It's crazy to think that pretty much all of you are so close to me, but yet a whole other world away. Things this week have been really good. I set a goal this week to try not to focus my letters on my companions because there is so much going on around me in the area. Let me start off by saying that the Lord answers prays. It took a lot of patience and persistence my part. I don't know if you remember me telling you about Brent. He was an investigator we found and were teaching who was living with his sister who was less active. He moved away and we had been trying to figure out where he was living. No joke every night and at every weekly planning session I would pray so sincerely that we would be able to find Brent for either us to teach or for us to pass off to other missionaries. The Fellow-shipper who knew him pretty well had been texting him to find out where he was living and if he still wanted to meet with the missionaries but he wasn't really responding. We tried texting him to, but he never responded. Pretty soon the fellow-shipper kept trying and my companions told me that we should just give up on him about a month ago. But I wouldn't let them erase him from our white board I told them that I still had faith that we would be able to find him. This week I was talking to his fellow-shipper because we had heard from his sister about where he had moved (which is out of our area). So he called up Brent and he picked up! He said things had been hectic and that he still had a desire to meet with us and to learn more. When the fellow shipper called me to set up the appointment I started crying. The Lord had heard my prayers. We met with him on Friday and we introduced the Book of Mormon with him and talked about the importance of it all. He feels like he doesn't have a relationship with God and we told him he can build that relationship by reading the Book of Mormon. We started reading it with him and helping him understand it as well as how to apply it to his life. The lesson went so well and I could tell he has a true desire to read it. I have such high hopes for him and am so happy that we found him even though we will have to pass him off to other missionaries soon.
Another Miracle this week was with Alex. She is the girl that wants to get baptized, but her dad is not okay with it. We haven't been able to meet with her and we really only see her at church. I have been praying for her and thinking about her a lot as well. Last night she sent me this long text about how she was with her family and felt like she needed to go upstairs and read some conference talks. She came across "Be Not Moved" and she said how nothing has ever hit her that hard spiritually. She told me how thankful she was for everything that I have done for her and have just been there for her but not pressuring her to constantly nag her dad about Baptism. She said that she is going to talk to her dad about meeting with us this week. I am so proud of this girl, she is so amazing. She is only 14 years old and is standing up for what she believes in even when her family is not supportive of her. I teared up when I got that text. The Lord has blessed me so much in this area. I might not have as many progressing investigators as I would like, but there has so much that I have been able to accomplish in this area with less actives. We actually picked up a new investigator this week that is a part member family. It sounds like he wants to know for a knowledge purpose, but who knows maybe the Lord with soften his heart.
This week we went on what we like to call mass exchange. A third of the mission at a time goes on exchanges and the trainers and leadership missionary have a special training from President Winder. We talked a lot about finding, it was so good. He talked about how only 10% of investigators end up getting baptized from our own finding efforts. He talked about how if we just double the number of people we talk to or talk to at least 10 different people from street or door contacting how our investigator pool will double as well as our baptisms will double as well. I really got fired up on trying to talk to everyone that I see, he gave us all a rock that said "be a little bolder", it was a cute little pun. I ended up going to another Sisters area, and I just talked to everyone, it was such an awesome experience. We went to an apartment complex to contact a former investigator and we saw a lady sitting on the steps and just began talking to her. Literally 4 other people came up to talk to us. There were a lot of interesting conversations that we had, but I don't regret talking to anyone. I have been keeping it up being bold with members, less actives and strangers on the street. This has been something that I have been wanting to work on and I feel like this has pushed me to be even bolder than before.
I am nervous for transfers to come up, I have a feeling that I will stay in the area, but i don't know if I will be over the same wards or go down to one. I know it won't be bad to go down to one, but I am not ready to give up either of my wards. I feel like I have started to get things moving and I can tell things are just going to be on fire in these two wards, but I want to be there for that. I know that I can not be selfish and I do trust in the Lord. Sister Dickey goes home this Saturday and this makes me a little sad, I am not ready to say goodbye to her. She is such an awesome missionary and has taught me so much about myself and has pushed me to be a better missionary. I feel like I trust her so much and that I can rely on her to be bold. Sister Roberson is doing good. I truly do love her and believe that in the pre-earth life she was a better spirit then I was. I know that she was one of God's choicest spirits who accepted the challenge to deal with the difficult of autism. She has been wanting to go home and even called President who allowed her parents to call her. It seems like she was homesick and starting to get bored with things. I have been working on trying to focus on her and help her and encourage all. It is tough sometimes because when I focus on her the missionary work starts to suffer, but when I focus on the missionary work then she begins to not do so well. I am really trying to find that balance. There have been ups and downs, but I have decided that I don't want to be emailing every week of the negative things. I feel like it has been putting a negative attitude on my emails. I don't want you to think that of all. The mission has been such a positive experience in my life. I can't even explain to you how much I have learned on the mission. I still have so much more that I need to learn and grow from.
I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving week!!! Talk to those around you, share the gospel. Look for ways that you can serve and just love the people that you home and visit teach. Believe that the Lord is preparing a way. I have been working on trusting in the Lord and have faith the the field in Boise Idaho is "White and ready to harvest". It might not seem it at times when I look at which is happening in just my two wards. But when I look back from a few months a go and there were just two missionaries in just the stake, it has progressed so much. Each individual companionship might not see dramatic changes, but when we look at a stake as a whole and how we all are helping to progress this work it is amazing. Us missionaries in this stake have been working on setting a missionary fireside for the youth. I am trying to work more and more with the Youth because that is where it is at.
Know that the Lord knows you all individual and he does hear your prayers. It may not seem like it but he is blessing your lives each and everyday with little miracles. I love you all! Save me some smoke and deep fried turkey!!!
One thing I am thankful for is the knowledge I have of the Gospel, and that my family are all active members. I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father and for my Savior. I am thankful that the tomb was empty and that because of our Savior we can break the bands of death and Hell. I have been study talks on the atonement and i HIGHLY suggest that you do the same, I have gained so much more appreciation for my Savior.
One last thing I am thankful for is the temple. We got to go this week and it was so amazing and spiritual for me. Mom I did the name that you sent to me and it had grandmas name on it since she was the one that printed the card. (ill be sending it to you this week so you can do the sealing to the parents). I felt the spirit so strong and I could just feel like Lena Sophia Sternhagen accepted the work that I was doing for her. I felt like grandma was there as well. The temple is such an amazing place, especially the celestial room. I feel like it is there that I feel closest to my Father in Heaven and can feel the spirit so strong. I wish I could take that feeling out of the temple with me. I am not looking forward to the day where I have to lower my mantel of being a missionary and won't have the spirit as a constant companion. I do not want to waste any valuable time I have to have this amazing opportunity. I wish I could just describe to you the feeling of having the spirit so strongly all the time. I am sure all you RM's can relate. I don't regret my decision for a second to serve a mission, there is no other place that I rather be at this point in my life.
Love
Sister Metcalf
P.S. I heard that BSU lost this week and pushed USU to the championship game, if USU doesn't lose. That is one way I get in the door with less actives that are men. I start talking about BSU and football. The Lord works in mysterious ways. I love you all and am so proud of you!
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