Christmas Pics and The Eternal Everyday

Dear Everyone-

Hey!! It was so wonderful to see you all! I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day, it was lovely. :) To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure what to write you- I kind of shared just about everything on Wednesday. So, this will be a rather random email with little bits that I'm kind of just throwing out at you. But, I hope you enjoy it. Mainly, it was lovely to see you on Christmas. I was glowing when I came out. Thank you.

In answer to Dad's question- No, I didn't have a negative backlash after seeing you. To be completely honest, I think spending two years away at school really helped me on that score. I've known a lot of missionaries who lived at home before coming out, and leaving their families was a lot harder. I've had nothing but positive experiences, and I actually talked about it all during a lesson on Thursday. We had dinner with a member family, and afterwards we did a lesson on love at home (the Grandma's request- ;) ). I talked about how sometimes I felt that 9 people was a lot of people to get a long with, and it was really hard, but now I'm on my mission I am so grateful for you and all of your support. Then everyone went around and said one thing they liked about the person sitting next to them. It was kind of funny to see two sisters who weren't too happy with each other trying to come up with something with out actually admitting that the other was nice. LoL- reminds me of some great times we had. But, I was super happy that I got to Skype with you, I love the fact that I have so many voices cheering for me, and I love feeling your support. I feel it every time we email, when I Skyped with you, and every time I talk about you. But I don't feel a let down afterwards, and I am so grateful for that. I love you all so much. I hope you feel my love just as much as I feel yours, because I feel it a lot.

After Christmas, we went to Christine's house. She is a recent convert and she is absolutely incredible. I love her. Her husband is in Afghanistan, so it was just us three. It was a neat ending to a great Christmas.

Thank you Mom and Dad for your emails. They were both incredible. :) LoL- its kind of funny to think about where every one was just a year ago. There have been a lot of big things happening. I actually am going to print off both of those emails- they were incredible. Thank you.

Random bit- My Mission president sent us this poem:

“The Eternal Everyday:”

O, one might reach heroic heights

By one strong burst of power.

He might endure the whitest lights

Of heaven for an hour;--

But harder is the daily drag,

To smile at trials which fret and fag,

And not to murmur--nor to lag.

The test of greatness is the way

One meets the Eternal Everyday.

I really love it. :) I hope you enjoy it too. Mom and Dad are excellent at making super wise comments, so I'll just let them decide what they want to teach y'all about it. In the meantime, I just love it, and I thought I'd share it with you.

Anyways, I hope you have a great week. I love you so much!! You are amazing!! 

Dad asked for more pictures, so I'm sending a bunch of pictures. I guess I could just explain most of them.

Shepards from the Christmas Festival last week, and a bunch of other stuff from the Christmas Festival. Sister Warren is the awesome sister I had the opportunity of hanging out with all evening. :) She is great. There is also couple of pictures of the train I guarded valiantly for 5 hours.

At the Vergara's, we did the Nativity... :) It was probably the funniest Nativity I've ever seen. They got a script off the internet... and Whoo! Who knew you could have so much dramatic interpretation from Luke!??! I also appreciated Elder Fredrickson who was the pirate shepherd. 

Sister Nokes and I Christmas morning. Harrold gave us Auburn t-shirts, so we wore those to bed Christmas Eve and woke up all stylish in bright orange. :)

HUGE snowman outside Rick and Jody's house. It is 20 feet tall... LoL- larger than their house.

 Whew!! Hope you enjoy all of the pictures! :) I love you all tons and tons! I hope you have a great week! Love you.

Christmas

Dear Family and Friends and all those I love,

Merry Christmas!! I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas. I hope each of you have been able to take a few moments to stop and reflect on the Savior.

So, I had a beautifully long letter all written and typed up, but then the computer kicked me off. :) Now I have about 4 min to write you all. But basically, I talked about the small, simple ways that Christmas has come to mean a lot to me. I guess it fits that my big long letter was deleted.

One thing- I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. I am so grateful for him. I am grateful for all he has done for me. I am grateful for the intimate nature of the Atonement. Often it is through small and simple ways that the Savior makes himself manifest in our lives, and I am so grateful that he has allowed me to see those moments. They mean more to me than all the pomp and circumstance of the whole world.

I love you all. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!!

Love always,

~Sister Pratt

Temple Trip and the Christmas Festival

Hey!

How is everything going? I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season!! :) 

This past week we had a temple trip, two days of acting like temple square missionaries, and my companion has been sick. Needless to say, it hasn't been the best week for proselyting. But, its been a pretty good week nonetheless. 

The temple was pretty great. Before we went in, I had the opportunity to see Sister McDougal, which was absolutely fantastic. I love her so much. She is probably one of my top three favorite companions (out of the three that I've had... but still. :) I love her), and it was just great to talk with her. We live 2 hours away from the temple (1st time I have not lived exactly 30 min from the temple...), and it was nice to fall asleep on the way there and talk to Sister Nokes on the way back. 

The Madison Stake and our stake (The Huntsville Stake) put together a HUGE Christmas festival every year. They have a choir that is by invitation only, with an orchestra and they performed a bunch of Mack Wilberg songs. It felt like a Mini-Mo-Tab, especially during their closing number of Angles We Have Heard on High. They completely transformed the church to create a live walk through nativity (I'll show you pictures in my next email... sorry, forgot the hook-up), and they had 390 (or 100... there is some dispute about that number) nativities set up in the cultural hall. It was absolutely incredible. They spent a week putting everything up, and we spent two days acting as ushers or barriers between little fingers and the nativities. I was slightly saddened because despite the 390 (or 100) nativities in that room, there was not a single Precious Moments nativity. :) Christmas just isn't Christmas unless I get at least one chance to move around that nativity. Oh well. I'll just have to make my own with a paper snowflake. It was a great experience! I loved how Christmassy everything was. I was so grateful I had the opportunity to participate in that great event. but after 5 hours of standing on my feet with high-heels and only an orange to eat, I was ready to go home.

Sister Nokes has been slightly sick... Mostly she has the cold that I gave her, but she's had it about three times as long as I've had it. Its just a cold and it just means we have to take things slower than usual... but I kindof get the feeling in general I'll be going a lot slower than usual this transfer. LoL- all of my companions make me feel like I need to learn to slow down. At least I haven't killed anyone yet. :) And I'm trying to learn that... its just really hard when I have such an important job to do, and there are so many people that need the gospel so badly. But sometimes you have to work at the rate of your companion, not necessarily the rate you would like. I guess that is where that patience thingy comes into play. Well, if you could pray for us to run into some new investigators who would be ready to get baptized at some point soon, that would be fabulous. We could really use some of those.

Thanks so much!! I love you all!! Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Love always,

~Sister Pratt

If you is what you was, then you ain't!

Hey!

As you can tell from the subject, this email is all about "if you is what you was, then you ain't!" Wise words from my next-door neighbor, quoted by President Hanks during transfers and then reinforced this past week. Its been a crazy week of change, both in my life and in the lives of the people I get the opportunity to work with. Hopefully because of the changes we've all gone through this week has been a week of changing our hearts and drawing closer to the Savior.

