Summer... I think!

Hey family!

Oh my, it is finally warm!  :)  I am sooooo happy!  For so many reasons!  One, because the sun is shining, which hardly ever happens in Ithaca.  Two, because it was an exhausting but fruit filled week.  And three, because I get to be a part of the best causes in the world.

I just feel so incredibly grateful to be here.  It's so nice of Heavenly Father to trust us with helping His children!  I am so glad he allows us to get to experience a smidge of the love he has for all human kind.  Because of this trust he's put in me with calling me here to do his work, I'm trying hard not to mess it up.  ha ha.  Every minute I try to keep that perspective, that I'm serving on his and his son's behalf.  Every minute is theirs.  This week we've worked like crazy.  We decided not to come home for any meals so we could testify to more people as we ate our sack lunches and dinners downtown.  We set a goal to talk to 800 new people this transfer.  Not just talking to them but really inviting them to live the gospel.  We found 5 new really interested investigators this week because of it.  We've been testifying like crazy and it makes me so thankful for what I know.  We are sooooo blessed to know that this is the true church.  It's so sad how many are so confused and hardhearted to not even listen.  Some people hate us around here, and other people love us.   

Sister Johnston goes home in a few weeks so I told her she's gonna go home with a bang!  Yesterday she said, "Being in a walking area really makes me appreciate my past areas with a car."  I can't even imagine having a car!  I bet it'd be a hinderance because it seems like you'd have to drive past so many people outside that you could potentially be talking to.  We borrowed the Elder's car a couple weeks ago to drive Sister Hacking to her Dr's appointment and we stopped at a drive-thru on the way home too.  I felt like I was living the most luxurious lifestyle!  Just not being on my feet and eating a Mcdonald's ice cream cone.  Ridiculous, I know, but the Elders and missionaries with cars do not even know how easy they have it.  We spend hours on p-day getting our laundry from our apartment, down the hill to the laundromat, and back up the hill and same with our groceries.  You'd all laugh if you saw us.  I feel stupid wearing my name-tag on Pdays when we carry our laundry all around town because I know it looks so informal.

Anyways, I feel like singing that song, "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?" and replacing it with Jeff's name!  What the!  He's just in South America traveling for no good reason!  Who does that?  That's so awesome!  It's like he's trying to live his mission all over again, except not preaching the gospel.  Hopefully he brought pass along cards or book of mormons or something!

Such good news as far as investigators go!  You know Sarah Renteria, who has 4 kids, 3 of which have been baptized and now are inactive?  SHE WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED!  We set her with a date last Tuesday for June 19th!  I know it's soooo crucial for her to become a member in order to reactivate her kids.  They only come to church if she does.  It's made me so happy to see them ALL at church just because she's now decided to start coming.

Part-member families are the ultimate best to work with!  The Lord has been preparing Sarah for this step for awhile but not until recently have the doors really opened.  She was smoking a lot but then got re-diagnosed with lung cancer.  The dr.s told her she needed to quit, so she did! :)  Then her husband (who is really against the church) decided he wanted a divorce (which has been hard on her), but it is a blessing in disguise.  She's been trying to look at the positives, and told us she can finally join the church since he moved out on Friday!  God makes miracles happen.

We are also teaching this amazingly spiritual couple named Tina and Larry.  Larry pretty much begged us on Wednesday to set him with a baptism date.  But considering that he's only been taught the restoration and he was drinking a cup of coffee as he begged, we are going to wait.  ha ha.  He still needs to be taught more and gain a testimony.  However, everything is ringing true with him and her.  They know the bible like the back of their hand.  It's really fun to teach them from the book of mormon.  We cross reference and go to town.  They love it and have not found one contradiction yet.  And they won't!  I love the Book of Mormon so much.

Well, I have to go now but I did cut my hair.  It's so short!  I'll attach pictures.

Tell all the Zwick side hello and give Laurie, Dirk, and Jason a hug from me!

I love you all!

p.s. Tricia Carlile!  Good luck entering the MTC this wednesday girl.  I will write you there, you'll love this!!