August 31, 2015

August 31, 2015

I AM FINISHED WITH MY FIRST TRANSFER WHAT?! WHAAT?!

I'm in shock, I cannot believe how quickly time has gone! I'll be home before I know it :( but the work must go on! Even though Elder Antunez and Elder Willyerd are being transferred! It's really tough to see them go since the High Sierra district is so close. But I know the Lord needs them somewhere else! And the new Elder coming into the Bishop ward with us is British, so our District Leader will continue to have a thick accent when speaking English!

The High Sierra District
August 2015

We had a few miracles this week as well! Sister Liebelt told me all about Claudao, an investigator who loved this gospel and wanted to be baptized, but he moved to Mexico for 8 months. Well, turns out he came back early and He called US wanting to continue to take the discussions! We're not sure why he came back early but we're so grateful he did!

Also, we were teaching a part-member family about the importance of coming to church and one of them had a question about why it's important. He said how the Scriptures said that it isn't required, and the Spirit told me to go to 3 Nephi 18, and sure enough, it says right there that it is a commandment and it lists all the blessings we receive from going and partaking of the sacrament with one another every week! The spirit is so strong out here, I feel the Lord giving me strength each and every day!

I've been in primary the third hour of church the last three weeks and I absolutely love the children of this ward! So excited to learn and sing about Christ and our Heavenly Father, their simple and sweet testimonies about how loved they are has been giving Sister Liebelt and I a lot of strength to continue to go out and serve! It breaks my heart to think that there are people who don't know what that love and happiness feels like, and it only makes us more determined to share this gospel with EVERYONE we meet!

The area feels like a wonderland a bit. There are peacocks crossing the street and the horses, dogs and cats have been particularly wild lately. Not to mention the smoke from all the fires! It started raining ash here at one point this week, it’s been pretty bad, but it only lasts for a few hours, then the wind changes direction again and it goes somewhere else. We saw it coming once, a giant brown cloud over the mountain and in 20 minutes we were surrounded by brown fog!  But the Lord still gives us tender mercies and we can look at the beautiful mountains every morning when we wake up before death rolls in!

Clouds of ash and smoke from forest fires
August 2015

Clouds of ash and smoke from forest fires
August 2015

What do we cook? Tons and tons and TONS of quesadillas. Hawaiian haystacks, tomato soup, spaghetti, veggies, chicken, stuff like that. We're not sick of anything yet! And we didn’t have a single dinner last week so we're pros now! For breakfast, cereal and peanut butter apple, sometimes toast to replace something.

Our Ward Mission Leader just returned from his mission in Colorado where he served with Tate Jenkins, and in Tate’s missionary group was Zach Waldorf, who is Elizabeth Waldorf’s cousin.  It’s madness!

The largest closest city to Bishop is Reno, Nevada, people go there a lot, they have a Walmart. There are really small towns outside of Bishop that are like 10 miles apart, with nothing but desert between them, no suburbs like in Maryland.

I'm so sorry this is rushed again! But my testimony in the power of prayer and the wonderful gift of the atonement continues to grow! We have the atonement to CHANGE so we can be more like out father in heaven! How grateful I am for the Savior and all His love for us! I love you all so much and I hope this week is amazing!

Sister King