On Wednesday I finally had the opportunity of attending a wedding. :) Of the many I've tried to plan, this is one of the few that actually came through. Oh! They are the most adorable couple ever! She was just bouncing around the room, making sure everything was going well with us (the guests), and that all of the papers were in order. He just stood there, grinning from ear to ear, about as proud as he could be. It was a small gathering, the Elders, her mother, the bishop's daughter, the Bishop and us, but it was so incredibly full of light and love. She had so much light radiating off of her, it was a true honor simply to sit and bask in her light. On Saturday she was baptized, and it was one of the most incredible experiences ever. They both had that light, but this one was more of a steady light- like a steadily burning coal as opposed to a fanciful fire. I am so glad that one of the Lord's choice daughters has made it onto the path, and I am honored to have witnessed just a part of it.

On Saturday we went on exchanges, and it was quite fabulous. We had the opportunity to bike, and it was FREEZING!!!!! I am pretty sure that early morning marching band prepared me for my mission if for no other reason than I have felt about 1/2 that cold once before... Oh! And then we went and painted a home (It was TONS of fun!!!), but they didn't have heat. LoL Oh well! The lady served us some of the most delicious food I have ever had in my life! It was great- beef and some type of salsa. I never knew Spanish food could taste so good. I loved it!

On Sunday, I had the opportunity of driving with Sister Jackson (my trainer) down to the Bell's baptism. It was a beautiful service, and it was incredible to see them make the covenants that they did. They have such an incredible love for the Savior, and a strong desire to follow him, it has truly been inspiring. On the way down, it rained complete SHEETS, and on the way back it did the same thing. :) But it was worth any effort to see them get baptized. I love them so much.

Well, I love you all! Hope you have a great day!!

Love,

~Sister Pratt

Here are a whole bunch of unrelated pictures...just thought you might enjoy.

Thanksgiving in Monte Sano

Hey!! 

How are you all?!?!?! It is so great to hear from all of you! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. :) Grandma acutally says that you should send me pictures of Thanksgiving. Oh! It sounds like you had an absolute blast. I'm glad the McCoys were able to come over, and I'm glad that Grandma and Grandpa Pratt were there.

This Thanksgiving I was mostly grateful for the Lord strengthening me. On Sunday I got sick, and our dinner appointment fell through, so I fasted until 9:00. It was slightly miserable, but mostly I was constantly praying that the Lord would sustain me. The first Sunday in a new ward is pretty important, and Sundays are super important for missionaries. So, I am grateful that the Lord sustains us. :) And I'm grateful for the Christmas season- minus the nasty consumerism, it is a great time of year.

Transfers were this week, and I'm pretty happy. For some odd reason, when I came out I expected to spend my whole mission in a super poor old-fashioned country area, working with small branches and bringing the light of the gospel into super dingy homes. I was expecting the epitome of humble. Yeah... that hasn't exactly been my experience thus far. I mean, I guess I've been in quite a few small, sketchy apartments, but that's kind of it. I don't know how President did it or what the Lord is trying to tell me, but once again I am in super rich city area, and the ward is super strong. This area doesn't even have an inner-city super sketchy area. I'm pretty sure I'm the only missionary in the history of this mission that has been in this type of area for so long. But, hey! I am absolutely convinced that I will love every second of it. Huntsville is mostly military and NASA, so there are a bunch of people who are super smart and do really epic things for work. The ward members are very welcoming; they feed us several times a week, and I get the feeling that they believe we are doing something super important. It is really nice to feel their confidence, and I can feel the difference it makes in the missionary work.

My companion seems like she will be a great companion. Her name is Sister Nokes, and she comes from Riverton, Ut. She's been in Alabama almost a year, and I am her 8th companion. She really knows the members, she's nice and she works hard. It is going to be a fabulous transfer (or two, or three, or four).

Thanksgiving was great. We went to two members homes, but I was really only able to eat one dinner. It was kind of lonely because I was the only person that didn't know everybody, and my companion is super social, so I got super shy. But the food was good, the people are good, and there was much to be thankful for.

Also, Auburn won the Iron Bowl in an absolutely epic finish. :) I'm pretty sure I will hear of nothing else for the rest of the year.

Oh! I love you all!! Good luck to Jenessa, I will be praying that your dance goes well. I didn't know that you were in ballroom dance, but that is fabulous. I always knew you would be a great ballroom dancer. Just please make sure you get me tickets to your nationals events and all other BYU ballroom dance stuff.

Well, I hope you all have a fabulous week!! I love you all!!

Love,

~Sister Pratt

Monte Sano

Hey!!!

I have been transferred to Monte Sanos. It is near Huntsville, and I can hardly even pronounce it, but I think I am going to love it! My companion is Sister Nokes, and she also seems fabulous. 

My address is:

215 B Goldsmith St. SE Huntsville, AL 35801

And you can mail any letters, and tell anyone to send letters to this. Love you all!!!

~Sister Pratt

Conversion, Transfers and Zone Conference

Hey Everyone!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving filled with plenty of food, plenty of football and a bunch of things to be grateful for. :) I am slightly jealous of your pumpkin pie dinner. :) It sounds fabulous, although it makes me feel super healthy with my pancake dinner. 

This week has been an absolutely incredible week in so many ways. I have much to be thankful for, and much to tell you. :) 

On Tuesday and Thursday we taught the Bells the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity, and they both were incredible. Ms. Bell said that she doesn't really like coffee (Mom, I've been waiting for someone like you. I seriously thought you were the only one on the entire planet who didn't have to get over Word of Wisdom issues.), and they hardly ever drink tea (UNHEARD OF in the South… and she is from Georgia!!!), so it wouldn't be a problem. :) I was amazed beyond belief. They threw their tea and coffee creamer out as we walked out the door.

For the Chastity lesson, Ms. Bell was super nervous, and I could tell she was bracing herself for all sorts of awkwardness, but I don't think it was that bad. We told the 7 year old not to kiss and then sent her in the next room. Just was we got started the 14 year old (Kionee) said, "Can I say something?" we looked at each other, braced for awkwardness and said "Sure." She said, "You know. I think some people just should not have kids. You can just tell because they look bad together, they should just not have kids because their kids will be really ugly." It was pretty much the awesomest icebreaker ever, terrible to try to build off of, but it broke the ice really quickly.

It has been really nice to teach someone who is converted. I don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing, or offending them. Ms. Bell was sick on Sunday, so the Elders came over to give her a blessing. After the blessing, I tried to testify about the power of the blessing, and she just said, "I know," and it was 20 times more powerful than anything I could have ever said. A few minutes ago, she didn't even know what a blessing was, now she has a powerful testimony of that. I have no idea what happened to give her that strength, but it truly is beautiful to see someone that converted. 

We had an incredible Zone Conference on Wednesday. Absolutely incredible. I've been focusing on bringing questions to meetings so that I can receive specific revelation. Last week was a rough week, and I ended up just going to the Lord and saying, "Zone Conference is coming up, I need to have a question, but honestly, can you just fix this? Please, just fix it." I wasn't even sure what "it" is, but he fixed it. Every single question and/or problem that I had was addressed. I came to the meeting feeling rather worn, but I left the meeting feeling spiritually rejuvenated and ready to get to work. We ended up teaching 5 lessons in the four hours we had after zone conference, and most of them were not planned. It was just beautiful. 

