"Be still my heart, I age by years..."

All,

A stressful week full of stress, but also blessings. In short,
conference and a new investigator were proof to me that God is mindful
of me. 

I've been with the YSA Elders since Friday, after I took my Elder Rickenbacker 
to Helena and dropped him off with the mission shuttle headed home. 
That was one of the more emotional transfers of my mission. I loved 
Elder Rickenbacker. I guess I still do. Anyway, he completed his mission, 
and I'm waiting on transfers to roll around on Wednesday to get my new companion, 
Elder Wheeler. It'll be great.

For me, this weekend was honestly a weekend of answered prayers and
miracles. I've been a little down this week. Having a companion leave,
plus the additional thoughts of home because of his return, plus the
lack of success in my area, and my own self-defeating thoughts, I have
been not doing very well. Making the choice to go finding and talk
with new people has been a choice that seems grueling to make. So, I
went into conference with an open heart, and an open mind full of
questions that I felt needed answers.

As He always does when we have faith, the Lord showed me that He cares
about His children, and specifically cares about me.

Right out of the gate, President Uchtdorf talked about how we are
called to bring our brothers and sisters back home to God. He talked
about how our lives will be better when we let the Lord guide us in
making the lives of others better. He talked about how blessings don't
come because of our abilities, they come because of our choices. All
of his words sunk deep into my soul, and I felt like the Lord was
answering those questions of mine: How do I motivate myself to do the
hard things I know I need to? How do I search for the elect? How do I
overcome my own weaknesses?

From there, it just got better and better. John C. Pinger talked about
how the Lord has a work for each of us, and if we follow God's will,
discover and develop spiritual gifts, make use of adversity, and rely
on God, He will bless us and lead us where He knows we need to be.
Elder Holland delivered the final blow to my doubts when he reminded
us of how the Savior is merciful, and He only expects us to get closer
to perfection each day. We need not feel discouraged because we aren't
there yet, because Christ has given us the unfathomable gift of His
grace to help us along. That first session answered the questions of
my heart so perfectly, and I knew God was hearing my prayers.

The final confirmation came on Sunday, when we had a lesson with a new
investigator of the YSA. Her name is Emily, and we had the privilege
of teaching her the message of the Restoration. As we taught, and
talked about the love of Christ and His Atonement, we asked her, "What
would it mean to you if God called a prophet in this day just as in
days of old, and that the Church of Jesus Christ was on the Earth
today, just as in times of old?" She responded, "It would change
everything. I would know that there is solid, factual truth, and when
I have a question, I don't have to go to a pastor to hear his version
of it, because I can get the full, unbiased truth from the source."
With a copy of the Book of Mormon, we left her with a commitment to
read 3 Nephi 11, and to ask of God if this is true. She left eager to
do so. After she left, I broke into tears. That lesson was the final
confirming witness to me that I am good enough through Christ, and
that the Work is marvelous, and that there truly are people out there,
prepared by the Lord, who are seeking for the truth. My testimony has
grown that the Lord knows me and watches over me, and that He does the
same for all of His children.

That's the latest.

Pictures are worth a thousand words. I'll try to explain some of them.

Elder Rickenbacker and I were fighting dragons, metaphorically as
well as the blow-up kind. I miss him. "I had the time of my life
fighting dragons with you."

The Missoula Carousel from last week.

The Griffins and Elder Rickenbacker and I out for ice cream.

Elder Andrews and I, reunited!

Awesome members in the YSA having us for lunch/dinner.

YSA's new investigator, Emily!