July 14

We had a great week! I can't believe that things are going by so fast.
This week was wonderful, we were able to teach more lessons than this
area has had in a while! There is lots of work to do with the less
active members in this area. We were able to help a father and son we
have been working with who hasn't been to church in years, a couple
who hasn't been coming in a while, and another woman who is less
active and her investigator husband and daughter came to church. The
last one has some serious word of wisdom problems, but they have real
intent and we were able to help them to make a plan to live it! They
have already come a long way and have cut in half their drinking and
smoking in the past week. We are so excited for them and as soon as
they overcome their addictions the father and daughter can be
baptized. It was such a tender mercy to see all of the people at
church. We are so grateful that we are able to work with them, and we
know it's nothing that we did but it is the hand of God working in
their lives to help them want to come back. We were just instruments.
They invited us to dinner and we were able to make a step by step plan
for them to stop by next Monday, the 21 and we are going to celebrate
with them next Monday night when they have stopped smoking and
drinking! YAY!

Also we are teaching the foster daughter of one of the members and she
is doing great. She is 16, and she loves yw. If it were up to her, she
would be baptized tomorrow, she went to the temple with the youth
yesterday and sat in the waiting room and walked around the grounds as
the others did baptisms. How cute. She has a date for August 9th. I
can't wait to hear about it. But she has a phone so I will have to
Skype her after I get back and talk to her on the day of her baptism
:)

One neat thing that happened this week, we were going to visit someone
on our Ward roster that we didn't know. We drove up to the trailer,
and there was a man outside working in the yard. We asked if he knew
the name, he said yes, that's my wife she is inside. It was really
really hot and their air conditioning was out. We sat and talked with
her for a while. Turns out she was an excommunicated member who was
working on coming back to church and going back to the temple. She was
so sweet. We talked a little and she prayed, after she did she got
tears in her eyes and said "Sisters, I know why my air went out today.
Because if it had been on, he would have been in here watching the
game and you wouldn't have been able to come in. He doesn't let people
from the church come to our house." So that was a small tender mercy
that we wee able to get into that house.

We had a great district meeting this week, we played a game where all
of the missionaries would act as people who were not the elect, just
trying to talk or waste time, and one of the 10 was elect, and you had
5 minutes to find them. Fun game :) After district meeting this week,
we went out to lunch as a district and it was weird because it was on
my 18 month mark and so that was bitter sweet. Everyone was asking me
how it felt, and what it's like. I can't describe it but bittersweet.
I am grateful for all that I have learned from observing priesthood
leaders, marriages and families, and the Cravens. I have learned a lot
about leadership and how to be a good member of the church and how to
serve in a calling. I know that God lives, I know He loves us! As I
think about the scripture I read when I felt that I needed to to on a
mission, now I see the truth of it. I know that there is nothing I
would have rather done the past 18 months than share the gospel and I
know that it really has brought me the most joy and has been of the
most worth to me.

Doctrine and Covenants 15: 4-6 "For many times you have desired of me
to know that which would be of the most worth unto you. Behold,
blessed are you for this thing, and for speaking my words which I have
given you according to my commandments. And now, behold, I say unto
you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be
to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto
me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father."

I love you all and I will see you real soon! Just be warned, there are
about 20 other missionaries on my flight, so the airport is going to
be a real crazy place :) It will be really fun and exciting though :)

This week I get to have my exit interview with President and the rumor
is he tells you who you are supposed to go home and marry so we'll see
if he has advise for me. Ha ha :)

July 7

Happy Fourth of July!

​Hello everyone! So I am inland from the hurricane, but we did have a
little rain but mostly cloudy and overcast weather, which was perfect
for bike week!

Well we did have a little trouble, sister c got a flat tire, we went
to wal-mart to get a new tube and they didn't have he right size!
Apparently her bike is a special size and they only have it in another
area. We are going to have to drive quite a ways today to get it so
she can bike again, but now we got the car back for this week, so
that's good!

One of the members is doing foster care, and she is fostering a 16
year old girl who has learned a lot about the church already. She has
gone to young women's and learned a lot, she basically taught us the
restoration and the plan of salvation. She is so solid. It's amazing
how much The Lord prepares the hearts of people to receive the gospel.
She is wanting to be baptized, and we are going to set a date when we
see her again this week!

We found a few new less actives *returning members :) to teach this
week. One is an older man who lives on his own, and hasn't been to
church in years. And one is a lady who got divorced from her husband
who is still in the Ward, she still has a testimony but she doesn't
feel comfortable, with him there. Hopefully we can help her maybe go
to a different branch or something.

People down here love Christian music and at a frozen yogurt shop this
week, we heard them playing an efy cd! We were like woah we didn't
know people loved efy music but they do! Funny.

