Temple Day

We were able to go to the Portland Temple today and the visitors
center. I love the temple. I was having a rough morning to say the
least and I could have started off my day better. But when we got to
the temple everything started to look and feel better and I am so
grateful for that! I love that I was able to go to the temple with
Sister Mecham. She is such a spiritual leader! So I am sorry that I
was not able to write yesterday but that is why. I am so very sorry
that all of my letters lately have been super short and uninformative
as to what is happening. I am very grateful for this week! We had a
Specialized Training and Interviews this past week and I loved being
able to see both Pres. and Sis. Greer! I love them both so much! This
week was pretty great. Although we were not required to do exchanges
this transfer, we were grateful for the opportunity to still do one
with Sisters Brown and Ireland. They are great! I was able to return
again to my former area of Mountain View and Clark YSA wards and
Sister Ireland came over here to work with Sister Mecham. Sister Brown
and I both thought it was a good idea for the two newish sisters to
work together and since Sister Ireland has never left here area yet,
it worked out great. Sister Brown and I had a wonderful day together,
we were able to chat and catch up as well as teach 4 lessons and talk
to new people. It was good to be able to talk to Sister Brown. We were
able to share our concerns we had about training and how we felt about
it. It was good to hear about some of the trials that she has had in
training as well even though this was her second time. I was always
told that training was hard and a really big responsibility but I
never thought I would actually feel the way I do about it. I love
training even though it is difficult. I love Sister Mecham and I know
that I was supposed to be her trainer. She is so different from me and
yet we are so similar at the same time.  On exchanges, Sister Mecham
and Sister Ireland had a good time too. They taught some and found
some. They actually tracted in an area that Sis. Mecham and I had been
planning on tracting and they were able to talk to a woman that had
Sisters knock on her door two years ago and she wanted to learn more
but they never came back. So we have an appointment to go back and
teach her this week! I am so excited! I know that Sister Mecham said
that it was difficult at times not having me there but I think it was
a valuable learning experience for everyone involved. Some other
things that have happened lately are we have been teaching this lady
named Katie and she is an absolute joy to teach. She doesn't really
read like we want her to, but she soaks up everything that we tell
her. She has the sweetest son Skylar age 9 who is so adorable and so
obedient to his mom. The husband Joe is not interested in the church
but doesn't object to Katie looking into it. We hope and pray that she
starts to keep her commitments so that the Spirit can touch her heart
even more than it already has. On a sad-ish note, we have been
teaching another lady and we have taught her and her mom since Sept.
Well her mom was baptized the end of December. Last week we went to
meet with her and she ended up (though us trying to figure out how we
could help her find answers to her concerns) telling us that she
didn't know what love was and that she didn't love anyone. She told us
about how she didn't love her family, her mother included, and how she
didn't love her friends and the only thing she loved were her pets. I
asked her, "What about Jesus Christ?" She said that she wasn't even
sure if she loved Him. We were dumbstruck. We had no idea what to say.
I was hurt! I can't believe that someone who professes to believe in
Jesus Christ can say that they don't love him. It still kind of
bothers me that she said that. All I could do was bare my testimony on
the Atonement and how much the Lord loves her and all He asks in
return is for us to love Him and if we love Him then we will keep his
commandments. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a
missionary and to be able to show my love for my Savior through my
actions. I know that it is hard sometimes and that I am not perfect,
but I keep trying. I pray that everyone just keeps trying their best.
I LOVE so much because there is just SO much to love. Thanks for
everything you all do for me. I love you!

P.S. Sorry for the run-on paragraph :) and I will try to send pictures
next week! and transfer calls are on Saturday and that means transfers
are next Wednesday and I am predicting that I will get transferred to a
new area and open it for sister missionaries and probably train again
at the same time. I also think that Sister Mecham will be training a
new missionary...I am not sure but those are my guesses. We will just
have to wait and see. :)