Staying in Silverlake

Hello family!

You shouldn't have sent me those beautiful adoption pictures because now I'm in tears in the middle of the library! I am so happy for so many blessings in my life! Be sure to have a big group hug after the adoption, and imagine me there with you! I'm sending lots of love your way!!!

We just found out about transfers, and Sister Bartsch and I are both staying another transfer together in Silverlake! It definitely feels right. We are so excited! President Bonham and Assistant Largent said something to us at a baptism last weekend that made us think they might be considering taking us both out, so we've been wondering all week what would happen. The college got out this last week, so we won't be able to contact there anymore, and we were thinking they might just leave the zone leaders in Silverlake and have only one set of missionaries in the ward since YSA wards can't always support 2 sets during the summer. We're determined to work hard and show the Lord that Silverlake can support two sets, and we are so excited to see many more miracles this coming transfer!

We have been teaching an investigator named Hayley the last few weeks, and she is so excited to be baptized next month! When we watched the restoration video with her and asked her what she thought of it she told us that Joseph Smith reminded her of herself. She came to a baptism on Saturday, and told us that she had told her boss earlier this week that she can't work Sundays anymore because she's "working on becoming a Mormon." These people amaze me! There really are so many people out there who are ready and willing to change everything in their lives in order to be closer to the Savior. Any why wouldn't they? Living according to the teachings of Christ just makes sense.

Miracle story! A few days ago I felt like we should tract a complex of an investigator that we passed off to the Silverlake sisters back when I was in Halls Lake (We had met the investigator at the college and didn't realize at the time that he lived out of area.) So during our nightly planning we planned to tract this complex, and Sister Bartsch woke up the next morning and said, "I don't know why, but we need to tract buildings E and F." Well, we did, and had absolutely no success, until the very last door we knocked on a guy in the Navy named Logan answered. We testified of Christ's love for him, and almost in tears, he told us that he is currently going through a divorce. He used to have a faith in Christ, but it's been years since he lost it. He told us "I think it's a sign that you're here right now." We testified to him that we were there not by coincidence, but because God was aware of him and wanted us there at that time. He came to church on Sunday and loved it. We got cleared with the zone leaders to teach him even though he's not single since this is a special circumstance, and we're starting the lessons on tuesday :)

Osh is engaged! She was seriously dating a guy at college back in Alabama, and 3 days after Osh's baptism he asked her family if he could marry her. So now he's taking the missionary discussions, and coming up next month to marry her. (Melissa from Halls Lake went and got married on April Fools day 3 days after her baptism.) I guess even in the singles ward I can't baptize singles. Maybe God just really does want families? :)

Love, Sister Slade