The best week EVER!

Family.  It was the best week ever!!!!!!!!

I love Spanish work.  I was very scared and nervous to be thrown into new everything, but it has turned out great.  I am now going to crank out some awesome stories/facts so you can know what's going down here in Windy Ridge:

-They have never had Sisters.  Everyone is excited for us.  Turns out I was only the 4th Spanish sister in the mission anyway, so it is all very new and exciting.

-We have an apartment that has been inhabited by Elders for EVER.  It is so weird.  We find like pairs of shoes and weird notes and things that are so... elder-ish.  Haha we are working on cleaning and feminizing the apartment.  :) it is fun.

-I am obtaining the gift of tongues!!  Friday I started to be able to follow all the conversations.  I am learning how to understand people, and it is so exciting.  I even understand a bit of Portuguese!

-My companions is Hermana Campos.  I LOVE HER.  She is so happy and such a good missionary.  She teaches me Spanish.  She was born in Puebla, Mexico but was raised in Ogden.  I am excited for the miracles that we will continue to see.

-All the ward members like to encourage me with my Spanish.  Haha I think they like to teach me and they think it is nice that I am trying to learn.

-All siblings: KEEP TAKING PIANO LESSONS!!!!!  I have only been in the ward for one Sunday, and I played the organ in Sacrament meeting and am now accompanying for the Primary Program in November.  I seriously play all the time.  So it is worth it!

OK, now for the cool stuff.  We are re-opening this area, so we have been doing a lot of finding and trying to contact people and stuff like that.  Friday we tracted almost all the day.  It was really tiring, and we had just about no success.  After dinner, we went out again to an apartment complex because we couldn't find the road we were looking for.  It was gold!!  Definitely inspired.  In a few short hours, we found five referrals for the English Sisters and two Spanish-speaking potential investigators!!  One of the English referrals was a man named K-Ron (yes, that is his name) who even told us that he has been thinking about baptism.  I am excited to hear how that goes.  I love giving referrals.  In Spanish work here, you do that a lot because you rarely tract in all-spanish areas.  It is so fun to be on the same team with so many awesome missionaries.  We all have the same goal, and it is fun to bless the other companionships with more people to teach.  Awesome!

It also is fun because we went through a stack of like 200 former investigators and chose ten that we want to contact.  It was so interesting to see the ones that the Spirit guided us to choose. Some were very close to baptism, and some had only been taught one lesson.  Some had families, some were single.  Some were old, some were young.  I am excited to get into contact with all of them! We have contacted one of them, who has been reading the Book of Mormon and we are meeting with her again this week.  Her name is" M" It is cool to find these people and see if they are ready now for the gospel.

So Sunday was the best day EVER.  Here is why.  First off, I talked to the Olympia West Sisters (my old area). "S" IS GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SATURDAY!!!!!  He resolved his tithing conflict and is as gung-ho as ever.  Hopefully we will have an investigator to take on Saturday so I can see that baptism, but if not that is ok.  It is just good to know that he will be able to receive those blessings.  Thank you for your prayers on behalf of him.

I have learned so much this week about personal revelation.  The other things that made Sunday awesome were revelations I received.  In the afternoon, I was thinking about my mission while I was eating lunch.  I have been discouraged and tired, and really wanting to not be.  During this period of meditation, I saw my whole life.  I don't really want to say it was a vision because it wasn't, but it was kind of a perspective glimpse I guess.  I realized the years and decisions before now that have made it possible for me to be here.  I envisioned the rest of my life and what an important stepping stone this was for me.  But I also realized that that is what a mission is - a stepping stone.  A very important one, but a step nonetheless.  Anyway, this period of being able to see the big picture helped me realize my purpose as a missionary and how to find more joy, fulfillment, and work in every day.  It was an answer to an unspoken prayer of my heart.  Very cool.  I also want to encourage everyone reading this to lift where they stand now.  That was another revelation I received Sunday.  Now, it is most important for me to put my whole heart into my full-time mission.  Two years ago, it was most important for me to put my whole heart into loving people in American Fork High School.  In ten years, it will be most important for me to put my whole heart into raising a family.  Fulfill your mission right now, whatever that is. 

I know the Lord answers prayers.  I have gone to Him with very specific concerns, doubts, and questions this week before personal study, and He has answered every time.  He enlightens and quickens our minds to receive what He needs us too.  One of the vessels I saw this in was in a conference talk from the Ensign.  My challenge this week is to read one of those talks from the living prophets.  They provide answers, direction, comfort, and counsel.  Mom, you were always a great example to me of reading those and applying them, so thank you.  I love you all.  I loved getting letters from mom and dad and Brandon and Ash this week, they made me laugh. :)  Keep being great.  Thanks for reading this, the longest email of all time.  Don't worry about me, because this is going to be the BEST TRANSFER EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All my love, Hermana Kara Allred