And finally- I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D Yes. I am a little bit excited, possibly a bit nervous, but mostly thrilled out of my mind. Vestavia has been a great area, I've learned a lot and I've loved a lot. I'll also really really really miss my dear companion, Sister McDougal (who is pretty much the most fantastic person ever), but I was ready for a change last transfer. This transfer I'd pretty much given up on ever getting transferred, and I was sure the Lord was just going to keep me here for eternity (I've been here 1/3 of my mission…), but once I heard I was getting transferred, I got really excited. It should be a great transfer. I'm excited to work in an new area, with new people and hopefully I'll have an absolute blast.

I won't find out where I am going until Wednesday, so I'll probably email you then (unless President has changed that policy), and I'll tell you where you can send anything that you want to send (I'm sure you've gotten the emails on packages and letters during the holiday season). 

So Dad, the Elders were actually planning on doing the same thing this Thanksgiving. We weren't invited to anyone's house, so they just decided to team up with some other missionaries for a nice dinner. When our ward mission leader heard about that, he announced in PEC, Relief Society (and I'm sure Elder's Quorum) that we didn't have a place to eat. Some very generous and kind people quickly offered to have us over, so my companion will have a place to eat. No idea what will happen with me, but hey! It will be an adventure finding out! :)

Well, I love you all. Thank you for everything you do to support me. You are the best family ever :) even if, and perhaps especially because, you eat pumpkin pie for dinner.

Love always,

~Sister Pratt

p.s. Due to recent events, stories we've heard and a concern for our families, Sister McDougal and I have decided not to get involved in any tornadoes, typhoons, illegal activities, hurricanes or any other sort of dangerous or life-threatening activity. Just so you know. :) We're just not going to die. Its officially decided.

The Bell Family

Hey!!

How are you? It was so good to hear from everyone! Last night I had a dream that the First Presidency changed the mission policy and allowed all of the missionaries to go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. For some odd reason when I got home, everyone had digressed in age- Miranda was in Jr. High, Jenessa was in elementary school, Steven was a baby, and Julia was back in her "pigtails that Look like Boo and HUGE blue eyes that could melt the stiffest heart" stage. She looked adorable. :) Miranda kept getting after me because I would say "Oh! You are growing up so quickly!" and she said I should say, "Oh! You have grown up so quickly!" I guess my brain just can't quite fathom the idea that you are getting so much older. Miranda was also a fabulous piano player. I had Julia hanging on one arm, and I was holding Steven with the other arm, while Sabrina made cookies and Wesley ran around in circles. :) It was a great dream. I miss you all terribly, and your emails meant a lot to me. Thank you. 

So, Today I would like to brag really quickly about my Grandparents. They are some of the awesomest people ever, and I love them to pieces. This past week I was reading from Elder Ballard's general conference talk "Put your Trust in the Lord," and I read the part where says:

"We are not asking everyone to do everything. We are simply asking all members to pray, knowing that if every member, young and old, will reach out to just “one” between now and Christmas, millions will feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful gift to the Savior."

(Sorry, email won't let me format this correctly... :P My English major is dying. But...)  As I read that I thought, "Oh! I wish everyone in my ward would take this challenge seriously!!" Then I felt slightly guilty and thought, "I wonder if my own family is even trying this..." 

Well. Today I got on my email, and Grandma Pratt had emailed me the awesomest story about her and Grandpa doing missionary work. She said they prayed and asked the Lord what to do, they made friends with people and they shared the gospel. Now I can proudly say that, yes, my Grandparents are following the counsel (/command) of our Apostle! You'll have to ask them for the full story; it was absolutely fabulous. And it made my day. They are kindof the greatest people ever; a true testament to Elder Ballard's promise, and I am so grateful for them. 

This past week was pretty fantastic. Sorry this letter is so long, I guess I had a lot of thoughts. Well, how about a quick, awesome story about the Bell Family. They are a family we've been working with for quite sometime, but now they have a baptismal date!!! In many ways it feels rather surreal. Last month, we really hammered baptism and the importance of reading the Book of Mormon, but they would not commit to baptism, and they never read the Book of Mormon. Finally we decided to switch tactics and start talking about the commandments. We started out with the 10 commandments, and taught from both Exodus and Mosiah. Near the end of the lesson, I told them a brief version of the story of Abinadi. Ms. Bell looked shocked and said, "Really!?!?! I'm gonna have to read this." I was a little worried she was checking to see if it was actually appropriate for her kids to be reading, but I was just happy she agreed to read.

We went back two days later, and she said that she had read. While she read, she said she felt peace, and her daughter agreed to start reading. Two days later, they asked us if they could get baptized, and on Sunday they came to church. During Gospel Principles, we had a neat experience where Ms. Bell testified of the difficulties of joining the church, but concluded by saying, "I'm gonna do it. It might be difficult, but I'm going to go ahead and get baptized." After she finished, a recent convert raised her hand and expressed the difficulties she's had since getting baptized, but then expressed that it was the best decision she's ever made. I don't think even Preach My Gospel could have planned such a perfect moment.

During correlation, our ward mission leaders asked what had made the difference, and we responded in unison, "She actually read the Book of Mormon." Trust the Book of Mormon to make all the difference in an investigator's life. It is the best tool ever.

(p.s. Mom- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING ME LEARN THE BIBLE AND BOOK OF MORMON STORIES!!! I've been telling stories from the Bible and Book of Mormon a lot lately, and it seems to be a gift that none of my companions seem to have. I know the Bible very well, and they have no idea what the investigator and I are talking about. That knowledge is certainly a blessing. Thank you.) 

This next week should be a pretty interesting week. We have Zone Conference on Wednesday, and transfer calls on Saturday. I have absolutely no idea if I'm staying or going... I've been here for 6 months (which is eons in missionary time) and we are getting another huge batch of missionaries, but after thinking I would get transferred for the last 4 transfers, I'm just not entirely sure. At all. So, we'll see what happens. Also, Fun fact with Zone Conference- I'm supposed to lead the music. Sister Heath (my old piano teacher) always told me to practice the Hymns because when I went on a mission I would have to play the piano. :) This I semi-somewhat diligently did after I got into High School, and I was prepared to play at least a few Hymns. Well, thus far I have used my conducting skills a bunch of times, but I've never played the piano. Every other ward in the mission needs pianists... but ours has a plethora, and I always seem to serve with Elders who know how to play. But no one feels comfortable conducting... Funny tidbit.

Well, I love you all. I hope you have a fantastic week!!

~Sister Pratt

The Lord's Direction and Progressing Investigators

Hey Everyone!!

:) It is great to hear from everyone. Sounds like you are having a busy and fun week.

This week has been an incredible week. We were able to commit 2 1/2 people to baptism, (Our 1/2 has committed to baptism, but not to a date.) and get 6 of our investigators to finally start progressing. Mostly I think Sister McDougal and I got sick of people not progressing, so we got super bold with everyone. Something must have clicked because 6 of our investigators suddenly started progressing.

