Oak-Town!

Yes, I am in Oakland. I was transferred here last Tuesday so it's almost been a week. Last week's preparation day was too crazy so I didn't get around to writing this email. We had to pack up and clean the apartment and a whole bunch of other stuff. Sister Ure and I both left the area and two new sisters came in to take our place. It was hard to leave all of our investigators and ward members but we saw it coming. What I didn't see coming was another English area - I thought I'd for sure go to Spanishland. I went on an exchange to Hayward a couple weeks ago to Spanishland and I was no help so I'm probably not ready to go there anyways. We got the transfer call Friday night and we had already stocked up with Wendy's frosties, prepared for the worst. Sister Ure already knew she was leaving because she is training again - she only has two more transfers left and she'll be training for both of them and then she goes home to Utah in May because her parents moved from Colorado to Utah a couple weeks ago. So Saturday night was filled with ice cream and tears, as was Sunday. We had a hard time keeping it together during church but we made it. Then we went to see Jackie that afternoon, teaching her and saying goodbye. We set up her baptismal interview for Monday night so we could be there for that and MAKE SURE this baptism is going to happen, but she ended up going to the ER the next day and found out that she had pneumonia AND strep throat. The new missionaries in the area, Sister Lau and Sister Mitchell, haven't even seen her yet - they just got in touch with her over the phone this morning. She was doing so well. She goes to the clinic every morning to take some prescribed pills and but last weekend was President's Day weekend so the clinic was closed on Monday so she took home one day's dose. Usually, she used to take both doses in the same day, but she actually waited until the next morning to take them!!! You may not understand this unless you have been addicted to something as addictive as heroin, but it was a complete miracle!!! I'm just praying that the baptism happens next month.

Sunday night at the VC was ok - it was Sister Ure's last VC shift ever. We video-taped God's Plan and the Christus narration. It wasn't very busy, but these two women came in. One was visiting from Utah, the other from Australia, and they served in this mission four years ago. What's even crazier, though, is that they both served in Castro Valley! Actually, one of them trained the other in Castro Valley, just like my situation with Sister Ure! We talked about all the people in the ward and all their converts and it was really amazing. We had one other really great tour that night - a man and a woman who were both very inactive had gone to the single adult fireside nearby and then came over. I felt emotionally drained, but as we talked to them in God's Plan, I felt an overwhelming love for this couple (I think they were dating). It was almost as if my heart and my whole body were overflowing with joy. It's not easy to admit you're wrong and come back. I'm terrible at doing so. Even with this recent exchange, I was so prideful, thinking that I was supposed to stay in Castro Valley. Apparently that wasn't the plan for me. I need to remember that the Lord has a bigger and better plan for me than I have for myself. If I had it my way, I probably would have stayed in Castro Valley forever. It was an interesting experience because as hard as it was to leave Castro Valley, I know that I felt only a fraction of the disappointment that I will feel when I go home in 13 months. I don't even want to think about that right now.

So we packed all day last Monday. We got to see the Garrisons one more time - we taught them about holding family home evening. Then we stopped by Noelle's home and the Barajas' home. We didn't get to see everyone we wanted to see before we left, but it was enough closure. And I have a copy of the ward directory so I can write these people. Noelle is getting baptized in two weeks, and hopefully Christine and Jackie will too soon. And then I'll get to go back for a bit! It should work out. Transfer Tuesday was CRAZY. And of course it was the only day of the week where it rained. That was something I'd rather not do again.

Now onto this week - I love my companion Sister Sia! She is such an inspiration to me. She is the only member of her family - her family hasn't even replied to any of her emails since she's been on her mission because they're very unsupportive. We actually went to the MTC on the same day and met each other at the New Missionary Orientation! She came to the field before I did because she didn't have to learn a language - she's from Singapore so she knows Mandarin and English really well. She works so hard, and she had a tough companion before me, so she's really excited that I am here to find, teach and baptize. Sister Ure's companion before my was hard for her too....I might be the designated relief companion after the trial and testing of a difficult companionship. It just makes me worry about who is going to be my tough companion.......

