Leaving the One to Find the Ninety and Nine.

Techincally the one keeps leaving us. But he's our only sheep and he's a very good sheep. We'll see him at church.

Man. This week. I don't even wanna talk about it... Well, I do, because I always want to talk. Y'all know that!!! But this was honestly a very rough week. We've been finding so many people recently, but then, for various reasons we can never get back into contact with them. We're relentless in trying to track them down, but it's to no avail. I've never had so many doors slammed in my face than in this area. I've never had SO much difficulty getting the members involved as in this ward. That's the truth, but here's another truth—transfers are next week, and I don't want to go anywhere. I hope they leave me here with Sister Christensen.

But, I'd never request anything for transfers from Heavenly Father. I learned a long time ago some important lessons from my Trainer and my Greeniebreaker. DON'T make transfer requests. It's just not a good idea to ever try to pretend that you know better than God where you should be, who you should be with or what you should be doing. Just because I don't think I've fulfilled my purpose here doesn't mean I have any idea what I'm talking about. Next week, I'll be able to tell you what the final verdict is.

As rough as this week was... it was also a blast. I had a lot of fun knocking doors. We went on exchanges with the Spanish sisters this last week—Hermana Gurney came over here to hang out with me for the day, and Hermanita went over to be with Hermana Gurney's baby in Westgreen. It was a very informative, helpful exchange for a lot of reasons. I think the thing I liked the most was getting to see that Hermana Gurney has grown SO MUCH as a teacher. She hasn't been my companion, and we actually haven't spent any real time together since the MTC on account of never really serving all that close by. It was interesting, because I realized that Thursday (the day of the exchange) was my one-year anniversary of being in Texas. So it was a fun reunion for the two of us. She's really grown a lot since the MTC. We were also able to commiserate a little on account of our areas being so similar in personality right now.

Hermanita Christensen is learning a lot of valuable lessons early on. Middle class people are often comfortable. People in general, regardless of circumstances can become comfortable with their situation, no matter how poor, godless or degrading it might be. But middle-class often have the added challenge of overcoming their own societies opinion that, they're just fine as is. They don't need to change. They don't need to push themselves or progress any further. Just wait it out until you can retire, until you're body is too worn out to move like it used to, until the kids are grown and out of the house. It's an attitude that I've developed a somewhat hostile intolerance for. I've never been more 'uncomfortable' in my whole life. I trespass on people's privacy, try to break into their lives and help them develop a desire to change. Admit their faults and come unto Christ. I walk around in the heat or the snow in what I've come to loveingly refer to as 'church-lady-chic' trying to get strangers to open up to me and trust that I really am what I say I am; a servant of their father and a messenger from their brother. I might have to pack up my half of the apartment in a week, and go live in a new-old apartment with some chick I don't know and be instant best friends. There is nothing really comfortable about my life, and I've never been happier. Comfort is nice from time to time, but it also has somewhat inhibiting qualities. We're much more prone to new growth and development into a stronger being in a environment with some aggravating elements.

My companion said it beautifully in a lesson a number of weeks ago, when, after our investigator had just finished sharing with us his feelings, concluding with the statement, “But... I'm comfortable at the Pentecostal Church.” and without hesitating she said, “God doesn't want you to be comfortable, he wants you to be a Mormon!”

At that moment, I realized she didn't need me anymore.

I don't know though, maybe we'll get to stay together for three transfers. I'd like that. But as I already said, I'm morally opposed to transfer requests.

Bishop came out with us last week, and that was very nice. He also apologized for not having supported the sisters very much at all over the past few months, which I appreciated. He asked if we've been have ward correlation, and I admitted that although it's scheduled for 9:30 on Sunday morning, typically, us missionaries arrive, write in our journals for about an hour while we wait for someone to show up, and then give up and go study. Bishop said he would take care of that. This week, we only had to wait 45 minutes for the Ward Mission Leader. Hey. I'm just happy he showed up. Then, I was surprised when Bishop actually invited us to come into PEC also. A meeting that the Elders were previously invited to, and we weren't.

I think the Elders might have said something, because they asked us last week, “Why aren't you invited to PEC? It doesn't make any sense, they always ask us questions about the families you're teaching and we're like... we don't know, ask them. But then they don't.”

Yeah, I don't know why we weren't invited before, and I don't care. I've been invited to PEC in other wards. And It can't possible be the lack of Priesthood, since the relief society President is supposed to come. The point is, now we can come, which is good, it was very informative actually. We also let them know that we're having problems getting lessons with our one solid investigator right now. He's got a date for his Birthday (May 27th) yeah, WAY far out there, but he was forced to get baptized by crazy people a couple of years ago, so he's pretty determined to do it on his own terms this time. Hermana Estrada tried to point out that he might not be alive in May. Cheerful woman.

So... we're going to back off of him for a while and try to find the other 99 sheep that were lost.

So, that's where I'm at right now.

Home sounds so charming! Wow, President McDonough was in there for a long time. I'm happy for daddy as choir director, he will love that! You're fancy bishopric party sounds like good fun. I'm excited to get Laney's new letter. Can I have Grandma practice too? Or does it default to Mom Pratice on account of me not having children? What was the Opera that Jensen saw about? I really want to read her funny Opera essay again. I think I must have mailed it home with that last package of letters I sent... I'm glad to hear that my license is... coming along. I hope that Grandpa is okay and that the test result come in quick.

I love you all sooo so, much! I heard that Bad Romance song in a restaurant this last week when we went with out zone and thought of silly Jensen grooving along to it. Also... they're remaking Clash of the Titans? Seriously?

I adore you all terribly and love and miss and hug you! MWAH!