Saturday we were able to go on exchanges, and it was absolutely fantastic. Sister Isaak is probably one of my favorite people ever, and it was great to spend all day with her. At first it was rather stressful because although our week had been completely full with appointments, we were not able to find any appointments for Saturday. I prayed and prayed that we would be able to find something worthwhile to do during exchanges, and sure enough, the Lord answered my prayers. Appointments just started popping up out of nowhere, and somehow our planner went from completely empty to completely full. It was beautiful.

This week in particular it has been neat to watch the Lord direct our work. We've had several opportunities where we arrived at someone's house just as they needed help. The Lord directed so much of our schedule, and it was beautiful to see that. Last week we were talking with a member about how our schedule, as much as we would like it to be set, is completely unpredictable. She said, "That is because you have signed yourselves up to be tools. Now that you are the Lord's tools, he can do whatever he wants with you, and you have to go and do it." Some weeks it seems like nothing is going well and we aren't receiving any help from Heaven, and some weeks it seems like the Lord decides that it is time to pick us up and direct us. I am so grateful when the Lord gives us weeks where everything goes well, where people start progressing, and where I feel like I am a true tool in his hand.

As for the holidays, I have been given absolutely no advice. I've been here for 4 transfers, so part of me says I'm going somewhere else this next transfer. The rest of me says that I'm going to be here the rest of my mission... I guess I'll just have to email you when I find out, but either way, transfers are the day before Thanksgiving. Super awkward.

I'm not entirely sure where we will go (as far as members homes) for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I'm really not entirely sure who I would ask. Missionary work is ridiculously awkward, especially when it comes to working with members. I always feel like I am asking them to do things that are super out of their way. Either that, or I'm inviting myself over to their house... which is super awkward. *Sigh* Oh well. Our ward mission leader decided on Sunday that he was going to put together a dinner calendar, so hopefully that will help us get into their homes without intruding or inviting ourselves. And hopefully we'll be able to figure something out for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Well, I love you all! Hope you have a fantastic week. :) Enjoy your candy. Stay Steadfast in Christ!

~Sister Pratt

p.s. The following are pictures from Halloween or the evening before. We had a great ward party.

Four Questions

Hey Everyone!!

Sounds like you had a great time on Halloween! :D Was Julia Minnie Mouse? Steven, you are SO lucky!!! Mom and Dad wouldn't let me dress up as anything scary until after I left the house!! I had to be a friendly witch for Halloween, and let me tell you, nothing is more embarrassing to a 13 year old than being a friendly witch rather than a scary witch.

CONGRATS TO THE SALEM HILLS MARCHING BAND!!! :D :D :D That is fantastic. Sabrina, if there is ever proof that it is possible to move out of a pigeon hole, that is proof. (p.s. About that- sorry. That really stinks, and it takes someone of super strong character to be able to deal with sitting on a bench. I'm proud of the soccer player you've become, and given time, you might be able to prove yourself despite previous years. I hope you are able to be a player of great character as well as great moves.)

Jenessa- how was the date!??!! Who did you take? Did you ask, or did they ask? How was the movie? :) I'm pretty sure you were grateful Mom and Dad didn't crash your date as well. That is pretty funny.

Julia- wow, you sound incredible. :) Congrats on the Basketball team, I hope you are able to move practices. You are such a great girl! And Enjoy going to the temple as often as you possibly can. It is a wonderful experience. 

In answer to Dad’s questions. 

How has my week gone? Well… It has been up and down. We had an incredible day on Tuesday, and we were able to teach 9 lessons… that is about ½ of the standard of excellence. We were out for 8 hours (including meal breaks) and we cannot figure out how in the world we taught 8 lessons. One of the people we ran into was a  woman who had been investigating the church for quite some time, but then she moved and was unable to continue the lessons. She knows it is true, and she wants to get baptized, but she is living in Ohio. She just came down for the weekend, but we were able to give her a mormon.org card and tell her how to find the missionaries in her area. It was neat to see how the Lord was aware of her situation, and he was able to send the missionaries back into her life. I really hope the missionaries in Ohio enjoy her.

Did I feel the Spirit this week? Yep. I can certainly say I felt it this week. Missionary work is kind of hard because everyone places such a huge emphasis on feeling the Spirit, and how you need to follow it, and everything. And it is super important, but it is also super hard to concentrate on. When you are a missionary, you are almost constantly feeling the Spirit, and constantly being directed, so most of the time you don’t feel like you are, you just are. Often times you realize it afterwards, but usually not in the moment.  If that makes any sense… But, this week I had a moment when there was no question, I was feeling the Spirit.During Relief Society, a sister sang the song, "Walk Tall You're a Daughter of God." It was really a very simple performance, she sings about as well as I do, but it was one of the most powerful musical numbers I have ever experienced. The Spirit completely filled the room. It was like a sweet, warm blanket that descended during the chorus. I completely missed the second and third verse. It  beautiful and very powerful.

Also, Scripture study has been incredible this week.

What was the deepest thought I contemplated? Well… I read the King Follet Sermon this week. :) LoL- I’m not sure if that is cheating, but when you read that puppy, you have no choice to think deeply. It was a fascinating read.

I was reading the Book of Mormon about Lehi’s journey in the wilderness, and I realized just how long they spend in the valley of Lemuel. They travel to the valley of Lemuel, and then Lehi lectures Laman and Lemuel about being righteous, then the Lord speaks to Nephi. After the Lord is done speaking to Nephi, they go back and get the plates from Laban (which is  a pretty substantial journey) and then they read them. They go back to Jerusalem to get their wives, Lehi has a vision of the tree of life, tells his family about it, and then Nephi has a more extended vision, and expounds the things of God to Laman and Lemuel.  Then, after all of this happens, Lehi receives the Liahona and they leave the valley of Lemuel. After about 17 chapters. When I was reading this, I realized just how long Lehi’s family dwelt in that valley, and just how much happened there. Lehi's family must have experienced moments of confusion- they were here to go on a journey, to move away from Jerusalem, travel through the wilderness and enter the promised land, but instead the Lord had them camping out in a valley for a very long time. As I thought about everything that happened in that valley, I realized that it formed the foundation of the rest of their journey. 

Also, as I was reading about Nephi getting the plates, I pondered the part where Nephi talks to the Spirit, "I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him." He had never shed the blood of any man, this was his first experience with warfare. I'm willing to bet that Nephi and never even thought of killing some one. In his comfortable home in Jerusalem, he probably would have grown up to be a teacher, or a stone mason, or some sort of metal worker, but probably not a warrior. Later on Jacob writes, "The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defence, and having labored in all his days for their welfare—". Although Nephi had never killed anyone, the Lord knew that Nephi needed to have that experience because someday he would need to be a mighty warrior for his people. It was hard, especially on a tender soul, but the Lord was preparing him for greater things than Nephi had ever thought of. I am so grateful for a God who so tenderly teaches us what to do. The Lord could have easily told Nephi, "You need to kill this person because I said so. Can't you  just trust me? Do it." Or Nephi's first experience with warfare could have been the time when the Lamanites were coming to kill his people. Instead, the Lord spends the time early on to teach Nephi when it is appropriate for a man to die, allows Nephi the opportunity to settle it in his own mind, and then helps him to obey the commands of the Spirit. It struck me as quite a tender moment, (although I've always thought it was rather gorey) ,and I am very grateful that the Lord takes the time to teach us and prepare us.

