Monday September 24th, 2012

Dear Family,
So i guess to start off this week was transfers, we kept ourselves busy working. We made sure to set up appointments with families we are working with at the beginning of the week so that sister Grover and Sister Pedersen could have one last time teaching them...and to say goodbye. Tuesday we received a call from sister Clark, our mission presidents' wife asking if one of us wouldn't mind coming over to the mission home and spending the day with the new sister that was coming in. Sister Pedersen readily agreed which was fine with both sister Grover and I.

Sister Luker is my new companion. We arrived home Wednesday spent a few short hours unpacking and getting situated before going out and working. Sister Luker has such a wonderful outlook when we go out to work that is highly contagious. We spend a lot of time out sowering... or "planting seeds" is what we call it. Its kind of difficult finding people at home, and those we do find are usually too busy. When we hear this excuse i just want to tell them "you're too busy for Jesus?" I don't think that would go over well.

We had an awesome experience teaching Saturday morning. Lauren Milburn is a young single adult who loves the Mormons. BACKGROUND: She grew up coming to Mormon activities and is really good friends with a prominent LDS family in our ward. She has her own quad and loves reading the conference talks. The one problem is she is Catholic. And she feels like she needs to be Catholic at this time. We've asked if she would like to be taught the lessons, she wasn't too interested in that but would like to come out with us to tract and watch us teach..... She called us Saturday because she is working as an aid for a LDS Mormon in another ward who suffers from epilepsy and seizes and wants to know more about what we as members believe so she can help build up the faith of her friend. She asked us to teach her the Plan of Salvation which went very well. The Spirit was there and sister Luker and i were blessed with being able to teach in unity. We are praying that this might be the way to help Lauren gain her own testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel.

Later this weak sister Luker and I were blest in being able to find a new investigator. Her name is Sarah, she lives in our same apartment complex and already believes the Book or Mormon....She belongs to a branch off the the original church. They call themselves restorationalists? Yesterday we spent some time comparing scripture, specifically the doctrine and covenants. They have a lot of new doctrine, and doctrine that has been changed. It make same sad and angry when man takes it upon themselves to interpret the will of God.

 I'm currently reading in Helaman 6 and 7, this is the transitional period when the Lamanites are become more righteous than the Nephites. As i was reading is was ponder upon what causes people to turn from the Lord and to fall away from the church. In chapter 6 of Helaman the Gadianton robbers are on the rise and the Lamanites knowing how destructive this group of people are ran then out. In 6:20, "and they did use every means  on their power to destroy them off the face of the earth." But what did the Nephites do? They accepted  them. They gave into pride and forgot God. And this happens in such a short space of time. When they stopped remembering, when they stopped feasting upon the scriptures they became weak and susceptible to Satan's power.

I want to share was a miracle that happened yesterday after church. I was in the library making copies when i saw two individuals who looked a little out of place. Come to find out they are members of a local Scientology church, but had heard something about a "latter day library" and had come looking. We introduced ourselves as missionaries and invited them to meet with us. We gave them a copy of the Book of Mormon and a restoration pamphlet. Peter, the young, man seemed really interested in meeting with us at first.. Towards the end of our visit you could see his countenance change. It was almost like you could see the adversary working upon him. He kept the book of Mormon but said he wanted sometime to think about meeting with us. We have his number and address and if we don't hear from him by the end of this week are planning on calling on him. So although this story doesn't have the greatest ending, a seed was planted.

Please, NEVER push a missionary to eat more food. Always offer, but don't slop it on their plate. Yesterday we had dinner with an awesome family, the food was delicious but she wouldn't take no for answer and kept piling it on. And then when we thought we couldn't eat anymore they pulled out dessert. Sister luker, sister burton, sister cox and i were all good sports and just and just laughed about the entire experience. But oh my goodness it was rough. :)

To end the night we went over to Brother Menlo Smith's home to watch a fireside being given by a member in our ward. (Bro. Smith invented the willie wonca pixie stick FYI)  Brother Thomas gave the presentation. He spent the last two weeks over in Rwanda on a humanitarian service mission. He shared slides about his time over there and the Church's influence in that country.  It hasn't been until the the last 6 months that the church has been able to send missionaries into its borders. What a blessing it is to live in a land where we have the right to worship when and what we please.

I love reading my Book of Mormon. It is true! Every time I read I am blessed with some new insight. God really new what he was doing when he asked his holy prophets to write the record of their people. The gospel is true. There is no room for doubt!
love sister salmon