Week 24

Hola Familia!

Glad to hear everyone is having fun and that it has been a good week.  I've had a good week too.  So last Monday was April's Fool's day and there weren't too many pranks pulled.  The only one I pulled was on our ward mission leader.  We were at one of our progressing investigators houses and at the start of the lesson he asked us why we were sad looking.  I told him that we received a phone call from President Miller saying I was needed to take part in an emergency transfer and would be leaving on Wednesday for Albuquerque.  He was shocked, but then I couldn't keep a straight face and started laughing.  After he realized it was April's fools day he said that now suddenly his day made much more sense!  The other great April fool's joke goes to President Miller.  When we got back to the apartment he sent a text saying "Church Newsflash: LDS church to buy Utah State and rename it BYU-Logan"  It would have been funnier if me or my companion were Aggie fans, but since we have both graduated from BYU we paused and then had a sneaky feeling that president was pulling our legs.  Sure enough about 5 minutes later he sent another text saying that he hoped all those Utah State fans had a happy April Fool's Day.  So one point to President Miller for being awesome.

So in other news Hermana Biancardi and I are working hard.  We are teaching more lessons then ever and we are teaching some great new people.  Both of us are working on hard on learning spanish, but I think we both feel that we are being blessed by the Lord to learn this language quickly.  One fun part about being a missionary is when you are in some random neighborhood and are walking back from trying to contact a referral or a former investigator and someone calls "Sisters!"  It's always fun to meet members in different wards in random places because they always stop and say hi.  Everyone can recognize the missionaries, so if you see us on the streets or in the store don't hesitate to say hi because it's fun for us!

So we started a new goal in our Zone.  We are doing what's referred to as OYM's or Open Your Mouth.  We basically try and talk to as many people as possible whenever someone crosses our paths.  And of course leave it up to the Elders to make it a competition.  So we officially started keeping track on Friday, and they said the companionship with the most OYMs at the end of the week would get their favorite candy bar.  Well at the end of the week Hermana Biancardi and I had one more then the Elders, so we are receiving our favorite candy bars some time this week.  The best part is thinking which person was that one.  My person favorite was the man who was on his motorcycle waiting to turn left while we were turning right.  There were lots of cars coming, so I rolled down the window and started talking to him and I gave him a pass along card.  Then there was a break in traffic and we went our separate ways.  I know this is inspired missionary tool right now because yesterday when we had an appointment cancel we saw this lady BBQ'ing so we went up and started to talk to her.  She started by saying how she really respected us and how it was wonderful what we were doing, but she was catholic and then she kept talking and the conversation turned to her saying how she has read parts of the Book of Mormon before and really liked it.  Then she started telling us how she doesn't drink alcohol or coffee or smoke and how she knows we don't do those things either.  She told us how she doesn't really know anyone around here, so if we had just knocked on her door she wouldn't have answered.  Then she was talking about what does she need to do to convert and before we could even offer she was asking for a pamphlet and the directions to the church!  It felt like we weren't doing anything and she just talked herself from saying how she was fine but not interested to wanting us to come back and start teaching her.  So we are really excited to go back and start teaching her.

I loved general conference.  We watched it in Spanish at the chapel, so we didn't understand everything, but the spirit is the same.  What a joy it is to have a testimony that our Heavenly Father loves all his children and how just like in the olden days he has called men to be apostles and a prophet to lead and guide us in these modern days.  I am so grateful to be a member of the Church and to have the great blessing of being a missionary and getting to talk to everybody all the time about the restored gospel.  I hope everyone back in Washington enjoyed their spring break!

Con Amor,
Hermana Klaus