Letters from Sister Alston: Happy Father's Day!!!

I know it's a day late, but Happy Father's Day to the best Dad in the whole entire world!!!...Along with the bestGrandpas in the universe!!! I love you guys so so so much!

This week was honestly a roller coaster ride! haha. We are teaching a lot of different people, and our investigator pool has tripled in the past 2 transfers so we continue to see miracles each day, but it's hard to remember that people have their agency and don't always choose this path. I have had to remind myself many times of the training that I gave this past week for zone training... on loving people: how as long as we love people and do the best we can, Heavenly Father is pleased with us. We also have to learn how to develop and use our personal talents and abilities, because they have been given to us for a reason. We are also given weaknesses to learn and grow...and man am I discovering those everyday! haha. Anways, point of this training was to help our zone realize their potential as missionaries, but also remember the eternal perspective and how we won't always see the results immediately, but if we are loving everyone around us...doing the best we can in our physical mortal bodies, we will be blessed. I'm so grateful I was able to put together this training; in fact, it is what I needed to train myself on and I know the Lord was guiding me every step of the way. He never fails to do that! :)

Scott, the man who stopped and asked if we were the mormons outside some apartments a couple weeks ago on his way to the ER for a concussion, is progressing rapidly. It's so fun to see someone go from not believing in God, to realizing that God is the reason he is still alive and who allowed us to meet. We are struggling with getting him to church, but after an incredible lesson on the Atonement, he hasn't drunk any coffee in 6 days!!! Something that he has an addiction too and has been searching for a reason to quit! haha.

Tuesday, I was in a meeting all day, so my 2 companions had the day in Iowa City to work without me! Boy was that weird leaving my babies behind! haha. They did a fantastic job though, I'm so proud of them!!! It was our last meeting with President and Sister Jergensen for Mission Leadership...I will be so sad to see them go, but know that President and Sister Jensen will be amazing and have so much to offer to this mission and am excited to see the miracles that come with them! :)

We were finally able to get Trisha into the Family History Center at the church on Wednesday and help her dig even further into her geneology! :) ALSO.... a few weeks ago, Sister Hill's mom sent her a great great great great grandmother's history and after looking at it I saw she had some Casper's in her family....so being the curious nerd that I am, logged onto Family Search myself and YEP!!! Sister Hill and I are indeed related! haha! Our great great great grandfather's are brothers!!! Sons of William and Avarilla Casper! CRAZY!!!! :)

Oh my heavens I have so much more to say, but so out of time! aaah! haha... well... Lawana and her family (the family of 12 kids) are wanting to be baptized and the kids call us "the sisters". It's so cute! :) We just need to get them to church Sunday mornings, which I can imagine is extremely difficult at 9 am with 7 kids under the age of 12! ...but we are praying for miracles with them. Kate, an 18 year old girl we met at a BBQ had us over for lunch with her family on Saturday (Her dad is a Methodist Preacher and mom is a Catholic school teacher) and we almost lost her in a lesson after! She said she started to read the Book of Mormon but didn't feel right about it...it was a very spiritually exhausting lesson trying to fight with the adversary who is working so hard on her! She is a very special one and has so much to offer, and Satan knows it! He truly is working harder than ever, because the work is progressing rapidly, and these really are the last days.

Yesterday, we had a nice surprise of President and Sister Jergensen showing up to attend our sacrament meeting...even though we didn't have any investigators there :( it was nice to see them and have our "parents" with us on Father's Day. Last night we were able to attend a fireside with Vocal Point: which is just what I needed. Their music and messages I felt were just for me, and it was nice to see a couple familiar faces! Mckay Crockett is awesome!!! :) I'm still trying to figure out how I can utilize music more in missionary work. I know music touches the soul like nothing else...

I love you all so much and miss you like crazy!!!

On to another week!!!

Love always,

Sister Natalia Alston