Week 75

Hello!

So this week has been so crazy busy! haha It's been wonderful! :) But nothing too crazy and of note to really write about, at least nothing about Ramsters or prayer beads :) But it was a way good week! it went by so fast! So last week I got my...TRUNKY PAPERS dun dun dun haha that's what they're called. But it didn't make me trunky :) It basically just tells me what to write in my final report and to send stuff home! So I'm doing that :) It was pretty funny though :) I am very grateful that God is protecting me from becoming trunky! haha Stevens has killed 4 other sisters and out of all of them she says I'm the least trunky! so I'm grateful for that :) I just don't have any desire to be any different now than I have been the rest of my mission :) I LOVE it here in Yelm! and I love the people! God of course is making it really hard for me to leave...Sister Stevens and I are still best friends :) we still talk and laugh all the time and way too much and we still work super hard. I am really super grateful for Sister Stevens. On Thursday night after praying I just started to cry, I don't know why still! hahaha but Sister Stevens said a prayer with me and made me feel a TON better. And that's just how it is, every day. We are there for each other and it's really great. I love having companions like this!!! :) haha Especially ones who like to be obedient! :) We have seen many miracles this week and it's been amazing! :) We had 9 people at church on Sunday! How awesome is that?! :) We were so sincerely excited! I want to tell you about some of them...First of all Mary bird. She’s on date for the 23rd! She is the sweetest old lady! She has one son and I think he lives in Idaho and he just got baptized into the church as well as her granddaughter! So that REALLY softened her heart, she lives on what we call "the bird compound" because she took in all these foster children and they all take care of each other. The foster children are like 60 now so Mary takes care of the Grandchildren and great Grandchildren. She has SUCH a big heart, and the greatest thing was the smile on her face when she came to church!!! :) She is ADORABLE! ha-ha she just walks in with her yellow outfit and oxygen tank and HUGE smile and she was singing all the hymns! It was precious! another person who came to church was a UBC named Miriya, her dad has been less active for years, and they came to church yesterday and he bore his testimony and it was amazing!!! Then he told us that he wants his daughter to be baptized! This morning though, we got a call and he told us that his wife would not be supportive :( Ren is a member also, but she feels that she's learned everything that she needs to learn about the church. So we are praying hard for her. Ethan was also there! our 11 year old UBC that loves marshmallows! :) haha he is SO close! He just has to decide that he wants to be baptized, and then he will :) haha so we'll see! It's been really cool because our whole ward council came up with a goal of having 6 baptisms this month. And everyone fasted for it and is praying for it and searching for people who are prepared! Seriously! I am in missionary heaven! :) haha I love it here! and I love my companion! What could be better?! Another person we are working with is a lady named Kay, she is friends with a bunch of members and was a referral from them, she is so ready and she knows it's true but she's not so keen on taking a leap of faith, her husband passed away about a year ago and her daughter moved away to college, she is so lonely and I know the gospel with help her! but, she's not quite there yet, so we are praying REALLY hard for these people, something that I learned more about this week was the power of prayer, last night during mighty prayer, I prayed that an investigator would answer our messages and as SOON as I said "Amen" we got a text from him! :) I know that God listens to and answers our prayers. He is always there to comfort us and help us. :) I am so grateful that the most powerful all-knowing being allows me to converse with Him as my Father. :) This next week is going to be the BEST! :) We are going to the Temple with Papa Rich on Saturday! I AM PUMPED!!! :) haha I can't even tell you! :) I love the temple and I love papa Rich! I have been thinking about my time in Steilacoom as I have started thinking about my final report, and it was such a sacred time for me. I am grateful for the lessons I learned there and all the people, there and in all my areas! This morning I was reading in Alma 26 again, I just love that chapter, and that just happened to be where I'm at in the book of Mormon right now. It's all about how much Ammon loves missionary work! haha And I love missionary work! :) I am seriously SO grateful for my mission and I’m grateful that I still have time left to serve the people here in Washington. I am focused and I am cherishing every moment! I just can't even tell you the smallest part of what I feel. But I love it! :) haha Yelm is such a great place still :) constant excitement! :) I am seriously grateful to my Heavenly Father that He sent me here with Sister Stevens for my last transfer! It is such a wonderful experience and I love it so much! :) I can't even express the joy that I feel as I ponder on my mission and as I work hard to serve the Lord and His children. I have come closer to my Savior Jesus Christ and have felt more of His love and Grace. It's amazing how much I have learned in these last 2 weeks of this transfer. I have definitely had lots of opportunity to ponder on the affect my mission is having on my life. It is CHANGING me and most of all it is giving me substance. :) my theme scripture right now that I've probably mentioned is D&C 123:17 "let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power and then may we stand still with the utmost assurance to see the salvation of God and for His arm to be revealed" I am trying my very best to cheerfully do ALL things that I can do to keep my eye single to the glory of God and help Him with His work. I am grateful for your continual support and love. Especially your support in these last weeks of my mission to help me be the best missionary I can be! :) All of you are in my prayers and I hope you know that I truly love each of you so much! :) Keep reading the Book of Mormon! and also especially, pray! It's such a wonderful tool that God has given us! :) I Love you!

Love always

Sister Wilkins :)