Happy leap day!! (2/29/16 email)

I just found out I'm staying here in Kelly Creek for another transfer!

What what!!

This weekend we couldn't meet with our investigators (the

little 9 and 10 year old sisters), because one of them was sick. So we didn't

expect to see them at church on Sunday. But then we saw her sister walk in

with her mom, and her mom told us that she woke up and asked if she could 

go to church! She's only nine! I just love them.

This week we got to go on exchanges with the Hermanas, and I learned

some Espanol. I was with Hermana Leos and I just love her! She's so

cute and fun!!

Today we went to downtown Troutdale with our roommates. 

Downtown Troutdale!

Red Robin with the roomies

Valentine's Week (2/15/16 email)

This week we had an investigator come to the Addiction Recovery
Program with us, and she just loved it! She brought two copies of
everything home so she could give her sister information, so her sister
will be coming next week. Before ARP, we taught her about the
Restoration and the Priesthood. She just paused and then said, "I should
really be rebaptized." Woahhhh she's awesome! She needs to get past
addiction stuff first, but she's so ready!

We had a lesson with this cuuuuuute lady on her birthday, so we brought hats and sang happy birthday to her when she answered the door. She was so happy! Haha she is so darn cute.

WE WENT ON EXCHANGES WITH THE ASL SISTERS! What are the odds I'm an STL over ASL sisters? Very, very slim. God doesn't do random. Anyways, they serve over the Vancouver Mission, Portland Mission, and Salem Mission, so we got to go to downtown Portland when we were on exchanges. So fun!

I REALLLY like this scripture we talked about this week! It's Alma 62:41 and it's talking about the same group of people that have had similar experiences but they effected them in two different ways. They either let the trials push them away from God because they were too prideful and stubborn or they let it help them grow closer to God and improve their lives if they're humble enough. The same experience can throw us either way, depending on if we give ourselves to God's power or not. Idk if any of that made sense to anyone else, but it was pretty eye opening to me! Just read that chapter and verse and apply it to your life and you're golden. Love you, bye!

MLC week (2/8/16 email)

This week we had MLC and it was amazing, as always! We had a little
performance by Elder Funk (Elder Flunky), Elder Lambert (Elder Lame),
Sister Bunderson (Sister Perfec), Sister Lambert (Sister Tion), and
Elder Bunderson (Elder Record) from the mission office about turning
in baptismal records neatly and promptly. The pictures are down below.
The entire time they were talking about how the sisters are so much
more organized and prepared than elders (so true for the most part),
and I was dying laughing. I love the WVM office volunteers! President
Ferrin started it off by saying, "Adam was given a help mate because
we men need help. You sisters are already perfect." Oh man I just wish
all of you could meet these cute people in the WVM.

All the zone leaders, sister training leaders, assistants, and senior couples in the WVM!

When your companion sneaks a picture of you staying hydrated.

These two cute girls, A and IB, are 9 and 10 and we started teaching

them recently. Oh man they're awesome! The first time we met them,

their mom invited us in and said that she's actually a member. She

converted in Brazil then moved here and got married and hasn't been to

church in America. So we shared a little Mormon Message about the 

Book of Mormon with her and her girls and asked what their thoughts 

were. First A just paused deep in thought and said, "I want to get baptized." 

The Spirit was so strong. Then IB paused for a bit and said, "I do

too." They're so smart and A has been asking her mom to go to all

kinds of different churches. She's been to 8 different churches now

looking for the right religion, and she's only 10! Anyways, we invited

them to be baptized on February 27, but they said they'd have to talk

their dad into it. I've only met him once, and he's super nice but

wasn't interested in sitting in on the lessons. In our last lesson we

asked what the Holy Ghost feels like and A was really thinking again

and just said, "It's what makes you know everything will work out no

matter what. Even when you feel like nothing is going right, you know

He's there for you because you feel the Holy Ghost with you." Then IB

smiled and said, "What she said." 

Hi friends (2/1/16 email)

Our recent converts, N and C, have been sick recently (possibly from
black mold, so keep them in your prayers) so they weren't able to come to
church yesterday or meet with us this week but C said he's been
feeling so depressed without the meetings. He said he's been trying to
compensate by reading more from the scriptures! They are seriously
just so great in every way. I love how humble they are and how excited
they always are to better follow God. Seriously they're the best, and
their baby is so cute, and they want to have more kids soon so that's
exciting!

Yesterday we learned about faith and overcoming temptations in church.
It was great! One of he speakers used the example of Baskin Robins. He
said if you're struggling with an ice cream problem and you like to
hang out at Baskin Robins, don't just tell yourself you need to have
more self control and then sit in Baskin Robins. You need to get out
of that place! And don't just leave Baskin Robins and go to Coldstone!
Get away from the temptation! Haha I loved it. That is so true! If
you're telling yourself to work on self control, but you're hanging
out with your BF alone in the dark or you're sitting in a bar or
accepting old GF's friend requests on FB or something, it's probably
not going to work out well! Don't tempt yourself! It's a lot easier
said than done, but it's such an important lesson to learn.

Here's a picture of my new roommates :) we flirt to convert. Totally
kidding haha that should never be a thing! Ever!

Love y'all!

Keep Portland Weird (1/25/16 email)

Sister Singleton is goneeeee  :(:(  I sure miss that girl! Kelly Creek
is still amazing though!

Fun fact: Apparently our district leaders are serving in the #1 most
dangerous part of Oregon. We just found that out yesterday--so that's
cool! They never let sister serve there haha probably for good reason.

We introduced ourselves as missionaries to these two guys getting out
of their car yesterday and they held up a paper bag and just said, "We
just got a bunch of drugs. Wanna go do them with us?" We declined
obviously, but as we started walking away we heard one of them say to
the other, "That's God smiting us." Hahaha Portland...

We met our neighbor who lives in the apartment right below us
yesterday, and we asked her if she's met the previous missionaries
before. She responded, "Not officially, but I hear you guys all the
time." We felt so bad and told her we'd be quieter, but she said, "Oh
no. It's not annoying! We just hear you laughing and singing all the
time!" Hahaha. She said she posts selfie videos of it on her FB and she
just says, "It sounds like the neighbors just got home..." Oops!

Well my new companion just had her 22nd birthday! We went to Panera
and Starbucks for dinner to celebrate.

I don't have any super exciting news for the week, but we're meeting
with some cool people next week so hopefully you'll be hearing some
good news in a week!

These two cute women had us over for dinner and practiced teaching us the Restoration as the dinner thought. I love them!!