October 10, 2011

Hello Everyone!

So....exciting news from the week.................................

KATIE IS ON DATE FOR BAPTISM ON OCTOBER 30TH!!!

This will be the first baptism in Everson since February!!!

We were planning on passing her on to the YSA Elders...but we just found out that she's moving to Utah to go to UVU early November...(we knew she was going to be moving, but we didn't realize it was that soon)...and so now we have to worry if we transition her tomorrow, is that enough time for the YSA ward to fellowship her and make it a positive experience for her. She already knows everyone in our ward....she's really close with the Packards (wml and yw president) and will probably want Brother Packard to baptize her anyways.......So now we're worried about transitioning her. It's hard...because Sister Beckstrand and I have both served in Arlington in the YSA branch there, so we know what it's like to have other missionaries "poach" on the ysa investigators....but the Elders have been aware of us teaching her the whole time...they know that we HAVEN'T transitioned her yet because she wasn't really interested in it...........urgh. It's a little frustrating...but she IS on date, and she's really excited. WE'RE really excited. It doesn't really matter where she's baptized....just that she has a good fellowshipping experience. Our district leader said he'd talk with the zone leaders (the Elders over the ysa ward) for us and explain the situation to them. He thinks it would be best if we keep her in Everson ward...who knows what'll happen though.

Anyways...yes....we had a great lesson with her yesterday at the Packards all about the doctrine of Christ. She's doing so great. She loves the Church.
Anyways...other news....

Chris is doing really well. She also wants to be baptized (she and her member boyfriend she's living with need to get married still....). We also finally picked up her son, Derrick, as an investigator. He's YSA age, also. We gave him the information for the YSA ward right away. We don't know if he went yesterday...but he wasn't at our ward, and he said he's been loving Church when he's been coming with his mom, so hopefully! =)

So...once upon a time there was a rumor in the mission that we were getting white-washed and Elders were being put into the Everson Ward. That did not happen at the time....

Recently, Sister Beckstrand came into Everson Ward.

Sister Beckstrand shares my same passion for well-organized area books (our records of investigators, members, etc.).When she was transferred up here, the Everson Ward area book was a little above the travesty it was when I came into Everson Ward.

Sister Beckstrand and I have felt very frantic and passionate about the need for us to update and beautify the area book.We have spent a lot of our proselytizing time doing this. We don't feel guilty. It is something very essential to the success of our area.

This week, (as we are still far from done with the area book) we noticed how obsessed we've become with the area book, and we have come to wonder why this is.

Also recently, Bishop has become very concerned for the split-language families we have in our ward (one spouse speaks Spanish and one English, and so the Spanish speaker does not attend the Spanish group to keep their family together for Church, but then is left out a bit during Church because they don't speak English...).

He has decided to call and assistant ward mission leader over the Spanish-speakers within the ward. He will be teaching a Spanish Gospel Principles class.

Bishop, Brother Packard, and this awml are all very inspired in their callings......and they seem to have been inspired that this should become a "big deal" and we should encourage people to discuss this with their non-member friends.

Sister Beckstrand and I are very concerned that this sounds ridiculous because any Spanish speaking non-members must be transitioned to the Spanish Elders and the Spanish group. We are very concerned that this sounds like the Everson Ward is trying to start it's own Spanish group. We are very concerned, but we are also very aware that the Everson Ward leaders doing this things ARE inspired to do them.

So we don't know what to do.

Then, Saturday night, we put all the pieces together.

We have a very strong suspicion that we are getting ready to be white washed and the Spanish Elders are going to be moved into our apartment with a set of English missionaries and the Spanish group will be moved to the Everson Ward building and..........................yes.

We do acknowledge that it is a suspicion.....but we really don't know why all this Spanish work is becoming such a focus of the ward and we really don't know why we're so obsessed with our area book and we really don't know why Katie is being baptized earlier than we originally felt prompted to comitt her to (we were planning for mid-November before we found out that she was moving before then!).

It just seems like too perfect of a set up.

Anyways...so that's what's going on in Everson. I'm out of time...so can't really respond to too many of your questions atm.....ask 'em again next week I guess! haha sorry!

Love you all!
Sister Heather Holdsworth