The Real Joy of Missionary Work

Oi Queridos Familia e Amigos!

This week was an up and down week.. In all honesty, this area is extremely hard for me. Especially since I just transferred from Kingman--the Promised land of the mission--that is apparently what it was nicknamed. and now I know why ... aha.  We would get almost 20 lessons with members and several other lessons and then a bunch of other lessons with members of recent converts/less actives. The work was busy and fulfilling. But all of a sudden, there's this place where it's a struggle to get half the standard of excellence. We have barely anyone to teach and lessons fall through left and right alllll day every day.  We spend almost 100% of the time in the car driving from place to place and knocking on doors that never open ):  In all honesty, it's been super discouraging..

However, the few times we do get to actually meet with someone and teach a lesson and get to know them and have that Spirit there, it's the most amazing thing. I've come to realize that the true joy that comes from missionary work isn't from the experience and the hanging out with other missionaries or even just the people you meet/know, but from being able to teach. TEACHING is the source of happiness on a mission. We get to pray and bring the Spirit and testify and challenge to repentance, bringing people closer and closer, baby step by baby step, to their Savior Jesus Christ. This is where the true happiness and joy comes from on a mission.  It got to the point one time where the only lesson we got to teach one day was to each other in RolePlays during companionship study. But the spirit and happiness we felt from that was incredible. That's when we knew what we needed to do to get out of this funk! 

Our goal since we got here was to meet the members and know the members.  There are so many gated communities here that it's literally impossible to not work through the members. Like we won't be let in past the gates without knowing the person who lives there and getting their permission. so we literally cannot go in to see a potential without someone's consent. What a push for the work of members!

Anyway, Cool news! I met someone who went to school or something with Timian!  He's like "Do you know someone named Timian?"  I thought your last name sounded familiar! haha  His name is Kirk.... I don't know his last name--obviously our quest for meeting the members isn't going so well.... yet. :P

[Timian is Lauren's first cousin]

AND someone named Jenae Lindsey!  She said Dad said happy birthday to her on Facebook and she was like wait a minute... Yoshimoto!!  haha how cool!  So many strange little connections!  But yeah she's in my singles ward.   I talked to her for a little bit. We asked if we could take her out with us to lessons but she works a TON! but she said she'd come out with us when she can. So we're excited! :)

[Jenae Lindsey used to live in San Jose with her wonderful family many, many years ago.]

We have an investigator named Ricky. He's 26 and lives with his dad. and I absolutely LOVE him. Man, he is amazing.  In the past 3 or 4 years, he has had 3 tumors, two removed and one still there, all in his brain. They damaged his brain a little so he speaks a little slower and forgets a lot.  It's sad because it kind of caused a little Social Anxiety because people will pick on him saying "are you high? or just stupid."  SO SAD WHO DOES THAT! ):<  but he does sound high when he talks because he just has slower speech now. but he is so amazing. His mother died a year ago from cancer and his nephew has some sarcoma and his dad is pretty emotionally and slightly physically abusive as well. Yet, Ricky just wants to strengthen his relationship with his Heavenly Father. How amazing. just seeing how his dad handles it like the world usually would, being angry and lashing out, while he just wants to find that peace and happiness in the full picture.  We got to talk to his dad a little trying to convince him to let Ricky attend a baptism. We got him to go and have built a little bit of trust with his dad. wanted to do service but he won't let us.. too prideful. :P but we are working on him. Amazing things, this gospel can do for people like him. if only they understood that... But really, that's his only barrier, is his dad. He makes him work and clean and do all this crazy stuff (reminds me of Cinderella) and so he can never go out or to church or things like that ): so we're working on it! 

Anyway, I have truly gained a testimony of prayer.  There will constantly be struggles on a mission but sometimes the only comfort we can get is from prayer. Heavenly Father is always that one constant in our constantly changing lives. The one thing we can truly count on always being there and always being enough. I love this gospel. I don't know where I'd be without it and with out this amazing opportunity to be on a mission. I am so sad to see how fast it's going by. It blows my mind how its getting cold, in my mind it can't possibly be more than a month I've been out--it should still be summer. haha. But it's truly making me realize how much more I must take advantage of every second.

I love you allllll!!!

Keep my in your prayers, 

youre always in mine! 

Ate Logo!

-Sister Yoshimoto

Transition to a New City and a Young Single Adult Ward,

October 21, 2013

Oi Minha Querida Familia e meus amigos!!!!!!

