MIRACLES!! And snakes!

C is getting baptized on Saturday! He had his baptismal interview last night and passed it like a champ :) We are soooooo excited and I seriously can't wait. Please keep him in your prayers! He is such a special soul and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to know him and help him to make covenants with Heavenly Father! It's pretty much the best thing ever. He texted us after the lesson and said "Thank You for all the lessons and help you've all given me in preparation for my baptism on Saturday!!!! I feel truly blessed to have had you both as my teachers!!!! You are both extremely special ladies to me." Awwww :D :D It was precious.

When we went to his house yesterday it was about 95 degrees in there. He has like no body fat and is always cold, so he had his heater on and was wearing two shirts and a sweatshirt and a thick beanie, while the rest of us were DYING. Oh man it was so hot. We brought this girl from the ward with us to the lesson. She's going on her mission to Texas in a couple weeks! She was dying from the heat just as much as we were and we told her she's gonna have a rough time in the South haha. But she'll do great.

Lately we've seen this garter snake around our house that goes under our porch. It creeps us out a lot. On Sunday I almost stepped on it after church!!! AHHH. Then an hour or so later our neighbor who shares the townhouse with us saw ANOTHER snake by her door. So we freaked out and called the Elders to come kill the snakes (which didn't go well and caused some drama. Whoops! Let's just say they didn't come...and now our neighbor hates them) and then called a member to come. He came prepared with gloves and thick boots and a bucket. We walked around and looked for movement and tried to find the snakes, and he would snatch em and put them in the bucket. We found 5 snakes total and they were soooo gross. The member brought his two year old daughter who kept calling the snakes her friends and wanted to pet them haha. We're wimps.

Ew

Then yesterday I opened our front door and left the room for just a minute. When I came back to the room there was this horrible noise that sounded like a massive bee buzzing around and hitting something. I was freaked out.....but it was just a hummingbird! He was so cute and was stuck inside our house, hitting against the window over and over! Poor thing. Sister Patera and I formed a rescue party and got him out safely :) And of course we got a video, because duh. I have to preserve these kinds of things for my posterity so they know how COOL my life is.

On Friday the Spanish Elders texted us and told us they had a referral for us. They were tracting and met this woman who said she wasn't interested but her granddaughter M has been looking for missionaries for months now. They told us that and said the granddaughter would be home all day Saturday. We went on exchanges Friday night so I wasn't there, but Sister Patera and Hermana Bendorf went and tried this girl. She's 17, and SO AMAZING. Apparently a while back she was searching online to learn more about God and she came across mormon.org. She said that she loved everything she read and knew it was true! They taught her lesson one and she totally recognized the Spirit. She accepted the baptismal date of June 23rd and is really excited about it. At the end they asked her if she had any questions and she said "Yeah I just have one....where can I get one of those books that it talks about on the website?" As in the Book of Mormon. Yeah she's so solid.

While I was on exchanges I was totally blessed with the gift of tongues and I knew nearly everything that everyone was saying the whole day. I even taught part of the Restoration in Spanish! It was really cool. The Spanish Elders gave the Spanish Sisters a referral that day too. They told us they had just been tracting in these trailers and had just met a woman and done the survey with her and gave her a pamphlet and told us to try her the next week on Saturday. Well Sister Allison decided to try her right then, so we did, and it was incredible! Her name is B and she has the cutest little boys. We taught them the Restoration and the Spirit was so strong in there. She also accepted a baptismal date of June 1 and so did her son who is 8. They are really excited about it.

Last week at the library some weirdo in a pink shirt dropped a piece of paper on Sister Patera's keyboard as he walked by. It had his name and phone number on it hahahaha. Sister Patera freaked out and gave it to the Elders and told them it was a referral :P Then they guy came back in the library and kept staring at her!! Finally he left and about 20 minutes later we left too. Sister Patera jokingly peeked outside to make sure he wasn't waiting for her, but then when we went outside he TOTALLY WAS WAITING under this tree!!!!! Thankfully he was on his phone and we rushed out to the car while he stared.

