Sacrifice and Gratitude

To the best Mom, Dad, Tyler, Brandon, Bryson, Alyssa, Ethan, and Ashlyn in the world:

I LOVE YOU!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING MY BIRTHDAY THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!  It really was the best.  Let's talk about what made it the best, shall we?  

The birthday package arrived promptly on Wednesday.  Dutifully, and like typical Hermana Allred, I put it right on my desk unopened so I could look at it and get excited.  That night, I did peek just to make sure the presents were wrapped, then shut it up tight again.  Wednesday night, I arranged them all on my study desk, and after exercise on Friday I had a little party!  I LOVED EVERYTHING.  Mom, let's talk about the little things.  I was dying.  I have been sitting, twirling my little crystal globe around during study, and my companions laugh.  Maybe the most classic Sister Allred gift I could ever imagine.  I also have been wearing the Utah necklace which I LOVE and flicking around in my new dress, which I also love.  I am wearing now the fresh gray skirt (love), and loved all the other clothes/shoes too. :)  AND I about died with the Florida pins.  It was the best birthday ever.  Sister Sokolowski said the watermelon cake was the best cake she had ever had.  Hahaha and I loved your pasta that Sister Clare made. :)  It was a great day.  THANK YOU!!!  I also got many birthday emails today and letters. :)  I loved it all!! Best day ever!!!!!!!!!!!

It has been a good week.  E. has really been doing well, and we were able to teach her this week about Chastity and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  She wants to be baptized very badly, and we are continuing to work with her to get her to that point!  Please PLEASE pray for her to come to church. That has been a big emphasis we have had this week.  I love seeing her change and her attitude change and her thoughts change about everything we teach and do.  She is great.

Monday was a day of miracles.  We stopped by to visit D. and M, two potential investigators.  At first, M (mother of D) was not interested in our message, but ended up in the living room with us as part of the lesson.  During our plans in the morning, we felt inspired to talk very frankly and boldly about our Church being the only true Church on the earth.  As we progressed through the lesson, we learned that D and M were sick of being confused by the doctrines of all the churches, and just wanted to know the truth.  We powerfully and boldly testified that our message would not confuse, but clarify.  That the more they learned about Christ's one restored Gospel, the more clear everything would become.  They were moved and both agreed to be baptized on June 8th.  When we were leaving, we asked D if he thought our message was true.  He said, "Well, I am not sure yet.  I need to ask God.  But if He answers the way I think He will, then it is true."  We left that lesson feeling the Spirit so powerfully.  One of those times when you feel it fill you up and it almost makes you shake.  You know in the Joseph Smith movie when he has to stand up when they are chained and rebuke the jailers for speaking horribly?  And he is just so powerful and bold?  That is how I can describe the kind of Spirit that we were feeling. M and D are Puerto Rican, but we taught them in English, so we passed them on to the English sisters this week.  It was so awesome.  Right after that, we had an appointment fall through.  We had prayed a lot the night before and had made plans to be more inspired planners.  We had several good back-ups, but we prayed by our car to know which the Lord wanted us to do.  The answer to my prayer came clearly:  "Do what Sister Sokoloski feels."  Sister Sokolowski lead us to a door she felt we should knock.  No one lived there - it was abandoned.  Across the street, there was a lady watering her plants and we knew we needed to talk to her.  We were able to talk to D, share parts of the Book of Mormon, and invite her to read it and find relief from her burdens.  It was a great lesson and a great testimony builder of the power of the Spirit in planning.  Best day ever.

I loved your letters this week.  Mom, I really liked what you said about Dad talking to everyone.  So this paragraph is dedicated to you, Dad!  Thank you for being such an example to me in so many things.  Especially in talking to and loving everyone.  I watched you for years in lines at stores talking to the people next to us and making them feel comfortable.  I watched you read the nametag of our cashier and ask about how they were doing and thank them for taking care of us.  I watched you talk to all of our neighbors and all of my friends and all the people at church and all of everyone!  As I grew up and started going places on my own, I just knew that that is what should be done! And I talked to everyone, just like you.  I had a good example.  On my mission, people wonder how I easily talk to the people around me.  And I tell them it is because I did it before I left!  Talking to people in Walmart or at the library is not something foreign to the Allreds.  Dad, you really do just love everyone, and you know that if you love them you should talk to them and make their day happier - make them smile or give them a compliment.  That has gone a long way for me on my mission and in my life.  Thank you for being such a good example of real love.  I love you!

Mom, I think the PMG study group is the best idea ever!  I love Preach My Gospel.  My suggestion would be to pick parts that you can actually use; that you think will help you in your personal life or missionary work.  Preach my Gospel has tips from start to finish of the missionary process! :)  Then apply them to yourselves, even though you aren't full-time missionaries.  We love using PMG with members and I love to read it and mark it up and write in the margins and talk about it.  You will love it too! Please tell me what you learn.  You are a great example to me.  Happy Birthday this week- I am sending a letter today. :)  I love you!

I named this letter "Sacrifice and Gratitude."  Gratitude is because I have been really grateful today and this last week for you and for the people who love me out here (like the Clares).  The Lord really does take care of me so much.  Sacrifice is because that has been a theme in my thoughts this week.  Dad, your letter addressed sacrifice in such a timely manner!  I have been thinking a lot about what it means to sacrifice.  It is frustrating sometimes to see that investigators don't keep commitments.  It makes us sad that they don't do the things they need to to get closer to God.  He has given us so much.  His Son gave the ultimate and perfect Sacrifice.  He sacrificed every living day of His life serving and loving and giving.  He continues to sacrifice so we can feel loved and watched-over.  He also asks us to sacrifice everything, like He asked His apostles in Galilee.  Everything we have should be the Lord's.  We can't achieve it all now, but every day we try to sacrifice by being obedient and offering our time and talents to the Kingdom.  So many people that we talk to here say that they love Jesus Christ.  That He is their everything.  That without Him, they are nothing.  That He saved their lives and makes life worth living.  But unfortunately, in the same conversation these people will say that they don't actively go to a church nor read their scriptures.  Like you said, dad, Love is sacrifice.  If we love the Lord, we really should give everything to Him.  One day, I will achieve loving Him perfectly.  I want to sacrifice everything for Him.  I will get there someday!  For now, I will keep trying. :)

I am getting transferred tomorrow! I will let you know where I end up.  Please pray for me and my new companion and my new area! I will report the miracles next week. :) 

I love you all so much! Thanks for everything!

Love, Hermana Allred