The AmAzing Pilgrimage of Pamella Jo: This is a week of A LOT OF CHANGE…

WHAT A WEEK! There is so much to write and so little time!

OK… Monday we were able to teach JEFF at the Millett's home. Heather Millett knows Jeff really well and has brought him to several activities, they are both high school students. Jeff comes from a very strict Catholic family, yet has a lot of concerns and desires to know more about the Mormon Faith. Heather is such a good example to him and S.Warner challenged her to ask him to take the lessons. She did and he said YES! Heather is so bold and Jeff is SO brave. We taught him the restoration by watching the "Restoration" DVD and bearing testimony. The spirit was so strong in the lesson. We would ask Jeff a question and at times there would be up to 2 minutes of silence [which is a LONG time in a lesson] where the spirit testified to him and to us that the things we were teaching were true. Jeff struggles with telling his parents he is taking the lessons. It is hard for him to pray to know the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith really was a prophet because he knows if he receives an answer he will have to DO something about it! When asked if he wanted to continue to learn more he was quiet for a long time and then said, "I have come too far to not learn more." We are teaching him again next Monday! He is an amazing young man, so smart and so close to the spirit.

Tuesday was Soup for the Soul at the Ecumenical Center (EC) at UWGB. The EC is a place where college kids of all faiths can come and worship and the EC staff is VERY friendly to us as missionaries! They have Soup every Tuesday evening at 5, it is free for students and it is a great place for us as missionaries to meet UWGB students looking for more. During Soup we FINALLY held our MORMON MYTHBUSTERS event. It was phenomenal. It was really funny, as we were starting tons of kids hurried and left, BUT a good 40 students stayed! The panel was all members of our ward: Bishop and Sister Huzzey, Sister Louthaine, Brother Carlsruh, Jennifer Ribbens, Brandi &Megan! We had one box on campus and a big poster at the LDSSA booth and one box in the EC for people to leave questions… the turnout was incredible and we got so many GOOD questions. The event was a big success and one girl even told S.Louthaine, "Everything I knew about Mormons wasn't true!" haha We got one new investigator because of the event! It was the first time anything like this has EVER taken place on campus. This is HUGE! Tuesday we also went to Ethan Hyden's high school hockey game! Go GB united! Go Hydo!!! I get really worked up during those games, they are intense, I don't think I could ever let my kid play that game! It's really fun to watch though, Ethan is a great player.

Wednesday we went to ORGSMORG at UWGB. It is an event where all the different organizations have booths and promote their clubs. Well, we as missionaries pretty much ARE the LDSSA here at UWGB. We have two members, Elaina is the club president and Andrei is a member too… other than that we've got nothing. S.Hood and S.Warner got the club going when they first got here. The two current members are really busy with school and were kind of just the means to an end for the missionaries- meaning they didn't necessarily WANT to be part of the club. However they joined so the club could get started and we could publicize things like institute on campus and have booths and posters up. SO, because they did that last semester, this semester we went to ORGSMORG and 22 UWGB students signed up for our club! TWENTY-TWO! I was so excited, we all were. Elder Jolley and Elder Oldham and Jenni Ribbens came to the booth too. We talked to everyone that walked by and had such a good day. I was so shocked at how many students I knew on campus that were at the orgsmorg. It's so great to have a presence on campus, to have people notice us and to build relationships with the students. I feel so blessed to be a part of bringing the church out of obscurity here in Wisconsin and especially at UWGB!

That night we had dinner at the Jensen's. Sister Jensen showed me her scrapbooking room… we will FOR SURE be spending a P-day there!!! It's InCreDiBle! Also that night I taught the YW how to make bracelets. They would always comment on mine and one day asked if I could teach them. It was fun.

We spent Thursday and Friday in Sturgeon Bay. Friday night we went to Sturgeon Bay High School's Musical "The Wizard of Az" directed by President Robertson, branch president of the Sturgeon Bay Branch (Pres. Dave Robertson, brother of Paul Robertson [WML, who lives here in GB]) It was fun to see President Robertson in action. At the last minute he had to cut the kid playing the tin man and he had to play the part! HE wAs such a GREAT tin MAN! I love their family, it's that whole Robertson clan! THEY are GREAT! I t was AmAzing to see how many people were staring at our tags. Even earlier that day a lady was staring at my tag so bad that I walked over and introduced myself and gave her a mormon.org passalong card. It's crazy how much attention our tags bring us and how brave you are as a missionary because of your tag and your calling! She was grateful for the introduction!

