Week 14 - last week of extra long transfer cycle

July 23, 2009

Hi Family! 
So as you can see from the subject of my email, we are in week 7.....the last week of this transfer.  I don't know if I mentioned before but because of our missions combining with Pittsburgh we had to add an extra week to this transfer because they were a week behind us.  Which also means that I'll be adding an extra week to my whole mission.  That also means this is my last week with Sister Deal. :(  It makes me sad that we have to be seperated.  But I guess it has to happen sometime. 
Well as for the work, we are finally starting to get some progressing investigators!  Amanda is so cute, she is the fiancee of a member of our ward.  She's really started to open up to us and ask questions and share her concerns, when before she was just really quiet.  Probably because we are teaching just her at her house now....with her fiancee there of course.  But she's sweet too, she wants to make us dinner this coming friday night and help her decorate her apartment.   She doesn't understand yet that we have to be baptized by the authority in order to go into the celestial kingdom....but it will all come in time.  Once she knows the B.O.M is true and Joseph was a prophet, it will all come into place.  Hopefully.
We are also teaching a husband and wife, Gabe and Deb Barsanyi.  I don't know if I mentioned to you before be we met them on their front porch while tracting.  They are SOOOO searching right now!  Deb already seems like she is a member of the church.  Shares her thoughts and feelings with religion that fall right inline with us.  I feel like I'm just talking to a member when we talk to her.  Gabe is really hesitant about going to an organized church and isn't quite sure how he can know for sure about the truth.  I guess it's hard for him to recognize the spirit or recognize answers but he is just an amazing person as well and always asks us such deep, searching questions.
I've told you every now and then how Sister Deal has stomach problems and she has a lot of health issues.  Well here is a new one as of this week.  She got SHINGLES!  Yikes!  It started out looking like a rash on her leg that was really itchy.  Then it started hurting her really bad.  So we went to the doctor on Monday and it was shingles.  Poor girl, always has some kind of problems she has to deal with. 
I just wanted to share one last thing about how awesome our ward mission leader is!  We had a correlation meeting last night and he brought up to us how he knows we are working hard and he feels he doesn't do enough.  So he started praying about how he can be better at helping us out and how he can be a better missionary.  Well, he decided that he wanted to go visit our investigators and just introduce himself as a member of our congregation and get to know them.  He is just too good to us!  I'm sure, even though these people have no idea who he is, it makes them feel happy that someone is coming to show them that they care. 
Well, I've said enough for today.  I should get going now....I swear P-days are busier then any other day!  Have a good week!  Can't wait to hear from you ALL next week! :)  Sure do love ya!
Love, Holly