Week 8-9

Hello Friends and Family!!

   I believe I am a week behind! This will be my tenth week in the mission! Oh well... I'm losing count!

   This week, my companion and I have fully healed from the stomach devil (as I like to call it). We recently received many referrals from one of our ward mission leaders and this week we set out to contact each and every one of them! We had a pretty cool experience. We contacted a lady on our list. We walked up to her door and knocked but it seemed she wasn't home. Just then, she pulled into her driveway and we got very excited. She hopped out of her truck, looking like "oh gosh, missionaries" so we introduced ourselves, asked her name, and she goes, "ohhhh missionaries!" and she said can we meet a different time? I, unfortunately, do not have any time right now! And her face looked sincere and actually wanting to meet again, so we agreed and we have an appointment with her tonight. She was a very sweet woman! It's funny how things like that can happen, with a woman looking like she doesn't want to meet with you but then when you start talking, she actually genuinely wants to! God works so much in our lives and in the lives of those we are prepared to meet.

    My mother sent me a quote in her email to me this week which touched me. It says, "I pray that you have that kind of blind faith, the assurance of things hoped-for, and proof of things not seen. Sometimes this is the only hold we have: faith. Whenever you take a leap of faith, and your feet leave the security of the solid ground, know that the Hand of Jesus is there to catch you and help you to soar." How true that is. When we meet with an investigator for the first time or we meet with less active members and talk with them about faith, sometimes I just want to tell them to trust the Lord. That's all it takes is trust. when we trust in the Lord and do the things which we can do, He will meet us where we fall short. I love this Gospel with all of my heart. I love this Church with everything that I am and I know that it's true! I know Joseph Smith was a prophet and that Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today.

       Anyways! This week has been way fun! On Wednesday, we participated in a talent show at a retirement home. We sang and my companion and I performed a skit called, "Who's on first base" with Abott and Costello. We had so much fun!! ?Friday, we contacted ALL day!! I love meeting new people and having the chance to talk with them and get to know them :D Saturday, we hit a huge yard sale that was helping young women go to girls camp! And finally, Sunday we attended a couple fast and testimony meetings. It's always enjoyable to hear people testify of our Father in Heaven and how He has had His hand in their life. Though we had a couple cancelled appointments we found joy in our day by stopping by a house that had olde english bulldog puppies for sale and we were able to play with them for awhile. They were so adorable!! and they helped us retain the joy that we started to lose when people were cancelling.

     Today, we plan to go to the DI (Utah's better version of the Salvation Army), and go paintballing with the elders! (with slingshots of course). We're so excited to not be sick today and we look forward to being able to enjoy our day off. I've started to think about my future plans after my mission and I have started to think about coming back to Utah and apply for residency so I can come to school here. I want to come here to UVU (Utah Valley University) to pursue a career in Nursing, again. BUT! The Lord changes our plans all the time for the better so we will see what He has in store for me in the upcoming 15 months!

      I love you all very very much! I miss you all to pieces but I know I am out here for the right reasons. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and each one of His children. I know that He will bless my family while I am here and I am so grateful for that gift. I pray for you, as my friends and family, every night.

Love,

Sister Maren Schultz.