Second Week - better than the first !

Well things are feeling better this week, than they were last week. I guess that is what happens when you give it time. I am starting to get more comfortable with things and getting used to the schedule. We are busy ALL of the time, which is great, but it took some getting used to! At this rate I really think I will come to love my mission! More and more cool things keep happening and there are moments when I know this is right where I need to be. Unfortunately, there are moments where I am not enjoying myself at all, but I guess that is how I am going to build my faith. If it was always easy I wouldn't learn anything.

 So time in the mission field is weird! It feels like it has been 2 months since last Monday,just because so much has happened, but looking back on it, it feels like yesterday that I was sitting at a computer writing my email. I am going to go ahead and say that is how my whole mission will go and I bet it gets even more weird as time goes by. Sometimes I feel like I am going to be out here forever, but then I remember that this week I will have been out a month and I start to think it is going to go by super fast! I can no longer say I have 18 months of a mission to serve. I am now down to 17 with still so much to do in that time. It's crazy, but it's good. The saying really is true, in the mission field, "days feel like weeks and weeks feel like days."

 One experience that really boosted my week was a lesson we taught to a less active member who has really been struggling with the law of the Word of Wisdom. He has a strong, powerful testimony, but he had a few bad things happen and then he slipped back to old habits. I really feel for the guy, he doesn't have much family support and struggles with depression and just really is having a hard go at it. We saw his name on the ward list one night and felt that we should call him. It was good we did and I really feel that it was inspired because he said that he has been praying for the missionaries to come and see him and said that he was really needing that support. We were able to talk with him and share that video that I sent last week and it really helped him. For the first time being here I felt that I had experiences and ideas that were coming to me that could help him. I was teaching by the Spirit which is something I had been striving for but hadn't really felt it working up until that point. It was great, and we told him that we would work with him and try and get him back where he needs and wants to be. We have been texting him scriptures and he came to church yesterday. It is nice to finally feel like I am helping people after a few weeks of feeling like I was doing nothing.

 We had zone training this week which means we got together with our zone and did training. :) It was nice to see some other missionaries and get to know some more people. They had me, as one of the newbies, bear my testimony. I kinda wanted to be annoyed that I had to, but it was really great and I am glad I had the opportunity to do it. It was also nice to see other new missionaries at this training and see that they had been struggling as well. It was nice to know that I was not the only one having a hard time. :)

The members here are great! We have had a few dinners with them and are getting to know them. They are all so willing to go to teaching appointments and other things. I am coming to realize more than ever, just how important members are in missionary work. They really have to be "doers" here and not just "takers" and I am thankful that they rise up to that challenge. It is nice that people who have only known us two weeks are willing to let us into their homes and treat us like family. Sometimes it makes me sad because I miss my family, but then I remember in 17 months I get to go back to my family so I might as well enjoy the time I have here to help strengthen their families and testimonies.

This week I was also able to take the lead in teaching the First Lesson. Sister Tuia helped a lot, but this was the first time that I was able to recite the First Vision in a lesson. It was scary, but the Spirit was there and I know the more and more I do it and teach lessons, the more natural it will be and it will be easier to focus on the needs of the people I am teaching and not worrying so much about my insecurities and what I lack as a teacher. This week I have really come to realize how powerful we are as missionaries. I am not saying this to brag or say that we are above anyone, but we literally are representatives of Jesus Christ and people notice and they can feel a difference when we walk into their homes. I know this because so many times we will meet people and after talking to them for a few minutes they will invite us into their homes and want to know more about what we are about. Even when people will tell us at their doorsteps that they "have their own religion" or "are not interested" we leave them with a different feeling and I can literally see that difference on their faces from the beginning of the conversation to the end. It is pretty amazing and super powerful. I know that everyday I am going to see more and more how great my calling is.

 With it only being our second week here we have already found quite a few potential and new investigators. And I credit that to how hard Sister Tuia makes me work. :) She is always going and it is SO good. Even though I complain, things have been working out. Just the other day we walked and talked to people and knocked on doors all day and nothing came of it, until literally the last door we knocked on. It's little things like that that I am beginning to realize that you have to keep going and keep going because you never know when and where you are going to find that person that needs us. That was definitely true for yesterday. Our plans didn't go as planned, but because of it we ended up meeting a mom and her two little girls. We helped them shovel some snow and talked for about 40 minutes. Before we left, the little girl kept asking me if we had a day off because she wanted us to come back to see her again. I told her she would need to ask her mom, which her mom agreed and said we could come back and teach them. That is just another example of that difference people notice in us. And it is cool... bottom line, it is just awesome.

 Well I need to go because I still need to email the President, but before I leave I will give you a few random things from this week...

 1. LDS Churches are to Utah as Tim Hortons are to Canada.... They. are. everywhere!

 2. I met 2 Wickins this week.. I was told they are not "witches" but they do practice spells and stuff...? I don't know.....?

 3. The college girls here really toe the line on when it is appropriate to wear legging as pants. I honestly don't think any of them own jeans... It is always leggings.

 4. I only get mail monthly soooooo send some letters people so I am the most popular girl around when that time comes. :)

 5. I saw Elder Prochnow the first day I got here (Forgot to mention that) I also met Elder Marshall who was actually trained by Mat Roundy.

 Okay, I really need to go but I love you all... Thanks for reading my blog and have a GREAT week! :) Love, Sister Prescott

 P.S. - birthday shoutout to Dallin Wilson. haha Riley if you could write on his FB wall for me or something that would be great. also... any engagements/births that I need to know about?!?!?!?!