Can you believe how time flies? It is going so fast! Tomorrow I have, officially, 1 month left! I would love to know how to slow down time ----
This has been such a learning experience – I’m really grateful for it. As hard as the learning has been, I am grateful for it!
Our companion, Sister Henrick, decided she needed to go home to take care of her health. She lost 30 lbs in the few months she was in Fresno, and not in a good/fun way, or even trying for that matter. She was starting out to her car to leave, and said, I guess I’m ready to go. We said we weren’t ready for her to go! Hugs and tears all around. Hopefully the doctors will be able to find something out that hadn’t been done here. She has already started to bake things for the missionaries at home though! We trained her well!
I have a few things I still want to do, and need to do, before leaving the mission. Some are “work” related, and some are fun related! Fun related - I want to go to the zoo. I have gone to the zoo for my birthday a few times in the years before Tom died. As it’s something I want to do anyway, for my birthday is as good a reason as not! It will have to be the Saturday afterwards though. Then I want to go see the town/city of Sonora. It sounded like somewhere I want to see, so…. up we go! It’s a few hours out of Fresno, but that’s okay! Sister Ball is all for going too! It may not be much, but it will be an adventure! There’s a recreated mining town outside of Sonora that we will take a look at too. That will be a fun day!
Work related are lists and notes, and making up some little certificates. The last should be fun – the other things….. we’ll see!
I’ve been working on mental health concerns with the missionaries – it’s been interesting, but I don’t have any idea what I’m doing! I’m not sure ‘loving the missionaries’ fits for helping with their mental health concerns. Love them I do – I really do have to rely solely on the Holy Ghost.
We have been asked to talk in Sacrament Meeting here on September 8th – I think that should count as my speaking in our ward. What do you think Bishop?
We had training tonight on talking with everyone about the Gospel. Our new, another great District Leader, Elder Altner, planned a wonderful meeting where we did some MORE role playing. It seems a lot easier to role play than to speak with someone in real life.
We did talk with a man last night. I started talking with him because he had on an arm brace and a boot on one of his feet. I said, Ooohhh – owie! What happened? He had been in a motorcycle accident – someone pulled out in front of him. He’s lucky to be alive. We just continued talking with him, and he actually started talking to us about the Church. He has done a lot of studying on different religions, but hadn’t found anything that fit what he thought a pure religion would be.
We talked with him for a good while, gave him some pamphlets, but felt he was more into the research than anything else at that time. What was cool, was that Sister Ball and I have been studying and practicing talking about some Gospel principles and doctrine, and were able to talk about these things with him. We were grateful for the preparation, and the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
It’s kind of strange being an employment and a medical missionary. It would too easy to just put in the time at our offices, then go to our apartment every night and do whatever WE wanted to do (except for the phone calls from the missionaries 24/7).
But, when you think about it, we ARE called and set apart representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ! We have mouths; we can open them to talk about the Gospel! As our Zone Leader said tonight – we have our testimonies, and we have the Lord in front of us and behind us to help us. Why should we fear? Sister Ball and I have committed to talking with everyone the Holy Ghost prompts us to! We’re …. Excited? Yup! We are! I just don’t want to get to heaven and have too many more people ask me why I didn’t tell them about the Gospel!
The weather is cooling down some. We did have a couple of days last week around 108 though. Tonight was kinda nice out – it was only 90! I think I’m going to freeze when I come home! Is that right, Dan? All 3 of our sons went somewhere warmer and all 3 froze for several months when they came home.
Every day at 7:55 am, the California Fresno Mission kneels in prayer, united, to help bring the Lord’s work forward. It is an amazing time to beseech the Lord for help in His work. We have been doing it for months now, and it is such a privilege! We pray for the missionaries, the investigators, and the members in this mission area. We just really feel this is the time of the last great harvest – where the Lord sends his servants out. This is it! We are now being told to prepare for the return of our Savior! Let’s get going!!! Missionary Work! Redeeming OUR Dead! Perfecting the Saints! What better way to spend our time than building up the Kingdom of God!
It’s bed time – sorry I don’t have any pictures… my camera broke… even the one I bought for my birthday last year!!! The lens won’t open… I think I will get another so I can take pictures of people and places before I leave! No – I’m not trunky! I have way too much to do! I love it here!
My love to you all – GO UTES!!!! That part is for both my companions who are BYU fans!
Love, Sister Ure
