Rain

My grandma wrote me and told me that it has been raining a lot over there in Utah. I really laughed, because I never even knew rain like I know here in Norway. It has rained every single day since I have arrived, and when you are out talking to people in the pouring rain you really start to understand what rain is. Also, I figured it would be warm in the summer...but I have been nothing but cold since I got here. Everyday I try wearing more and more cloths. Tomorrow is the first day of June and I'm wearing thermals. It is going to be the longest winter of my life. 

The food here is pretty good. They have good bread, which means a lot to me because I worked at GH for so long.

 I'm really loving the work. Everyday I love it more and more. There are huge dissappointments. People randomly don't want to meet anymore. People dissappear out of the church, and it took so much to get them there. The biggest dissappointment has got to be how misunderstanding divides people. I hate that. 

But what did I love this last week? My companion is really amazing. Sometimes you meet people and they instantly have a place in your heart. I am so glad she is my trainer. She is really loving and teaches me so much, which is one of my favorite things to do. Some of the members here have my whole heart, and one girl that we are teaching shows me how important this gospel is. It changes people for the better. 

Oh yeah, that is another thing I loved. We had a new convert, she had been baptised a month, who wanted to come and do missionary work with us. She was found on the street last year and now has one of the most powerful testimonies I have ever heard. As I would start talking to somebody she would just start begging them to listen to me because my message had made her so happy. It had complely changed her life, and you could see it in every part of her. That is why I love this so much...it makes people so happy.

 I'm really busy, so that makes it easier, but also this is somethimes really hard. I think so far student teaching was harder on me, but this is harder to get right. Sad to say I'm not a good missionary. I am aware that I have a lot to learn, and I'm also trying to not let myself get too overwhelmed. I wasn't called here to fail and I know it takes time to learn how to do new things. I also try to have faith that the things I can do now are the things that need to be done here now. But I haven't found anyone that wants to come back and learn more. And I have only gotten 2 people to come to the church to learn about anything in the first place. Mostly, I have learned that a lot of people think religion is crazy...which I don't understand. There is so much good that comes from faith. I loved what you said in your testimony, ''its so much easier to let God in than to shut Him out''. That is just how I feel. The strongest part of my testimony is that God loves me. Sister J asks sometimes how I know that. I can't really give her an answer of how I know it. Not one that makes any sense, but I just can feel it. And it is so much easier to feel it than to try and always wonder if he exists, so I just focus on feeling and noticing Gods love for me. It is hard to know anything, but the blessings of the gospel speak for themselves. I love the commandments, the priorities, the blessings, and the responsibilities of being a saint.    

 I have learned a lot from Sister J. We talk a lot about how a mission is a wonderful opportunity to become the person that you want to be. She challenged me to think of the person I want to be at the end of my mission. I've prayed and thought about it and I think I want to be more humble and less selfish. I've already noticed myself thinking about my goal and making changes. I'm excited to make a good plan. I also am praying to really love the people here. I've never really had a hard time loving people, but I want to love these people more than I have ever loved any other people. More, even, then anyone in South America. Sister J and I talk about what it is that motivates us to do the work. She challenged me to let it be the people here that motivates me, so that means I will really have to love them. I like talking to her about motivation. I have always been a hard worker, but that isn't really as important as why I always work. Focusing on the why instead of the just getting something done is better. 

Love you all,

Katie