Hello Family and Friends!!

We have had a very wet week! I'm sure you heard about the recent Typhoon in Japan; well we got the after-effects from it! The wind and rain have been abundant. Unfortunately my scriptures got wet :( I have worked this week blow drying a page at a time when I had a spare moment. I then put weight on them to flatten the pages. From now on I'll make sure to put them in a ziploc bag before I put them in my shoulder bag. At least they'll be able to visually represent my time here in Oregon due to the waterlogged pages. After getting caught in the rain one day we made sure to plan rides in advance. I'm so grateful that we have a very supportive ward; we were able to get many rides this weekend and haven't had to be in the rain [or on our bikes] hardly at all! :) Tender mercies!

The work this week has paled in comparison with last week but that's how things go--opposition, right? We were still able to have some lessons with many of our less-actives though :) There are a handful of them that like us and welcome us in, so we're focusing on them right now. This weekend we talked to our Family History Consultant and are learning more about reactivation and finding through Family History work. The stories the couple told us on the work they've done are phenomenal!! They are passionate about Family History and have had many neat experiences. They said they hope we've now caught some of that enthusiasm as a result of hearing their stories and it's true; we have!! It's definitely contagious and we can't wait to get others on board :)

Our appointment with B fell through this week :P He was caught in a project at work Wednesday night. We tried to get together this weekend but that didn't work out either. He was genuinely sorry and said we'll shoot for this Wednesday, so we look forward to that :) We had a fabulous Zone Meeting on Thursday! One of the Sisters had a great idea to dress like the Elders so we all wore dark skirts, white blouses, and a scarf. (The picture is attached) Our training and practice was on planning effectively. They also gave us some training on how to correctly report stats (i.e. what 'counts' as a lesson, what qualifies a person as a new investigator, etc) because so many of us are young missionaries. It was a great reminder on what our stats actually represent. It's always good to make sure you're being honest with yourself and the Lord; for we are accountable to Him. That's actually what we've decided to have our dinner message be on this week: accountability. "Accountability is a principle that influences how we begin, how we think, and feel about the responsibility the Lord has given us, how we approach our work, and how well we endure." (PMG, 151) We know we are judged based on our works and our desires. Doctrine and Covenants section 11 says the word desire eight times! I also had my quarterly interview with President Morby on Thursday.

The Relief Society broadcast was so wonderful!! I'm so grateful that we were able to go with some ward members to watch it at the Stake Center. We had soup and salad afterwards. A miracle that we witnessed happened as we were waiting for the broadcast to begin; I saw D walk in! (I'm pretty sure I've talked about her before...but just as a reminder Sister Porter and I taught her a couple of times. She's a nonmember in the Hedges Creek area fifteen minutes away. She's married to a less-active man and she wasn't really progressing so we gave her back to the Elders because they are much closer and were able to make contact more often and work with her husband as well.) I wanted to invite her to sit with us but the chapel was full. I saw her sit down alone and was about to go sit by her when more women came in and sat near her. I resolved to go say hi after the broadcast. Afterwards, I made my way over to her and we hugged :) It was like seeing an old friend! We asked her if she was staying for dinner and she said yes :) We invited her to sit with us and she agreed. We had a pleasant conversation :) After dinner she asked if our phone number was the same and said that we'll have to stay in touch! It was perfect that the whole broadcast was about covenants! Hopefully it spoke to her and sparked some desire in her.

Yesterday our fifth Sunday instruction was mainly focused on being 'nourished by the good word of God'. The Bishop presented a Book of Mormon challenge to seek a specific blessing as you read. The timing could not have been more perfect; I just finished the Book of Mormon! I have now resolved to engage in a meticulous study of the book; looking up every footnote and spending days/weeks on a single verse/passage. I'm so excited to begin again :)  

Today we're going to Goodwill with a member of our ward! It's a different Goodwill than most in that everything is in bins and you have to rummage through things. But apparently this makes it better and cheaper than the rest! The member we're going with always brings disposable gloves :) Haha, hopefully we find some treasures!

It seems as though I've received a lot of messages about trials lately. Looking back on my life at some of the trials I've experienced, I think: "that wouldn't even phase me right now." This shows that I've grown and gotten stronger. The trials we go through are necessary for our eternal progression so it's important to keep that eternal perspective. I'm grateful for trials, even though they are hard when I'm going through them. The things that are most important in life take work. Trials also draw us to Christ. He takes us to the place where no one can help us but Him. That's how the gospel of Jesus Christ brings us closer to Him. Also, sin moves us away from Christ. We teach the Atonement so others can come closer to Him. So trials and overcoming sin are two things that bring us closer to Christ. I'm so deeply grateful for the Atonement!

I love you :)

Love,

Sister King

P.S. Believe in Christ and believe Christ.