I'm losing track of the weeks

Hello! How is it already Monday again? Everyone kept saying again and again how fast this week was going...

It's been gorgeous here in California, enjoying the warm weather and now with an extra hour of light! So excited about that! Working in the dark can be so difficult,with people not liking to open their door at night unless they know who is on the other side, so I'm grateful to have more light to work with. With the warmer weather we've been biking more- SO FUN! I'm still new to the whole sister missionary on bike thing haha I'm sure we look ridiculous riding around the streets on our bikes in our nice skirts and dresses but it's so fun and a great way to talk with more people. The bike I ordered needs some fine-tuning and just getting out there and practicing will make it an easier adjustment, I had my first bike crash on Saturday...into a bush BAHA. Thankfully it was on the side of our apartment complex so my companion was the only one that saw but we were laughing so hard. It was bound to happen at some point, besides a few scrapes on my leg and elbow I'm good. 

We've had a good week, our interviews with President and his wife were wonderful as always, and Elder Bednar is this coming Friday! We are all very excited to be in his presence. The word on the street is that President and the assistants spoke with his secretary and she says that this visit from him is one of his very bests and will change our mission and our perspective if we let it. I'm pumped. 

It's been a weird week with Dekontee...we went over earlier in the week wanting to talk about the restoration and Joseph Smith again, so we were all prepared for the lesson, went in and watched the DVD, spirit was strong and asked her to continue to pray that he is a prophet and restored the gospel. She told us that she had had a job interview the day before and we felt prompted to fast for her that she would get this job. She was very excited to have us fasting for her and we told her that we would follow-up with her on Saturday. We fasted on Thursday and went over Saturday afternoon to hear if she had gotten the job or not and how the praying was going. When we asked if she had prayed she told us no, we asked what was stopping her from praying and she said she just hadn't. Needless to say we were both a little frustrated and had to tell her that we love teaching her and love being with her and her children, but as missionaries it's our purpose to help others come closer to Jesus Christ and following his example which eventually leads to baptism. We understand that she wants to learn more and that can take time but that includes action on her part: to ask, to read from the book of Mormon etc. It won't come without any action on her part and exercising her faith that this really is the gospel of Jesus Christ restored back on the earth. So after that we told her that we would be ready and excited when she is ready to learn but that we can't continue meeting unless she's willing to receive an answer for herself. When we were finished and said a prayer she asked us if we would be coming back on Wednesday...both Sister Kandare and I were confused not knowing if she was asking us to come back on Wednesday because she was wanting to try a little harder this time at getting an answer for herself or wanting us to come back because she didn't understand what we had told her. We will try on Wednesday but we're not sure how it's going to go. Hoping that she really does want to know for herself!

That was a little disappointing,we are meeting with our district leader and zone leaders to discuss ways we can find more people to teach, definitely something we've been struggling with in the area but on the plus side Kirk and Colleen are still doing well. The divorce is such a messy process, I guess Colleen and her former husband both filed at the same time in different counties which makes it difficult to work with. So we aren't sure when that will be finalized. 

Wednesday we went back to help Don with his lambs! His neighbors and members from the ward, the Stoeltzings were there, another one of their neighbors, Liz and our ward mission leader's daughter, Breanna. Afterwards, Don took us all to lunch! Sister Kandare and I call it "the posse" haha because Don and Liz are always at the Stoeltzings house when we are invited to dinner. 

This Sunday was Sister Kandare's 20th birthday! Sister Hickman and her companion woke up early on Sunday morning and came to decorate our apartment and then we all jumped on Sister kandare's bed singing happy birthday to wake her up. We had both gotten her a few gifts, so we opened those, went to a member's house for breakfast and then Church.  After going out and working for a few hours, we had dinner with the Browns and then the Brown's and I had planned a little surprise party for her with some of our ward members. We were running a little behind on dinner when members started showing up, Sister Kandare was so confused and I just said, "It's a surprise party! Surprise..." definitely anti-climatic but she had no idea and it was fun to celebrate her birthday with them. She is such a wonderful companion and we've become the best of friends, it's definitely going to be hard to say goodbye when one of us is transferred. 

Well, I better run, eager and excited for a new week! Very excited for this Friday to be with Elder Bednar and to let everyone know how it goes! Have a safe week!

Love, Sister Allen