"As we do our best, He will not let us fail!" Elder Neil L. Anderson

This has been a great week!  We find that we are doing a lot of listening!  We have had people ask to counsel with us, and generally all they want is for someone to listen to them.  A church member who has become a wonderful friend wanted some counsel about his calling.  A beautiful young mother from the Dominican Republic is living with an abusive husband and wanted some counsel.  (I think she also just needed to vent.)  A young man who has been an investigator for over a year has had a very hard life and although we just met him, he needed some listening ears.  All we did was listen and he thanked us for being there for him.  Brad has given several blessings!  One sweet little English lady in our ward has had some trouble with her knees and she feels she is too old for knee replacement surgery.  She was in a lot of pain when we visited with her and so we suggested a blessing with the counsel that she needs to see a doctor.  She agreed.  Brad gave her a very sweet blessing and this week when we stopped by to see her, she said she has had no pain at all in her knee.      
     Becca asked us what we do every day, kind of like a schedule.  I really couldn't say, because each day is full of surprises and new adventures.  But generally it goes like this.  We are up at 6:30 unless we are up until midnight the night before with young adults, then we may get up at 7.  We have our study time, personal and companion, go on a walk for our exercise, eat breakfast and get ready for the day.  Mondays are generally prep days when we clean, and do laundry and grocery shop.  We hold certain meetings each week, missionary correlation meeting, ward council, district meeting, FHE, Institute dinner and class.  Then the rest of the time we fill with visits to members, inactive and active, teaching with the missionaries, counseling with friends who need to talk.  This week we were able to weed and spade up a sweet sister's front garden!  Oh, how I love the feel of soil between my fingers! (especially the smell of beautiful English soil!)  I think the part I like is to look for people who no one has seen for ever but who are on the church records.  We have met some wonderful Saints.  I'm not sure we are doing any good there, but we  do have some pleasant chats, and feel love for these friends.
     This week we had a fabulous experience! the highlight of the week for us!  On one of our morning walks, we visited a nearby cemetery and found a poster for an upcoming service project.  We thought that would be perfect for the missionaries and the YSA's, so Monday we checked it out again to see if we could talk to the priest of the church to let him know we would love to come help.  We met a wonderful man from Boston who knew about the service project and told us they would love to have our help.  We gave him a pass along card and invited him to hear more about the church.  He told us that he loved the Mormons because they were always so willing to help.  "That, he said, "is the most effective way to do missionary work!"    Well, so Saturday morning, we took a group of young people and we spent time cleaning around the gravestones with shears, rakes, and clippers.  It was delightful because when they took a break for drinks and biscuits, the parishioners mingled with the young people and the missionaries.  Some had never heard of Mormons and I know they were very impressed with these fine young people.  In fact, the sister missionaries have an appointment with one of the church members to give him a Book of Mormon this week!  One of the young adults told me that she had never done that kind of work before.  I asked her how she felt about it, and she commented that it was wonderful for her back and for her soul.
     We attended Stake Conference this weekend and came away inspired and spiritually fed.  We have a very young stake presidency who are amazing.  Elder David Homer from the 6th Quorum of Seventy was the visiting authority.  Two thoughts that touched my heart were, "As we do our best, He will not let us fail"  by Elder Neil L. Anderson.  Small and simple things make all the difference in our everyday lives.  Then a quote by President Ezra Taft Benson was quoted which is one of my favorites; "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, we are endowed with power from on high".
     Thank you for the emails!!  We love them and we especially love the pictures.  A message about our shower!!  It has the water pressure of spitting in the air and coming back down upon us!!!!  So you have to turn the hot water on all the way and the cold water about a 1/8th of a turn, let it run a while and then get in.  If the temperature isn't just right you have to adjust the cold knob with your big toe!  But I love the hot water, even though it is just a trickle, it is hot!!!!!!
     My ponderizing scripture for the week has been, "And thou must open thy mouth in all places declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing"  D&C 28:16  I am finding that as I open my mouth, in all places, my desire and ability to do increases!!  I love this work!  I love the Gospel.  I know it is true!

Dinner at the Golden Ball with Carl Hutber (the ward mission leader) and his wife Gosha (not a member of the church.)  We love them both.  This was their first date without their 2 children in 8 years.  They thought it was the greatest idea!!!!

a fun service project!  Sister Shamukega and Sister Nebekker are stellar missionaries

our service group with the Ascension church!