I really like the area I'm in - it's the safer part of Oakland, but we still have to be very careful. The assistants cover the worse part of Oakland. My ward is the Oakland 1st ward. Church was really great yesterday, but I'm not sure how missionary-minded the ward is. They talk the talk but I'm not sure yet if they walk the walk......we have very few members that are willing to come on lessons with us and are afraid to do missionary work. We have one investigator right now, Chameka, and she reads everything but she has never come to church. We have a couple referrals that seem great but we might have to transfer one of them to the single adults' ward. Sister Sia and I are starting to advertise service to help the people of the community to make 72 hour kits and teach them a little bit about the role of prophets in order to find investigators on our own. We didn't have any lessons this week - we couldn't get in touch with any less active members or recent converts. So, it's going to be very different than Castro Valley but we're working hard to find people to teach.

I've also decided I'm not really a fan of the Asian culture. We went to an Asian food market today and I bought five things - avocados, spinach and three American snacks. And that literally took all morning. But we went on the Bay Bridge! The sister that was driving missed her exit and before we knew it, we were on our way to San Francisco!!! But we got it figured out before we hit it. I'm just excited that we got to go on the bridge! I am also glad to be driving - Sister Sia is the senior companion but she doesn't drive so I get to drive. We don't have very many miles per month, but it's still nice - I missed driving a lot. We also live in a house with one other companionship so it's big and spacious, more room than we need, and it's weird living with more than one other person.

Anyways, we'll see how our 72 hour kit creation goes this week - hopefully it'll be a hit! And even if people don't want to learn, we'll still be bringing the Spirit into their homes, planting the seed for other missionaries someday.

No pictures this week - I left my camera at home.

Love you all!!!

Hermana Hunsaker

 

Last week of the transfer!

Sister Ure and I are starting our last week of the transfer, which could also mean the last week of our companionship and our last week in the area. It's slowly killing us both. We have so many amazing investigators right now and we are so so blessed. We've been able to finish our 12-week training program one week early and we're just pushing hard all week so that we can prepare these people for whoever might replace us (heavy emphasis on "might"). My heart might break if I have to leave this area next week - I say that I only want one more transfer here, six more weeks, but then I'll want another. I just need to trust the Lord that whatever happens is the best thing for me and also the best thing for my investigators. I have a feeling that I will be going to the Spanish program which I so desperately need in order to improve my Spanish, but we'll see. I'm going to Hayward on Tuesday on an exchange so I'll be speaking Spanish then. But understanding Spanish is the real issue....

I forgot to mention this in last week's email, but my dad sent me a scripture that reminded me of our district meeting a couple weeks ago. This first verse in Alma Chapter 45 talks about how the people fasted to give thanks to God. I've never thought of fasting simply for the sake of expressing gratitude, but my dad mentioned this and our district leader Elder Watson gave us a whole training about it. Last Sunday, February 3, our entire district and the zone leaders fasted without asking for anything - just showed gratitude. We saw so many miracles. Not everything happened like we wanted it to happen, but things happened according to God's will and our faith. We added a baptism date, found three new golden investigators, three potential investigators (who actually have potential - they already came to church and the VC) and we now have SIX progressing investigators. And that's just in our little area of Castro Valley. It's INCREDIBLE. From what we've heard from the other companionships, they found just as much success, if not more. Our district found 13 investigators this week and the San Leandro zone found 32 investigators which is the highest number of new investigators the zone has ever found in a week. It's a testament to me that gratitude is a commandment that we've been given for the sole purpose of receiving more from our Heavenly Father. When we keep His commandments, he blesses us. Gratitude is a commandment just like all the rest and when we thank him, he rewards us. I'll tell you a little bit about those blessings. I've found it easiest to just write about one day at a time so I'll do that again.

Monday: I can't quite say that Monday was a day of miracles. It was the first p-day of the month so we were able to afford food again, thank heaven. We were going to stay home and clean and write letters and the like, but we had to go meet the rest of our zone to practice for our zone conference musical number. We had been cleaning out the car right before we left for car inspections, and so when we turned on the car to leave, the battery was dead. Our car battery can't hold charge for the life of it. It has a small battery because it's a Toyota Corolla, and our Tiwi device, which monitors our speed and our driving habits and the like, drains the battery fast if the car isn't on. So we had to jump it - that was a pain. We had been talking to a less-active member that lives in the complex while we were cleaning out our car, so we asked him to help us jump it. Then before we left, we realized we didn't have the phone. It wasn't in the car or the apartment, but we had to go so we just said a quick prayer that we'd find it and left. We stopped by the laundromat to pick up our clothes...and of course the phone was in the hamper, untouched. I guess that was a little miracle too. Huh. It's funny how many miracles I see when I look back every week to write this email.

