August 26th

Sis Gupta! (i guess i can use your first name now, right? Monica! ...wow that felt weird.) thanks for your prayers! I'm so glad you're feeling better. i'll keep praying for you. i'll pass the word along to Amie and Kevin and the Rebosuras. you are missed here, love. i miss you and they miss you!
Sis. Ronquillo and i are still in Makati 3rd, dear. nothing too new :) hehee who knows if i'll be here another transfer. elder gagnon is STILL HERE! lol! his 5th transfer in this area. and elder kunzler is our other ZL. they're a great pair. still no zone activity, though... sad day. but we'll do all we can to get one this transfer!
about the pics... aaron will tell you about their progress when i send my memory card to him. because there's a virus on my memory card right now and i'm kinda clueless when it comes to stuff like that.

Dad, you sure are one of a kind! i love it! thank you for your awesome attitude and all your hard work and example! i'm still waiting on that fatherly missionary advice :) it sounds like your work is good! i'm so proud of you! i feel where you're coming from with the SO MUCH TO LEARN, but i know you'll do it! He's here to help you. let's learn together, shall we?

joseph, you keep workin hard and you'll see the reward for your dedication! becca, you keep everyone smiling, okay? when does the girl come to stay? who all did sheep? how'd that go? lou, i was thinking yesterday about how much i miss playing just a few songs that i adore on the piano and how much more you'd miss it if our roles were reversed. keep finding joy in developing your talents! there is a need for good piano players in this world. i am really wishing right now that i had applied myself more in lessons. shhh don't tell Mom lol! rae, i got to talk to you for a sec and that was great. do email me, hah? good girl. i hear your game is GOOD, doll! so GOOD GAME from me ;) i didn't know colton was such a big to-do! what a guy! that's sweet.

how was fair time? did you eat a super yummy burger for me? gosh, i'm gonna take advantage of that when i'm home :) hehee.

this is mom's reminder to say the things next week she didn't get to say this time. more about brad's timely talk and about your job.

aaron, that would be GREAT! Like super duper great. I have another one right now. i'm just not sure how to send the diseased one. what's the best way? i have a little protective case i could prob send it in inside of an envelope. i just hope it's safe that way. any suggestions? if you let me know, i'll try and send it next week according to your suggestions. it's the one that has the baby one that fits inside it. so i'm sure it has files from more than just my camera--it has pics that are saved to my laptop, too. and gosh, there are some dang cool and very important pictures on there! it would be more than a super bummer to lose them.
i'm glad you sang well! i didn't get the sound file, unfortunately :( who recorded you?? lol in sacrament meeting?? how's your new phone?  do you have that yet?

well, family, it's been  week. honestly, it's been an interesting one. but it's been good :) we had a HUGE group go with us to the temple saturday! we have temple tours every month and it was our month to bring people, not to teach at the tours. teaching always makes me nervous--you know how i love crowds--so i was glad to be on the other end. it was a big, happy group. and then one of the investigators--who randomly decided to go with us at the last minute on saturday ( we actually didn't invite her bc she's a former investigator and claims she's muslim and had told sister gupta and i she wasn't interested in changing religions, though she does believe in Jesus Christ)--showed up to church yesterday, too! crazy. didn't expect that AT ALL. but it was good :) she had a good experience. and she referred to herself as an investigator when she introduced herself... pretty sweet.
also, kevin's baptism was saturday! what a guy! he was so ready. he's super strong. but he got a super high fever and couldn't come be confirmed yesterday. crazy, i know. but he'll be there next week! don't you fret. he's a stallion.

i was so excited to hear from sarah about her cute baby and ashlynn about her cute baby and trip and everything! i'm so excited for them! they rock! I'm still not sure how to send responses to daniel, priscilla, megan bird, or.... maybe the list is even longer than that. but there's a start lol. but i sure hope they know i love, appreciate, and care about them.

i want to tell you that i know that i'm where i need to be. i know that this is the greatest work--the only work there is to do. we are so blessed to be invited to be part of Heavenly Father's work and glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. and boy does life feel so much better when i'm reminded of this eternal principle and i'm granted a portion of that eternal perspective. otherwise, the things we are called upon to do and experience would be overwhelming. sometimes life gets that way. but i know that if we remember that this moment is not forever, that there is joy to be had and peace to be obtained through Jesus Christ, that our burdens won't be too heavy to bear.
I was pondering on this the other day. How is it possible that the One who bore all things could say that His yoke is easy and His burden is light? How could that be true? And yet, He would not lie. I don't know how it works, honestly. All I know is that it does. All I know is that if we yoke ourselves with Him, suddenly our burdens are not too heavy to bear. Suddenly we are filled with peace and assurance that all things will work together for our good. And in that moment, we also become more like Him. We become more childlike.

Anyway, i just know that the Church is true. And I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that the Book of Mormon answers the questions of the soul, including the questions in our hearts and minds right now. I know I have much to do to become what He wants me to become, but I also trust that as I simply do all I can, He will take care of everything.

Mom, I'm out of time and can't type the lyrics, but today I choose I Know that My Redeemer Lives.

love, sister r