We had a great zone meeting this week and the zone leaders talked
about overcoming fear, how to overcome our fear of talking with
everyone and how to be bold.  They had some tiny raptors and a giant
T-Rex and talked about how our faith can be strong enough to overcome
our fears.

On the Fourth of July we went down to a huge Fourth of July festival
and got to contact and give out a ton of pas along cards and talk to
people. There were so many people there!

Today we went out to lunch with a recently returned sister missionary
and a sister who is going to the MTC soon, it was fun to have people
at all different levels there, rm, missionaries, and someone with a
mission call. We went to a museum downtown and just has a blast :)

I love this gospel and I know it is true. I know that God lives, and
that He loves us. I know that the Book of Mormon is His word. If it
weren't, it wouldn't testify so much of Him! I am so grateful that I
get the chance to share it for a little longer. I want to share it
with everyone while I can. I am sprinting till the end! These last two
weeks are going to be the best and hardest working two weeks of my
mission. Thank you for all your love and support. :)

June 30

Hello everyone! I hope that you had a great week :) My companion and I

just went out to lunch at Olive Garden and so that was fun :) Yummy!!!

I am full and happy. Also we are on bikes this week, so I will

definitely burn it off.

Tuesday we did service at the he food bank again. That is such a neat

experience. I am so glad that we get to do that. It's great to help

people who really need it and who don't have enough. I decided that

this time I will take a mental note of the people who come get food of

where they live so we can go find on their streets. It's probably

legal... Also we heard of a member who was found about 19 years ago

because the missionaries were searching the newspaper of people who

recently had a baby or marriage announcements or death announcements

and they would go to those addresses. Has anybody tried that? Sounds

like a good idea.

Wednesday one of our members took us out to lunch with one of her

nonmember friends. They are both funny old ladies. We had a good

conversation about the Book of Mormon, what it is and why it is

important. Then on the way home she also took us to see her mother and

aunt and we taught them as well. Go members!

Thursday we had Zone conference all day! I love meetings! It was so

great. I loved it. The zone leaders trained about having the same fire

for missionary work and the same dependence on The Lord as we did a

year ago, a year ago a lot of people on the mission were new, and

people like me were trainers after 5 weeks, and we didn't know what we

were doing, we really had to rely on The Lord, but are we relying on

Him as much now as we did then? President trained on finding and gave

some great suggestions and we had some great role plays about talking

with everyone and talking to people on different situations, like at a

restaurant or at a park. The more people we talk to, the more people

we teach! I want to be better at talking with everyone.

Thursday after zone conference we went on exchanges. I went to high

point with sister Nielsen. I have been with her 3 times. We had a real

good time. She's fun and we have gotten close. We talked a lot about

what we have learned on our missions. And she asked a lot of advise

about being a sister training leader, what advise I had for her. We

also talked to a crazy guy who thought he was a prophet. And talked to

a teenage girl named Alma, gave her a Book of Mormon and told her to

read the book of alma. :)

So we are teaching this lady who has been kind of flaky and we haven't

been able to see much but apparently they had a really good with her

while on exchange, so that's good. :) She was taught about 10 years

ago by elders and knows that what they said is true, reads the Book of

Mormon but feels like she has to quit smoking before she learns more

and comes to church, we are seeing her with a great member tonight and

we are going to help her get over that. :) The 9 year old we haven't

seen this week because her Dad has been at work :(

We had a great lesson with Lashea on Saturday.  We tracked into her

last week and have and taught her twice. She is a sweet single Mother

in her early 20's. She is just a really happy, she's quiet and soft

spoken. I really like her and I think we would be friends in real

life. We brought a great member with us and I am really excited to see

her progress!

FUNNY/CRAZY STORY: The member who went with us on Saturday, turns out

she was a missionary on our mission about a year ago, she came out

just a little before me. She served here in Salisbury for 9 months and

was teaching this less active guy and helping him get back to church.

At one point, they were going to give up and the spirit said "you

can't give up on your husband" She was like what? And turns out like a

month later, she had some really bad health problems and went home,

turned around and came back and married him and now they live in our

Ward. It's a crazy story, the way she tells it is hilarious!

We are on bikes this week. Pray for cool weather! Please. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also I got my flight itinerary and release letter in the mail this

week. Woah! Who said that could happen! I didn't know wether to cry or

be excited. I kind of feel like I have been like Rapunzel in tangled

when she leaves her stepmothers and is like "BEST DAY EVER" and then

"Oh no what have I done" I feel like I am super excited to see my

family and have a real life, but I know that this time will never come

again, I guess I will make the most of it while I can! Love ya'll!!

Sister Jenny Forsyth