This week has been a loooooooooong and interesting week! What a transition!! My feelings are sOOOOo mixed! I feel so strange being in a new area, with new people, but with the same companion! D: weeeeeirdddd... I feel kinda in a way like this isn’t right. but I trust President is inspired! The Lord knows where I'm needed and who I'm needed to be companions with!

This area..... is the Royal Mesa YSA ward covering 2 stakes. so the area we cover is HUUUUGE!!! and a YSA ward!!! So crazy!! SO DIFFERENT! So because in Kingman, I was "out of valley" which is any part of the mission out of Henderson and Vegas, so we're kind of our own little mission and EVERYthing is different. But yeah, so that in itself is a huuuuge adjustment. THEN on top of that it's YSA not family ward. and so yeah. basically everything is crazy haha. It's been pretty weird just because everyone here is like my age or around my age..... I don't really like it haha. I never realllyyyy felt super comfortable around a lot of people my age so working with ONLY people my age is suuuper different. At least right now the investigators we have are like 26 or 27 so not REALLY my age. It's just strange thinking that these people could be like my high school friends or Kei and Cami and Trav's high school friends. Strange. I think the hardest part is the fact that I'm serving with sis Jensen-Coon who also was very attached to Kingman. Cause now we're both kind of homesick for Kingman and don't know this place very well at all so it's like we're Double Transferred in and always looking back at the old area, but it's our goal to really get attached to this area as well … to really love it together … so it'll be GREAT! :)

Everything’s different.  Seriously though.  There are food places EVERYwhere and shops and stores and Henderson is seriously like San Jose sometimes. just a suburb/city off of the biiiig city (SF and Vegas). I'm trying to find the missionaries who cover Uncle Jimmy's ward but no one knows Desert Rose! Are they in Black Mountain Stake?  Who are their missionaries?? Well, I'm in GreenValley stake but we cover Green Valley and Anthem stake... and lemme tell you... these guys are LOADDDED!!! OH MAN. crazy. Like unnecessarily huge houses!!! haha. so insane... but they’re great people! :) I'm excited for this new adventure!!

The hardest part of the work here is that people our age are all students and working and busy and constantly changing schedules so they’re all very flaky and unreliable haha.

Plus most of the people we run into are not in the age group so we just refer them to the other missionaries. ):   There are soooo many awesome people we contact that I'm like nooooo I wanna teach you!!! but we send them to the elders haha.  Our investigators right now are sooo amazing. There's Ricky who has suffered such a hard life--two brain tumors removed and another in his head now, near abusive father, mother died last year and his uncle who he was really close to passed away a couple of months ago basically in his arms (choked on a meatball!) and yet he isn't bitter or angry, he wants to find a way to become closer to Heavenly Father, to really know him. How amazing. The hardest part of all this is that a lot of the people we teach have some kind of social anxiety and don't want to go to church with people their age for fear of being judged or mocked or just different.  Which is always a fear I guess, but I just see it more so in this age group.

This area is such a blessing to me, I feel, because all other blessings aside, I feel I will learn how to work with people my age when I go back to school and only really have people my age. I will learn how to relate and help them and really connect instead of avoiding those I don't understand or just feel really different or intimidated by. The mission really teaches me how to talk to EVERYone.  No matter what, they are a child of God as well and so am I, so no one is better than anyone else. Still a work in progress, especially for me, confidence wise, I feel.  I feel like I just need to relax and stop fearing man instead of God.  That's my goal for this Transfer.

I AM super bummed however about leaving Kingman. I miss my investigators/member friends there!! The Mehargs.  I don't remember if I told you about them,  but they are amazing and a Part member family. We were teaching John and Kristi is the wife who is a recent convert/less active. They are sooo amazing and loving and just so fun!  I miss being able to teach them because they really are just thirsting for more and more knowledge. I will send pics as well. And their kids, Evalynn and Deviney! SOO cute and fun!! miss them! but they'll be in good hands. I just wish I could have stayed in Kingman until Brazil. I just felt like that would be my little US Mission home. but it's okay, Heavenly Father has other plans for me haha. I gotta keep reminding myself that this is all part of the mission and I'll be okay!

So this coming transfer, on the 5,6 and 7th of November, guess who's coming to perform in Vegas so we can bring our investigators to......!!!!

GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE SAINTS UNIFIED VOICES!!!!!! SOOO COOOL!! Remember when Dad helped set up that whole thing in SJ??  Of course you remember. haha. but how exciting!!! I get to watch it with investigators and see it again through new eyes!!!! I'm sooo excited!! I barely remember the one at home … just that it was really good. and a lot of work. haha. But I'm soooo excited!!!  I saw a little clip of her testimony in one of her past firesides and oh man... the Spirit from that tiny clip was just sooo powerful! Her spirit is just soooo strong. It's insane how much influence one person's testimony can have, especially hers. wow! How impressive that she does what she does. So amazing. I'm SOOO STOKED!! WOOHOOO!!

So anyway, I am doing well!  We are working hard trying to organize the area and get to know the members! It's awesome!! I can't wait! The only down parts is that since they’re YSA, they take us out to eat dinner a lot.   No more home cooked meals hahahaha. its okay though.  It's just     another challenge I gotta get over... never really liked eating out :P but yeah it'll be fun!!

Well, I love you all! I'm so excited to be here!

I know, with every part of me, that this IS the one true church here on the Earth … The only church with the COMPLETE restored gospel on the Earth. I know that my Savior lives and love me and every single person I meet. It's just a simple thing to know, yet it means SO much to me and so many people don’t know this truth yet. I am sooo incredibly grateful to be here able to tell these people this truth so that they can all experience the great joy and comfort I've been able to experience. I love you all so much at home!!! You're all in my prayers every day!

Com muito amor!!

Sister Yoshimoto

This is a super cool ice tray thing shaped like a heart!! how fun!!

This is the new WML and his family! The Dickersons!!! He actually served in the San Jose mission Spanish Speaking! probably like 15 years ago or something! but he remembers Alum Rock ward! It might have been before they had the Spanish ward. idr. but how cool huh??

This a really badly taken pic of me and John and Kristi Meharg! <33

Sis Roberts and me on the see saw! wooh! haha

This is me and little Deviney (Dev-on-ee) sooo cute! We were on the see saw in their back yard!! so fun!!

This is Brother Dion Lauck! He ALSO served in SJ but a lot longer before Bro Dickerson. He served when it was a huuuuge area with like San Fran in it too and stuff. but he did serve in Alum Rock area!! How cool!! He served IN San Jose! He's the BEST! So great with missionary work and they were just awesome! :)

(see his little "I can't hug you so, air hug!" pose haha)

Deviney and Evalynn

Such funnnnyyy pictures!!! But they really are the cutest little kids hahahha! and soooooo much personality!! haha. Kids are the best!

I'm Being Transferred to Henderson (YSA)

October 14, 2013

(Note to friends from Lauren's dad:  a mission is divided into 6-week time periods called "transfers."  At the end of each transfer period, missionaries MAY be moved to a different location.  Sister Lauren Yoshimoto has served in Kingman, AZ for two transfer periods)

Oiii!!!

I have some huge, big, sad news for you all.......................

 

I just got news of transfers... I'm moving.... to Green Valley Henderson. a YSA ward. new companion--Sister Jensen-Coon. HAHA right??? SO WEIRD!  My mission is the absolute WEIRDEST!! mannn I'm sooo sad though.. I seriously am so heartbroken. I love Kingman SOO much.  My heart felt sooo heavy as I talked to all the people yesterday that I've grown to love soooo much.  I'm even more sad because there are a few families out of town this weekend that I won't even get to say goodbye to.   I hate it.  This is the worst feeling.   I figured I'd stay in Kingman until my VISA came in--and everyone else did, too--and then I'd go to Brazil and that would be hard enough. but now I have to leave this amazing area and go in-valley and start in a new area that I'll then have to leave. sighhh , but I guess this is what missioanry work is about. aaaagh!!  I love the people here sooo much.  This is my baby!! but I guess the Lord needs me elsewhere now... I will definitely have to come back to Kingman after the mission though.. sooooo, family roadtrip? :) 

I'm a little worried that I'll be in a YSA ward.. it'll be soooo different and so strange not having families and crying children--instead having people MY age on their phones and playing games during sacrament meeting.... haha. fun new challenges. plus it'll be super weird working with Sis Jensen-Coon again.. hmm . not sure how I feel, yet. it'll be good, but I feel like it'd be nice getting to learn from someone. but I guess there are some things I still need to learn from her! 

I gave a talk yesterday. and ohhh man. It's weird how talking just isn't all THAT scary anymore!! so cool! yet, at the same time, this was the first one, and it was a huuuuge busy week where we literally had NO time to prep it except during personal study Sunday morning... sooooo the preparation wasn't very good. Good thing it was on an easy subject--Missionary work! yay! 