On Monday night we went to see Noelle. We had given her 2 Nephi 4 to read to address some of her concerns about not being good enough to get baptized. When we got to her house, she pretty much taught us a lesson about repentance and said, "So....I think I'm ready to be baptized." We didn't even get a word in! It's amazing how the Spirit teaches us - we need the Spirit when we're teaching but also when we're planning. The Spirit taught her that she can repent and be baptized, and the Spirit showed us what scriptures we needed to give her so she could make this decision. She's getting baptized on March 9th! She'll be moving out to Utah to go to school in June and so when I'm done with my mission next March, I'll be able to go with her to the temple!!! She is so golden and she's already doing missionary work! I'll get to that in a minute :) we also taught one of our three new investigators Raquel. Her husband is in Peru and she's here and so it's been very hard for her but she has an aunt who is Mormon and she wants to learn more.

Tuesday: Not much happened today. I actually got my language study in which is a miracle. We also taught Richard, our second new investigator. He's had a rough past and he wants to be closer to God like he was in the past. He was skeptical when he heard the Joseph Smith story - I'm sure everyone is at one point or another. Heavenly Father wants us to ask questions and turn to Him for the answers. It's a question that even as a missionary I need to ask on a regular basis: is the Book of Mormon true? Was Joseph Smith a prophet? The more I learn and study, the quicker the answer comes to me and the doubt is swept away. It's something we all need to do - faith needs to be nourished constantly.

Wednesday: Zone Conference. I love zone conferences. I can't even describe how great they are - you only understand if you've served a mission. They usually occur every three transfers but I've been blessed to have two zone conferences already in my first two transfers here. It's such an uplifting experience - it's kind of like Sunday. Sister Ure and I were talking yesterday about how Sundays almost feel like every other day when you are a missionary. You go to church for three hours, yeah, but we still have meetings, we still go teach lessons - we do almost the same things that we do everyday. And sometimes we're just so stressed out Sunday morning as we're waiting for our investigators to arrive at church that it drains us for the rest of the day! But zone conferences are different. We spend the whole day practicing and role-playing, but we get the spiritual boost we need to continue. We don't get them very often, but they always come right when we need them. 

The main theme of this zone conference was finding: working with ward leadership, receiving referrals from EVERYONE (members, less actives, recent converts, investigators - EVERYONE). President Meredith also talked about what it takes to be a successful missionary. He described it like a house. The foundation is our testimony and our faith - we must have both of these things to start, even if it's only a little bit. The roof is the success, the miracles. The four walls connecting the foundation and holding up the roof are obedience, attitude, work, and Preach My Gospel skills/knowledge. I know that at those times that I'm working as hard as I can in improving these four things, I'm happy. It's as simple as that. It's the same thing with life I think. If we're being obedient, staying positive, working hard, and studying in order to become better (scriptures, words of living prophets, church attendance, prayer), we will find success and that success will bring us joy. I love President Meredith and all the time and work he puts into helping us succeed and be happy in missionary work. I know he follows those four same principles so that the Spirit can guide him to help us. As I work towards perfecting each of those things, the Spirit will guide me to help my investigators and others around me.

Sister Ure and Sister Taggart gave their dress and grooming presentation to all the sisters - it turned out really well. Sister Ure is not as stressed now that it's all over. We worked in the VC that night - it was pretty slow but this Muslim girl and Sikh guy both came in. We gave them a tour and they both wanted a Book of Mormon! I'm always apprehensive about how to approach people without a Christian background in the VC because the VC is ALL ABOUT Jesus Christ, but I'm always surprised by the miracles.

Thursday: We went to the VC for our morning shift and we were stuck in traffic for an hour because a tree had fallen on the freeway. We inched to the VC. It was a pretty slow day at the VC - I was with Hermana Chipana again, but we met two Berkeley students that came on a school assignment for their religion class. They were going to go to the Greek Orthodox church down the hill but they saw the temple so they came up to the VC instead! Their names were Rebecca and Olivia - Olivia had no religious background at all while Rebecca had read the entire Bible. We taught them the entire Restoration story and they both accepted missionaries! I love being able to see how the Spirit works with all sorts of people that come to the VC because the Spirit's presence is so strong.

After the VC, I went to Hermana Chipana's area with her because Sister Ure and Sister Taggart were giving their last zone conference presentation. We added a new investigator named Chris - over the past two months, he had met four people who were members and it made him want to learn more. He described that he felt like he was being drawn to these people and eventually came to find out that they are Mormons. He was such a rockstar - so willing to learn. He even came to church before they even taught him the first lesson! It was a great experience.