Saturday we volunteered at the Science Expo at Shopko Hall called the Einstein Project. Sister Warner and I helped pass out bags and fake tattoos at the front door and then helped the elders with their booth which was an experiment using litmus paper and basic water. The kids dipped their hands in this water-like substance and then put their hand print on this paper. If the liquid was acidic the paper would turn yellow, if basic, it would turn red… welp the substance was made with water and windex, which is basic, so the paper turned red. So fascinating to these kids. Another favorite at the expo was the Corn Starch and Water Booth. When you run on a 2parts corn starch, 1part water tub the mixture appears to be a solid, when you just stand there it is a liquid and you sink… it's the COOLEST THING EVER! I played with a little tub of it "FOR DAYS!" [elder Oldham always says that and now s. warner and I have really picked it up!!! We say it all the time, much to his dismay!]

That afternoon we taught Vanessa at the Deans. Sarah was there of course and Brookie Robertson came too. Apparently the night before they all had a big party together and Hannah Torbenson came too, complete with Pizza, Madagascar 2 and lots of noise! SO fun… the deans are GREAT! We watched the living scriptures cartoon video about the tree of life and Lehi's dream… it was so good. She really wants to partake of the fruit… her baptismal day is coming closer and closer! She just has to work out a date with her dad!

We also taught Farrah at the Hyden's home. We taught her the restoration. She was very receptive and this week is working on gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith… I am excited for her!

Saturday was also VALENTINE'S DAY! I had such a great Valentine's Day… Mom and Dad and Rocky I loved my package… it was like Christmas all over again(plus it had SOFT candy hearts. My favorite!) ! Grandpa & Grandma I loved your card & gift! Brit- Your card made me laugh… a lot. Then Jenni Ribbens met us at the church and gave us Roses and cookies! How nice of her to think of us! She is amazing!

That night we had dinner at the Cozzens with the Huntleys. We had such a GREAT dinner and visit with them. I love both of those families. We exchanged crazy mission stories with Bro & Sis Cozzens and laughed a lot with Sis Huntley. I taught them how to braid their girls hair in the twisty braid and Spencer Cozzens sang us one of my new favorite songs, "Somewhere there is a Mountain". A damper on the night was that Sister Warner and I got transfer calls and she will be getting transferred Thursday! We won't find out where she is going or who my new companion will be until Tuesday! I am SO sad, but excited at the same time. I will miss her SO much and probably more than she knows, but change is good and having a new companion will be fun. [Side NOTE: this night on our way home I was calling someone and left them a message and I always have the HARDEST time getting off of the phone and hanging up so I said, on accident, "I say these things I in the name…" then just started LAUGHING and hung up! I was trying to end the message like a prayer! I was really tired! Haha]

Sunday was nothing short of AmAzing and a topper to an AmAzing WEEK! We had 4 UWGB students at church. THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. The ward was shocked. I was a little surprised too! I have such a testimony that hard work pays off and that the Lord blesses us for our efforts! We had LOTS of less actives at church as well! Elder Oldham, Elder Jolley, Sister Warner and I were so busy! IT was a great feeling. Three of the students we met at Soup for the Soul and orgsmorg. One girl, Amy, we had never met. She kind of blew off elders in Wausau and never read the Book of Mormon they game her. She was at the public library here in Green Bay, saw a Book of Mormon, and said, "It was like a flash of lightning, I had to take that book home", so she did! She talked to missionaries on mormon.org AND she came to church on Sunday. The Lord really has Prepared people here in Green Bay! I am SO happy to be a part of this work! Sister warner was able to bear her testimony, courtesy of Bishop Huzzey J. She loves the people here in GB. This has been her 1^st and only area and she's been here for 6 months! She's really seen the work progress and the ward loves her, she'll definitely be missed. Bishop kept looking at me during her testimony with tears in his eyes, my eyes matched his! She'll definitely be missed, but has left her mark here!

We had dinner at sister bartells last night… and I WASN'T SICK like last time!

I will leave you with this thought:

Nephi talks about the vision he also saw of the tree of life. He says in I Nephi 15:36:

"…that ^atree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most ^bdesirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the ^cgreatest of all the ^dgifts of God."

I get to teach people how they can partake of that fruit and share it with others! What a blessing! I love being a missionary! Especially a sister missionary! [I was talking with some elders from the 2^nd ward yesterday and they were teasing me, what's new, so I sarcastically said, "That's right elders, all sister missionaries do is cry, talk about their feelings and ask for blessings!" They laughed so hard they couldn't breathe and said I made the quote board! HAHA I didn't know I was so funny, that's the stereotype for sisters, but we have definitely broken the mold her in GB!] I love relying on the Lord and seeing the blessings of doing so, since this is HIS work!

This is a week of A LOT OF CHANGE… I am excited. Good things are happening here in Green Bay. The flood gates are opening. Put your life vest on! I am excited for my new companion to be blessed by serving in the BEST area EVER!

I love you all! Thanks for your love and support! I love my calling!

Love , Sister Pamella Jo Black

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