Sunday was so much fun. We literally RAN from the car to our appointments. We cut Correlation short, so we could run from an appointment at 3:30 to an appointment at 4:15 to the Visitor center by 4:45. Fun fun fun. I sang a solo in church....I'm still in shock. Sister Faivakimoana talked, I talked, then I sang “Abide With Me!” the lowest, shortest song I could find in the hymn book.

That night I really wanted to pass out, but planned instead. My companion said she wasn't sure she would make it another week if it was always like this :-) I'm such a good trainer :-) Actually, I haven't gotten severely lost yet. I'm always lost, but I haven't gotten myself REALLY lost yet. So that's a great personal accomplishment. My poor Kiwi companion is doing the best she can keeping me going the right direction with an atlas she hasn't learned to read yet. The midwestern road system organization makes zero sense. There are five “S 41st St Ter W” and about 20 “E 42nd St” 's. They're all kind of at the same latitude, but on completely opposite ends of the city. I'm glad I invested $30 in maps as soon as I got here. If
you have time, mapquest my greatest driving adventure so far--- “RD Mize rd”. The addesses change everytime it switches direction. Just look at the road and know that I was getting directions to a house from a little Oaxacan lady who doesn't drive herself.

I got a DVD of Benjamin! I got permission from president to watch it on a computer at the Visitor Center today. I'm super excited. Thank's a lot Lisa. Ud es maravillosa! I also found out that Sister Crystal Updike, one of the other sister's in the visitor center, isn't just another Virginian, but was in Lisa and Tom's Gospel Principles class all summer. She's here. I asked her how the class went, she said Tom's really smart. He did a good job of keeping the doctrine in line. Way to go Tom.

Honestly, this week's just kind of been a blur. Super fast paced, since I'm pretty much running the show, but delegating as much as possible. In fact, last night, I was so proud of myself. I called Bob, our investigator, last week to ask him if we could have an appointment at his sisters home. Called his sister. Set a date. Talked to another family so they could come and fellowship him as well. Asked his sister if that was okay. Then we spent 30 minutes making this awesome lesson plan. Got there right on time along with the other family. This was like my best
organized lesson of the year...except we forgot to call Bob. ) -: Minor detail. So much for running the show, everyone was just sitting there waiting for him to show up and his sister looks at me and asks what he said when I called him and my jaw just dropped. At least everyone else thought it was funny. My goal this week was not to forget anything. Like calling our only investigator for an appointment we set up for a week. sigh.

We rescheduled for next week and my companion had fun writing notes on every page of her planner “remind comp to call Bob.” She's one of those people just made for a mission. Loves to study. Loves to teach and testify. So I'm learning a lot from her and she's learning how to use a map from me. President Hacking also asked her to learn Spanish. So we're working on that. We have a lot of Spanish appointments this week. So I'll be translating.

Example,

“Yo se que la iglesia es verdadera con todo mi corazon y que Jose Smith
fue un profeta verdadera por nuestras dias y que El Libro de Mormon es de
Dios y tiene el poder a traer nuestras almas mas cerca al Reino Celestial
por medio del Espiritu Santo y nuestra diligencia duradera.” = The
Church is true. ;-)

The main thing that's awed my kiwi is the sheer NUMBER of churches here. And how many of them have the Book of Mormon as part of their accepted cannon. It's not enough to testify of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. They've got to hear and know there's prophet today and gain a testimony of him here. I'm still trying to explain the difference between Restorationists and RLDS and Community of Christ and Hill Cumorah Branch...but honestly I don't really know myself. The main thing that seems to be lacking is the rest of the Doctrine and Convenants. The leaders went at it in a pick and choose way, and the Community of Christ has about 95 sections in theirs, none of which talk about what actually takes place in a temple. They have concerts and the daily 'prayer for peace' in the big Spiral Temple. I haven't gone in yet. I want to take the tour.

I think my most spiritual moment this week was meeting a recent convert who loves her visiting teacher. They're best friends and they took us out to eat and I sat there watching them thinking, this is what the gospel's all about. I talked about Home teaching Sunday. It's the number one way to do missionary work.

Have a great week. Love you all.

Hermana Deb