April 23rd

Well I have a new companion! Her name is Sister Tasha Lewis. Her name is really Natasha but she doesn't like to go by that. She is really cute and very on top of things. It's fun being able to learn some things from another companion and get ideas as to how other missionary companionships do things. I haven't really had that since I have only learned from sister Hansen and then I trained Sister Crawford, So it's all been the way I learned it the first time. Which luckily Sister Hansen taught me pretty good so it's not been a problem but still it's fun to see new ideas that Sister Lewis and Sister Kranendonk have done. I think that Sister K and I are basically having a parallel mission. First we were comps in the MTC and then we get out here, and become trainers together right after we trained and now I have her trainee as my companion- so fun. Well I don't know if I told you but I thought I was full feild and I apparently I'm not! I am back in the VC. I am still in my same area but just back in the VC like I was with Sister Hansen. I am actually pretty bummed about that. I really wanted this area to stay full field. It was progressing so well having us in there with all that extra time! But it's okay because I do love being in the VC. It's really amazing and it's also really nice because now the hot weather is really starting to settle in! HOT! It was 102 yesterday and it's only April! yikes I'm in for it!! Haha but hey I can take it. I only get one summer here, I might as well get the full experience and do it on bikes! Whooie! hahha Sister Lewis is being a trooper. This is her first time on bikes and she hardly ever complains- i'm impressed.. Ha i complain more than she does, mostly in a joking manner but still- it's awesome. 
Well.... Guess What?? JIM BAKE IS BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOT!  I am so happy and excited for him! He is doing so well too. He got confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints yesterday. It was a great blessing and it again addressed his migraine issue that is still really bothering him and causing him a lot of pain and worry with his job and finances. It's starting to really affect his health and memory. He is really excited and he has alot of ward support. I think he might start going to the midsingles ward activities, which will be really good for him I think. I am SOOO happy and excited for him! He is really solid. Even if Rachel Tyler isn't interested in him.. :( Sad. Ha he asked her on a date and she was like ummm not really interested that way. I just want to be friends! I don't know if she has told him yet but she told us that haha luckily we didn't get involved in setting them up at all. That would have been bad. We really thought she was interested in him.
Wellll lets see, what else? We haven't done a lot of work this week I don't feel like. I mean we've just been running around like crazy figuring out the baptism and interview for him with Pres Ellsworth and trying to get readjusted to the Visitor Center again and balancing the time in our area with that! Bleh I hate the way our area suffers when we are in the VC but I know I just need to be better. I need to be better at finding. And I need to be better at helping the members understand their responsibility to find people for us. We have a new mission rule. We are no longer aloud to tract in this mission! Weird. We didn't tract a lot anyway, but when we felt we needed people to find and to teach then we would tract a certain area. So no more of that. When Elder Allen came to our mission he said that tracting was awful in this day and age. People hate it. They hate us knocking on their doors and invading their privacy and intruding and also it puts us in the same category of the Jehovah Witnesses. On surveys people say that one of the things they hate most about our church is that we knock on their doors and invade their privacy. They say that only the Mormons and JW's do that and they hate it. Well no more of that for us. It's probably good. Tracting has never been the most effective way of doing things anyway. This just makes it more important for us to work better with members and find through them. iyiyiyi easier said than done. Well pray for me and my finding efforts please- i'm struggling. 
Well I better go I love you all! Hope all is well. Keep being strong and awesome! Never give up or slow down. Our time here is limited and temporary! Live it to it's fullest and remember who should be in charge in our lives!!!
LOVES! Mwah!
~SIster Shurtz