Traffic was crazy on the way home because we were heading back to Castro Valley to meet Sister Ure and Sister Taggart right during rush hour. We met them at Noelle's house and did a companion swap and then Sister Ure and I taught Noelle and Karen the plan of salvation. We hadn't seen Karen in a while and Karen had expressed that she didn't want to meet with us anymore so it was a complete miracle that she stayed for the lesson and she LOVED it. She still has a lot of questions, but she definitely wants to know more, and not just because Noelle is getting baptized.

We had our lesson with Raul and Gerry that we've been trying to have for FOREVER about sacrifice. It didn't go quite how we planned.....Gerry expressed the sentiment that he believes the church is true, but that it's not the only true church. He's told us previously that he knows the Book of Mormon is true, but the Book of Mormon was found and translated upon the fact that there were no other true churches on the earth. The last paragraph of the introduction to the Book of Mormon even says this. We're not really sure how to help either of them right now, but we're just praying for that guidance.

Friday: We had a total miracle happen on Friday. We spent most of the morning/afternoon studying and planning for the coming week and then we went to the VC from 3-9pm. We took some great tours, but there was one that stood out above the rest. Justine came in with her friend who is a member. Her big sister at her sorority had just been baptized, and Justine had gone to her baptism, and wanted to learn more. She had seen how happy it made her big sister and she wanted more of that in her life. Her friend brought her to the VC to get her started and told us that she was going to meet with the missionaries next week. We took them on a tour and pretty much taught the whole story of the Restoration. At the end of the lesson, we found out that Justine hadn't been in contact with the missionaries in her area yet, so we gave her a card to fill out so they could contact her. As she was filling it out, Sister Ure asked her where she lived and she said CASTRO VALLEY. OUR AREA! Both of our jaws dropped to the floor for a minute; then we composed ourselves and introduced ourselves as her missionaries! We haven't seen her yet but we're texting her today so we can see her this week. She lives with her mom, and they have family in Utah so her mom has mentioned in the past about converting to our church but Justine wasn't interested. Now she is. Heavenly Father truly does lead prepared people to us when He knows - through our obedience, work, attitude, and study - that He can trust us.

Saturday: We were planning on going to a stake Relief Society service project and women's conference Saturday morning but our investigators all cancelled so we stayed home and studied. We saw Craig and taught him about service, and then we went to see Roger, our third new investigator. He's a college kid at Chabot Community College and he ran into the Hayward elders on campus. He grew up in a strong Catholic family - his parents were on their way to mass when we came over - so his faith is so strong. He doesn't agree with all the Catholic beliefs so he started going to a Baptist church but he's not finding all the answers there either. His parents are super supportive in allowing him to find his own way and he's already committed to baptism when he learns these things are true! We taught him about the Restoration and he's more than excited to read the Book of Mormon!

After seeing Roger we went to our recent converts' home, the Garrisons. The mom, Ling, is Chinese so we celebrated Chinese New Years' Eve with them! We couldn't stay long because there was a ward dinner, but we stopped in for a few minutes. There was SO much food! Some of it was really weird...I ate pigskin. It was served in little cubes with a sauce, but it was nasty. That's the weirdest thing I've eaten on my mission so far - the blessings of serving a mission stateside :)

The ward dinner was nice - not a very big turn-out but it wasn't too bad. We had a potential investigator, Kris, there. She has a friend who is a member in our ward, Carol, but her Carol is VERY apprehensive about letting us teach her. Carol wasn't there so we were able to get to know Kris without interference. It was nice. Gerry and Elizabeth came too, and Elena and Ariel. We taught Elena and Ariel after the dinner - it was a great lesson on baptism. They bore their testimonies and described the feelings of the Spirit and they are totally ready. Once we helped them understand that and were about to give them a calendar to pick their baptism date, however, their mom shot them down. She told them they weren't ready - their dad isn't a member so she is worried that he'll think we are pressuring them to get baptized, which is totally NOT the case. We've been tip-toeing the whole time and it's time. If anything though, it was a catalyst for them to start talking to their dad about it. We also made little signs to help remind them to pray so they can receive this answer. It's hard - they totally know it, but it's hard for them to express.