Who did I touch? Misty Beasley. She is a recent convert that we have been working a lot with. She’s been on a roller coaster this entire year, but right now she is on one of her up moments. The other day we were able to talk about  making our weaknesses become strengths  and helping her move from “Old Misty” to “New Misty.” :) On Sunday she came up and told us that she can see the difference that the church has made in her life. It was a tender moment.

Whew! Thank you Dad! :) Those questions really helped out. I had no idea what to write, because this week has just been "same old, same old" and sometimes it feels like nothing is happening, nothing is changing, and there isn't anything to share. Turns out there was. Thank you!

Well, I hope you all have a fantastic week!!! I love you all!

Love,

~Sister Pratt

Pizza, Polish and Play

Hey!

Sorry today's email is rather late. We had a Pizza, Polish and Play activity with our Zone. We ate pizza, polished the cars and played a bunch of games. It was tons of fun. :) I really enjoyed running up and down the court, even if I still have NO idea what to do. I just liked getting competitive (esk... we were following the missionary handbook), and running. Its been too long since I've been able to run.

The colors haven't hit us quite yet, but thus far I have really enjoyed the beautiful weather. Cold and rainy- just the way I like it!

Sounds like everyone has been pretty busy! Steven- congrats on your Wolf! Great job to Julia! Sabrina- just so you know, I played soccer today and thought of you. You would have been beet red if you had seen how I played, but I did play it, and I thought of you. Way to go! ;) Somehow I have a hard time imagining Jenessa not flirting... LoL, but I'm glad she has a good head on her shoulders. I'm glad you've been able to help Allison go shopping. LoL- I love H&M, and you should tell her I shop every week at ALDI's (and it has authentic German chocolate...). :) It is amazing the European influence in the randomest places.

:) Congrats to the BYU football team. It always makes me happy when people tell me I have a good football team "out there." Oh! Side note, but I learned why Alabama is so huge into football. :) Apparently after the Civil War, the South was very much in the dumps, and they had lost just about every shred of dignity (You should study the Post-Civil war era... it is really fascinating, and not taught much. People tend to skip from the Civil war to the Great Depression during history classes.), and it was embarrassing to be in the south. Well, one of the first Rose bowls after the Civil War Alabama was scheduled to play I think it was UCLA, and they were supposed to be absolutely slaughtered. It wasn't even supposed to be a game, just an all-out slaughtering. To the surprise of everyone and to the pride of the South, Alabama was the one that did the slaughtering. It was the first real thing of note that they were able to hold onto, and it became a huge deal. So, that is why the South, and Alabama in particular, became so huge on football. :) Fun fact for the day.

This past week Sister McDougal and I did a Ton of finding. Most of our investigators have needed sifting, so we've had a lot of time to just find people. It has been rather interesting talking to so many different people and hearing about their relationship with God. At times it has gotten rather frustrating because it doesn't feel like we are doing anything, but when we went to report numbers we realized that we had 7 new investigators (up from about 3 per week). The Lord really has been good to us this week, and I am so grateful. Hopefully we'll be able to move on with those 7 new investigators and really, honestly bring them closer to Christ.

We also had a great experience the other day, when we went to visit one of our new investigators. The Elders keep telling us about people that just walk up to them and ask them to teach them. While I know there is no competition, it really stinks when you are working the same area and they have investigators literally walk up to them and ask about their religion while you have nothing... well, not quite nothing, but it feels like nothing. But, we were slightly depressed, and slightly jealous. But we kept working, and the other day someone drove up and said, "Hey Sisters! Are you coming to see me!?" We looked at each other, and then yelled, "Yep!" He said he was going to work, but told us to swing by any time. Sunday evening we swung by. His name is Greg, and he was taught a few years ago by Elders in Milwaukee, and he seems golden. 

One of the biggest struggles I've had teaching people is that they don't seem to think. Or else they think, but don't tell us what they think. And I have been struggling trying to figure out how to either ask questions that make them think, or ask questions that help me see what they are thinking. Thus far it is still a work in progress, but one of the first things I noticed about Greg was that he thinks! Oh! He thinks! And it is such an amazing thing!!! It was fantastic reasoning with him, and helping him understand why we believe the way we do, and why it would be reasonable to read the Book of Mormon, and how it could bless his life. It was amazing! The lesson flowed perfectly, he seemed to understand everything that we taught and by the end he even agreed to get baptized (once he knew for himself that the things we taught were true). It was amazing. I am super grateful for the Lord allowing us to have that experience. Times like that just make everything perfect.

Well, I hope you all have a fantastic week! I love you all tons! 

~Sister Pratt

Golden Investigators

Hey Everyone!

How is everything going? Sounds like everything is going fantastically at home. :) Sorry, I only have a few seconds (sorry, I spent too much time talking to Mom and Dad...), so I'll just tell you the really cool thing that happened this week.

This past week we were given a golden investigator, and it was fantastic. Our district leader started sending around a sign-up sheet to meet with the missionaries. We have a hard time talking to the members during church (especially when we have an investigator), so he sent a sign up sheet around for those who want to meet with the missionaries. It has been a great tool to get to know the members, but surprisingly, some of the members have been using it to do missionary work.

We've had two members sign up and then invite a friend to meet us, and Thursday was one of those times. They have a friend who is currently living with them, has been going to church with them, and want to find out about all of this Mormon stuff her friend has gotten into. She is absolutely fantastic, and I love her to pieces. She spent most of the lesson asking questions relating to the first lesson, and towards the end of the lesson she started asking questions about the second lesson, so we were able to teach her everything that we thought she needed to know in line with everything she felt she needed to know. She is one of those good Christian people who would make an incredible Mormon if we could get past the front door, and now she is living with her best friend, who is now Mormon. I am super excited to continue working with her.

Well, I love you all! I hope you have a great week!! Congrats on everything you are doing. Love you bunches!

~Sister Pratt

Civil Rights stuff and Mom

Hey Mom and Dad and Everyone!!!

Sounds like you had a pretty fantastic week. I'm so glad that you were able to spend so much time with Uncle Shane's family, and I'm even happier that they are doing so well.

Happy Birthday to Dad!!! You are a great Dad, and I am so grateful for everything you do for us and for me. Thank you for your strong example and your wisdom. Being your daughter has been a great experience. Thank you. I hope you have a fantastic day!

This week's email will be pretty short because I am having a shortened Preperation day. :) President gave Sister McDougal and I permission to go to the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum on Tuesday (it is closed on Monday). I'll have to tell you how that one goes, I am super excited.

