Hello!

Sounds like it's been a great week with everyone, and welcome to the world beautiful baby Pearl Grace! She is beautiful, how exciting for the Tuioti family!

We've had a good week here, can't believe that we're into the fourth week of this transfer...the days fly by so by the time I begin emailing I have to go back and remember the things that we have done. Most mornings we have service; with members, thrift stores, nursing homes. Then after lunch we'll spend several hours going out, trying to contact potential and former investigators, less active and part member families. There are a TON of part member families up here and something the stake is pushing missionaries to work with. 

On Wednesday, we drove allllll the way out to the middle of nowhere to try and visit a less active woman. We drove, and drove. By the time we got to her house, we noticed a man was loading up a car. For a second my companion wanted to turn back and come another day fearing that he would be unfriendly, but I thought well we drove all the way out here, let's just go. As we were walking up we called out to the man who turned out to be a member! Hallelujah! He and his wife come up a few times during the week from a different stake to visit this woman that is a close friend. It was such a tender mercy, to have two very kind members there to talk with this woman and encourage her to talk with us and accept our offer to help in her yard sometime soon. We were already late for our dinner appointment but she accepted our card and we told her that we would call her this week to see if there is a time we could help in her yard. 

With the area being so large, it's easy to miss people when they are home or catch them at a good time for them to talk. So people letting us into their homes is such a blessing haha. We were able to visit and share a message with another less active woman who talked our ears off for a good 45 minutes. My companion almost fell asleep but after serving in east sac for six months where those ladies know how to talk, I feel pretty used to sitting and listening. I think we forgot that a lot of us (if not all) just sometimes need to talk, and for those sweet ladies they don't have anyone that will. As representatives of Jesus Christ we're expected to act and serve the way he would, which at times means sitting and listening to those little ladies. 

Sunday we had a great sacrament meeting, the spirit was so strong. We live with a family, the Davidson's and one of their daughters came home from her mission a few weeks ago and gave a wonderful homecoming talk. It's been fun getting to know her and here more about her experiences from her misisonary service in Argentina. She has an amazing testimony about obedience, so powerful. 

Oh and the exciting news for the mission: ipads will be here in the next two months. Wohoo! Excited to have all the lessons and mormon messages right at my finger tips. I'm obsessed with the mormon messages, they are so good! I could spend forever watching them on p-day. There's one " you never know" I cry every time. So good. President Hinckley reminds us that we never know the difference we make in individual lives and I have to keep that in mind in this area. It's so easy to think, I'm not doing anything here, I'm wasting my time etc but we don't always know how we are helping people. How we are uplifting them. So we continue to move forward with a prayer that we will be impressed and prompted to be where the Lord needs us, and who he needs us to see. 

Looking forward to this week, and exchanges with Sister Hickman!!! Love that girl and excited to spend a day with her. 

Thank you for your love and prayers, I feel them each day! Have the best week!

Love, Sister Allen