God will always provide a way.

Holly and her new companion, Sister Chayama 

Well, it's been another great week here on Temple Square!

In the mornings, we have been approved to run on a High School track nearby, so I get to start my day by running 3 miles while I watch the sun rise behind the Temple! It is the best! I have never really been a fan of running, but I have discovered that is is a way to push myself to do things I don't think I can do, just like how it is with missionary work sometimes. Plus, it's a lot easier when I have fresh air, rather than running in a garage with a dumpster haha.

So I have the coolest news........it's about Tim!

He heard back from president Monson, and President Monson found a solution so he can be baptized! On Saturday, the 8th, He will be baptized by PROXY! So He will stand off to the side, while someone goes into the font and is baptized for him in his place, just like baptisms for the dead, but he's ALIVE! Then he gets to be confirmed and receive the Holy Ghost like normal. Oh man, when I heard that I was speechless! I had never heard of that before. The last couple weeks, we had been teaching him about faith, and how we can rely on the Lord to provide a way to keep His commandments, so that we can receive a witness to the trial of our faith. So it was way awesome to see that witness! How cool is it to think that President Monson prayed about Tim, and then received revelation for him! It really strengthened my testimony of Prophets. Tim is doing so great, he is so excited to be baptized. He said that he has not been this happy in a very long time, and that he feels like he is on cloud nine. The members have reached out to him so well! He has made so many new friends, and on Sunday, he texted us and said: "it was amazing today all the people that are there for me and how much they make you feel like family and all the warmth that I felt today." Good job ward members! Then he told us how happy he is to be baptized, that he is like a little kid in a candy store, he just wants it to be his day already. Man, we are way excited. It has been way awesome to see him change through the Atonement.

So if you remember Sandra, the bipolar, depression, suicidal lady, we were able to teach her this week. She is doing well, she has seen a difference in herself and her life since she has been learning about the Church, and the missionaries have been able to come and teach her. She is going to try to go to church on Sunday. We gave her the talks Like a Broken Vessel, and I Will Not Fail Thee, and she said she would watch them and pray about them. They are so perfect for her! She is a little unstable, but we hope that she will be able to gain stability as she grows stronger in her faith and relationship with Heavenly Father.

We met a man on chat from India (too bad I am not with Sister Doraiswamy still) who had studied here in Utah, but had since returned to India. Well he now wants to join the church! He accepted a baptismal invitation and will go to church on Sunday. So we were able to send local missionaries to him, and we are going to call him this week.

Robert has not returned our phone call yet, but we will call him tomorrow, hopefully he picks up!

Also, we teach a 19 year old Japanese boy Seiya, who is a foreign exchange student here. He really wants to be baptized badly but his parents do not approve. He is of age, but doesn't want to break family relationships, so we are praying for their hearts to be softened and for a way for him to be baptized.

We took an awesome tour this week, the spirit was totally present! I was on exchange with my DL [District Leader] and we went to contact a man in the Assembly Hall, when another man walked up and said he wanted a tour, so we took both of them around. One, Jason, was here for a job interview with Skywest as a Pilot, he is from AZ, so we were automatic kindred souls haha just kidding but really, I felt more connected with him. The other man was here for a costume convention or something weird like that, and was completely closed off, he is Baptist, and only wanted to learn history. We took them around, and testified a lot. Jason said that he grew up religious, but had a lot of questions, didn't know if God existed. We testified about the Book of Mormon and how he will be able to know that God exists through the Book of Mormon, and all of his questions can be answered through it. He seemed pretty intrigued. Well after the tour, he took a Book of Mormon, but didn't refer. I know he will be able to accept the Gospel one day though, and that his questions will be answered through the Gospel. I really wish I would have marked Alma 18 for him though, it is perfect for him! He'll read it eventually though. It doesn't matter who it is that teaches a person, as long as they are being taught.

Well tomorrow we have Zone Conferences with the Mission President, it should be fun! From 10-5 it will be either a really long day or fun day haha just kidding. It will be great!

I think that is about it, I think I left out a lot, but Tim's news was the biggest this week, and it makes up for the forgotten stuff!

Temple Square is the best, have a great week, love you!