Sunday: Sunday was kind of a flop. Church was great - we only had three investigators there because Christine and others were out of town, but it was a nice meeting. And we had two potential investigators show up - Kris came and then also Will. Will grew up Buddhist, and he's kind of pursuing Noelle right now. Flirt to convert - it works sometimes. Anyways, he was late for sacrament meeting but he stayed the whole three hours! We're planning on calling both Will and Kris so we can teach them this week. It was so random - but so awesome!

All of our appointments fell through that afternoon so we finished up some planning. We went to Gerry and Elizabeth's for dinner - I love that family so much. Their three kids are adorable and I just feel so at home there. I just want Gerry to understand and be baptized! I will be there when he finally does join the church and they go to the temple to be sealed as a family forever. I hope I can help him to get there.

But the week ended great. After dinner, we went to the Why I Believe fireside. It's a fireside where recent converts stand up and bear their testimonies, share their conversion stories, and talk about how the gospel has blessed their lives. We wanted Noelle to come but her car battery died. We went to support our recent convert Craig - he was sooooo nervous and tried to back out so many times. We helped him write down the things he wanted to say. He was the last one to speak, and he was up there on the stand throwing a fit because it was getting so late - the speakers were just talking and talking and talking and droning on....great stories, but they were only supposed to talk for 3-5 minutes. I was afraid Craig was going to stand up, walk down from the stand, and leave! But the time came. I don't know if I mentioned it in another email, but I didn't feel too much when Craig was baptized. It was nice, but I didn't have that super happy feeling from the Spirit at his baptism. But I did last night, as he got up there and bore his testimony. It was simple, short - but the perfect length. I was so proud of him up there - my heart was just full. He's like another grandpa to me - it's amazing how much you come to love the people you teach. 

So that's that. And I think this email is longer than my previous emails. Our gratitude fast really opened up my eyes to all the blessings that the Lord gives us. It's His work, not mine. I have to do it His way, and that'll bring me success - and happiness - as a missionary and in my life after my service. I hope we can all remember that our happiness IS the Lord's work, and we'll find what we're looking for if we live our lives in accordance with His will.

Hermana Hunsaker

Our district and the zone leaders at Zone Conference, clockwise from the top: Elder Rodriguez and Elder Perry (ZLs), Sister Ure and I, Sister Cooper and Sister Garcia, Elder Watson (DL) and Elder Brown

Our Chinese New Years' Eve feast at the Garrisons!

Sister Ure and I with Gerry (I) and Elizabeth (RC) and their kids Nayeli, Julian and Enri

So many blessings

I read my brother's email today, and realized that his few short paragraphs were the perfect length. I am starting to keep a daily journal again, so I hope that will help me condense my thoughts better in my weekly emails home. 

Last week, my dad mentioned that I'm 1/4 of the way through my mission. I tried to ignore that, but out of curiosity I did the math and realized he was right! It's so weird to think about - time is really thrown off when you're a missionary. Every day seems like an eternity, and every week feels like a second. And before you know it, you're a quarter into your mission already. I'm starting to appreciate everyday more as I've recognized how fast it's all flying by. I learn something new everyday, and each day has a purpose: helping others improve their lives by learning more about Jesus Christ.

But of course, we all need a little break every once in a while. Last Monday, all the missionaries in the San Leandro zone went and played mini-golf! It was SO fun - I'll add pictures at the end. After, we went for ice cream at a nearby diner. It was a weird experience - I almost felt like I was in college again! It took a few minutes to snap back into missionary mode when we went to the VC that night. Despite remembering those fun times in college, I am having just as much fun and so much more joy as a representative for Jesus Christ here in Castro Valley.

I've also felt back in the college scene with all the new members of our ward. We've had four new young couples move into the ward in the past few weeks and they all immediately called us up and invited us over for dinner. We had dinner with the Alexanders Tuesday night in their cute little apartment, and we realized that they were the PERFECT fellow-shippers for Noelle, our 21-year-old investigator. So it's been weird spending time with members and investigators my own age, but Sister Ure and I are making it work. 

We saw Christine a few times this week: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. She is just so solid. We taught her all about the doctrine of Christ, focusing heavily on baptism. She wants to be baptized, but she feels like she's not ready - like she doesn't know enough. We've extended a date a couple of times as a goal to work towards, but she hasn't accepted it. It's amazing to see how her testimony has grown. Her questions are amazing, she figures things out on her own, she LOVES church, and she knows it's all true. We even brought her up to the Visitors' Center yesterday afternoon and watched the Joseph Smith movie - she picked up the tiniest details and learned so much from them. 