This past week we actually spent a lot of time in Birmigham. (Similar to SLC, there are a bunch of "bubble" cities around Birmingham. We cover part of the city and a bunch of bubble cities to the south of Birmingham.) We had an investigator who wanted to meet us in the park across from 16th Street Baptist Church. We nodded, said okay, and then plugged it into our GPS, assuming that it was just a Baptist church on 16th Street. Yeah, no. Apparently it was the 16th Street Baptist Church, the Civil Rights museum was right in front of the church, and the park across the street was a memorial park for the girls who were killed in the church. The history nerd in me went CrAzY. It was fantastic!! I also loved reading Martin Luther King Jr.'s stuff on plaques. The English side of me really appreciated his words, and gave me such a deeper understanding of the importance of words and learning to master the English language. Some of the stuff that other people wrote on the plaques were just full of raw emotion, and really turned me away, but his stuff was very meaningful and included me in the conversation rather than excluded me. It really made me grateful for his incredible contribution and for his mastery of the English language.

We have a few investigators, but very few of them are really progressing. Most of the ones that actually seem to have potential are the ones we've only met with once and haven't been able to get in contact with them since. We've been doing a lot of finding... a lot of finding... but no. I'm not in Mexico. Or Brazil... Or anywhere Spanish speaking, so we don't have as many investigators as I would like. And people just aren't progressing very well, even if they do let us visit them. So it is slow going on that front. But hopefully it will pick up soon, we've been fasting and praying for some great progressing investigators, and until then, we'll just work on making them.  

As far as transfers go, Sister McDougal and I are both staying. That will make 4 transfers for me. It was a weird moment on Sunday when I realized that all of the people that had been here ForEver had actually been here for a shorter amount of time that I was going to be here. Fortunately, unlike most of those people, I'm still not burned out with the area. I love Vestavia Hills- it is incredible, the people are amazing, the ward is fantastic, it is like a missionary's dreamland. Although :) I guess I'd better figure out what the Lord wants me to do in this area, otherwise I might just spend my whole mission here!

Also, quick shout out to Mom- You are awesome!! Just so you know. The other day I was trying to memorize Matthew 25:31-46. It is the scripture where Christ talks about seperating the Sheep from the goats at the second coming/ judgement, and some will go on his left and some will go on his right. The reason why the sheep are so special is because they fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, visited the sick and visited the imprisoned. Now, I've always taken that scripture with a grain of salt. Lets be honest, how many times do I see people walking around naked, so I have to give them clothing, or how often do people tell me they are thirsty so I give them water. Typically I try to be nice to everyone, pay my fast offerings, donate to some good causes but I don't really feed the hungry, and I certainly DON'T let strangers come and stay in my house. Well, while I was reading the part about, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." I thought of little kids. Seriously, who else is more least than a new born baby- they can't do Anything for themselves, except cry. I thought of Miranda, when she tried to go to church without a whole lot of clothing on, and Wesley who always hated wearing clothes. Next I thought of all of those incredible meals on fast Sunday or how every time we were hungy we would go to Mom (I always hated how I would be babysitting and no one would tell me they were hungry until the moment Mom got home...). Anyways, Thank you Mom for feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked (even when, and perhaps especially when they didn't want to be clothed), allowing all of these random kids into your house before you even knew what type of person they were going to be, and I hope none of us go to prison, but thank you for always being there when we feel trapped. Thank you. :) And apparently all of the good Moms are going to be on the right hand.

Well, I hope everyone has a fantastic week! Enjoy school, work and all of the other awesome activities you are doing.

Love you all!

~Sister Pratt

General Conference, Service and the Mind of an Investigator

Dear Everyone,

After Conference, I thought I had no more tears. Well, your letters proved otherwise. I'm terribly sorry that the trailer is gone. That small thing provided a good amount of memories and fun times; it will certainly be missed. At the same time, I grateful that Dad was able to follow the Spirit and obey its promptings. That certainly brings peace to my heart. The Lord can see much further into the future than we can. I'll miss the fun times and the fun memories, but the Lord certainly values family time, and I doubt he would ask us to sacrifice that time in asking us to sacrifice the trailer, as sad as it is. Anyways, I'm sorry about selling the trailer, really, truly, honestly sorry, but thank you for paying attention to that prompting.

I honestly had absolutely no idea what to write to you today. Conference was amazing, transfers are coming up, we helped some investigators move out of their apartment, we had interviews with President, and that was about it. LoL- it is amazing what "that is it" means in missionary life. Missionary life keeps you crazily busy, and sometimes you feel that you don't accomplish anything productive until you list out the things that you've done over the past week, and you realize that you've been quite busy.

On Wednesday, Sister McDougal and I had the opportunity to visit a Less-Active/ Semi-recent convert (she's a convert of about a year and a half). I knew that prior to coming into the church she had drilled the missionaries with questions, so I asked her if we could visit, talk about her conversion story, and if she could help us see into the mind of an investigator a little bit. I was expecting a spiritually uplifting visit as she reviewed her conversion story, a few tips for us as missionaries and a little bit of a better understanding between us, but nothing too much. It was NOT what I expected. She took our request to heart and prayed earnestly to know what the Lord would have her tell us.  

When we came in she had notes, pamphlets from the missionaries and plenty of personal experience. She covered nearly Everything I have ever heard, including how to use pamphlets, why pamphlets are useful, how to get along in the culture of the South, why the Book of Mormon is important, how she gained her testimony, a testimony on not getting discouraged with rejection, what to do to make people more open to listening to you and about 30 min worth of why we need to keep the Area book updated. She strongly suggested that we should implement some sort of mission-wide system to let the incoming missionaries know what the previous missionaries taught each investigator and how each investigator felt about the concepts taught. We didn't get a chance to tell her about the Area book, but we both swore to do a better job keeping the area book updated and detailed.

One of the things she said towards the end really hit me. I mentioned that I was having a hard time finding service because everyone says, Oh! I'm fine. I'm good. I don't need any help. She said, "Sometimes missionaries are really frustrating because they seem to think that they are the only ones who can serve. Sometimes you need to let other people serve you, because that allows them to feel the Spirit and to feel good about themselves, which makes them more likely to open up to you. Let them serve you as long as they want to serve you, and then you can get access to their heart. If you are too nice and too willing to help, but don't let anyone else help you, you don't seem genuine. You seem fake. Don't be too nice and let other people serve you."

I love to serve other people; I'm a missionary, that is what I do, but she really taught me a valuable lesson. During our visit with her, she was certainly guided by the Spirit. Her preparation for our visit allowed her an opportunity to draw closer to the Lord and increase in faith. At the same time, everything she did was a great service to us. We learned how we can be better missionaries, we felt the Spirit and we got to build that relationship.

Service can sometimes be a two way thing. Although I like to serve people, and although I hate being a burden or allowing other people to serve me, sometimes I need to just swallow my pride and allow other people to serve me. I need to put the needs and desires of other people above my own, even if that includes letting them serve me, because as they serve me they draw closer to Christ and we, as missionaries, are able to gain greater access to their hearts. It really is a win-win. 

Sounds like you had a great time in Priesthood. :) I would have loved to seen the boys dressed up eating ice cream and watching conference. They will make incredible young men. (And congrats to Wesley on his Webelos award!)

