Family, so much is happening at home! Dad I am so proud of you for winning that award and for just being an amazing director,, father, husband, and example. I hope all is well with the kids and that they treat Amber nicely.. if not I can tell them off via letter :) jk. I lvoe that ward and Amberare so involved in things now. So great! Mum your emails always make me smile. I am sooo glad all is well with everyone and that wedding announcements are flying to our home! it's the best. Matt, keep your head up. Just keep holding fast to the Rod of iron!! don't cling every once in a while, but to hold fast is to be diligent and consistent in the way we hold to it. heather and Liz .. I hear your the best mum's ever... totally true. liz thank you thank you for the valentine. I lvoed it!! Zone Conference is tomorrow and i am sooo excited.

So experience of the week ya'll- this woman Angelina, we are teaching her and she is from Africa her first language is Zulu and she is awesome. So crazy, but sooo cool. So the missionaries have been teaching her for ages!! and a few weeks ago when we were on exchange Sis. Brooks and Sis. wheatley went to visit her and find out how "progressable" she is. For a while she had been our 'service' project I guess. She wasn't progressing and we'd see her every fortnight (2 weeks) to 6 weeks because she needed it and would request the missionaries to come by, so we did... anyways, she told them of an experience she had awhile ago in a dream. She had been reading the restoration leaflet and saw the picture of Joseph Smith and told the sisters she had seen this man before in her dream... she explained the way he was dressed- temple clothes basically- and asked why it said he WAS a prophet and not IS a prophet? the next time we went by she spoke to us about what church is and asked if she could come and be baptized. um yes angelina please let our dreams come true. amazing!! the only problem is that our branch 5 years go when she came to chruch and made a scene (a culture difference mishap basically) and through her out and told the missionries and the branch she was never allowed back. When I heard this I was determined to bring her back and allow the branch to become more Christ like. My mind went to 2 nephi 26: 26-28

         "Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues or out of the houses of worship? behold, isay unto you, nay.

          Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you nay but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.

          Behold hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other and none are forbidden.

oh the branch had a hard time and my companion took ti from them (Angelina was with me the whole time) but you know what she didn't say anytyhing out of character. She hs been going to another church for the last 5 years and they took the opportunity to teach her reverance.. shame we didn't. but none the less family as she sat with me and held my hand my body was shaking from nervousness, but she calmed me and allowed me to see her through God's eyes. He loves us ALL and those who truly know Him come unto Him through his children. I am grateful for her example and diligence and for the example of the branch members who acepted her. She went and shook every hand of every erson in there and I know it made an impact on all there, whether they will admitt it or not. God loves us all and the worth of souls is great in the sight of God (D&C 18:10-16) I am grateful for my calling and I am even more grateful for this experience to be about my Father's business and not fear the men around me. We are all not perfect and sometimes we show it more outwardly than other times but repentance, love, charity, diligence, and forgiveness are real and if we have yet to of obtained them we can start today, it's never too late.

I lvoe you all so very much and I am grateful for the examples you are to me and the love you share with me and all around you. your the best!! Talk to you next week, hope you valentine days were the bomb.com... mine was... not for any particular reason, just for the fact that i was missionary and didn't have to worry about a singles club :) it was on purpose this time. joy to the world. I'll be seein you!

 

Love you sooooooooooooo much, God's Speed.

Sista Fili