So, confession time -- Brazil has been on my mind soooo much lately. I have never minded being out here and being on my mini-mission in the states. I loooved it. but recently, this past week it's been on my mind a looot and I just have been getting ansty. It's so hard to not for some reason and it's been bugging me. Then, to help the situation, when we were at the mission office in Vegas for a conference, one of the office workers was like heyyy, I'm not gonna say anything but SOMEone got their VISA! and me and the other missioanries were there like WHAT! WHAT?!?! and then she's like ohh! no, sorry! it was another elder, not you....... I was like oh... okay. 

-__________- and then all this week everyone's punking me about Brazil!! the ZL's who announce transfers were like and Sis Yoshi--BRAZIL! jk. Green Valley.... NOT COOL!

But I've been praying about it and trying to keep focused here. trusting the Lord will allow me on His time. whenever that may be. I just feel so ready now!  Maybe just because I'm leaving Kingman. idk. we'll see. 

Man, I just feel like this week has been busy and stressful and crazy and now I'm leaving. and this computer wont let me send pics and I have a lot to send. and I'm sad. ahah okay done moping. It'll be an AWESOME new adventure!! woooh!! I'm actually pretty excited to let you know how things will be in the next area! I'll be there right next to Uncle Jimmy!! Tell them to invite us to a nerf gun war. hehe. jk. but yeah how excitingggg!! hehe. Michael can go to the YSA ward. right?? idk actuallyl. how old is he? 18 right? 

Okay well, I love you all and I am so excited for a new adventure! I forget everything I wanted to say... oh right, I never got to eat snake yet :( and someone is going to send me Elk steak when I leave hahahaha. I love this place. 

I am just so priveleged to have been blessed with the opportunity to serve the people in the Boulder Springs Ward in Kingman!  good ol Kingman!!! The ward is amazing and the people are just so great.  I can't wait to come back after the msision :)

Well, I will send pics in a bit when I can figure out this darn computer. Thank you sooo much for the love and support and prayers from everyone! Tell Sister Meyers that I got the message from Sister Dawson! :) She is soo cute! I love their family! Brother Dawson is the best! haha. So cool! Sister Meyers' Roommate/ Best friend or soemthing is Sister Dawson's Aunt and she lives here in Kingman in my ward!  So awesome! small world :))

Love you lots!!!!!

Always in my prayers!

Com Amor, Sister Yoshimoto!

 

 

Guided to a Less Active Hearing Impaired Member

October 7, 2013

Sooooo I didn't plan this out at all!! So this will be a biiiiig mess of an email! haha.


First of all... OMG Conference was amaaazing! I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've stayed up for every single session... ahem--confessions. haha. It was pretty cool though cause I really got a lot from every single one. Man! I can't even remember which ones were so amazing! But I will bring my notes next time. I do remember there were a bunch about member missionary work and over coming trials. I loved them. It was so good and exactly what i needed to hear personally and what i think the whole ward needed to hear this week.

It's such good timing too, because I have just been assigned to talk this coming Sunday... onnnnn--you guessed it!--Missionary work! haha. Luckily it'll be a youth speaker, me, Sister Roberts, and the Ward mission leader. so that's good I don't need to take up THAT much time. but I'm still so nervous... ughhhh.... we have suuuucha huge ward that I figured I'd be able to get away with out speaking until  I left for Brazil and the people would be much more forgiving because I'm just learning the language :)

buuuuutt oh well, I guess it's good to have the missionaries talk about missionary work and how truly easy it is for members to do! We had a huge training on that in Zone conference about how We have to talk to EVERYONE and we have the hard part. but the members, dang, you all just have to talk to the nice people. be people's friends and ask them if they would be willing to listen to a brief presentation on how families can be forever or how we have the restored gospel or whatever principle and how we know its true. and if not then, it's okay. go on your way and just keep being friends!  haha. we were like yah! they got it easy!! haha. but anyway that was an awesome part of conference and now I get to use some of it in my talk! woo hoo!

Another amazing thing happening this Sunday is something called the Why I Believe fireside! It's where a bunch of new converts have been selected to give a talk about how they came to know the church was true, basically giving their story and everyone can hear them bare testimony and stuff.  Idk I haven't been to one yet but apparently everywhere else it's been sooou suuuuper successful and suuuuper spiritual. I can't wait. cause we have some AMAZING new converts who are truly converted and will be amazing helps for our investigators seeing they arent the only ones going through a hard time and in the place their in right now while investigating the church.  It's gonna be amazing.  I cant' wait!!!!

