Happy Happy Birthday!!! August 23, 2010

I adore Christopher!!!!!! Oh my Gosh it is so crazy! The time is flying. I'll hit my half way point on September 27. Wait, ya oh my gosh! That can't be right! This is way weird and I'm turning 22. ahhhhh!

Mom you always know just what to say to make my week. I love hearing from you! Christopher is so right, writing the family and getting letters from you and the family is really a highlight. It's so funny seeing it from an "Elders" perspective. How fun that you get to see it from both sides at the same time but at different stages. SO fun!

Thank you for the information about Jeremy. I was so worried but I'm so excited that there getting married in the temple!!!!!! That has really made my week, but if you talk to him tell him I want an invitation if he can spare one and a letter telling me how it happened and how he proposed and the whole shubang. I just hate missing out on things like this so, that would help.. lol
This is a letter that I wrote to the president this week and last week's letter hasn't come back yet but oh well.

President Berry~

This week has gone very well. Although our Sunday wasn't as fruitful as we would have hoped, our member work is going very well. We are finding that if we start out soft but spiritually strong we have a lot more members willing to work with us because they see that we are not going to pounce on them.

We have had two dinner appointments this week that really helped us get into their homes. We received one referral from a younger couple in our ward and they were super excited to help. Unfortunately the wife has to work so they couldn't make it but I felt that we gained a trust in going over and following up right away. This may be a slower start but what a blessing it has already been to work with the members.

Our ward mission leader is fantastic! He is doing all he can to help and he really is pushing everyone else to get moving and help in this work of building up the kingdom of God. When we start with helping their testimony to grow and bring them to Christ they can't help but bring everyone they love with them. I know that this is kind of a "Duh" moment but I guess it just clicked this week with me. I know that there is a lot of kinks to work out but I can feel that change already and am excited for the change in our ward and in our mission and definitely in me. I love this work!

My companions could not be any better for me. We have had a little more of a time crunch because there is three of us and because we are girls and talk quite a bit  we are working that through but wondering if maybe we could have a half hour more of companionship study in order for all of us to have a turn to share our ideas and concerns and what we have learned. If not that's ok, we'll figure something out.

Until next week~
Sister Pedersen~

Life is going good here in Jacksonville Florida and I'm loving every min. of it and trying to hold on to the time. Sister Baker has two months left, sister Curly has less than 8 months left and I have 11 months.

I have this picture in my head of our companionship. We are in this canoe going down this river and it is really calm and quiet and then we see the rapids coming up and were going down and having a blast when we see up ahead that there is this huge drop off coming up and I'm in the front rowing like crazy trying to get to it, sister curly is sitting in the middle uneasy holding on to the sides of the canoe trying to keep herself calm and sister Baker is faced the other direction screaming for her life trying to paddle with her arms and seeing that it's making no difference because it's all coming up way too fast. It's like that with your mission. In the beginning you start off by just getting use to the water (the mission) and the feel of your life jacket (skirt and tag) and your making your way through using your paddles to really start moving (scriptures PMG, Doctrine) then come the rapids and your getting the hang of it and having a blast and just plowing through it all (first 6 months) Then you come to a halt where you see that nothing is really ahead and you relax and you have time to take in the scenery and start to really see where you're at and what needs to be fixed or improved (next 6 months) then you see more rapids coming up and you ride them and have a fun cause now you know what you're doing and it's more fun now than ever before but all of the sudden you see a drop off and you realize your going way to fast to stop or turn around and then you find yourself screaming for your life, paddling backwards in hopes you can delay just a bit longer (last 6 months) but before you know it, you're dead. (Metaphorically speaking of course) lol It's so true! Thought you would enjoy that lol.

Well I love you all and thank you ahead of time for the package Shanna said you sent. I love it!!!! ;) I don't know what is in it, but I love it!

Love your Sister Pedersen!