She also said something that struck me, and I've thought about it a lot for the past day. The church was organized in 1830 with only a few members. When the pioneers left 40-ish years later, there were 70,000 members. In 40 years. And today, there are over 14 million members of the church. She pointed out how that in itself solidifies her testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. When all other religious organizations are floundering as people turn farther and farther from God, the church is still growing - not only because of missionary work, but because the work we are doing is TRUE. If it wasn't, the church would have dwindled and died with the death of Joseph Smith. What Joseph Smith did was a miracle which could not have happened without the power of God. Missionary work today - helping people come unto Jesus Christ - cannot happen without the power of God. This wasn't Joseph Smith's work, this isn't my work - it's God's work. And that's why it is growing and expanding - our Heavenly Father's hand is in it. If you haven't seen the new Joseph Smith movie, I would highly recommend it to everyone. You can purchase it for a few dollars right here.

We taught Elena and Ariel about the Plan of Salvation this week. This lesson was really important for them as their grandpa, their dad's father, just passed away last month. They're doing a lot better, and there was only a brief moment of emotion. It's hard to understand death - I've never been extremely close to anyone who has passed away - but the plan helps me to know that when that moment comes and I do lose someone close to me, it's just part of the plan of our Heavenly Father. I know that there is a life after this one, and we're here on earth to prepare for it.

I had another exchange on Wednesday with Sister Pena. This is her first transfer so I felt a little bit like a trainer, but she's naturally good at sharing the gospel so it wasn't hard. We taught a less active, Teresa, and then saw Jackie. Jackie is doing so well. We saw her again on Friday and she is so ready to be baptized. All we have to do is teach her about the law of tithing and schedule her interview! She came to Stake Conference yesterday with her son Zach and she was all ready with her hair done and make-up on and it's just been so good to see her get back on her feet! I am so grateful that I've been able to see her rise above and I pray everyday that she'll stay up. She should hopefully be baptized a week from Saturday, assuming everything goes well with her interview. I am just so endeared to her - she's hilarious and she's really working to turn it all around. She wants to get a job, get half custody of her son, and totally get off the methadone (prescribed) and nicorette gum for once and for all! She can be baptized while using those two things, but she's not looking to do the bare minimum - she's going all the way! I am so excited for her.

I was at the VC with Sister Chipana almost all day Thursday, as Sister Ure had meetings and trainings and prep work to do with Sister Taggart. We were able to stop by the Garrisons (recent convert family) because they had been sick for a couple of weeks. Only Ling was home so we stopped by and talked to her. All of our plans for the day had fallen through but it was because Ling needed to see us. Sometimes the Spirit guides us, and sometimes God creates the circumstances so that we are led to where we need to go. 

On Saturday, I went on another exchange, this time with Sister Sia to Oakland. She's in the Oakland area, but we ended up going to Berkeley to do street contacting with the district. It was my first time street contacting, and it was EXHAUSTING. It was fun, but a little nerve-wrecking at the same time, and we met some crazies: ie men wanting to marry all of us since "we practice polygamy" and people that just talked and talked and talked and talked about nothing. We did get a couple of referrals though, and it helped me get over my fear of talking to random people. It also opened my eyes a bit. Usually, I'm the kind of person that zooms right past people that are offering things to me - I think most people are. After my mission, I'll probably be nicer to those people and take the things they're offering - except when I go to Vegas haha.

Yesterday was a regional conference - it was SO GOOD. We had both Jackie and Noelle there. Noelle sat with us and she was paying attention on and off, but there were a lot of things the speakers said where she would stop and say "they're talking right to me." It was perfect, and it really brought me the lift I needed after this week. Because of the Superbowl, NO ONE was at the VC Sunday night so it was a good time to relax and just feel the Spirit of the VC. I love when people come in and I feel like I'm actually fulfilling my purpose being there, but sometimes it's nice to have that quiet time to yourself in a holy, dedicated place so close to the temple.

We received a referral this week (Roger) and met a potential investigator (Richard), and we have a lesson with another potential investigator (Raquel) tonight. We're going to try contacting them in the next week so hopefully we'll have some new investigators this week! As I've been in different areas in the past couple of weeks, I am so grateful to be having so much success in this area. I'm just trying to work as hard as I can and be exactly obedient so I can exercise the power and authority of my calling to bring souls to Christ. I just love being a missionary!

Good luck this week!

Hermana Hunsaker

The whole zone at mini-golf!!!



Probably Sister Ure's and my best picture EVER