Sooooo I feel really bad I can't remember anything I was supposed to answer! ):

sighh maybe email me all the questions next week hahah. I will try to write a letter today after I reread your dear elders! Everything is crazy today, because we were going to go to another city, Oatman, to see the donkeys and ghost town for pday but the lady who was going to take us ended up tricking us into doing service at her home instead... It was really strange. hahahah.  We were all ready and in the car and stuff and she's like sooooooooo I dont feel good.  We're like oh no it's okay we can go another day and she's like GREAT! Well, while we're all here, I need service! and we were like uhmmmm we aren't SUPPOSED to do service on mondays (mission president likes us doing things we can't do on mondays and service other days) and she's like okay well its okay and next thing we knew we're at her house cutting grass with scissors and picking lettuce leaves and sanding chairs hahahah... for 3 hours.. so we just got back and are now here and I don't have most of my stuff that I prep for writing emails but hey! fun stuff! haha. mission stories... hahaha.

Oh!  Cool story this week!  We were on exchanges and got lost looking for a house and ended up in this crazy far out area called Lazy YU and ended up at an inactive members' home!  It was awesome!  They are soooo cool and you can just TELL they are dying for the gospel and want the spirit back in their lives but for some reason --we haven't been able to find out yet--they don't want to go to church.  I think its people reasons.. but they've been inactive since they moved here 10 years ago.  They have home teachers and visiting teachers and everything and they LOVE us over and want lessons and prayers and everything --like they're asking US. but they just live soooo far out. it's hard for us to go up there cause we monitor our miles. but the wife is hearing impaired and is an interpretor!  So we got to sign with each other! IT WAS SO HARD I DONT REMEMBER ANYTHING!!))): but I told her about everyone at home who taught me ASL and how we would translate songs and prayers for them and she was so excited cause she does that too for schools and stuff!  She gave us a cool dvd of a ASL choir where they all sign the song in unison! SO COOL! So, it was awesome being able to bond with her over that. Tell everyone at home I said thank you for all they taught me and help prepare me for those hearing imparied people I meet here in Kingman! :) how amazing how the Lord works! !

Anyway, The Kunsmans are a family here, I dont know if I've told you about them yet, but really quickly--We don't technically know this yet--but bishop, who is Kunsman dad's doctor, told us that he is terminally ill with cystic fibrosis or something where he will die within the next 5-10 years and his daughter has it too. We've been teaching them about the plan of salvation and until recently didn't know that this was their situation. They are the most amazing family ever. Seeing how much complete love they have in their family just breaks my heart knowing that they are living with this burden on their minds not knowing that we can live with our families forever after this life.  It's hard to meet  with them cause they are so busy, but I am so excited to talk to them about eternal families and how one of the most amazing hopes that this gospel brings us is the fact that death isnt the end, and that because of this gospel, we can see all of our loved ones again and be with them forever in complete happiness with our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ no matter WHAT happens in this life. This mortal life ends, but it doesn't have to be a sad event. I'm so excited to help them truly understand this principle and gain that testimony for themselves. I can't wait to see the hope and light that this Gospel will bring to their lives once they truly understand it. I love this gospel soooo much! I love my family SOOO much and can honestly say that this is one of the GREATEST blessings in my life, having this knowledge of the restored complete gospel and all the blessings it offers!

I'm glad Kei had a good bday!! and got to see conference! soo cool! I didn't get to see them on the balcony, but its okay.  I waved anyway :) haha jk. but how fun!! Honestly, the first session was my favorite. soooo great!! I'm so jealous! I wish I could have been there!!!! I hope you had fun and got a goood bday dinner!:)  I was gonna send this suuuper cool hula dancing card for your bday but the inside message was... not missionary appropriate haha. :P the card was so cool though..... it danced when you opened the card. man. anywayy.... HOPE you had a GREAT bday!!!!

Tell everyone how much I love you all and appreciate the letters and support and prayers! You are all the best!!! love my home ward family, friends, family! Miss you all!!!  You're all in my prayers! <3

Ate a proxima semana!!!

-Sister Yoshimoto!


ps. i found a few members who speak Portuguese!!! RM's from Brazil or Portugual! woo woo! practice buddies! haha. yeah right.. we'll see :)

 These caterpillars are all over the place.  As big as Sister Roberts' hand

 I love Kingman!

 Lots of desert

 Kingman Sunset from member's home

 London Bridge ... really!

 Mansion in Kingman.  Super rich people and super poor people, too.

 Wow.  Nice house!

 Sister Roberts with the car tissue!  We both have allergies!

 Zone conference

This gospel is true. It is for everyone!

