Week 26--John 16:24--Never Give Up

Hey Loved Ones,

I've been transferred to Carmel! The ward members are so wonderful and the area is so amazing! My Ward Mission Leader was my Uncle Brandon's last companion on his mission! I'm so excited for all the work there is to do here. And I LOVE my companion! Sister Sorensen. Everything that is important to being a missionary, she has. We've had more fun this week than I think I've had since the MTC!

Before I was transferred I thought the only way I would be happy leaving Franklin would be if I was called to speak Spanish. I asked the Assistants and President Carlson and he ignored me lol. However, we had an interesting experience this morning walking to the library to email. So here's Things I Never Thought Would Happen As A Missionary #17: A man who was mowing the lawn stopped his mower. At first we thought he was stopping so the noise wouldn't bother us as we went by, but he said hello and looked at our name badge. "Do you speak Spanish?" he asked me. Random first question. I told him yes and we got talking in Spanish getting to know him. Then he said, "Do you want to learn Spanish? Well I want to learn English. I will teach you Spanish if you teach me English." "We'll teach you English, but we'll also teach you about our beliefs!" I told him. He was happy to hear that, and we gave him our info and got his, and so now we have an opportunity to teach someone in Spanish. (: Crazy, right?!

I am beyond grateful to be here. When I started my mission, I didn't have goals for baptizing X amount of people, or this or that. I made one goal: To take a recent convert every month to the mission temple day. Well it seemed like as soon as I made that goal all Satan's hellfire rained down. One month the person that were were going with had their car tire explode, another time the person going with us got put in the ER the day before, and on it went. Finally last month we were working with Sister Bennett, who has been a member almost three years and never been to the temple, preparing to go, but the temple was CLOSED! I was so sad I had this righteous desire and I worked so hard every month, and every time at the last minute something wouldn't work out. But now, we're 15 minutes away, and the church is next door to the temple. We have two families of recent converts that we are working with to help them be sealed in the temple, and lots of other opportunities to take people to do baptisms! Never give up on your goals!

Speaking of goals, Zone Meeting was interesting. Carmel is the richest city in the mission, and makes top 20 lists for richest cities in the US. Lots of missionaries say it is the hardest area to work in. Ironically enough, we share a zone with the three highest baptizing wards in the mission. We were asked to set goals for baptisms this transfer. We wanted to pull our weight with the team. As a companionship we made a goal to have two baptisms this transfer. A high goal. I've never achieved that goal before, but maybe because I'd never set it. We have Tiffany on date already, but we were unsure any of our current investigators would accept a date. However, at church on Sunday a couple walked up to us and said they had recently adopted a nine year old girl, Madisyn, who wants to be baptized, and she needs to take the discussions. "She will just fly through those lessons! She already knows everything, and is excited to be baptized." It spoke to me of how goals are so representative of faith. John 16:24 states,  "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

And I love ya, but Jesus loves ya BEST!

Sister Pugmire