Hey Everyone!!!

I honestly don't even know where to begin.. we have had so many CRAZY adventures these past 2 weeks! But crazy AWESOME ones!!! I honestly feel so inadequate to be training, which I definitely am, but the Lord has been guiding every single one of my footsteps.  When we first got here we had so many crazy stories of just getting stuck in snow on an icy slippery hill, being in the wrong area, contacting a member like you would a person on the street, also contacting an random person like you would a member.. Haha. Hopefully that makes sense. But basically its been full of crazy adventures. I also may have broken the church roof trying to email ward council. Long story. Well worth it though, because it made a HUGE impression on the Cherry Grove Ward. Basically I thought I could be like a ninja and climb through the ceiling tiles to unlock the door on the other side, but all the ceiling tiles started to fall underneath me.. I was told that I am lucky the ceiling tiles held for as long as they did! haha. I am also lucky I didn't break anything, on me anyways, because I definitely broke a good chunk of the ceiling!!!

 Bishop Hooper, Sister Nelson(RS), and Brother Radcliffe(EQP) all got super pumped from our very first week. Bishop Hooper stopped us in the hallway during church, and told us that he has never had missionaries complete assignments the very first week of being in an area. Sister Nelson told the Zone leaders to dust off their shoes because we are awesome sisters and they need to really step up their game to stand a chance! Brother Radcliffe pulled us aside and gave us a ton of people to try and told us we are motivated hard working sisters. President Bradley(Stake President) then came up to us yesterday and told us that Bishop is super excited to have us in the ward and says we are really hard workers!! I don't know what I am doing, but God does obviously. Honesty though. I have no idea how to train, how to be doubled into an area, where I am the only one who knows exactly what we are supposed to be doing. In my blessing it talks about how the Lord will guide my footsteps, and that is definitely came to pass these past few weeks! I am so grateful to be training! I have noticed so much help with all that I am doing because we are qualifying ourselves for His grace. I feel like I am changing rapidly, again, with these past few weeks! There is nothing better than that feeling! I love progressing and moving forward. Its the first initial discomfort that's really hard, but once you get started moving forward in the uncomfortable zone you almost get numb to the discomfort. You're still working hard, but it gets a little bit easier. I really, really, hope I can hold on to this discomfort. Because that is what is allowing me to grow. There is no growth in the comfort zone, and no comfort in the growth zone.

Oh I forgot to tell you, my companions name is Sister Rachel Stucki. She is from Nampa Idaho, and is a little mini me. We seriously have a ton in common. Everyone always laughs at how close our last names are. Oh and on Friday we went to the Temple together as a zone. While there we met the temple President. His name was President Stucki. Yup they were related down the line. Then when we went back to Cherry Grove We went and visited the Stokes! Yup there is a Stokes family in my ward! He grew up in Blackfoot Idaho, so we are probably related somewhere down the line.. just don't know where. Just thought it was cool we both met a person with both of our last names the same day.

One more story.. We had a meal at a members home, the Maxwells, and asked them if there was anyone around here they knew that could use this message. They ended up giving us two referrals, and they both turned out great. I wanted to focus on one of them however. We go and knock on the door, and this lady answers in her bath robe while also on the phone. She instantly looks at our name tags and tells us she is not interested. She begins to shut the door, and I quickly blurt out that we know the Maxwells and they told us that you were a super sweet lady and they wanted us to come meet you. She then put the phone down for a second and heard us out. We are know planning to go and see her again this week! If that doesn't tell you how important members are in this work I don't know what will! We would have had no chance with her if it wasn't for the Maxwells! As President Thomas S. Monson stated, "Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together and labor in the Lords Vineyard." We can't do this work without all of you. I am pleading with you, the Lord is pleading with you, that the field is white already to harvest. We just have to get in that uncomfortable zone and work. It is hard. It is exhausting. But I can promise you will never feel your joy be filled as much as it does by doing this work!

Love you all!! And serve the Lord with all your heart, might, mind, and strength! Until next time.

Love always,

Sister Steffani Stokes(: