August 26

To respond to Dad's offer for adding me to the Gold's Gym membership when I get home...YES I would LOVE that!  In this new apartment, we have a really nice gym so I get to lift weights and I'm starting to use the treadmill a lot more often.  A gym membership once I get home would be great so I can continue to keep the habit of regular exercise.  We'll see how it goes with the altitude change.

And don't worry about buying a GPS for me.  They can get expensive but I'm not going to buy the most expensive one.  I want to buy a new one because the road names here change and I want to have one that is up-to-date.  I am just planning on getting one at Walmart that's about $100.  Besides, if you send one from Amazon, it just sits in the mission office because they don't send it VIA USPS and the missionaries in the office don't like that.  But thanks for offering anyways!

I'm glad that you guys got your school blessings!  Sometimes I wish I could get a blessing like that again.  I guess that I could ask someone for one...Anyways, no big deal though.

You know, it's hard to go through 7 months on a mission and not only never see a baptism, but to also go through the last 4 1/2 months or so and not even see an investigator.  I keep hearing all of these missionaries talk about these great experiences that they've had just fall into their lap after a lot of diligence, patience, and obedience and it gets discouraging because I feel like I haven't seen that in my mission.  After some time of this, I feel like I'm wasting both my time, and the Lord's time.  I don't want this to be a complaining email, but I've been really frustrated with it lately and I've been pleading a lot with the Lord asking Him why this is happening.  I feel like I'm obedient, I know how to teach a lesson in a way that is for the person, and I know that the Spirit is in those lessons.  So why aren't we having any success?  Why aren't we seeing any investigators come out of all our hard work?  I have no answer to these questions.  However, I know that God always has a reason for the trials we go through and I know that I have to trust that more than myself.  It's been frustrating, and extremely discouraging, but I am deciding to place my trust in my Savior.  I am so grateful that I can just give it all to Him and not have to worry about it anymore.  Please keep praying that I can keep an upbeat and faithful attitude.  After some time, the frustration and the discouragement can take its toll, but I am striving to remember my Heavenly Father and continue to not think about myself and just go to work.  Isn't the Atonement great?!

Well, I should probably end because I'm running short on time.  But thank you all for the support!  I love you all and I am truly blessed to have you for eternity.  Thank you for all that you do.  Love and miss you!

gust 26