Two days after that we had District Meeting and the Elders said "Sister Patera, we talked to your secret admirer. Although I guess he's not so secret." They had actually called him and told him that they were the missionaries and asked if he wanted to learn more. He freaked out and then said "Wait. Did a tall girl or a short girl give you my number?" I'm the short girl. Then he said he was Baptist and wasn't interested lol.

To update you all on Sister Patera, she is doing ok. We're working more, but still not full days. She's such a champ though, I probably would have given up way long ago. I'm so blessed to have her as a companion, serving in this area with these special people.

Next week I'll only have 20 weeks left on my mission and that is so crazy to me. I've been reflecting quite a bit lately on the Lord's hand in my life, leading me up to this point. I am so grateful to know that He really is in charge and that He has the best plan that will lead to ultimate happiness. This upcoming Sunday I'm speaking at church about the Atonement and how it has helped me with my missionary work. Well if it wasn't for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I definitely would not be here today and I certainly would not be as happy and blessed as I am.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and that you can see the Lord's hand in your life, leading and guiding you to where He knows you need to be.


Love,

Sister Koenig

Pizza, llamas, and burrito bugs.

Hello everyone! I never know how to start these. Sorry I'm so awkward. It comes with the job.

On Tuesday we had interviews with President! They were fairly uneventful. That night we went on Exchanges and I was with Hermana Allison, but first she had to have her interview with President. She was the last one, and it was getting kind of late. Sister Murdock, my Mission President's wife, had been at the church the entire day just sitting there and she was so bored and tired.  I was in the room with her and we both just laid on the floor and she Facebook stalked former missionaries and told me about what they're all doing in their lives. When President and Hermana Allison came in the room after her interview they started laughing at us, and Sister Murdock turned to me and said "Sister Koenig, that was a first. And I'm sure now you'll always remember laying on the floor for half an hour with me. Now I'm going to go to bed." It was pretty funny and weird.

I learned a lesson this week about the power of prayer. Sister Patera told me on Thursday morning that she was craving pizza. So I said a little prayer that we would get pizza. Well, no one called to offer to buy us pizza at 11am, so we went and each got a large pizza from Dominos (they were on sale. Don't judge us too much). We each ate two slices. Then we went to dinner with members, and lo and behold, they fed us pizza. We each had another two slices. On Friday we ate more of the pizza that we had bought ourselves, for breakfast and lunch and dinner. Then on Saturday we ate more pizza for breakfast, and then went and did service for some members in the ward. Near the end of service they ordered pizza and they ordered a whole large pizza from Pizza Hut just for the two of us, plus cheesy breadsticks and a giant cookie. So we ate some slices there, and then brought the rest home to eat for breakfast and lunch on Sunday. I feel like I'm turning into a slice of pizza. It's kind of disgusting. But I know now, for sure, that God is looking out for me and answering my prayers. I love Him.

We saw B on Tuesday night. I took a picture with his llama, Bok. And then Sister F asked us if we wanted to eat llama when they feed us on the 26th. Of course we said yes!!! So we get to eat the llama that B punched and killed!!! I'm really excited and a little scared.

This is the surviving llama!

The same less-active man who asked us last week if Adam and Eve had belly buttons confused Martin Luther and Martin Luther King Jr. this week. We were teaching about the Restoration and mentioned that many people, like Martin Luther, prepared the way for the Gospel to be restored through Joseph Smith. He said "Martin Luther King Jr. lived not that long ago. How could he have led up to Joseph Smith?" We had to explain that we were talking about Martin Luther, not Martin Luther King Jr.

Our investigator C is doing really great. We were able to teach him this week, and he said he would come to church. The Ward Mission Leader, Brother Christensen, usually drives to C's house to pick him up for church. He literally picks C up and puts him in the truck, and then wheels his chair up a ramp into the bed of the truck. Brother Christensen has some pretty severe back problems though, so it wasn't the best situation. On Wednesday we came up with the idea to ask a recent convert to take Brother Christensen's truck and get C. He's young and strong and it's not a problem for him, plus he's SO GRATEFUL to have a responsibility and a chance to serve. He's so awesome. It worked out perfectly and they were both at church! Woohoo!

We saw C as he was in the parking lot about to enter the building. He said to me "Hey I wasn't able to read those chapters in the Book of Mormon that you asked me to..." and I said "You need to read EVERY DAY! This is your salvation on the line!!!!" and he looked at me for a minute and then said "Just kidding! I read up to chapter 3. HA HA." and scootered away with a maniacal laugh.

