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Ah week 1, a new transfer already. My new companion is Sister Ichikawa, she is from Japan! She is serving outbound in Las Vegas right now, but she'll be back on Transfer day which is Wednesday. Ironically I was chosen to pick her up from the airport so that will be fun! I don't really know her, but she is super sweet!!

We have had such a crazy week trying to prepare for transfers. We got the pyramid (transfer information) last week and had to start making schedules all over again. The plus side is now that we've made schedules a million times, we are really fast at it. So we are almost done and it is only Monday!

Well one of the highlights of our week was before we got the transfer information, we took a tour. It was two guys from El Salvador. Gabriel and Umberto. One of them goes to the U, so he has heard a lot about the church. They had lots of questions. We ended up spending 2 hours with them! We taught them a lot. We shared about the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, the Word of Wisdom, and the Temple. It was really cool. They both referred and we're going to keep teaching them! Well, actually I think Sister Asay and her next companion will but we are happy we got to show them around.

Paul is looking up! Yess we are so happy. He has been keeping an open mind and heart and I guess you could say he has seen the light haha. He wants to get baptized and shares about the Book of Mormon with everyone. It's really cool to see how God communicates with His children.

The First Presidency Devotional was SO good. Sister Asay and I got to watch the rebroadcast because we went to it last Christmas. I loved the talks. They were so good. I especially loved how President Eyring pointed out the Spirit and made us all accountable to it.The stories told by Sister Oscarson and Elder Christofferson were so good. I think what I liked most about it is that it can be shown and applies to everyone. It helps us remember how Christmas started, and how we can become more like the Savior. I loved how President Eyring said that the Christmas lights in the Conference Center symbolize our joy, and that the Savior came in to the world with light and lights were sent to represent Him. Jesus Christ really is the light and life of the world!

We got to talk with Lauren a little bit this week, she has been trying to pray!!!! Breakthrough! haha She's super busy with work but she is doing really good.

The Christus assignment is my favorite thing about Christmas. We get to testify to literally hundreds of people in an hour that Jesus Christ lives and that we know it. It is the coolest thing and probably my favorite thing about the mission. I don't care that most of them are already members because no one is ever done with coming closer to Jesus Christ. There's no cap, no point where we can say, I don't think I can get any closer to Jesus Christ. So we hope that our small testimonies and testaments of Christ are manifested by the Holy Ghost as we speak, and that the people who come up to see a statue and get a picture will leave with more than they intended. It's neat to see when you can tell that that has happened, and that people are changed because of the spirit they have felt, and the spirit that has whispered to them.

As I see Sisters going home this week, I can't help but feel grateful that it's not me, but sad because it will be me soon. I know I say it a lot but i am just so grateful for the chance I have to be a missionary here in this mission. I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity that has changed me forever. I really think that if I would not have chosen to come on a mission, it would have taken me 10 years or more to make the progress in these 18 months. It's so cool to me that Heavenly Father lets us come on missions and teach people His perfect Gospel when we are so young. It really is the best thing for us, and helps mold us into His instruments, His people that He needs us to be. I think missions prepare us for just about anything so I am grateful once again to be a missionary. And just because we are not full-time set apart missionaries doesn't mean that we aren't expected to be missionaries, we are! We can bring others to the gospel each day :)

One of my favorite parts of the Christus narration is when He says "Learn of me." He doesn't say learn about me but learn of me. I think we can best do that by trying to become like Him. We become like Him as we follow His teachings and reach beyond ourselves and in turn, acquire His attributes that are what we ultimately need in order to reach our exaltation. As we do this, and act with real intent on His teachings, He has promised us that not only will we become converted to the Gospel but we will bring other souls to Him. Others will notice and will follow, and we will all experience the great joy that's promised in DC 18: "15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" And after all, God's whole plan and purpose is that we have eternal joy. It is the Plan of Happiness, not the Plan of misery or frustration or defeat but our Heavenly Father just wants us to be happy.

As we all make that our purpose this week, I know that we will feel ourselves becoming more like the Savior.

I love you!

Love



P.s. The picture is from Staff Meeting yesterday!