This past week we had a throw back to Dad's childhood, and watched General Conference at the Stake Center. At first I was rather apprehensive, wondering how in the world I was going to be able to sit still for that long on the hard benches, but then I realized that less than a month earlier I had sat still for nearly 7 hours while listening to a General Authority. Needless to say, I was fine. :) And yes, Conference was AMAZING. I've been focusing recently on bringing a question that I want the Lord to answer to every meeting. It doesn't always work out the way I want it to, but the Lord always honors my attempt by blessing me with some sort of incredible revelation. This Conference, the Lord answered every question I had by Saturday afternoon, including several that I had in jr. high. It was incredible. The Spirit truly did testify to the things that were said by the Prophet and those called to serve with him. I am so incredibly grateful for living prophets and for those who sacrifice so much to learn his will for us. 

[p.s. I understand why people gain so much weight on their missions. There is an exhaustion that comes after spiritual experiences and by Sunday evening it was all I could do to remember our investigators names, much less teach them a lesson. Missionaries are constantly exhausted because they are having so many Spiritually and emotionally exhausting experiences, so they seek energy, which typically come in the form of sleep or food. We aren't able to take naps because of the strict schedule we are on, so we eat a snack to help us get back in the game, but since we haven't burned any calories (we've just been Spiritually and Emotionally depleted, not physically) we receive a whole lot of fat with that boost of energy. Not that I've gained weight, I'm still the same size I was when I left (although my hair is suddenly taking a turn towards blonde... no idea why...), but it is an aspect of missionary life that I didn't expect.]

I certainly missed the cinnamon rolls on Sunday, but I contented myself with a bagel and pumpkin spice cream cheese. Also, to make life better, we spent the night at the Cahaba Heights Sister's apartment. :) And that was fantastic. The Elders don't have a car, and we are running low on miles, so we drove up after Priesthood session, gave the Elders our car and Cahaba picked us up. I love the Cahaba Heights sisters. :) They are like our sister companionship. We stayed up super late (10:29), giggled and chatted (about which conference talk was the best, how our investigators were doing,ect.) wrote in our journals, and slept in late (6:20). In the morning, we got ready early and picked up one of their investigators so we could bring her to Conference. It was a truly fun experience. Below are some of the pictures, including a picture of a red, steel Elephant. It made me laugh.

Also, Yay! I can't wait to receive the package. Although, transfers are coming up and if you aren't able to mail it within the first part of this week (about Thursday), I would suggest waiting until next Monday to find out if I am leaving Vestavia or staying. Mail in Alabama is REALLY slow, and I wouldn't want to miss it if I happen to be leaving.

Well, I must go. I love you all! It is great to hear how everyone is doing. I miss you and can't wait to see you, but I am grateful that I have the incredible opportunity to serve a mission. It really is a great experience. 

~Sister Pratt

p.s. THANK YOU for also working so hard. It is quite sad, but two of the most poignant lessons I have learned thus far are that 1- You are Not entitled to ANYTHING. The world does not owe you, and it will not pay you. 2- Work. Get up, get a job and be productive. That is the best way to have the things you need, and most importantly, be happy. :) Oh! The gospel really does save us SO much pain. It is incredible!

Baptisms!!!

Dear Mom and Dad and Family,

Hey! So I am a bit messed up, because I am trying to respond to Mom's letter from last week and Dad's letter from this week. Sorry if I get events out of order, but hopefully it will all work out well. 

Sounds like you have been crazy busy and crazy about living life. :) In other words, not much has changed in the Pratt household. Congrats to Allison, :) Her mission will be a fantastic opportunity, and I am sure the people in the Netherlands will absolutely love her to pieces. Also congrats to Jenessa, Sabrina and Julia. Receiving a Patriarchal blessing is certainly a very special and sacred experience. I hope you are able to treasure it often. I was once told to read it often, and I set a goal to read it once a week, on Sunday. It was one of the greatest blessings of my life, and certainly helped me to keep my life focused on where I wanted to go and what I wanted to be throughout high school. I'm glad Sabrina is finally owning the soccer field the same way she does the foosball table. And I hope Julia is always able to maintain that excitement for young women's. It really is an inspired program. I'm glad Wesley and Steven were able to participate in the Primary program, but Dad, you don't need to feel old until Steven is graduating. LoL- until then you still have kids in the house.

Congrats on the Donald Davis retreat. :) I'm glad you were able to pull it off, and I'm glad that everything went well. It seems like every year you dread doing it, but then decide that it was a great decision. I'm happy that you thought it was a great decision again. I love that thought. In the scriptures it tells us over and over again that they are written that we might remember the great mercies of the Lord towards our Fathers. It is kind of interesting to study the scriptures from that perspective.

I'm excited to hear how Priesthood session on BYUtv goes. For the missionaries, that is a huge blessing! People are SO much more willing to watch TV than go to church. Hopefully some of those people will enjoy watching conference, be pricked in their hearts and decide to come to church. That would be wonderful. Everyone in Alabama is certainly discussing it. LoL- I think BYUtv is everyone's favorite channel. If you ever need validation for anything you are doing at BYUtv, you should just come down and spend a few moments in the living room of the members down here. They LOVE EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME and are MORE than happy to tell you how awesome it is. :) Actually, some of our members have a hard time understanding that the missionaries can't come over and watch BYUtv with them. It is great.

I'm super glad that conference is just around the corner, although this week it kind of feels like we just heard from a bunch of General Authorities. I guess I should soak it in for the middle of December when I'll be stuck in the middle of no where, and I won't have fantastic experiences EVERY time I go to church, tons of great meetings and super great opportunities.

This week has been quite a special week for Alabama. We had three people get baptized in our ward building. One was an investigator (now recent convert) from the Spanish branch, and the other two were English baptisms!!!! The Elders were teaching a man from Nigeria, and he was able to be confirmed in Swahili. It was really quite a special experience to hear the blessing being performed in his native tongue. I'm sure he will remember that moment for quite some time.

The third person to get baptized was a man that we taught. Yay!! :) It was really neat. The baptism represented the most beautiful example of member missionary work that I have ever seen. A brother in our ward just taught his friend everything he needed to know about our church. Andy quit drinking beer three months before he even met with the missionaries! It was amazing to hear his story, and hear why he decided to join the church. Brother Chambers shared his testimony with him, worked with him and basically brought him to baptism. We did hardly anything, and it was incredible. I know Andy has great things to do in the kingdom of God, and I am grateful for his friend who could see the potential he had.

Watching Andy was quite an interesting experience. He looked so young and vulnerable, almost like a little child. At times he didn't know quite what to do, but it was very obvious that he had a firm desire to follow Christ, and that was enough to carry him through with his decision. I'm grateful for his courage and the trust that he placed in the Lord. Once he knew that he was doing the right thing, he was willing to give up everything for the gospel's sake. It was inspiring.

I will certainly tell Robin and Randall that you are praying for them. I haven't seen them much this week because we let the Elders teach them a bit and then I was on an exchange in Alta Dena, so Sister McDougal and Sister Butt got to see them. From what I've heard, their competition is going well.