We live in a townhouse and our neighbors who share a wall with us are so awesome. It's a single mom in the Delta Ward and her two sons, A (he just turned 5 and he is telling everyone about it) and J (he's two and his nickname is Fatty McNaughty). A got sick with a cold the other day and he came over and said, "I have a cough because there is a little bug inside of me. He's this big (held up his fingers about an inch apart)." I asked "A, what does the bug look like?" and he said "Like a burrito." And then he coughed on me so I got the little burrito bug too.

Me with my  neighbor

Overall it was a pretty good week out here in good ol' Uncompahgre.

Adios!

Sister Koenig

I got transferred

So I'm officially serving in Uncompahgre Ward. Woot woot! What a big change.

Sister Patera got her cortisone shot on Tuesday, but it didn't work...or at least it hasn't worked yet. It actually made the pain way way worse for a couple days afterward, but thankfully the added pain is mostly gone now and she's back to the same amount of pain she was in before. The Doctor said her reaction was "atypical." That's not really something you want to hear...

On Friday we went on Exchanges with the Spanish Sisters again, but only from 4pm on Friday until 10am on Saturday. This time all the lessons were completely in Spanish, sooo I basically just sat there and smiled and nodded my head every once in a while. I think we're going to be going on a lot of Exchanges with them this transfer, so I guess I should start learning Spanish.

On Saturday morning we had our Zone Meeting which was pretty good. There are only 4 Sisters in the whole Zone now, and 16 Elders. There was a lot of testosterone in that room, and it smelled kind of weird. The trainings were good though.

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and Sister Patera and I got flowers and chocolates at church because we're women. Score. I also got to Skype home! That was super fun, although it's never enough time. That was my last time skyping though, which is super weird! In just a few months I'll be HOME.

Yesterday in Relief Society the lesson was on the Book of Mormon. Our opening song was from the children's hymnbook, Book of Mormon Stories. Quite a few of the old ladies were doing the hand motions - including the Native American feather gesture. It was really weird. Sister Patera turned to me and said "I'm really grateful that we don't have an investigator here right now...." I about died.

A less-active man asked us this week if Adam and Eve had belly buttons.

A man just walked up to Sister Patera and me in the library and handed us some papers and said "You need this." It's titled "Die Boek van Mormon" and we thought it was anti-Mormon material, but upon further inspection it's actually proof that the Book of Mormon's translation is legitimate and that the Book of Mormon is true. Before we could even really look at the guy or say anything he was gone. I am so confused.

Tomorrow we have interviews with President Murdock, which is exciting. I don't really know what to say to him about the work. I suppose I could teach him about Church History based off all the Living Scripture prophet movies we've watched. I think we've seen every single one at this point except Thomas S. Monsons haha. Impressive, eh? I can tell you all sorts of fun facts about the prophets now.

I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Remember who you are and what you stand for!

Love,

Sister Koenig

Hola, como esta? I'm getting transferred.

On Friday I went Spanish speaking for a day. That was different. By the way, I don't know Spanish. And the Sister I was with is a greenie but thankfully she knows more Spanish than me. It was interesting. We met a man named Jose, and he looked really familiar, and then he told us he owns 3 car washes in Delta and I realized that he bought Sister Patera and my car wash at the beginning of the transfer 6 weeks ago. That was cool. He told us to come by whenever we have a dirty car. What a nice man.

Also this week Sister Patera had like 4 PT appointments. I get to hold the timer while she's on the inversion machine. I have to make sure she sits up every 3 minutes. It's a really big responsibility.

On Wednesday she had an MRI and we found out that she has a bulging disc in her back. Sounds pretty painful. She might be getting a cortisone shot tomorrow from this spinal surgeon specialist in Junction. He's going to look at her MRI and X-Ray and check her out and decide what to do. I'm praying that it will heal her,because ...............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................................
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We got transfer calls and I'm getting permanently transferred to Uncompahgre Ward to be with Sister Patera. Woohoo!!! Good thing I like her. :P

But seriously, it's going to be a great transfer. B got confirmed on Sunday, and C is getting baptized on May 30th!!! We taught him yesterday at the church and it was really great. He came to church even though his family was sick and it's so hard for him to get there!!! He's so solid.