 September 30, 2013

Oi! Belizaaaaa Manha! :)

So this week went by preeeetty quick! And I know this next one will be even quicker! 

First of all, Thanks dad! We got a call from the Mission Office. He did say my money should be on there. So we'll see! Should work! thankssss!! :) I will be using my own money for a couple of sweaters today at Walmart though. so just be aware of that haha. It is getting COLD! like 70's and 80's in the day and 50's in the morning. oh my gosh. I am dyingg!! I did NOT sign up for this!! haha. 

Anyway, second of all HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY KEILYN!!!! Wooh hoooo!! General Conference day! how lucky!!! Go get that Smiths chocolate cake hehe. mmmm!

I am seriously soooooo excited for General Conference! I can't WAIT! It's gonna be amaaaazing!! I saw the RS conference and omg it was SOOO AMAZING! I can't wait for general conference. It is seriously such an experience. I can't wait to get every single one of our investigators and Less Active members to conference. How can you hear President Monson or even President Uchtdorf or Elder Holland and NOT know that whta they're saying is 10000000% truth and from God. I love this church so much. 

We were teaching the Gospel Principles class this Sunday and it was on Missionary Work haha. It was just another lesson we taught but once we started talking about it and reading quotes from prophets and really talking about the importance, I got so overwhelmed and excited and I never felt so priveleged to be a part of something so amazing and exciting! I am a FULL time missionary! How crazy is that!!! I spend all day every day, every waking moment thinking about how I can further the work of the Lord! How I can give others this amaizng life that I have! I never felt so amazing! I was teaching and I think they thought I was a little crazy when I expressed how happy I was to be in Kingman and how much I love it here, when everyone knows I'm supposed to be in Brazil. haha but honestly I can't even express how much I love Kingman! I love the people, the ward, the desert (weird, right?) the animals, the weird bugs and everything!  I love this ward sooo much! They are just such amazing people.  I wish I could spend sooo much more time with every single family!! Every person in the area. ack! I can honestly see now how hard it'll be to have to leave.... even to go to Brazil. 

wooh, anyway. calm down, Sister Yoshimoto haha. I planned this wrong. cause now i'm about to tell the sad news...Helen has officially dropped us.... 

We called her again and she said she won't go to Chruch again. Then she said sorry, but I just don't want to do it anymore. She said we could come over and visit her still, but she didn't want to be a part of the church. I honestly just want to cry whenever I think about it.  She is so close. She is so, sooo close. She knows it, but just doesn't want to admit it or let it happen cause she is scared!  She is stubborn and she wnats things her way! She forgets everything she ever learned thorughout this process. all the answers she's received. and refuses to remember them when we talk to her about it. It breaks my heart. so. bad. I just wanna cry and ask her what we could possibly do or what we could possibly ever have done differently or better to help her understand that this is SO important. SO urgent. I just don't know. It's a hard lesson to learn... but I just always thought that if I did my part and they did theirs that it would work out! I know they always say they have their agency and even after getting that witness that its true, can choose to not accept. but that just doesn't make sense.. it just makes NO sense at all! How can we just make people understand that this is not just SO important but its SO NEEDED and SO WANTED! It's for US! for our HAPPINESS! this is here to make us HAPPY!  Don't you all want to be happy! I just don't understand.... I love Helen sooo much and I just can't stand the thought of her passing away without accepting this gospel in her life.  She deserves so much more than she is allowing herself to have. and it breaks my heart.

I've never felt the urgency of this work more. I just want EVERYone to know that this is just soooo important! Everyone needs to know the blessings of this gospel! I finally understand in the Book of Mormon ...(Alma? Nephi? dont remmeber.....) wanting to shout with the trump of angels to all the world. Which is why member missionary work is SO important. It's the only way the whooole world can hear this message! and how great shall be our joy! 

Well, I'm super excited about this new found push I've found. I just hope I can rub off on my companion and get her as excited cause I just want to go out and work forever now... which might not go well with her.. but we'll see! haha she's definitely working harder now and it's great! We're  getting along better. Laughing is the key! Plus my own pride and need to let the little things slide. I think I'm getting better at it! :) yay! Anyway, I loveeee this gospel and every day I know more and more that there is no possible way that this isn't the true Church of God. There is no doubt that this is the full Gospel of Jesus Christ once again restored on this Earth. The happiness it brings to the people we teach makes it all worth it. I love you all sooo much! and want to thank the ward for their prayers and support as well! 

Love you alll!!!!<333

-Sister Yoshimoto