So I hope you are doing better since your last letter. I was really bummed because I didn't get a personal letter this week. First time since you left. Then I read thru your letter and pretty much cried every time I thought about it. Is Sister Fink gone already or do you have to have a trunky companion for another 5 weeks? I have been asking other people for advice I can give you to help. It has been good and I hope you will get something out of what I will tell you. Mona's advice was to have you write down a rainy day testimony to keep with you. Write down what you believe and how you know it. She said that is what Alex has and uses to help him when he is down. I also talked to Mike and Janae. Mike said to tell your companion, you are still new and you want to get to work. Only thing I can think of is when you get toward the end of your mission, do you want to just coast until the day you get to fly home, or do you want to use every last minute trying to share the gospel with someone who needs it. We are praying even harder for you to have and be a good companion, for you to have the Holy Ghost guide your efforts and for you to listen to the promptings. Remember He didn't say it was going to be easy, but He said it would be worth it. You are still missing all the comforts of home and my wonderful cooking haha. But you are doing great things there for yourself and for others. This was another reference Janae gave me. As a new missionary serving in Preston, England, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley was facing a major trial in his life. He was sick when he arrived in the mission field, and he quickly became discouraged because of the opposition to the missionary work. At a time of deep frustration, Elder Hinckley wrote in a letter to his father that he felt he was wasting his time and his father’s money. A little while later, Elder Hinckley received a reply from his dad. It said, “Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work.” See even the best of missionaries have times of deep frustration. I echo the words of President Hinckley's father. Forget yourself and go to work. You have a fabulous testimony to share and people that need to hear it or see it in your actions. Remember you keep telling me, sometimes we never know if we are helping people or not. We don't always see it. We may just be there to plant seeds. We love you so much and are here for you always. I feel your spirit with me often and hope you feel strength from your awesome family.
From Emily:
I basically made myself sick that I didn't write you a personal letter. It was awful. We had to end our P-Day a couple hours early, and I had a hair appiontment so we had a lot less time than usual and I wanted to write you soooo bad but ran out of time. I always save you for last because if I started with you I would not have time to write anyone else. . . I am so sorry and it will not happen again. Sister Fink is gone and I miss her so much. She was the greatest person for me at the time. She is now one of my closest friends and I feel like I have been ripped away from her as well:( I think I may have made it sound like I didn't like her in my letter. but I really do love her. It is just frustratign when we have to go tracting every day. So I am sure my negative attitude about mission experiences just came off on her. Now I have Sister Hansen who has been out for 9 Months. It is unimaginable how badly I miss you Mommy. I miss sitting on the kitchen floor crying and having you there to listen to and to talke me through it and to give my a big hug. I miss hearing your voice. But my non-ability to hear you is really forcing my to depend on the Lord and to turn to him for comfort and guidance.
I will try really hard to forget myself and go to work. We had 3 investigators, Brother O, Brother P, and Tyler, but Tyler just moved, Brother O moved to Mankato... so now we are not very busy. and We don't have anybody really progressing toward baptism. however Brother N should be getting baptized sometime next month!
I will send my next letters to idaho! I don't usually get mail on a specific day, it comes whenever. I am glad that Dad and Morgan just write me back! FINDING NEMO!
I LOVE you soo much mom, please be safe and careful.
With love, Em XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
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