September 5

"I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately!" An instrument in God's hands to help in his work and his glory, to bring to pass the immortality of eternal life of man.

Hey! 
I've gotten bored with writing e-mails lately and this week is not an exception. I've just plum become lazy. Oh well haha you all don't care anyways. Well I have taken up something new this past week. I have decided to write down at least one tender mercy each day. It has been really something quite exquisite. You should trying doing it. It is really fun and neat to see Heavenly Father's hand in our lives and being able to note them each time is great. So that is my challenge to everyone this  week as well as making a mormon.org profile and sharing it with others.

On Saturday, sweet Edith Bennett who is 101 years old, we are teaching her, she came to a baptism. It was so awesome! Nancy her caregiver, Randy Pulsipher her physical therapist, and Sybl Stewart who is a member and a friend of hers who lives in the same care home, all came with Edith to the baptism. It was something else. Iddy (Edith) loved it and was so happy she was able to come. She is worried about her baptism date on September 24th but we continue to reassure her that she doesn't have to know everything and that she will be prepared for that day. She told a brother at the baptism, "These are my missionary girls and they come over to teach me so I can get baptized. Isn't it wonderful." She is the sweetest blessing I have had on my mission. What an amazing privilege it is to be able to know that Heavenly Father trusts Sister Naulu and I as well as the Parkcrest Ward to fellowship Iddy and prepare her for baptism. One of his choice daughters that has waited so long to be able to become "Mormon" as Iddy would say. She told us, "I want to be Mormon and I want to be baptized." It truly is such a great blessing and a wonderful privilege.

Patrick also came to the baptism. Patrick is also an amazing child of God. With no influence and encouragement from his immediate family at home, he has been made the journey to becoming a member with support from his extended family and his good friends and neighbors. Goes to show how we can all be examples to other around us. Patrick is going to be baptized on this coming Saturday. It will be a great baptism and he is going to be such a great example to his family. One day his family will come around and be as great as Patrick himself is. It still amazes me at his young age, the testimony and dedication to the gospel that he already has. Sister Naulu and I always say every time we leave a lesson, they just feel like our little brothers. It is true. Patrick Benjamin and his friends David P Knight and Max Clark, they are just our little brothers and it is fun and excited to hear their testimonies and be able to share ours with them as well!

Dre Pilger, he is finally going to be baptized. His mom is a member but has been less active as well as his older brother Dion. Dre is a great 8 year old. He will be 9 on September 12 and will be baptized on September 17 so he will be a convert baptism. He is such a funny boy but he has a great love for the gospel. It is sad when they are at church and he cries when his mom comes to get him early from Primary. He really wants to stay and learn more. He will be a great member of the church as well as a great example to his family.

Sister Sherwood has had a very tough week after her baptism. It seems that Satan is trying everything to get her to fall and not remember the covenants she so recently made with Heavenly Father and keep her from making more covenants. They have had a lot of struggles this past couple of weeks but she has stayed strong and Brother Sherwood is right there with her reassuring her that everything will be fine as long as they do what Heavenly Father asks of them. Sister Sherwood was in a really bad accident this past weekend and had to have a couple of surgeries. The biggest thing she was worried about was making sure that we knew how much she loved us and that she was going to be okay. Brother Sherwood called to let us know. What a great couple they are. When they get over these stumbling blocks that keep seeming to pop up out of know where, they will be great strong members and leaders of the church.

A mission is the greatest place to be. To see the change in people. Michelle Reno has changed so drastically since the first time I met her. She really wants to do everything she can to make her home a more Christ like place to be and where the spirit would want to dwell. She still has some things to work out before she can be baptized but she isn't getting discouraged. She is trying to work with her family members to help her teach her 5 year old daughter Jasmine the important things the gospel has to offer and teach her the way Christ would want us to live our lives. Floyd and Michelle came to the Visitor's Center last Tuesday with Sister Pishl and us and it was really great. They want to go again so we have it planned to go this coming Wednesday because they weren't able to see everything. It is so amazing to see how Floyd (who is Michelle's boyfriend) wants to change as well. He has seen the good change that the gospel has made in Michelle and he too wants to change. It is going to be a marvelous journey for this little family. And I get to be a part of it. What a great privilege and blessing it is.

So I was reading in the August 2011 Ensign and the talk on pg 8, I'm going to jot down a few things that stuck out to me. The Author is talking about his mission and how hard it was for him at first and he wanted to be called by his first name. During his personal study one morning he recorded these feeling and thoughts. "As I looked at my name tag, I noticed that although my first name was absent from the tag, I saw my family ;name, the name of the church, and the name of the Savior printed on it. Suddenly I recognized something that changed both my outlook and my attitude. I realized that as a missionary I wasn't there to represent myself. Instead I was serving to represent my family back home and, most importatn, I was representing my Savior and His Church." I love this little realization because it is exactly what I thought a few weeks into my mission. It was a struggle but now I wake up every morning and look at my name tag and remember who I am representing and serving and I put my whole heart and all my effort into the work that I have been called to do at this time in my life. It is the greatest honor and privilege to bear Christ's name on my chest and so close to my own family name and my heart. I love serving as a missionary. There is no greater work I could be doing at this time in my life.

Love JaNae