"Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you."

ELDER HOLLAND IS COMING TO OUR ZONE CONFERENCE NEXT MONTH!!! Oh man, I am way excited; it is going to be a serious spiritual throw down. Ha, hopefully he isn't coming because we're doing terrible, ha ha. Another cool thing, we got a new car last week! And it is a new new car, like a 2015 Chevy Cruze still smells new new car. Her name is Molly because she's a Molly Mormon (don't even think about taking your seatbelt off or having the door open or she will not shut up). 

So let's see, what else have we done this week? Daniel is almost done with the Old Testament, he's about half way done and once he finishes that he'll have read all of the standard works. It's kind of cool actually, once he finishes a book he'll tell us his favorite chapters from it. But it is making me realize how much I actually do know about the scriptures, especially the Old Testament which I just I don't know assumed I didn't know anything about. What I do need to work on though is D&C, so now I know what to study right! 

Sometimes I wonder about the people that we visit, like what is it in their lives that makes them so suspicious. Is it just an Albuquerque thing or a less active thing or what? I don't know whenever someone knocks on my door at home or at school I just... opened the door. I never looked through the peep hole, or peaked through the curtains or said "who is it?!?!" (by the way, I promise you that no matter how sneaky you may think you are at looking to see who is there, you're not. They can see you or at least the movement that means that you're looking). Like why all the paranoia people? And it's not just less actives either, it's like everyone here, I don't know, what's the deal? 

Also, I was obviously too excited about Aurora and Miguel's baptism because.... that's not happening. At least, not next weekend. Ugh, agency. But they are coming along alright and I know that it'll happen soonish, or at least some day. Aurora still has made huge progress though since we met her, I think I mentioned the huge difference the word of wisdom has made, so I'm not too concerned. 

So we had dinner this week with a family where the wife had had leukemia the year before and had gotten a bone marrow transplant! I guess I never realized what a crazy process that is before but she was telling us about it and it is crazy! She basically revived the stem cells from her sister and then they were able to turn into what she needed but in the process it was basically like stripping her DNA out and replacing it with her sisters. And the super crazy thing is that she basically acquired her sister's physical features! She didn't have any allergies before but now has all of her sister's allergies, he hair color and texture changed and all kinds of crazy stuff. It's just the coolest and weirdest thing ever. On a somewhat more spiritual note, they gave us some life advice. They said that every time that you go on a trip, take time to visit any temples that you pass and at least go to the grounds if you don't have time to do any work or it's closed or whatever. But they said that your trip always goes better if you do that. So, there you go.

Hmm, I don't know why but it seems like not a lot has happened this week. We met a super cute kid who is like the most missionary minded person I've ever met. It's funny I remember always feeling like missionaries were always so much older than I was and then one day I was like "wait... they're like the same age as me..." and now most of them are younger than I am! It's funny though, to see kids looking up to you. It makes me want to do a much better job. Ha, anyway we gave her some pass along cards and we're going to stop by and "follow up" with her about it sometime this week.

We got another Washingtonian in our Zone this transfer. Washington is totally taking over the Albuquerque area, or at least the Pacific North West is. We have 4 people from Washington in the zone but still a bunch of Utah people (5 in our district alone) so Washington peeps keep coming!

This Sunday was stake conference and both President and Sister Miller spoke, as well as a recently reactivated member from our ward Sister Rodriguez whose husband we are teaching so it was pretty cool. We have as a stake really been focusing on missionary work so it's been helpful! One of the things that we are planning to start doing that I think will help a lot is teaching a little class about how member can be better fellowshipers and member missionaries and how you don't have to feel like an awkward octopus but can just do it naturally like a normal person. Ha hopefully it will go well but I think so! 

Oh, I just remembered someone else we saw this week. I don't know if I have enough time to get into it all but I'll try. We had been a little hesitant to go to the house because when we asked about the husband (who is inactive and doesn't want his family to go) we were told he was "the definition of unrighteous dominion" and... from what we've learned so far that is true. I think this is the first person or family that I've personally known who the victim of real, serious abuse was. As far as we can tell not too physical but very mental. Things like, he won't give her money for food because he works for it so it's "his money". But she also can't exactly go work because someone has to take care of their 8 kids. Things like hiding, damaging or throwing away birth control so that she'll be pregnant all the time so that she has to stay home or need more money or support to take care of herself that he is "generously" giving her (hence the 8 kids) or all these other crazy things. It feels like that episode of the hulk (I felt about that angry when I found out about it) except sadly, I'm not the hulk and I no one really know what to actually do. And since so much of it is mental games, it's hard sometimes to explain or they feel like "it's my fault" or that nothing is really wrong. I mean for myself I absolutely have no concerns. Like I said, I don't think there's any physical harm and we'll only go when he's not there and I can promise you if he ever even put one finger on my comp or I he would regret it for the rest of his life (God gets pretty mad when you mess with his messengers and like I would wait for God to do something...) but I really do worry about her and their kids.... 

Anyway, that situation is super depressing, how about something spiritual and happy... hmm.... earlier this week I read D&C section 4 which I feel sort of lame saying is my favorite section because 1) it's so close to the start 2) I haven't read the D&C as well as I should have and 3) it's such a famous section it feels unoriginal and that rubs wrong with my natural hipster but it is so what can I say. Anyway, that section was the section that made me sure I needed to go on a mission. I was thinking about it and thinking about it and thinking about it and I kept bouncing and forth and getting nowhere ( just ask the people I was counseling with at the time, I'm sure they'll tell you how obnoxious and indecisive it was, ha ha)  when I read that section where it says "and if ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to do the work" Well, when you're looking for an answer it doesn't get much more straight forward than that. Did I have a desire to serve? YES! Then I guess I had better do it. Anyway, as I was reading through it again this week, the word desires stood out to me again but this time the plural nature of it. Desires, as in more than one. As in, we are going to get discouraged, we are going to have hard times, we are going to be tired, and things are not always going to go well. Which is why we need that desire again and again and again. We want to give up, and we recommit. We don't do as well as we'd like or things don't go as well as we hope and we recommit again. The desire isn't always constant because we are all imperfect people. So we rekindle it, gain a new desire and go to serve again. 

One other thing that stood out to me was the end, where is says "ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you." The Lord qualifies who He calls, to do any task, but you have to ask for it. You have to have that desire and then go for it. Ask, and work, and you'll find and have it. (By the way, the characteristics in the verse above that qualify someone for the work are totally the characteristics of Christ). My D&C prof encouraged us to read section 4 every time we got a new calling. It came from Joseph Smith Sr. asking his son to as God what he could do to help. It is about missionary work for sure, but it's more than that about anything God asks of us. 

Anyway, rant over! I hope you all are doing awesome and are keeping up on your studies and goals and all of that! Have an amazing week!

Love, 

April