if it doesn't make sense, he knows it's right. I think everyone does, they just can't feel it sometimes.

Miracle! We practice teaching with members and their families a lot and we set up an appointment and were excited because two of the kids are preparing for missions and we are having them help teach parts. Fun thing- we com the first time and their cousin, a 14 year old girl is there visiting for the summer. We teach and she is SO intrigued!! She starts participating and asking questions and is like "I'm not a Mormon or anything but i think so and so helps with this...." AH!! and she asked us to come back the next day and we taught and she said the prayer for her first time and we gave her a Book of Mormon and I loove her :D 

good bad and ugly! it's true there was mostly good! I did get embarrassed when our district went out to lunch. It was a group of high school kids at their worst and I just got to see how lucky I am to have my companions who are obedient and aware of themselves and their words and the fact that we represent Jesus Christ and well...we're in public. We talked by ourselves about Lamb of God and our investigators! good times, good times. we work well together, we gave a training about companionship unity, but we focused it on having The Lord be our center and by seeing each other as the Lord does and as people who are trying to do good things. that was fun

I got to work out every day! I love the gym. I don't think I am getting smaller yet but  if it is true, I get a lot of fruits and veggies and a variety of salad. salads are exciting. :) and we played soccer! I love playing games. I was told by one sister that I was a beast, in a good way. So I hope I stay aware and keep from being a beast in a bad way.I just like to run and the only reason to run in the game is to get the ball, so I try to...very much so.

um......sister Dunn says she is going to start taking a tally of how often I go to the bathroom.............I JUST LIKE WATER.

And I like you too. In fact I love you. LOTS! Miss you and hope  you are ready for me to come home obsessed with art and reading and good music. YAY!! MWAh

Do service and let others serve you!

My end date is April 7th. And I love fast Sunday! Our investigator came and saw an amazing testimony meeting!! In my other ward I bore mine and it was super awesome because I felt like I needed to go up and I started talking and usually I have so much to say and a thousand thoughts in my head, but as I spoke I didn't know what I was saying except for that it was true and that I hoped my ward family was listening. I told them I needed them to know I had a testimony of Christ and the atonement, and I talked for a while but I wasn't nervous at all and I can't remember what I said!  But it wasn't me just talking to them either, I feel like Heavenly Father was filling my mouth with words. It is an interesting feeling, having words just come out of your mouth but knowing it's nothing wrong or silly.

We lead the music as well too, to help us pass of a personal progress experience. Sister Dunn and I are doing it together and we're involving the young women and members as MUCH as possible. We've been brainstorming so many ideas and it has been getting more and more exiting! I'm starting the Book of Mormon again and am also going to read Jesus the Christ. We're going to have young women teach us a skill, read with them and pass things off with moms and grandmas and all sorts of other stuff! EXCITING! The spirit's really helping us be creative. We're also getting a song put together. A hymn medley just for our wards.

I do feel like I've changed so much, by the way. Hahaha thank you. I hope it is for the better. A man at church randomly came up to me and asked why I was so happy. And I thought about a sincere answer and told it, because I'm repenting and living the Gospel. And I know it's a primary go-to answer....but it's not. It just is what it is. If people would really live the gospel, constantly building their faith in Jesus Christ by living the words of the prophets, including scripture, repent and change every day, and live their convents fully..they could be happy!! Like really!

I don't need to much! Granola is good. But what I really really would like is the lyrics to the Lamb of God.  

Oh ok!! and honestly, I've decided that all of my gifts for the next year, I would prefer if that money was saved instead for me to pay for my trip to Italy!!  :D I want to go there more than I want anything while I am here! Except your letters of course. ITALLLYYYYYYY

I do have fun with the packages you have sent though

I am loving my area. It is super rich and everyone is out of town for the summer and especially the 4th of July. It's big and we get lost a lot. We have one investigator! who has changed his life and demeanor and faith completely in just 2 weeks as we've been working with him and prayed for him, though he's been investigating for over two years. And he is great. From the moment we talked to him I could tell he was one of Heavenly Father's  choice children and he was going to learn a lot and do so many things. That ward is great. They try really hard to be missionary minded, and are learning. Our other ward has a young woman that is a promising potential but we've only been able to contact her online so far, but she'll be home and free soon. We like her a lot! That ward is still learning to love one another as a ward family, and so we get to come in and love everyone and help them get unified because everyone there is great. There just isn't much service anyone needs or gets to have and give, so the unity is something to build on. That's why we are making a song with hymns about Christ's love. We have a lot of strong members though and strong member missionaries.

Terrible story!! This one lady wanted to serve her neighbor and invite them to the missionaries! So she was brave and asked him if they could help him clean up his yard, then have us come and serve too! But he got offended and thought she just meant his yard was messy so he worked on it alone and hired someone to come clean it! It was soooo sad! 

But I think Heavenly Father let it happen because he knew it wouldn't keep her from trying again. We've been getting service done and it's the best!! Do service and let others serve you!

Oh! Other funny thing. We tried to exert our faith and I picked a cool house on this hill that I decided I wanted to go in a teach there. So we prayed And prayed with faith that we could have means to teach and baptize the household on the hill. And a couple of days ago, this lady tells us she's going to to invite us to meet her neighbors on the hill! ,!!!! We were so excited and then found out it was a completely different house. Lol still awesome for her and her friend, and we will meet them soon....house on the hill! Remember to be very specific in your prayers! :D