HEY!!!                                                                                                                              May 20^th 2013

Well, Another week has flown by. Time just goes faster and faster the longer you are out on a mission! And I have been out for 9 months. It was my half way mark and that was really strange to know I am half way done. eewww. That's all I have to say!

This week has had amazing miracles and one very sad moment for my companion and I, we did our first exchange this week with some of the sisters we are in charge of and it was actually my trainee sister Cottrell and her new trainee! So that was really fun to see and be with her again and meet the missionary she is training. They are in a new area and on bike and my Companion went to their area were on bikes too, and Sister fialho doesn't like to exercise and needless to say....she was really sore the next few days :) made me laugh and she just keeps saying just you wait! But we saw a lot of miracles in our area. We found 2 new investigators and found some referrals for the Spanish Elders and just had a great time learning from each other and talking to people about the Gospel. We are pretty sure we meet some drug dealers they actually were super nice and talked to us for a bit. We could be wrong about that, but that is the conclusion we came to. We probably meet more of them than we think but I am okay with not knowing and just teaching.

We also had some wonderful lessons with some of our investigators. We had a baptism on Friday which went very well and he was confirmed on Sunday and he was just glowing after! I love seeing people after they have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost and the difference it makes in them. We also gained a new investigator from the baptism. She is from a family of recent converts and she has been to 3 baptisms in the last 4 months and she is ready! We are so excited to be able to teach her and help her family become a forever family! They are all amazing and have such strong testimonies of the Gospel!

On Friday, we had the chance to talk to a less-active member and it went really really well and she seemed excited to come back to church but we got a call Sunday afternoon and she said she no longer wanted visits from the Church and we had upset her by some of the things we said. It was devastating. We both just were so sad the rest of the day because we know that she felt the Spirit and she knows the Church is true. We have no idea what it was that we said to upset her. Just hard to see them deny the church and the Holy Ghost especially after they have felt the spirit so strong. Just heartbreaking. We haven't had that happen ever so it was hard to overcome but we pray that hearts will be softened and some day when they are truly ready they will come back! That's all we can do.

Other than that sad phone call, the week has been great! We have 2 more exchanges this week which we are stoked for and so happy to work with the sisters! They are so amazing and just love the Lord.

I was reading 3 Nephi 17 and if you haven't read that in a while, I highly recommend it! So amazing! I love that the Lord stops from leaving and takes the time to heal people and just heal them all at once but one by one. I took from the chapter, just how much the Lord really loves us and how willing he is to help us and heal us if we only just ask him to stay with us and show him we want him to stay. That we invite him to come into our hearts and invite him to stay by reading scriptures, and praying and attending our meetings, and give service and fill our time with things of God. I love the scriptures! They bring so much peace and comfort and are a way to revelation! Sorry if that doesn't make sense. I hope it does!

I love you all sooo much and am sooo grateful for the love and support from family and friends!!! Love you and miss you Sister Haws