Sister Monson's Mission: May 2, 2011

Hello Family!

I AM SO EXCITED TO TALK TO YOU ON SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!! Haha. I just found out on Friday that Mother's Day is so soon. I had thought it was the end of May, so it came as a surprise. We'll call Sunday night at 7:30 here, if that's okay, so I think it'll be 6:30 for you.

Happy birthday yesterday, Ally! And happy birthday on Saturday, Eric! I hope both days were/will be incredible! I love you! Thanks Jake, for the letter! I will love you forever, too!

This week has been good. Funny things first. A couple weeks ago we played Risk with the Elders for preparation day at the institute building. A slightly crazy but sweet girl from the ward named Jamie came in and took pictures of us, because she'd never seen missionaries in P-day clothes before. Yesterday, about 5 minutes before church, while we were sitting with our investigators, Jamie came up and gave Sister St. Clair and I t-shirts with the picture she'd taken on them. I now have a shirt with my face on it. Pretty exciting.

We had a goal last week to reach 20 lessons, which we've never been able to do before. We determined that since it was Sister St. Clair's last full week in the mission field, we would finally make it. We had 7 lessons planned for Thursday, which was going to be our pivotal day, but throughout the day 4 of them canceled. It was cold, my stomach was hurting, we ran into an anti-Mormon preacher who wouldn't leave us alone, and people were laughing at us and making fun of our helmets all day, so all in all it was pretty sad day. I was kinda wishing I was at Cindy's wedding instead. Over the next three days, though, we got to see all the people who canceled and we got exactly the right amount of lessons and saw a lot of miracles. I was so grateful to experience a little hardship for the Lord but then to get so many blessings afterward.

It turns out that Dave's next door neighbors are members of the church, and they are the sweetest people ever. We had his lesson at their apartment and they will invite him to go with them to church every week. He said the prayer at the end of the lesson and said he had a wonderful, life-changing event last Easter that helped him be a better person, and this Easter he met us. He knows it isn't a coincidence and that this is a good thing. It was so wonderful.

Update on Frank from the Elders: he's sober (for the most part) everytime they see him, he still loves coming to church, and he's started parting his hair (maybe to copy the Elders).

Sister St. Clair leaves on Thursday. I'll miss her a lot! My new companion's name is Sister Gray. No one I know has met her, but Sister St. Clair has heard that she's quirky. It should be fun. We got more pictures, since she's leaving.

Have a wonderful week, everyone! I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Monson

149 - the flower Frank got us

150 - the Elders toilet papered our bikes

155- Our zone. The Elders are goofy.

156 - our district. I don't know why Elder Gunnell and I look like we're at Prom. I'm embarrassed about that.

166 - a pretty cemetary across the street from our apt

153 - Easter morning