April 5, 2010

Thank you for your letters from family home evening! I enjoyed reading all of them! I did get the easter package as well! Thank you so much, I needed more clothes! The chocolate and the extra SD card! I need to take more pictures. I've taken a few, but I need to remember to do it more. I need to get some with our investigators. Easter was pretty good, we ate a nice spaghettios and applesauce dinner, haha. Actually we had lunch at a member's house, so it was fine! :) We watched conference at the church and I really enjoyed it. I couldn't believe how many talks were on the same topic. I guess it is something the Lord wanted emphasized!


Things have been going well out here. This last week we had a meeting with President Hutchings in our zone because he wanted to remind us of what our purpose is, which is to baptize. So we have a goal to commit people to baptism on the first lesson. That should be interesting. But he is awesome, and everytime he speaks to us I feel more motivated to work harder. He is a really good mission president! One of the Elders in our zone, who was also in my district at the MTC is having really bad chest pains and they can't figure out what is wrong with him. He has been having them since the first week he got out here, and I feel so bad for him because they are thinking about sending him home but he wants to be out here being a missionary so bad. I don't know why I just told you that, but it just came to my mind.

The lady, Wanda, we have been teaching is doing so awesome. She is the one who takes care of her husband and her mother belongs to the Church of Christ and is making as much opposition for Wanda as she possibly can. The other day she sent an Elder from her church over to try to convince Wanda not to get baptized. She called us and asked us to pray for her, and she is unshakable! We went over that night to see how things went, and she said her mother is mad at her because she realizes there is nothing that will stop her from being baptized. But she is going to keep bringing people if she has to bring the minister over to talk to her. What her mother doesn't realize is the opportunity for Wanda to share the gospel with people in the Church of Christ! :) My companion and I think she has something pretty amazing to do because she is having so much opposition. Her date is still set for April 24th!

More and more I am realizing how much the Lord has his hand in this work, and how much Satan doesn't want these things to happen. But I know that the spirit and the testimonies shared will stand against all opposition in the end! I think the most stressful thing is helping people to understand where this opposition is coming from and to help them build that foundation so they don't fall later on. I've also realized how much we need the ward members help in fellowshipping the converts and new investigators! So many people out here don't have much, and they will come to church in their jeans because they don't have anything else. The ward welcomes them in and does what they can for them, and it is so neat to see not only people's lives changing because of the gospel but also because of the love the members show them. We are down to the last 2 weeks of the transfer already! Time seems to be going a little faster now. The first weeks here felt forever long, and some days still are but we are working as hard as we can.

The trees out here in the spring are gorgeous! I took some pictures but I left my camera at home. I am getting really good at leaving all of my things all over Cookeville. I have left Book of Mormons in the bathrooms at gas stations, several times but I guess thats okay.. :) I left my water bottle at Kewandra's house, and I leave our phone all over the place too. My companion wonders about me sometimes I think, haha. We get along really well though. The only problem is that we are both a little shy and so we have had to push ourselves to be more bold with people. Which is good! The weather is already so warm here! The other day it was already 85 degrees. We haven't had any tornado warnings yet but we've been told several times they will come! I want to hear the sirens go off so bad!

We finally found some new investigators and there is one in particular that we think will be awesome. Her name is Kristen and she just moved here the day before we talked to her, and she told us she is looking for a church to go to. She has a son who is 5, and she said he loves to sing and go to church. Well thats just perfect! So we told her about primary and invited her to come next week since it was conference this weekend. There is also Lia, who is a single pregnant mother with two kids. She has been taught for awhile now, and likes church but has no desire to quit smoking. Which is sad because she is pregnant. Her boys are so cute though, and they are such good kids for her. She has a boyfriend, but he lives 30 minutes away, she lives in the "projects" and has no job and no car. She is a sweet lady, but its really sad to see the way she lives. I wish she could understand the gospel, I know it would make her happy! Then there is Debbie who used to be a Jehovah's witness, but doesn't practice. She told us she thinks she needs to read the bible 4 times before she can understand it and has a hard time comprehending that she can pray right now to know if it is true. She loves history and loved watching the Testaments but she says she doesn't want to convert. Jana is still, Jana! Haha, she is making progress, slower than we would like, but she'll get there. She gets offended so easily, which is one thing we have been trying to work with her on, and she has a baptism date set for the 17th of this month but we're thinking she wont be quite ready. She still is having problems with smoking, but we are going to do everything we can to help her in the next few weeks. It feels like everytime we ask her to commit to do something, it puts more stress on her and she gets overwhelmed. If you have any advice on her, let us know! We do love her though, she is a way funny lady!

Well, thanks again for all of your love and support! I love you all and I miss you all! Tell Makayla Happy Birthday today! I sent her a card last week so hopefully she'll get it today! I love you!

Sister Turner