I have a new address, so if you want it you can message me or Alannah on Facebook.

Write me pleeeease!!! I'm inside most of the day, and I get a little bit bored. Letters are much appreciated :)

Love you all!
Sister Koenig

"I punched a llama today."

Happy Monday everyone!

This was another interesting week. Again I stayed inside in Uncompahgre with Sister Patera for the week. Let me tell ya, there are only so many church movies to watch. But we're making it work. A member hooked us up with all the Living Scripture Prophet movies yesterday so at least we have something new to watch now.

On Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday we went to the GOOD physical therapist who is a member. He helped a bunch. She's still in a lot of pain, but while she's there she at least feels some relief! And Sister Patera is getting an MRI on Wednesday so that we know what the real problem is. And we'll be seeing the PT like 4 times this week as well.

This man, B, got baptized on Saturday! It was a great baptism. When the person baptizing him started to put him under the water, his instincts kicked in and he freaked out and grabbed the sides of the font. It was hilarious. But the person baptizing him persisted and basically shoved him under the water and held him there for like 25 seconds and had to grab him arm and push it under the water to make sure the baptism was valid. It was probably one of my favorite baptisms I've been to haha. And I got to play the piano, which was interesting. I can play a handful of hymns, but not that many, which ended up being a slight problem.... The baptism was supposed to start at 11 and B was told to come at 10:30. I started playing some prelude music at about 10:50, and at that point he still hadn't showed. I kept playing and playing and started to struggle through some songs that I don't know as well because I ran out of options because HE WASN'T SHOWING UP. No one could reach him, and people were starting to freak out. And I just kept playing haha. FINALLY he showed up at about 11:20 with his wife and daughter (who are both members), and no explanation as to why they were late. Then everyone could breathe again, and the baptism went on. Hooray! He'll get confirmed on May 3rd because yesterday was Stake Conference.

Last Tuesday we saw B to teach him the final couple of things in preparation for the baptism. When we got there, he told us that he punched his llama that day, and punched it so hard that they had to kill it! They were trying to move their llamas to a pen and B had never moved the llamas before. The one he had started to freak out and get upset and was waving it's neck around. Apparently they're VERY STRONG and can cause a lot of damage with those thing! So B's wife, who is a pro with llamas, told him to "Hit it hard!" She meant for him to smack it because that kind of shocks them, but he full on PUNCHED IT IN THE FACE. And he was a Marine, so he's a tough cookie. He punched the llama so hard that he broke it's septum and it couldn't breathe right, and they had to shoot it. Now they're going to eat it. Apparently llama is a delicacy, and the meat sells for like $35/pound. We told him to invite us over when he eats it haha. Gross.

There is another part-member family who we started to teach yesterday. Sister Y's mom passed away last week and I think it kind of woke them up and gave them a desire to start living the gospel more fully. Brother Y, the nonmember, is in a wheelchair - he was in an accident 13 years ago and was left paralyzed. He's so cool and has wanted to come to church for about a month now, but no one could figure out how to get him there. His family doesn't have a car and the bus doesn't run on Sundays. Finally the Ward Mission Leader, who is fantastic, made a ramp that would go up into the back of a truck. They pick him up out of his chair and put him in the truck, and then someone drives the wheelchair up into the back. Yesterday was the first time he was able to go to church using that method, and it was so great!!! He was so happy to be there, and his wife and son came as well. He also told Brother C that he wants to be baptized, and wants to do the work for his deceased ancestors as well in the temple. Sister Patera and I asked him yesterday if we could come over later and teach him and he said yes! But then Sister Patera was really hurting last night so I went with a girl in the ward. Brother C was there as well, and the three of us taught him the Plan of Salvation and invited him to be baptized on May 23rd -- and he said YES!!! He has to quit smoking, but he has a desire to and he only smokes like 3 cigarettes a day right now so it shouldn't be too difficult. He's so awesome.
Then this morning we sent a text out to a bunch of members telling them of that miracle that he was going to be baptized on the 23rd, and a member texted back and said "Sisters this is so fabulous!!! We need to pray for another date that will work also because we scheduled the building a few months ago for Friday and Saturday 22nd and 23rd for set up and our sons reception. We are covering all the walls with fabric so you wouldn't even be able to access the font. So, I will pray for both a new date and for him to quit smoking!! :) Yes miracles happen!!! Thanks for sharing my sweet sisters!" So we're not exactly sure how it's all going to work out, but I know it will!!

