Letter from Pete (above.)

Thanks so much for the letters. I laughed, I cried, and I wet my pants.....Alright, just kidding about that last part, but the first part was true. Worst thing ever when you have to go and you can't leave your companion because they are "writing". There is a certain mode missionaries go into when they are writing their families here. Rule of thumb- Do NOT talk to them. Instant death. IF someone were to approach me right now they might lose a limb.  Seriously though the letters were great. 

Jaaron....I realize that 2 letters ago I was guilty of not writing you. For that I sincerely apologize, and in response to your last letter I have no idea what the first line means...but neither do you. You got that from dad. ( I sent some chocolate to you guys, there is one labeled " For big people" you know who it belongs to....) LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I miss you and I want you to know I only am sarcastic  when I truly love someone. Love Ad

Peter way to go hot stuff. I printed out a picture of the leg you drew so I can hang it on the wall. I have one word for you, foxy. 

Nathan. I figured out how to say bowtie this week and then forgot. Please forgive me. Keep up the Spanish learning.

Brooke. You are an ARTIST! I love it, I love it, I love it! Thanks baby! Kissy face. Also I hope you got my letter to you. You are going to love it. 

Adrienne. Happy Mcadulthood. Let me give a small speech about my feelings for you: Mcday, I Mcsay to Mcyou, Be Mctrue, oh be mctrue to the Donald inside of Mcyou. And yes. You working at Mcdonalds is going to be the common theme of everything I send to you. Excited for college?????? Do you realize you are going to get married? You probably won't even serve a mission?!?!?! Crazy. You'll be gone in a second, and can you please send what I have requested? Gah....

Thomas. Holy cow!!! 22 days!?!?! Less now right? Hey, I love you too. I am so glad prom was great, what were your colors? So happy for you! Keep me updated when you get into the MTC. 

Carissa. I will talk to you later.

Mom. Thanks I love you! Also, thanks for my Patriarchal Blessing. I will use it well. I am really glad you are not in jail too.  I know you are super busy, you have Shawn's wedding, and Thomas.....Your life is crazy right now. Love you!

So this week the Duna is flooding. We actually took a walk to it this morning and it was crazy! The farm land right next to it is just submerged. Good thing I live on the 9th floor, and good thing I sleep on an air mattress. The missionaries up in Buda are helping with sandbags, but we are living on higher ground so we should be okay. We have been out in the rain ALL week. I feel so cool! Soaking wet and sharing the message baby!

 This week has been pretty hectic. We have a NEW INVESTIGATORS!!! Awesome right?

So we were trying to decide where we needed to street and I felt like we should pray and immediately afterwards I felt like we should go visit a lady that had dogged us twice. It was about 8:00 at night and we knew that she had 4 kids, but we still felt like we should go. We got there and knocked on the door and she invited us in!  It was crazy! Her four kids were running around and throwing food everywhere, she was cooking, and her boyfriend was making cigarettes in the corner. She fed us and we all prayed together before we ate, and they were just absolutely ADORABLE. She was so nice, and she was interested in meeting with us again! We asked her to come to church and she said she would!  So on Sunday, it was almost time to start, and then our family comes. I cannot express the feeling that comes when you see your new people coming into your small ward. The ward totally embraced them and they were so happy to be there they left a tip for the missionaries. ( Not really for us, but for the missionary fund.) We meet with them again on Tuesday! They are so great. 

We also have rengeteg ( a ton of) appointments planned for this week! The Lord is really blessing us. 

I want to be a great missionary, I want to be a great companion, a great teacher, a great streeter, a great language speaker, but I just feel so inadequate.

So the next day I was still feeling pretty bad. We had a fireside to go to with an investigator and while my companion was getting ready I stood by the window and was thinking about this mission. 

All I could ask Heavenly Father was, " Are you really there? And do you really answer every child's prayer...

Well, we went to the fireside and our investigator didn't show up. I didn't realize what a miracle this was before, but the translation was not coming through for the first 2 speakers. When translations go through, the speaker is completely muted so I would not have been able to understand. The speakers talked about faith. They talked about Peter and the Apostles seeing Christ walking on the water. You know the story. I think that is very much like me. I am sitting on the safe, little, boat and I see Christ and I want to follow him. I want to serve a mission! So I jump out of the boat and make my way towards him. Then, I start seeing the waves- my inadequacies, the language, my teaching, Duna, all coming for me and I lose my focus, I start sinking and I lose sight of Christ. I am so surrounded by these huge waves, and the rain, and the wind, and then I start drowning! And I literally felt like I was drowning. So I do the only thing I can do, and cry out with all the might I have left: Lord save me!

 And immediately he is there. He pulls me out of the water and sets me in the safe boat and asks me, " Now Adley, you know I am here and I have power to do all things, you know I love you, you know that whatever you ask for or need help with I can give it. Where is your faith?"  Well, I am just grateful for a loving Father that does hear, and answer every child's prayer. I am feeling much better. I am taking the Lord up on his promise of making weak things become strong. I am learning what faith really means. It is not fear. It is believing in Jesus Christ and knowing that if we look to him we WILL live. I CAN DO THIS. I feel like I am relearning this gospel, this is a new life and it is hard but I am so grateful for it. I hope I didn't scare you too much, I really am doing better and a lot of missionaries experience similar things. I just want you to know I am being taken care of, and that I am trying to do my best.

I love Jesus Christ, and I love this gospel. I know it is true.

I love you all and I hope you have and AWESOME week. HORRAH FOR ISRAEL!

Sis. Fowers