Hello my loves,

Man. Talk about a roller coaster week. 

Sometimes I think that a mission does to your testimony what digging with a shovel does to your hands. At first, your hands are all soft and smooth and strong. Then you start digging for a long time, and makes your hands really hurt, maybe even blister or peel.  But a few days later, the raw skin turns into calluses, strong and tough and able to take more shoveling the next day.  A testimony can be much the same way.  You never really know if it's strong unless it's challenged, tested, even put through the wringer just a little bit.  But I know that when I come out of it, I'll have a rock-solid "callused" testimony that will be able to withstand the challenges that I will face later in life.  Maybe if I had never decided to serve a mission, I would really struggle later in my life.  The thought of that is difficult, and makes me very grateful that I had such a strong prompting to serve.

Had a few miracles this week. We had a bishop talking about this one less active woman with non-member kids.  We knew that she was good friends with Michelle, another investigator, and we had been talking to Michelle about her, but so far had not been able to meet this woman yet.  One day we were walking up to Michelle's house when this same woman pulls up. She was there to pick up her kids, who were playing with Michelle's kids.  So we got to go in with her and meet her and her kids! It was pretty great. No such thing as coincidences. 

Also, we are teaching a part-member family where the man is a member and wants to get back to church, his non-member teenage granddaughter is curios about God, and his wife could care less about religion and doesn't like us to come over.  We've been trying for quite a few weeks to get them to come to church, and so far they haven't, as much as the man really wants to make it.  But this Sunday, who comes to church? His wife! Not him, nor his granddaughter, but his wife! They were all going to come to church together, they were all dressed and everything, but then the man and his grandaughter were feeling ill, so they stayed home, but his wife came anyway! Wow. Impressive. And shocking. That's a miracle if I've ever seen one.

Can't wait to hear from all of you! Love you so much :)

God Bless,

Sister Moreland