Repentance: I don't think I've ever been more fascinated with something before in my life. I want to study it ALL the time.

WE JUST WENT TO PICK UP YOUR PACKAGE!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVED ALL OF IT! ESPECIALLY THE GLUTEN FREE GOOOOOOOOOODNESS! I'm really excited to take over your card and picture for our investigator. He needs it really bad. He did not get baptized this week :( He needs more time to get things figured out. Thank you SO much for your prayers. I really appreciate it and I know he does too. We had to call him and let him know that he needs to show God on his own that he is ready to make this step. He wasn't doing the most basic things on his own (like reading/praying) so we told him that this week he is on his own to read and to pray and get himself closer to God. We have worked and worked and worked with him... but ultimitly it is up to him to make the little decisions of reading instead of watching TV... going to bed early so you can get up for church instead of barbequeing all night long. He told us last night on the phone "don't feel like you are failures. You did everything right, I just need to get there... I KNOW I'm going to get baptized one day... I just need to get serious and do it." He'll get there someday, I know it. He just needs some time to reflect and realize that he needs that spirit each day....and the only way to do it is through prayer and scripture and taking the sacrament. Someday :)

Other good news!!!! We are working with some part member families right now who are awesome and should get baptized next month. I'm really excited for Easter coming up. They are preparing a cool sacrament meeting.

IT'S SISTER SALAN'S BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAY! I LOVE HER!

Okay creepy moment: so we just got done with planning in our apartment... and our window was open with the blinds closed over it. We just heard something screaming outside... and we figured it was probably just the stray cats fighting (because there are like 15 at our apartments). Hearing the scream lead Sister Lichfield to a topic of some scary story. While she was telling it I thought I heard somethng outside of the window... and I was like there is probably nothing there, but I was like "I'll check anyway, why not?" So I crawl over to the blinds and open them and sure enough there was a man directly outside of our window listening to us and when we saw him he just walked away. Who knows why he was there... maybe he was just some kid listening but it was kind of freaky that he was so close to our open window just standing there... we don't open our windows anymore hahaha. The Lord protected us though! Like always!!!

Okay this is the most random email everrrrrrrrrrrrrr! HALF WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CRAZY HUH?! TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE PREACHING THE GOSPEL!

Note from Mom: Our Ward Bishopric asked for Mary to provide her testimony to share over the pulpit. Here is what she wrote:

There are two things made possible by the Savior that I have really come to love on my mission. The first is repentance. I don't think I've been more fascinated with something before in my life. I want to study it ALL the time. It is so beautiful to me that even though we make mistake after mistake we can become clean, without blemish. Like the sons of Mosiah, even the most vilest of sinners can be forgiven... even me as a regular person there are so many things that I am working on - I commit the same little sins over and over again but through God's mercy I can repent and He will remember them no more. Repenting should really become a favorite pastime :)

The second is partaking of the sacrament. I have never partaken of it so meaningfully as I have the past few months. There is a true promise in the sacrament prayer that we will have Christ's spirit to be with us. I know that is true. If we take the sacrament, we will have the spirit of Him to abide with us. I know that is the only way I have been able to overcome the challenges and hardships of serving a mission.

I know that no matter where we are in life, God has a plan for us. He knows what He wants us to become. He is putting experiences in our path so that we can reach our true potential. Sometimes we trip and fall along the way, but I know through repenting and taking the sacrament, we can just keep going on that path to eternal life. I love you all for the examples you have been to me in my life. You have all helped me get to where I am today.

I love this gospel with all my heart!!!!!



HAVE A GOOD EASTER!