In answer to Mom’s questions: Things with my new companion are going fantastically well. She is absolutely amazing, and I love working with her. She is funny but pretty on top of things- think of a slightly more secretary version of Hillary Tambasco. I’m not senior companion, I’m still junior companion, and I expect I will continue to be for quite some time. The chiggers have gone away for the most part, but the cockroaches seem to be making a comeback. We had an absolutely hilarious moment the other day when a cockroach flew off of the ceiling during a correlation meeting with the Elders. Sister McDougal and I screamed, but it was nothing compared to the scream of our district leader, who was in kung-fu position, sweating, screaming, crying and laughing all at the same time. If he had not been frozen to the floor, I would have loved to have seen the punch that he was planning on giving that cockroach. Sister McDougal ended up killing that cockroach while the Elders huddled in the corner.

The weather isn’t  quite fall weather yet. Somehow I don’t think we will have fall weather until Christmas, but I’m glad that things are cooling down just a bit. I’m slightly jealous of your snow… actually I’m really jealous of your snow. :) Cool fall weather just sounds fantastic. We’ve had a crazy month mileage wise, and I hope that we are able to cut down the miles we go next month and ride the bikes a bit more. But oh! All of these hills sure do work my thighs. Maybe by the time I get back I’ll actually be able to fit into my jeans.

Wow. I can't believe that it has been 4 months... time certainly does fly. Well, I hope everything goes well at home. I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

Love,

Sister Pratt

p.s. Mom, I am terribly sorry, but it drives me crazy to have such a large font... Is this font readable in this size? Sorry, I just really can't type with such a large font. It makes me feel like I've been writing far too much.

Temple with Sister Hanks

Hey! How is everyone doing? Happy Birthday to Julia and Sabrina!! I hope you had a fantastic one. :) I love you both, and I am so grateful that you were born, and I am so grateful for the wonderful ways that you have taken your life thus far. Good luck to Julia as she enters Young Women's and goes to the Temple. It is an incredible opportunity, and I hope you never forget it. Good luck to Sabrina as she continues with school and Soccer and everything else life has to offer at 15. :) That really is a great year, enjoy it! I love you both!

I hope Jenessa enjoyed Homecoming. I know she is rather busy, but I would really like pictures, if they are available. Good luck to Allison, Kaylee and Madison as well. I'm glad Allison (M&M means they held hands, kissing would be ice cream or dinner) is having a great time. ;) She was always a little too much of a flirt to be boy-less for long. And I'm glad Kaylee is flourishing at BYUI. I hope Madison is able to enjoy Boise at some point. :) That would be incredibly difficult, and I wish her all the luck in the world. And congrats to BYUtv! The members here love it, and can't stop talking about how amazing BYUtv is. 

Answer to Dad's questions 1- Yes! I can now do a lesson in 5 min without speed reading and hitting every section. I've learned that I don't have to pack every point of doctrine into a lesson, and I don't have to expound on every one. I just have to cover some of them, and expound on the ones that the family really needs. So, yes. I would do it differently. Also, I would use the Book of Mormon a bit differently.

2-  Erm... I'm not really sure how relationships are changing in my life. :) I'm REALLY REALLY bad with self-evaluation. Pretty much I feel like I'm the exact same person I was in high school... and then I get around high school kids and I remember that I've changed quite a bit, but I can't tell how. I guess everyone means more to me, and I've been working on letting them know that. I've also learned quite a bit on making individuals feel more important and loved. It really makes a huge difference when you stop and talk to people, little things like that change relationships. I'm also quicker to apologize and forgive. So I guess its changed a bit. I don't really know... I wish I were better at understanding the lessons I am learning and the ways I am growing. It would be a lot easier if I could see that perspective.

I know Father’s day was a while ago, but I feel as if this week has helped me understand Dad just a little more. Dad, you’ve always told me you didn’t like cats. What you didn’t tell us was that you didn’t like cats because on your mission you got sick of the disgusting flea infested cats trying to swerve around your feet and beg for food. Or that the smell of a house infested with cats and belonging to a woman that smokes, is absolutely putrid. I also know that you’ve always been big on Defensive driving. What you never told us, you are so big on defensive driving because serving in the South gave you the opportunity to practice. Because everyone drives RIGHT behind the small car that is only going 7 over and is liable to slow down any second. We’ve also laughed quite a bit over Dad using the word “y’all,” but what he never explained was that “y’all” quite simply just is the easiest way to say “you” to a large group of people.

Yes, I feel as if my mission is helping me understand Dad just a little bit better. :) The part I can’t understand is the peanut butter and bananas. Those are the two cheapest things for someone with no money to buy! But alas, I don’t like them either, so instead I am stuck buying ham, cheese, lettuce and bread every time I want to eat a sandwich. 

In other news, I have the most fantastic mission president's wife ever. She is just fantastic. I told you last week how she spent 30 min talking with me in the temple, and she promised she would send me a poem. Last Monday she didn't send me it, but I really didn't think twice about it. I just thought she has 250 missionaries to worry about, tons on her plate, and probably forgot. Honestly,  just the fact that she would spend so much time with me in the temple was incredible.  Well, on Tuesday Elder Kospichke came to visit us, and she gave me a big hug and said, "Oh! I'm so sorry I didn't send it yet. Don't worry, I didn't forget. I just found something else that I think you might like. Don't worry, I wrote you on my hand so that you wouldn't forget. And on my heart." And sure enough, there on her hand was written "Pratt." Elder Kopishke said a lot of incredible things, and I learned a ton, but I'm sure none of it meant as much to me as that small "Pratt" on her hand. It really touched me. 

Now, once again, if we were to stop right there I would be blown away by her consideration and thoughtfulness, but on Thursday night I got a call from her. One of the questions I asked her in the Temple, she said, "You know, I've always wondered that myself, but I just don't know." Thursday at 10:28 she called and said, "Guess what! I heard the coolest thing!" She then proceeded to explain another missionary's explanation to my question, and a thought from Elder Kopischke about that explanation. It was incredible. It just blew me away. Not only was the explanation incredible, but the thoroughness and thought that she put behind answering my question- I being a single sister of no particular consequence in a multitude of missionaries, absolutely blew me away. It was amazing. I am so grateful for her example of Christ like love. 

(She also sent me the poems this past week. And one of them made me cry. I might try to memorize it, it was so beautiful.) 

Elder Kopischke also came (I REALLY REALLY hope I am spelling his name correctly...), and it was fantastic. I loved every min of the 7 hour conference. :) He really focused on asking questions and having the Spirit guide the conference. I also loved how he talked about working hard and with faith. Faith is a principle of action and of power. He said it is simply wrong to connect faith with baptisms- God is the Lord of the Harvest and decides how much we need to reap, not us. We do not decide. What we can do, is work as hard as we possibly can, and then ask the Lord to "touch the stones" and make them glow. As we do that, we will begin to see miracles in our mission.

Well, I love you all tons! I hope you have a great week!

~Sister Pratt

p.s. The Pictures- last Preparation Day we spend the day with the Cahaba Sisters- Sister Schwediman and Sister Williams. Well, we always go with them because the Elders need our car, but last Monday we decided to have a bit of fun. We went to their mall and had an amazing time eating Chinese, looking at the Cookie shop (What a seriously genius idea!!!) and going inside the toy shop. I thought of Sabrina and all of her stuffed animals when I passed by. :) It was a great day! And these are the pictures.