We Have Been So Blessed!

Family,

One of the greatest things of this week is that we were able to set one of our investigators J with a baptismal date for September 20th!! That should be the Saturday before our next transfer. 

He is the one that came to the last baptism and said that he would like to be baptized while I am still here. He is struggling to heal from his surgery, but we are hoping and praying that he will recover enough to be baptized that day!
 
He has really been wanting to be baptized, but his health has really been holding him back. He got a priesthood blessing this week. The day after his blessing he was able to go to the doctor and be put on another medication, and he says that it is really helping. Keep him in your prayers that he will continue to heal for his baptism!

Brother Linford, Angela, me and Sister Linford!
Angela and her parents came to our Transfer Meeting this week!
I was so happy and so surprised to see them. I love this family!
Oh and sorry family, Sister Linford decided to legally adopt me.

We also have had two incredible lessons with one of our investigators M. Recently we brought a member with us to her meetings and they are now just best friends. The member was less-active for a long time, but now is so strong. She has been through a lot that M has been through. This member is so sweet and so bold! They have really connected and it has been such a blessing for M! She still has problems with different church doctrines, but she is really coming a long way!

Angela Linford and me
It is really weird being on this side of things because I
remember being at home while she was on her mission,
and now she is the one home while I finish my mission.

We met with C this week and we were anticipating it to be a "drop" lesson because she hasn't really been reading the Book of Mormon lately. This lesson would finish all the missionary lessons with her. At the end of the lesson we simply asked her where she wanted to go from here. She surprised us and told us that she still wants us to come over and read the Book of Mormon with her. She is one who is really hard to get answers out of.  She mostly keeps commitments only because we ask her to. She still wants to read and go more in depth with the Book of Mormon so she can find out if it is true. We were so happy so see that her desire really is there!

Our Zone t-shirts!
Sister Snow, me, Hermana Shepherd,
Hermana Player, Hermana Higgs, Hermand Faletau,
Elder Eggleston, Elder Egan, Elder Cheadle,
Elder Crapo, Elder Jones, and Elder Davis

We have been so blessed these days. We have had so many great lessons with our investigators and some of them are making great progress! We are teaching 12-year-old L and she is so sweet! Her mom is less-active and hasn't been to church in over 30 years. L is a little quiet and hard to read sometimes, but her mom says that she really loves when we come over. It is also great to see her mom get involved and learn all these things again for herself! 

I just love Sister Hegstrom!

We had another lesson with our 17-year-old investigator J. She just had shoulder surgery and she is doing well. It seems like so many of our investigators are going through health issues. We are being patient with them and trying to help them along. She has been in so much pain, but she is so tough! She has truly been through so many hard things for being so young, but she is also spiritually tough. She tells us that she prays every morning for about 15 minutes to tell Heavenly Father how she is doing. She is amazing! She also is just loving the Book of Mormon and loves it when we come over to teach her! 

Helping Gianna with Personal Progress and family history work

We are still working with Gianna and teaching her the "new member lessons." We had a lesson on the Plan of Salvation this week and she did so well trying to explain all the different parts of the plan. She is the sweetest and the ward has really soaked her up! She and her mother are doing really well! Gianna has so many friends at church now and she even went with the Young Women to do baptisms for the dead this week! She absolutely loved it!

Gianna at the temple! Her first time to do baptisms!

Life is just great here in Simi! We have been blessed with many wonderful investigators, so we have really been keeping busy. I love being able to see the changes in these people's lives. Since I have been here about 5 months now, I have been able to see huge progress in those we are teaching. I know that sometimes the investigators don't notice it like we do, but I feel blessed to be able to sit front row and see the Atonement working in others' lives. 

It's true, my mission has been the craziest, hardest, but most rewarding thing I have ever done! I have already been able to see how much I have learned and how these people have changed ME. I really couldn't ask for anything better, and there is no place I would rather be!

I am really excited to start exchanges again this week and to see all the miracles in the areas of these great sisters! We have 7 exchanges this transfer. The next 4 weeks are going to be full of meetings, exchanges, and miracles!

So Much Love,

Sister Mason