On the verge of some serious spiritual growth

Hey all! Okay to get started, here's my mail update....

-Mom, i got the package from the distribution center, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I never ever thought I would get so excited about general conference cds lol and I love the primary book, muchos gracias

-Megan Hurst, I am so so sorry It's taken me so very very long to respond to you, I feel so bad! But thank you for forgiving me and writing again anyways. And Shannon- about time you wrote me. HAHAHA just kidding, thank you two so much for the cd letter, I freaked out when I heard yalls voices, I love it. It will probably take a while to respond because I have so much to say, but I promise to answer and PLEASE keep sending them occasionally!

So this week was way too spiritual, I told Sister Casner I must be on the verge of some serious spiritual growth because I feel like I'm at one extreme or the other all the time. She told me it fit right along with something our mission president's wife told us about Jacob 5 at zone conference-sometimes we're being "dug about" by the Lord, and we feel that, but it's just part of how the Lord nourishes and grows his vineyard.

Sister exchange was super successful, we had an appointment every hour, it rocked. And I learned in Jui Jitsu how to throw grown men on the ground using 2 fingers, so what more can I ask for? Sister Williams wanted to move here, like everyone that ever comes through here she now feels jui jitsu is her life calling. Unfortunately, none of the people we taught are investigating, but it was a really good day and set an awesome note to go to zone conference on.

Speaking of zone conference- AMAZING!!!! So fantastic. Favorite quote from President Scott: he was talking about how ever since we set the goal for 65 baptisms in June missionaries have been writing him about all the opposition their investigators are suddenly facing and he told us "Elders and sisters, the adversary is here- Thank goodness! If he was messing around in Connecticut, I'd be insulted. As our efforts increase, so will his, until eventually he'll have to give up and move on to Connecticut, and then we'll see the work surge forward." So true! We had a Brother Fuller speak to us, a former area 70 member, and at the end he left a blessing on us and the mission, it was super powerful. You could feel the spirit fill the room as a special witness of Christ blessed us with success! Another favorite quote from one of the Assistants, Elder Henderson: "If you want more faith, be obedient. There is no substitute. Sitting around reading scriptures all day will never get you as close to God as going out and obediently working." President Scott has us take notes during meetings by making 3 columns labeled "Start," "Stop," and "Learned" to help us organize our thoughts about what we get out of it, and my start column was SO long! So I've got lots to think about and do the upcoming weeks.

So Sister Casner and I are on a roll now, we love it! We just gotta find the people Heavenly Father has gotten us all pumped up for!

We're excited for Josh to get baptized on Sunday, it'll be so weird since we won't have seen him for 2 weeks. But we're so glad to be a part of getting our 65 baptisms in June!

Last cool story, I dunno if I told you about or if you heard about Elder Johnson...He was hit by a car in January I believe, in Toronto. So he's been in the hospital recovering ever since, it's been an incredible miracle because doctors keep telling his family things he'll never recover and then he does, like vision in one eye and hearing in one ear. And pretty much everything they were worried he'd have to relearn came back remarkably fast! So as part of his rehab, the doctors wanted him to do as much as possible in his usual routine before the accident, so he practiced teaching the gospel to his therapists. In our email today President told us one of them has started going to church with their family now and is investigating- how amazing are the ways Heavenly Father is able to spread his gospel? He was in a coma a few months ago, and he's still doing more missionary work than me lol! Amazing story, I don't know if there's anything online about him but you should look it up.

Love you! Have a great week! Thanks for the France pictures!