This is the last week of the transfer so on Saturday we'll find out transfer news, and on the 5th we'll have transfer meeting. I have NO IDEA what's going to happen. I spent half this transfer in Uncompahgre, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Maybe I'll stay in Paonia (but not Gunnison too - I know that much), maybe I'll officially serve in Uncompahgre, or maybe I'll serve somewhere else entirely. It's pretty exciting but a little nerve-wracking!

On Friday we had Zone Conference and I sang my solo and it went alright. They also had some great trainings about how to be a more consecrated missionary, something I'm always working on. It was great. At lunch we got awards - I got a Rice Krispy Treat for having a clean car, M&Ms for making my bed that morning, a Subway giftcard for having a clean apartment, and a Kit Kat because I had a birthday! How fancy, right?? I felt pretty special.

This next week I'll probably mostly be staying inside with Sister Patera again, but I'll also get to teach B a couple more times. We also are meeting a member from the Paonia Ward at his friend's house in Uncompahgre to start teaching him. That's a solid referral right there! I'm excited to see what happens with that. He lives in Peach Valley but don't worry! He's not in the super super sketchy part.

I hope you all have a great week!

Love,
Sister Koenig

"I cut up deer and humans." ~Creepy Doctor

This was the weirdest week of my mission!

On Monday Sister Pittman and I went with the Uncompahgre Sisters, Sister Patera and Thompson, to get pedicures and have a Girl's Day. It was really fun! The next day we had our Sister's Conference in Delta, and we combined all the Sisters in the Montrose Stake and in the Grand Junction Stake. The theme was about Christ and developing Christ-like attributes. Like I said last week, Sister Pittman and I had to do an interpretive dance on knowledge. IT WAS RIDICULOUS. Oh man I don't think I've ever done anything so weird my entire mission haha. But I guess it wasn't tooooo horrible....maybe :P All the other Sisters did something on a different Christ-like attribute, like one Sister rapped about virtue and one Sister told a story to demonstrate patience. We definitely got the short end of the stick with an interpretive dance.

After Sister's Conference Sister Pittman took Sister Thompson to Gunnison. Sister Patera hurt her back a month ago and it hasn't gotten any better. She has to rest it, but her companion (Sister Thompson) is brand new to the mission, and hanging out inside all day would be really bad for her. President was worried that she would get super homesick, so he asked Sister Pittman and I to go on an extended Exchange with them. So since Tuesday afternoon I have hung out with Sister Patera inside her apartment all day haha. It's been great.

She also had two physical therapy appointments this week, but the PT is INSANE. It was really uncomfortable. Sister Patera was very thankful that I was in the room with her because he was so nuts - and I'm glad I was there too because it was kind of funny.... :P

Here are some great quotes by him:
"Do you have a gym membership?" "No." "Hmm...well that would probably be good for the both of you." "Leg muscles are tough. I had no idea until I cut up deer and humans." (I THINK he was talking about cadavers....I hope?!?!)

Thankfully there is a member in Montrose who is a PT, so we cancelled her next appt with the first guy and she's seeing the member tomorrow. Hopefully he actually helps her!

So I'm still with Sister Patera and we're still chilling at home watching church movies basically back-to-back. It's thrilling. I've learned a lot about church history this week. Oh and I've also caught up in my journal (I was wayyyy behind) and I've almost finished the Book of Mormon, so that's good!

I'll be home 6 months from tomorrow and it's so crazy to me that it's coming up so fast! I'm 2/3 of the way done with my mission and I feel like I'm just starting.

On Friday we have Zone Conference and I'm singing a solo. I should probably practice. I'm singing I Know That My Redeemer Lives. I can't think of anything else that's happening this week, soo I guess I'll end here.

