"baby it's cold outside!"

(names have been changed)

Miracle week! Well really, every week is a miracle week. That is one thing I love about being a missionary, I've learned to expect miracles. Mom, Dad, I am feeling a lot better. I was sick Tuesday and Wednesday but I couldn't stay in so we went out working anyways. It was hard because it was really really cold this week. S May kept telling me we should go home but I just couldn't do it and I know she didn't actually want to either. On Thursday I got a blessing from the Zone Leaders and it was so wonderful, I felt instatnly better. I think God knew that I wasn't going to take the time to rest and heal so He gave me extra help.

It is so great being back with S May (this is the third time that they are companions), we can laugh all day long but still feel the spirit and teach when the time comes. When we got out of our first teaching appointment she was like "yep, that's a familiar feeling." I was trying to describe what it's like when we are teaching and just came up with some analogies taht don't make sense: "It's like the room is filled we the spirit and we are just surfing on it! No, it's more like the spirit is in this flowy magical ball and it just gets tossed between us, the member, and the investigator." Does that make any sense? Probably not.

We found 9 new investigators this week. One evening our appointments cancelled so we prayed to know where to go. At around 8:40 we were driving to a LA, whenever I'm talking too much S May will jokingly turn the music up a little to hint she doesn't want to listen to me and I quickly turned it down and say "Shhh! I'm trying to listen to the spirit!" Then instantly we felt like we should go try a potential S West and I found. So we did, she opens the door and tells us that she was asleep and is sick but she let us come in and we shared a message with her about the nature of God and how He is her loving Heavenly Father. We'll be going back this week :)

The next morning we went to visit another potential and her 17 year old daughter answered. She let us come in and told us that she does not believe in God or a higher power, all she believes in is heaven and hell. (Don't ask me how that works). We shared a message with her and at the end invited her to say a prayer which she had never done before. It was such a sweet prayer, her heart was softened by the spirit and she prayed "Dear God, just let me know if you're there. I'm just wondering" We're going back tomorrow and bringing an 18 year old in the ward preparing for a mission :)

We had Missionary Leader Conference on Friday and oh my goodness I can't even tell you how many comments we got. When we walked in the APs just smiled and shook their heads.
"How are you two back together??"
"When I saw transfers I thought, now there's a dying wish"

"When we saw you two were together we screamed!"

"I did a little fist pump for you guys when I saw"

The best was President, "Who put you two back together? You don't know why I put you together because I haven't talked to you yet, but I'm going to have you train the whole mission" We still don't know what that means.... but hopefully he'll let us know this week.

Elder Best (my friend from BYU who is AP) came up and said "so do you want to know what went down when we were deciding transfers? President had said 'Nope, we are not putting them back together, I need them spread out.' so we had everyone transfered except we couldn't figure out where to put S May so President said 'Should we just do it?' " So that's the story of how we got put back together. And we are loving it :D

This mission is taking off. Everyone is getting really really good, with all this emphasis on planning for the past few trasnfers, the miracles are incredible. President Toombs will be getting released in July so he is at the end and he's just trying everything he can. It is so fun to be apart of this work at this time that it is hastening. We told the Ward Council yesterday, we really need help getting members at lessons because it can take up to 20 min of phone calls for just one member to come and we literally don't have time, we are teaching always. So the bishopric said, "So we need a new calling because the sisters are too busy!" Our ward is very supportive. Every member we take to lessons does a really good job witht he investigator. They all have wonderful testimonies. Mom and Dad, you both made comments about being in a new ward. I'm still in Roanoke (not the name), just finished my 2nd month here so yeah it is a little new but just in case you thought I got transferred again, I didn't :)

I love this work and I love the Savior. This week I have been really benefitting from the scripture Ether (actual name:))12:27. Often times it is very easy for me to feel inadequate and take note of the many many things I need to improve on but this scripture gives me so much comfort. I know that it's okay to have weaknesses because that is what makes us turn to the Savior. I know that He lives. I am grateful for the knowledge the Gospel gives me, that I will one day be able to see my Heavenly Father. His love is unconditional. He loves me when I'm keeping the commandments and He loves me even when I haven't done my best. That love is what makes me move everyday, He is the reason that I give this everything I have. People need to know their Savior and they will not come to that knowledge unless they read and pray about the BOM so go and share it! If you have the BOM in your life, you are accountable to make it known to the world.

Love always,

Sister Knowlton

Sister Knowlton and Sister May (not real name)