READY, SET, GO!

More like ready....? GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!

Well here I am in sunny California. I find myself still getting cold, but not nearly as much as the MTC ;) Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays were all crazy! It was like the first day of school or a new job orientation, except it's 24/7.

We got off the plane and the president met us.  We drove to Ventura and had some meetings, ate dinner, etc., and went home with members for the night. One sister and I made a big (not really) fuss that we couldn't go to a home with cats because we are allergic. So they put us together and it turns our when we got there...feline. Ha. Oh well...  I figured it was the first of many situations where politeness would have to trump my tendency to do things the way I want. 

So Tuesday at transfer meeting  I found out if I would be going to the Bakersfield mission or stay in Ventura. (I'm staying in the Ventura mission.)

I am in Moorpark. Its about 25 miles from Ventura,  I think, near Simi Valley and next to Thousand Oaks. I like it. Driving into the little place there were fields of strawberries and laborers out picking them.  I felt like I was in a movie.  Don't get me wrong, it's not farm land- just the outskirts are.

Well, my companion's name is Sister Hiatt.  (Ha, for a second I left out the second "s" in Sister so it said "Siter   Hiatt".  Perhaps that title is appropriate too, because I have had NO idea what to do logistically the first few days AND of course we always have to have our eyes on each other.) Oh, and did I mention, she has only been out for ONE TRANSFER?! Yeah... so don't get too excited, but I probably will have to train next transfer. It's quite the learning curve. But Sister Hiatt is very dedicated and hard working. She pushes us to be exactly obedient and I have already seen blessings of following the mission schedule. (That's right, I wake up at 6:20am and go to bed at 10:30pm or10:00 if I finish everything up early....SAY WHA?!)

We went to the broadcast yesterday and heard ALL the announcements about missionary work! It will be great to see how we will be able to use computers and technology in the coming months. It was also neat to look at all the missionaries at the MTC. I was one of those? They seem so grand in numbers and power.

The first day here in Moorpark we had lessons. When we don't have scheduled lessons we try to run by less active houses and such. We also go tracking door-to-door.  (Sister Hiatt likes to talk to at least one other person before getting in the car.) The woman we we're going to visit didn't answer so my comp asked me where we should knock. I saw next door a garage open and a lemonade booth painted and decorated. How cute! Looking for visual clues like that made me think there is a family there that loves their children and are (potentially) home because the door is up. We knocked. A woman named Jonny answered.   S he said right away she will just argue with us, but respected what we're doing. She started telling us all about her life and the hardships she's had. She studies the Bible a lot and she was starting to quote a scripture in Romans, Chapter 8.   I said, "That's funny, I was just going to share a scripture with you from that chapter." She got so excited. She let us in, sat us down, and talked to us for an hour. She did most of the talking, but we became friends and were able to schedule a time to come back next week (tomorrow now!) to talk to her. She wanted to know our first names, but we didn't give them to her so she said, "Okay, well then I'm going to call you Faith and Joy.  Who wants to be Joy?" . So Sister Hiatt is Joy and I'm Faith.

Lots of people have had really hard lifes here in Moorpark. There is quite a range of well-off to very poor people. I don't know how people live without the gospel.

Tracking is usually ineffective so it was awesome Jonny let us in!  Street contacting is hard, too. I need to get better at it, so that's what I'm trying to improve this week. But I LOOOOOOVE lessons. Teaching is the best. I seem to be at ease and can testify what I know a lot better than just to people that open their front doors. With the prophets call for more member missionary work I hope  our planners will be filled with lessons so I can focus on the best part of missionary work.

One kid we taught yesterday was Jacob. He's 18 and very open-minded. Has a Muslim background. He actually wasn't home for our appointment earlier in the week so we just thought we'd stop by. He smiled all big and thanked us for coming. He said yesterday was a hard day. We talked to him about religion and his thoughts and taught him the restoration. One thing he said he really liked was what I said about evidence and proof. He is a very analytical and smart kid. He said he is open to learning but wants to find proof that it's real. I said nicely and tactfully (it was the spirit, ha), "We can't prove to you that it is true. There is nothing we can say to make you know. You know by how you feel when you read it. When you ask God if it is true. You love your mom right?"
 "Yes."
 "Right, but how can you PROVE to someone that you love her?  You can't say anything to convince someone else that you love her, but you know you do because of how your heart feels."
 "Wow," he said "I never thought about it like that.   I have had lots of religious conversations before and no one has ever brought that up. I like it."
  So it was just really neat that I was able to steer him respectfully and simply away from fact-based reasoning while investigating the Church, and focus more on his heart. It was a good lesson.

I still haven't met all the investigators we have. Not that we have a lot of progressing investigators, but we're hoping to start motivating them and getting them to make the necessary steps that will increase their faith.

Sorry if this entry is so jumbled, but we don't have much time to write.

I just want ALL of you to know, that I KNOW Christ is your Savior...if you let him. His love has changed my life by easing my heartaches and taking away my guilt that comes with sin. I love him. I love this Gospel and THAT is why I am here. That is why I quit my job and am SPENDING money to go out and give others the opportunity to sincerely try this Gospel in their lives. I know that Thomas S. Monson is God's prophet on earth today who holds ALL the priesthood keys necessary to enable God's people to gain salvation. I love you all and miss you all, but know that I am well.  (Though prayers never hurt ;)

Love,

Sister Snow