October 12

First of all, I will MOST LIKELY be emailing next week, so this is your last chance to write me a good email telling me how awesome I am and how proud you are of me. :) :) Just kidding. But I really will be emailing next Monday. I think. My ride to Denver just cancelled and now I have to find a ride again and who knows how that's going to work out.

This week was crazayyyy. Monday morning we dropped our car off at the auto body shop, as you know. We walked home after we emailed, and then that night we had to ride our bikes up these huge hills for like 30 minutes to get to our tracting destination. That was interesting. Then we biked to a member's house, and they drove us out to C's house for a lesson. The lesson went really well! We taught him about the Law of Chastity, which is always kinda awkward with kids. We watched that new video on lds.org called "What should I do when I see pornography?" and that went great. His little brother M is soooo cute and a pretty flirtatious 4-year-old who can run faster than ANYBODY!!! Haha I am going to miss that sassy kid.

Tuesday we had Zone Conference, which was amazing. But so sad because all of the goals and new plans they have won't apply to me! I'm leaving before they actually implement any of the changes :( What a crummy feeling. The B's (Senior Couple) drove us to Montrose, which was nice. They finished their mission and flew home the next morning! They came out a day before I did and I've been serving around them since February. Our ride to take us home from Montrose didn't show, and didn't answer their phone.....turns out they fell asleep. Whoops! So we hung around for a couple hours and I got to give my Mission President a hard time.

Wednesday we had a bunch of set appointments in Olathe, and no way to get out there. I refused to bike 12 miles. I know, I'm a wimp. And actually it would have been about 16 miles to get out to our first appointment! No way. We called just about EVERYBODY in the ward, and no one could take us out there. Then we got really desperate and started calling people in Delta Ward, and a sweet young mom drove us out to Olathe. We tracted for about an hour and then another member picked us up and took us to our 3 appointments. She drove us around for 3 hours, and was SUCH an asset in our lessons! I love members. At about 4:40 the car people called and said our car was ready to be picked up :) Best phone call I've ever gotten.

Thursday morning we had exchanges with the Grand Junction Spanish Sisters. I got to go to GJ with Sister Y! We did service for a member and cleaned a couple huge aquarium fish tanks. Gross! Apparently they have these suction cleaner things that you have to use all of the strength in your arms to shove it into the rocks and twist it around to get all the gunk, while your arm is up to your shoulder in dirty fish tank water....Yeah, that was my job. Sister Y took a sponge and wiped down the inside of the tanks. I've decided I will never ever have an aquarium.

Friday morning we got up way too early to end our exchange so that Sister J and I could drive back to Delta before Personal Study. We had our weekly planning and then saw M!! She's doing so well. Unfortunately we had to push her date back because she hasn't been able to make it to church enough, but she is working so hard and reading her scriptures and praying and loving everything we teach her. We saw her on Saturday too but when we got there, she wasn't home. Her little cousins who were about 8 said that she was going to be right back .Then they saw her and started yelling, "M! The Mormons are here, the Mormons are here!!!" hahahaha it was so funny. Her 13-year-old cousin was riding his bike and she was hanging on to the back of it, hurrying home for our lesson. Too cute.

Friday night we had ANOTHER exchange, with the other GJ Sisters. I got to stay in Uncompahgre this time with Sister C. She is a new missionary but she's a rockstar! We had a great exchange, full of laughs. We started off telling jokes for the entire 45 minute car ride back from GJ. What do you call a cow that just gave birth? Decaffeinated. Get it? De-calf-enated? Bahahaha.

On Saturday we went out to the outskirts of Olathe to see a less-active. His turkeys were gobbling at us, so we gobbled right back. But then the big turkey got mad as we were getting into our car, and he ATTACKED THE CAR!!!!!!!!! He literally jumped up and scratched the back of it! I was SO MAD. Stupid turkey. Hopefully this doesn't mean 3 more days with no car.....lol

Yesterday was the Primary Program at church, which was adorable! We had 4 investigators at church, and like 13 less actives!!! It was incredible. The kids did a great job and were soooo cute, as usual. We taught A after church, with her friend S. S has been sitting in on almost every lesson, and she doesn't say much, but you can tell that she's listening. After A gets baptized I think S will want to do the same.

This is my last week in the field! I can't believe how fast the time has flown. My mission means EVERYTHING to me and I'm going to miss it so incredibly much. I don't think it has fully sunk in that I'm actually leaving in 9 days. "At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: 'Nothing is as constant as change.' . . . Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes. . . . Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family." (President Monson) I know that I have changed so much in the past 18 months, and so have each of you. I know that when I come home, more things will change. But those changes shape us and form us into the people that we need to be - strong, worthy sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, prepared for all of life's challenges and ultimately prepared to return to His presence someday. It will all work out.

I love you all. Be good.
Sister Koenig