Week 32

Lets just say this was a nuts week. i never thought i would cry on my mission as much as i have. i have never really been a crier but someone this last week i have cried three.. THREE times. once out of sadness and despair.(dramatic) once out of pure joy(not dramatic at all) and once out of love for a saddened soul (OK pretty dramatic there but partially true)
now yall are curious another zone choir?? why yes the last one for thanksgiving was so good and sister cannon LOVED it so she is having us do another one, we are doing still still still. she is having us also do another piece so me sister branham and the zone leaders are doing a song called in the mid bleak winter and its sooo pretty i will send a video of it later! zone conference for christmas is tomorrow! so excited! i am happy i get to sing all the time and direct a choir its fun and for a bunch of people that dont read music we actually sound really good! #blessings
ok my week

MONDAY we played soccer inside and ate dinner with the sisters and i sent out my christmas cards! i shouldve gotten more but alas i didnt. but they were funny.

TUESDAY i was sick. it was no bueno but i studied and slept almost all day and made some beanies yes people i can now knit beanies with a loom #SUCCESS, i felt a little better at night so we went out and saw some YSA less actives and had some good connections! one girl used to go to Utah State and loved it so that comforted me!

WEDNESDAY my study this morning was really good! i am in 2 Nephi 28-30 and it talks all about the book of mormon and how it will come about and people will claim that all they need is a bible and that God doesnt talk to people anymore or perform miracles anymore and how people who say they ONLY need a bible are foolish because if that were the case God would cease to be God because if God is the same yesterday today and forever he would have more scripture be revealed and the priesthood would be here to continue to preform miracles. it was really good! we tried to see a bajillion people that morning but no one was home:( we had lunch and then choir practice and hten rides with YSA and taught a new member lesson we talked about how if no one accepted callings bc they "didnt want to " we would have no church because we are dependent on everyone teaching and learning from everyone and doing their part to live more fully the gospel of jesus christ and be a part of His church. we had THE BEST DINNER oh goodness baked ziti italian salad bread sticks it was mom quality cooking. so good and looked like it was pulled RIGHT OUT OF pinterest  after we read the christmas story on christmas.mormon.org with a part member family and they really liked it. i invite (classic missionary word) ALL of you to go read it and #sharethegift of christmas and the video its sooo good!

THURSDAY weekly planning. this was the start of the tears. the work in Kuna is so slow. i feel like im giving my all and praying constantly and it is as though there are never results. it really makes me look for the small blessings my heavenly father gives me. they havent been big lately we have no baptisms in the near future and its as though none of our investigators are progressing. infact one of our investigators dropped us this week. i decided i would rather have more investigators than getting fed by the ward every night i would eat a PB and J every meal if it meant i could have more investigators  i couldnt take it so i was like companion we are going for a run thats what my dad does when he is super stressed and so we did i ran a mile and it was SO hard thats so sad i need to get in better shape i will do it! but it helped clear my head a the  breaking point, what is really getting me is that people get so caught up by the unimportant things in life and listen to the crap that their pastors say about us. its sad that so many peoples sermons consist of hating mormons. we are all claiming to be christian so why dont we all rejoice in christ " 2 nephi 25:26   And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ,we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies,that our children may know to what source they may look for aremission of their sins." it makes me sick when people dont listen to the spirit and they just blindly follow their pastors, we quickly saw another investigator that has actually been regressing bc she wont read or pray or go to church hmm i wonder why there is no PROGRESSION we still have to follow Gods commandments. and then a little miracle happened. so there is this less active family in our ward and the wide was SUPER offended many times and swore that she would never step into a church building again but she came to the ward party and we helped finish their roof and she invited us to go to dinner we couldnt go but she said she will have to feed us some other time!! her heart is slowly being softened and its so great! we taught a lesson with a recent convert and a less active so that went well!

FRIDAY I actually exercised this morning #ballin we had zone conference and it was all about christ like attributes and how we need to really focus more on being like christ if we are going to be teaching about him all day err day! we went on rides with a super cool sister that just got home from her mission and we taught a lesson to one of our YSA investigators and he talked about how he gets this feeling like he should pray but then he doesnt and so we were like you need to PRAY!!! and he did so hopefully he can keep it up! AND i got a letter saying wait everyone remember kevin? the one that used to be a drug dealer my toughest investigator that was taking forever wel..... I GOT A LETTER THAT HE FINALLY SET A BAPTISMAL DATE FOR JANUARY 10th AND THAT IS WHEN THE TEARS CAME! I WAS SO HAPPY i was jumping up and down and screaming and so so so happy january 10th cant come fast enough

SATURDAY well sister B was struggling bc she didnt want to sing the second piece with me and the ZLs bc of self confidence issues so i talked with her for a while about that, we have meetings and tried to see some people then we saw some people and sister b was still having a hard time and i realized something. i am where i am today singing wise because of practice and hard times. there isnt a SINGLE time i have practiced a piece with my sister that didnt involve screaming yelling crying and self doubt but everytime i went through with it and learned a piece and sung it and grew and got to a place where now i can practice a piece 3 days and sing it in front of half the mission but it was hard getting here and took a lot of years and tears. and everyone loves it even if i think i sound like crap.

SUNDAY ward councils went well and we tried to see some people we had 3 lessons with investigators and some are starting to progress we practiced our song in the bleak mid winter and it went really well. it was a long week but i made it. now only a week and a half until we get to skype!!!!!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAY send me Christmas things i miss you all!!!!!!!!!!!!! love you!
sister abby wasden