I love you all! Have a great week!
Sister Koenig

"They set off the fire alarm! HAHAHA"

Goooooood morning! It's a beautiful day in Hotchkiss, CO and all is well. I've officially been on my mission for a year! AND I'm officially 21 years old - I feel ancient. Thank you all for the sweet birthday wishes! It means a lot :)

Thanks for the birthday and Easter treats!

This week has been eventful, for sure. On Monday we drove over to Gunni, and on the way there we saw a bunch of cop cars on the side of this narrow, sketchy highway that we have to take to get there from Paonia. To the side, falling off a little cliff/hill thing, was an upside-down car. We found out later that someone had rolled and they died like 30 minutes before we passed....eek! Needless to say, we drove really safely for the rest of the way to Gunnison.

On Tuesday we had a busy day. We saw B, one of our investigators. He is kind of old and he has MS so he has a really hard time doing stuff. He loves the church and comes every week, but his memory isn't the best and he can't always remember that he has a testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel. That's not good. If we spend an hour with him and talk about it and resolve all of his concerns, he can tell you that he knows Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and he wants to be baptized, but then the next time we see him he totally forgets all of that and has all sorts of concerns that we have to resolve again. It's a little bit frustrating. But he's doing well, and we talked about the Savior and watched Because He Lives.

Later we went tracting and we were also trying some potentials. We were looking back on the potentials forms for the area, which date back to like 2009, and found a man named RS. He was a Headquarters referral from 2010, but we had no information except his name and address. We don't know if he sent in the referral, or someone else, or if missionaries ever contacted him - nothing. We felt like we should see him, but he was almost 30 minutes from where we were at the time. We considered not going, but then we had another little nudge from the Spirit and we went out there. He lived on this windy backroad, next to NOTHING. Kind of in the middle of nowhere. But we knocked and this cute old man answered and said "COME IN!" We were like "Uhhh.....ok!" and we did. We were able to teach him about the Restoration and mentioned the Book of Mormon. He is really interested and wants to learn more, and wants to read the Book of Mormon! So we're meeting him at the church on Wednesday for a church tour and a lesson. The whole time he was talking about the Second Coming and how it's getting closer and closer and that we need to prepare for it. We were able to bear powerful testimony that the Book of Mormon and modern-day prophets and the Priesthood can help him to prepare for when the Savior comes. It was a great lesson and I'm really excited to see him again.

We also saw L, this crotchety old man (I'm saying that lovingly) who got baptized last year. He is adorable and I just love him. He also has MS, and he is in a wheelchair because of it. We taught him outside on his porch (bad idea - I got a sunburn on my whole right side. So attractive.) and talked about conference. Somehow we got on the topic of names and Sister Pittman told him my first name. Then I told him that my middle name is Rose, and he said "Rose....that's a good name for a hooker." Then he told us the difference between strippers, hookers, and call girls. Hahaha thank you L! You're darling. He also showed us his gun last time we saw him and waved it around a bit. This time he asked us how many Young Single Adults go to the activities that the ward has for them, and we said not very many. Then he said "What you gotta do is go around to their places with a gun. That'll get 'em there." and we said "But L, you can't force people to come to church. They have to WANT to come." and then he said "Yeah, but if they have a gun pointed at their heads, they'll REALLY want to come to church!" He has a valid point! :P

Later, we went to a birthday lunch at this amazing Mexican restaurant in town. Mmmmm it was good. Then we went to the Gunnysack and Sister Pittman bought me a Pizzookie! It's a huge cookie that looks like a pizza and it had peanut butter ice cream on top. SO GOOD. Man, Paonia is seriously lacking in the restaurant department, but Gunnison has got it figured out. We were so stuffed, I thought they were going to have to roll us out of the place.

We also saw our investigator L that night. She's like 14 and in Middle School, and she's really cool. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and she really liked it! We're going to invite her to be baptized this week which we're really excited about.

Right after that we drove back to Paonia. It started to snow on our way out of Gunni, and we were a little worried that it would get bad because Gunnison is like the second coldest city in the United States, but it was mostly just wet and didn't cause any problems. It was beautiful to look at though! We got back just in time (ok, maybe a little bit late) for our Missionary Coordination Meeting. I think the Bishop and Ward Mission Leader in Paonia are a little worried that we're stretching ourselves thin working in two areas. They were very concerned about us driving all that way, and working too hard, and they kept asking what they could do to help us with our missionary efforts. It was so sweet! Honestly, I'm having a blast working in both areas! Yeah, it is a little challenging, but who doesn't love a good challenge? It's the best.

