New Companionship

It's been another crazy week. Sometimes throughout the week I'll think, "Oh, I have to remember to tell my family about that!" but then by the time I actually am able to sit down and write you guys, I feel like I have nothing to say!

Last Tuesday (oh man, that was a million years ago!) we all met at the mission office, and were waiting there until around 9:30 when President Bonham was finally done interviewing, praying, and rearranging companionships. It's really cool the way they put the companionships together. Basically the new missionaries sit on one side of the chapel and the trainers sit on the other side. We'll sing hymns until President Bonham has come to a decision about all the companionships, then when President Bonham comes he'll say the names of the companionship and the area they're serving in. Both missionaries meet and hug in the middle, then sit together in the middle pews until everyone has been paired up. It's pretty hilarious watching some of the elders pretty much attack each other. Our zone leaders are going to be having 2 more elders that are waiting for their visas with them, so when President Bonham announced the fourth member to their quadpanionship they all leaped up and said, "Get him!" The new elder was a teeny tiny shy redheaded elder and I think he about fainted when they all surrounded him in a big bear hug. Such a funny moment!

My companion is Sister Anderson, from Las Vegas, Nevada! She is very open and extremely bubbly. I don't think she owns anything that isn't pink, and if I had to describe her I'd say she reminds me of five Eliza's in one! She has a lot of excitement for the work and she genuinely wants to do everything that she can to help others!

I think Satan knows that I'm feeling very inadequate and that Sister Anderson is homesick, because He sure works hard on new companionships. I remember when I first got here with Sister Turley pretty much all of our appointments that week fell through, and all three of the people that were on date for baptism fell off date. Well... we've had another rough start. For whatever reason all of our appointments have been falling through and I have to keep reminding myself that as long as we're continuing to work hard and relying on the Lord, I can't blame myself for other people’s agency.

Despite the frustrating things that have happened, there have been tender mercies! Our dear friends Bennett and Verna came to church on Sunday and loved it!!!!! They've been asking more about baptism recently, and we're really hoping that they'll agree to setting a date for baptism this week. Out of all the people we have taught, Bennett and Verna are my favorite. They are basically the greatest. The more I love teaching them and sharing special experiences with them, the more anxiety I feel. Something that has been so apparent to me since coming on my mission that for whatever reason I didn't really expect is that Satan is real. He works very hard on missionaries, and he works overtime on their investigators. Both Sandra and Shannon have decided to completely discontinue lessons. Even though they both have received that witness that this gospel is true, the stress from living the gospel got to be too much for them. It's very sad, because we love them, but in the end there's only so much you can do, then you just have to hope that sometime in the future they will find the strength they need to commit. Right before transfers Sister Turley and I had a lesson with Bennett and Verna. It went really well, then at the end of the lesson I suddenly had the thought that I needed to ask them if they had been praying specifically about what we have been teaching. I was so glad I did, because Bennett said, "Yes, problem is, I've been getting the opposite answer." Apparently on the nights that Bennett prays to know if this church is true, Satan has been working extremely hard on him, particularly through his dreams. We shared with them the part of the first vision that we don't normally share with investigators about how Joseph Smith experienced the power of the adversary before seeing a pillar of light. Bennett and Verna are SO strong and SO prepared, and Satan absolutely knows that. I feel like we're actually fighting for Bennett and Verna. I can't let him get these two, they're too special. Prayers would be much appreciated.

A few weeks back Sister Turley and I knocked on a door and met a woman named Jennifer who said that she wasn't interested. She seemed really family-oriented though, so we gave her a Family Proclamation. Last week Sister Anderson and I decided that we should check in on her. We did, and I was so happy when she told us that she had read the Proclamation and really liked it! She agreed to have us come back, and our first lesson with her went really well! She said she will definitely read and pray, and she also said that she will definitely be baptized if she finds that these things are true. :)

One of my favorite hymns recently has been "Because I Have Been Given Much" because some days I'll have these little epiphanies where I'll feel absolutely overwhelmed when I think, "How did I ever get to be so blessed?" I know that this is the Lord's work and that each and every one of his children mean so much to him. I've been thinking a lot about the atonement recently whenever it rains, and about how people always say that there are two parts to the atonement- the cleansing power and the enabling power. I know that the atonement is real! His love for each and every one of us is infinite and unconditional. It feels so good to know that I have already chosen the winning team. I hope that you have too! He's rooting for you!

Love, Sister Slade