In Washington!

Goodness, so much has happened that I have no idea where to start.

Well I'm in Washington! The plane ride entering Washington was absolutely gorgeous- we flew right past Mt. Rainier, and it's huge and covered in snow. I'll try to attach a picture! The weather here in Washington has been absolutely beautiful, and it hasn't rained once. A few people who live here have been telling me that I'm supposed to write home and way over exaggerate the rain. They say that that's what everyone else does so that they can discourage people from coming so that everyone won't find out that this is the best state and want to move here. :)

It is so green, and there are huge trees everywhere! We found out something interesting when we got to the Mission Office- apparently in July our mission will be splitting so that 4 of the 9 stakes will become part of the Seattle mission. Whichever area President Wilson put us in for our first area would be the mission we would be in, so I wasn't sure if I would be in the Everett or Seattle mission! I kept feeling like I was supposed to be in the Everett mission, but I prayed that President Wilson would be inspired to know which mission had the people I am meant to find and teach.

President Wilson decided to keep me in the Everett Mission! My first area is Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island!! I'm spoiled! My companion and I live a block away from the beach, where we go for a run every morning. We had to cross this huge bridge called Deception Pass to get to the island!

My companion is Sister Turley from Mesa, Arizona. She has been out a grand total of...6 weeks! :) She is a little bit quiet at first, but not in a shy kind of way. She is one of those people that you just respect immediately because you can see the depth to her spirit, especially when she smiles and you look in her eyes. She has been through some hard things. Her mom died suddenly about 4 years ago, just 9 days after she found out that she had cancer. Sister Turley has a testimony of the Savior, and you can feel it when she teaches.

I haven't even been here for a week yet, but already the best thing about being here is the the people. There really is something special about being on a mission that allows you to be given this gift to feel so much love for people. Absolutely everyone I meet I feel so much love for! It's been weird to me that even when I have run into people who are rude or want nothing to do with us, it really hasn't offended me. You feel sorry that they aren't ready to hear your message, but then you put a smile on and move on.

Probably my favorite is when you knock on a door and someone comes to look through the glass. We wave at them, then they look at our nametags and we smile at them, then their eyes get really big, and they just walk away and even though we've seen them they don't bother opening the door! What can I say, I'm a pretty intimidating person. I guess I can't blame them either...after all, if they're not careful I might tell them that God loves them and that I love them... :)

There's no way I'll have time to write about everyone that I have met, but I'll try to tell you about a few of them.

Sandra and Alex Smith- Sandra and her 15 year old son Alex are on date for baptism on May 22nd! Sandra is the very definition of golden. She is so solid!!! Sister Turley and her last companion Sister Cromar found Sandra. When they went up to meet her she said, "I'm so glad to see you two! I've been thinking, and I've decided that it's time." Everything we teach Sandra and Alex they just soak up- when we go to teach she tells us that she not only read what we asked her to, but she actually has been reading for hours and hours every day because she can't get enough of it. Sandra and Alex came to church yesterday, and Sandra wept all throughout the sacrament and during Gospel Doctrine class when Sister Turley and I taught about baptism. Sandra's brother has been a member for about 40 years, and he will be flying here to perform the baptism. How cool is that!?

Bennett Harris- I've been thinking and praying nonstop about Bennett ever since we met him. He is another investigator that I can feel has been prepared! We met him tracting on my first day here. He is an African American man who I would guess is in his mid-50's. We had a great conversation there on the doorstep, where he asked some incredible questions about the origins of good and evil, and why God doesn't talk directly to his children. (Golden, right!?) We gave him a Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment. Our first lesson with him was without a doubt guided by the spirit. His questions are outstanding, and while I was teaching I thought of new ways to express truths of the gospel that I had never thought of before. Bennett says he's been studying the Bible for years, and he's been thinking about these questions for as long as he can remember, but He can't quite understand them. It was cool to hear Bennett explain his questions, and answer his own questions using gospel principles without even realizing it! Bennett is intrigued with the restoration, as well as the concept of pre-Earth life, and wants us to come back. Problem is, the next time He is available for us to meet is not for another 3 weeks. That's plenty of time for the Lord to perform miracles in his life, but it's also time for Satan to work really hard on him. Keep him in your prayers!!

Michelle Lachman- A few days ago Sister Turley and I hadn't found anyone to teach all day, so we stopped and said a prayer. I told Heavenly Father that I knew that there was one person that He needed us to find that night, and please would He help us to find just one person. We went to a trailer part to knock on the door of a former investigator, but she wasn't home. Her neighbor had kids toys scattered throughout their yard, so I suggested that we try there. Michelle answered, and she was super friendly, but said that she wasn't interested at that time in hearing more about eternal families. I felt like I should keep talking to her, so I asked her more questions, and we found out that she is moving next month. My mouth just about fell open when she told us that she is moving to Colorado... Pueblo, Colorado. She is a single mom taking care of two young kids, working as an LPN and she is going back to school to get her RN. I was so excited, I told her about this great hospital I knew of that was usually hiring, and how I knew one of the women who could help with employment there because of the STEP program I did there... turns out, Michelle had just barely finished applying for a position at Parkview Medical Center! I told her that I had family in Pueblo and in a town very close by that I would love to help her contact the woman at the hospital, as well as help her move in next month when she comes to Pueblo.

Anyway, I'm just about out of time. My letters definitely won't be this long most of the time, but this time I just had so many exciting things to say! It gets a little bit lonely during the middle of the week, so I would love to get letters from all of you... :)

Love you all!

love, Sister Slade