"As Sisters in Colorado" : One month Mark! :)

This week had a ton of ups and downs, of course. Ha but I guess I am learning to expect them now, so it didn't take a huge toll on me. I just went with it. Dealt with it the best I could, and moved on. Sooo here goes.

One really good progress made this week is that it went by REALLY fast. Haha, that hasn't happened all mission yet. Finally time is flying by this week. I think that is because I was able to focus so much more this week on the work. I was able to not think about home, family, or friends in as much. I still did sometimes, that is just how life is. haha, but I was able to focus.

Last week we did a ton of service. We climbed under the house of an older lady, the one we found while tracting, and changed her heater filter. The next day we went to an elderly couple's house, who just had surgery, and cleaned out their fridge. We found the skeleton of a dead mouse while doing it too! haha, gross. We worked at the Habitat Thrift Store again, did Bingo, of course, worked at the Flood Relief Center, and helped someone move. I LOVE being able to serve. At the flood relief center there is this awesome lady, about my age, who is working for a service group. She is so much fun and she said the other day, "I just love when you all come to work here. You all just bring such a neat energy to the room!" She has expressed interest in wanting to learn more about our church, but we aren't allowed to teach her at the service sites, so we are trying to think of the best way to be able to teach her. The Elders invited her to some activities this week so we will see if she comes. But we did get to talk to her about our missions and our decisions to serve and everything. So there are still ways to share our testimonies.

Things have been tough this week for my companion. She is struggling with getting enough sleep. But I think there are deeper causes. She has been struggling with her desire to be out here and it is hard to motivate her to do the work. I am trying so hard to figure out how to help here but still be able to do the work effectively. I need to figure out the best way to help her.

This week we got to do exchanges for 48 hours, and it was super great. First I was with Sister Christensen, that was pretty fun. But the next day I got to go to Loveland/Fort Collins area and be with Sister Cardon for a day. Oh my goodness, I loved that day! It was one of the best days on my mission so far. Her and I just click so well. We both are having some struggles with our comps and so we were able to help each other out and talk through what was going on. But the thing was, we were busy every second of that whole day! We walked everywhere because they don't have a car. But we were contacting people, teaching people, so busy all day, but we still had so much fun. As we walked, we had time to talk, I haven't talked that much in a long time. It was great. Then we would teach, and we taught really well together. We went to a member's house to meet them because they were in the area, and the man reminded me of Brian Owen sooo much! Haha. I laughed so hard! Goodness, it was such a good day. She is such an obedient missionary and very hard working. We talked about how different people have different views on what obedience is, and it is hard to adjust to that. But it was such a nice"break", but not really a break from working, since we worked all day! That is what I want missionary work to be like everyday. It should be. haha.

Also, I ended up going over to my 2nd cousin's house for dinner! It was so funny how we figured it out too. We were talking and I said I was from GR, and she said that she had a cousin that lived in that area whose husband taught theatre at a college. I was like, "Oh maybe I know who it is! My dad works there." She couldn't remember names though at first and so we kind of dropped it and moved on in the conversation. Then she was like, "Wait...what is your mom's name?" I was like, "Kari." She was like..."Oh my goodness!! That is my cousin!" Haha, so we figured out that we were cousins. So neat:) Out of all the days that I could have been on exchanges, and eaten anywhere, I ate at my 2nd cousins house. Such a blessing. We also had Thai food that she had picked up that night, so it was some of my favorite food!! I loved that.

This week we taught the W family again, and we asked if he had kept his commitment to pray about Joseph Smith and to know if the church is true. He said he hadn't. So we talked to him a little more about how the Holy Ghost feels and then invited him to pray right then to know if Joseph Smith was a true prophet and if this church is true. So he did, we knelt down right then and he prayed. It was such a neat experience. He said he felt tingly and then he admitted to us that he knows that this church is true. He has been fighting it for the longest time. He also said that the week before when we had been going through Joseph Smith's account of the first vision, he felt like, even though we were the ones talking, that someone else was speaking those words right to his heart. It was so neat to see how the spirit works through us and we can be mouthpieces of the Lord. We addressed a few of his concerns and talked a lot about Faith. He is getting more and more sure everytime. His wife is so happy. She talked to a member this week and just cried to her because she is so happy with how their family is growing in the gospel and becoming closer. It is AMAZING to see the effect that the gospel of Jesus Christ can have on people's lives. We invited their whole family to come to church, even their kids, and they all came yesterday!!! Our next step is to teach their children and help them get ready to be baptized. Their son, is a member of another church and is very skeptical about changing, but I know once he learns he will want to be baptized. He will feel the truth. Keep them in your prayers.

This week we had a Women's Conference in Loveland for the whole stake and we were invited to go. It was such a wonderful night, I was able to get the spiritual nourishment and boost that I needed right now. It was a testimony that the Lord knows that I am trying my best and that I will be blessed for that.

This week we have a zone goal to get 25 lessons in every companionship, if we do this, we will see miracles and break the mission record for most lessons taught in a week. Pray for us this week as we strive to reach this goal! We have a good plan for it and I have the faith that we will be able to accomplish it!!

Well I better get going! I love you all sooooo much! Thanks for your letters and prayers and all you do. I miss you all!! Stay strong, press forward, even when times get tough. The Savior went through so much, when days get hard, I think how much harder it was for Him. You will come closer to Him as you go through trials and tribulations, because you will feel a portion of what he went through. I always think of this scripture when tracting or when hard times happen, Mosiah 14:2-7. Keep Him as your example always.

Love you!! Have a great Week.

Love,

Sister Karissa Young