Teach the Multitudes, Reach the ONE

First of all, thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! You all made it a very memorable one indeed! Also memorable, having the chance to serve at the Smith Farm on that day. Everyone made it a very special day. The VCT's bought a little lemon pound cake and sang happy birthday. One of the senior couples, the Ericksons, made a very large dinner with lemon cheesecake as a dessert (tell people you like lemon things and it gets spread out around fast), but it made for a very delicious time! Even better was this was the first time we did park mode. There were five tour buses coming all at once so we gathered all the sisters and "parked" them at different spots, then rotated. I was parked outside the log home, then inside the log home upstairs in the room where Moroni came to Joseph. We simply yelled at people and gathered them around, then told them a few stories outside or inside the homes. Wow, what an experience. VERY hot and VERY tiring, but VERY gratifying. To be able to teach the Restoration to hundreds at a time...there is no greater feeling.

Another momentous occasion that is occurring! They are currently setting up for pageant outside on on the Hill, and I am FREAKING out. AAAAAH!! It's coming faster than I ever thought possible.

Pretty funny experience: One morning Sister Andersen (a sister I live with) didn't have enough time to make the rice she was planning on bringing for the day. I came to her rescue and said, "no worries, don't you know all rice can be made in the microwave?" (BIG FAT LIE) Later, while both serving at the Grandin they went to dinner and just a few minutes later the smoke alarm goes off. Yup, their rice had caught fire. All of us were filtered out, and the Grandin building smelled like smoke for the next week. Sometimes you just have to realize you are an idiot, and move on with your life.

So...moving on! We finished New Sister Training at the Hill so that was lots of fun. As I'm looking at all these graduation pictures I kind of had a taste of my own little graduation for Sister Canova. She is now trained to give tours at each of the sites, so she's basically a pro. Elder Bradford also enlightened us a good deal about how to give tours at the Hill, and revolutionized my ideas about teaching to people's needs.

I've had my fair share of cool experiences with tours. I took a group of three families from Mexico, with very strong youth preparing to go on missions. Another HUGE group of people (it felt like it at least all squished in the log home), who I had the most AMAZING discussion with about the First Vision. Another group from Utah, originally from Mexico, with a foster daughter about twelve years old who had the strongest testimony of the restored gospel, and a non-member uncle. These are just a few. The only sad part about serving full time at the sites is creating these small little relationships with people, and then they are gone. Recently on a tour I extended an invitation, and a man said, "I've noticed at all these sites you all give us these challenges." I simply smiled, touching the plaque on my chest, "That's what these nametags are for, we invite others to come unto Christ."

When Heavenly Father appeared to the young boy Joseph in the grove, the Savior Jesus Christ at His side, he said "Joseph, this is my Beloved Son." It is a small detail often looked over. He called Joseph by name. Christ works in the same way His father does, and as seen in the scriptures, He often ministered to thousands of people at a time, but always reached the ONE. Stopping to speak with a woman who touched his cloak, ministering to the Nephite children, crying at his friend's Lazarus death. He works by ones, because He loves us individually. My purpose as a missionary here is to always be on the lookout for that ONE, to be that tool in our Father's hands to show that one whatever He wants me to show them in their time here. And so I will always be looking, always teaching, always inviting, which to be honest, can be taxing, but VERY worth it.

Thank you for everything you all do to keep cheering me on! I feel very loved, especially this week! I love you all!


1. Birthday cake at the Smith Farm!
2. Last p-day we went to a burger shack named Pops, not bad!
3. Waiting outside the Grandin for the firetruck--notice Sister Andersen's face
4. Finishing New Sister Training at the Hill
5. Jumping the fence and standing beside the recently mowed grass at the Smith Farm (if you look very closely you will see the lemons on my shirt, something I have come to love dearly)
6. Setting up for Pageant!
7&8. B-day package from home