Exchanges, Transfers, and Biking

"Will I stay or will I go?"

I am staying in Greentree for another transfer!  Which is actually really exciting. I want to see where everyone is going to end up and want to know/to see if we can baptize our investigators. This week we got a new one!!! And we have 3 potential lessons already for this coming week. That and we had two of our really less active members come to church. We were so surprised. Actually, the whole ward was.

So this week we went on exchanges, which means that I went with a different Sister missionary this week to a different area while Sister Hopkins stayed in our area with another Sister. It was actually pretty good. We went to an Ostrich farm. It was really interesting. They sound like Kevin off of the movie UP. I got a picture of them fighting, before my camera decided to be retarded. I also was on a bike for 5 hours. We went all over her entire area. Like up and down hills and around lakes. It was so hot and ridiculous.

We got a new investigator this week! Yay. It was one that we have been trying to get since the second week we got to this area.

Easter was pretty good too. I got a few chocolate covered strawberries from a member, and I was asked to talk in sacrament next Sunday. 

Not a lot happened this week to talk about though. The work is progressing. The love I have for my Heavenly Father is always growing, and I know that I am here for a reason. I am trying my hardest to be obedient, and I am always listening to the promptings of the Spirit.

This week I have really been thinking a lot about the Atonement and the sacrament. Why do we need to remember the Atonement when we take the sacrament? I found this poem about the Atonement that I really love. It says:

My happiness and peace
seemed forever gone,
leaving only regret-
until I saw the blackened earth,
One bad decision and a forest
was destroyed-
or would have been
except for the saving grace
and promise of new life
evidenced in small green shoots
pushing through ashes

But I just keep thinking about everything Christ did for us just so that we can get back to Him. I know that He loves me. And I know that I need to work on being better about repenting and living those Christ-like attributes.

I hope you all had an amazing Easter, and were all able to see the amazing video that the church put out called Because of Him. I watched it over and over all week and each time I cried.
Well I love all of you and miss you too.

Love,
Sister Jessica Bell