Temple Model - Week 51

Dear family,

There's not really much to talk about this week.

We spent a lot of time checking on referrals which was super fun. We
had about 40 referrals and we are down to only ten who we haven't been
able to contact.

We taught a few lessons. We taught Meles who bible bashed the whole
time which was exciting. We also taught Alba and her son at the VC
about temples and family history. It was a really cool lesson and the
spirit was so strong. Alba and her bf are hopefully going to get
married soon so she can get baptized. We had some other lessons
planned this week but they all cancelled. Figures. About half of our
lessons always cancel.

Elder and sister Eyring left this week. During our training meeting on
Friday morning they played the guitar and violin and sang a few songs
for us. I'm really going to miss them a lot. They flew home on
Saturday and the new director came Friday night. They are Elder and
Sister Fouler. I haven't really met them yet. I said hi but I haven't
talked to them. They seem nice.

It's nice teaching at the VC with the temple model. Lots of people
come in every day because they see the temple off the beltway. Before,
we would show them a tiny model and four pictures and they would be
disinterested and leave. But now we have the model which they love and
they are super interested and stay longer. It's great.

Sunday night was Why I Believe. Cameron came and she loved it. The
talks really touched her and she was crying. The closing song,
"Israel, Israel God is Calling" is to the same tune of a song she used
to sing to herself when she was a young struggling mom. God is so
aware of her and that night was for her.

I am staying in Kensington and so is Sister Sundwall. Sister
Huddleston is leaving. It's been hard training her this past transfer
and she needs someone new. I explained to her how I've felt on
Saturday night and I think she felt bad for the first time because she
was always being a grump and telling everyone whenever she was upset
with Sister Sundwall or me and I told her it made me sad. I was nice
because I really don't have any hard feelings towards her, I was just
being honest with her. I'm glad she's getting transferred. I love her
and hope someone else has fun training her. She'll be a great
missionary one day once she gets over some stuff.

And that was this week. We were at the VC a lot and checking on
referrals. Also, one day when we were checking on referrals there was
a van for some singing group called Nahom. We got out a Book of Mormon
and highlighted the verse about when Ishmael died and was buried at
Nahom in the first book of Nephi and put it under his windshield
wipers with our phone number and church address. We thought it was
clever.

Abraham 3:22-23 22 "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the
intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all
these there were many of the noble and great ones;
"And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the
midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood
among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he
said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before
thou wast born"(Abraham 3:22-23).

Don't forget that you are all noble spirit sons and daughters of God
and that you have amazing potential. Love you all!

Sister Black