It really is beautiful here!

In my Zone, the Elders and Sisters are having a "friendly" competition revolving around Because He Lives. Every time we share it, we get a certain number of points, and every time we hand out a Because He Lives pass-along card we get points, and every time we find a new investigator from showing them the video we get points. The losers have to buy the winners lunch. So us Sisters are rallying together because we absolutely refuse to buy lunch for the Elders - and you would too if you saw how much they can eat!!! So all day Thursday we shared the video with EVERYONE that we could. It was fun. I have the whole thing memorized at this point, music and all. And I still love it and learn something new each time I watch it!

Thursday night we saw J and T. We asked J how he is doing with living the Word of Wisdom, and he's doing great! He told us that he has been drinking hot chocolate in the mornings at work instead of coffee, and he didn't have his can of chew in his back pocket like he usually does. That was really exciting.

On Friday, I turned 21! And we did our weekly planning all morning. Alannah sent me a box of lemon bars and we made them and then had a mini celebration - just me and Sister Pittman :) We lit all 21 candles, and Sister Pittman sang, and I blew out all of the candles in one breath, and then....the fire alarm went off. Hehe whoops! Our neighbors downstairs must have heard Sister Pittman singing, and also must have heard the alarm because we heard them say "They set off the fire alarm! HAHAHA" and then they laughed for like 5 minutes. Embarrassing! Fun fact - their son turned one the same day I turned 21. So I think they were just jealous of our rockin party, tbh.

 Birthday party time!

Having so much fun together!

Friday night we met up with the Uncompahgre Sisters and went on Exchanges! I went to their area with Sister Patera, and Sister Thompson (the greenie) came to Paonia with Sister Pittman. Sister Patera and I basically tracted all day Saturday. We didn't really have any big miracles, but we were able to teach quite a few people so that was fun. Uncompahgre is a strange place.

 Yup... I'm holding another chicken!

More friends we met along the way!

Meanwhile, in Paonia, Sister Pittman and Sister Thompson saw J and T and taught them the Law of Chastity and invited them to get MARRIED on May 2nd!!!!!! J is kind of opposed to marriage, but apparently the lesson went slightly better than expected. He didn't say yes yet, but they are going to fast and pray about it together. Please pray for them!!!!! We want him to be happy and I know that living the commandments and becoming a member of Christ's Church truly brings more happiness than anything else can! But it can be soo hard sometimes to start living the commandments and to change. I know he can do it, though! J didn't make it to church on Sunday because he was still processing everything, but T was there. She is so fantastic and she's ready for marriage, and I think he is too, he just needs to take a leap of faith. But once he does, the blessings are going to POUR out of Heaven like a monsoon. So hopefully soon I'll be hosting my first wedding on my mission! Pretty exciting :)

Church was great yesterday. The talks were on Praying with Faith - something I'm always working on. It's not easy sometimes; it actually takes effort and work! But it is so worth it in the end.

After church we saw C. She is 17 and her dad is a member but her mom is not (they're divorced). When she's staying with her dad every other weekend she comes to church and we get to come by and teach her. She's so neat and is really just a good kid. I think she'll get baptized within a year or two, but it's hard because her mom is really opposed to the church right now. It always absolutely amazes me when people, especially young people, are able to have such strong testimonies and knowledge despite having so much opposition in life. It gives me hope for the future.

Today Sister Pittman and I are going to go to Montrose with the Uncompahgre Sisters for a Girl's Day! We're getting our toes done, getting lunch, and hanging out. I'm really excited to feel like a lady again :P Then we'll be staying with them because tomorrow we have a Sister's Conference in Delta. Sister Pittman and I were asked to do an interpretive dance on Knowledge....uhh, how?!?! We don't know. We're kind of freaking out about it a little bit. Any ideas?? HELP US.

I hope you all have a fantastic week and that you see amazing miracles each day! Remember how much God loves you!!!!

Love,
Sister Koenig