The Heavens are NOT closed!

[this is definitely a theme of conference.. more on that to come! ... The Heavens are NOT closed!]

Hello HEllO!

How are each of you? I want you all to know that I pray for you each often! I hope that you are all enjoying the wonderful fall season... ok it's more fall for me than you- but you can pretend and enjoy the cute decorations. The leaves are changing colors and it is simply beautiful, I have been looking forward to this season for a long time.

This email is going to be significantly shorter than other weeks. I have a cold and honestly just don't even feel like emailing... i think i could have passed on playing soccer this morning... BUT WHY? It is a highlight of the week! Now I am just all tuckered out.

We have dinner with Ted and Cheryl tonight, it's like my Bobby and Sarah here in Wisconsin. She is making enchiladas, one of my FAVS [britts usual request!] so that is sure to make me feel better! we are teaching her the new member lessons now, the ward is supposed too, but they're just getting the hang of it, so we will start. Tonight we teach the restoration- so powerful, i can't wait! Didn't you love Elder Holland's testimony of the Book of Mormon yesterday? I thought, do I testify of the Book of Mormon like that? WELL... i will sure try from now on to be SURE that those I teach KNOW how much I LOVE that sacred book! I know Cheryl loves The Book of Mormon.

The HIGHLIGHTS... September 28- October 4th!

monday:
*President called and said little j and I would be getting another companion!
*we had breakfast at the Flores, courtesy of Elder Petrie and Elder Campbell.... hotdogs and Eggs... i am not such a fan of the hotdogs, but loved the eggs, beans and tortillas!
*we emailed then drove to milwaukee and had Kopps with the Milwaukee sisters [sisters johnson, pluim and warner]
*we went to the mission home and picked up sister.... JOHNSON! I have 2 sister johnsons now! Red-headed J is from Washington, the Seattle area [Burlington to be exact] . She is visa-waiting to go to her mission in MOSCOW RUSSIA! She is a BYU student and is pretty fluent in Spanish. I have so much confidence teaching with her. We have done quite a bit of teaching in spanish. . . it's a lot of fun. She is also pretty fluent in Russian, thus she was only in the MTC for 5 weeks... so she'll get her visa in about 4 weeks, when she should have been leaving the MTC [she was supposed to stay for 12 weeks, but was put in the native class, because she can speak it, thus they LEFT to RUSSIA over a week ago, but she'll go when she was supposed to in NOV] I love her. She is a young missionary and very green! ... but so excited about the work. She is a nice addition while we have her! We had testimony meeting and dinner at the Barrett's ... then drove home to Racine. Three girls in one room = fun.

tuesday:
*district meeting
*lunch at culvers with elder bratt and his companions [they're in a trio with a visa waiting elder to russia too. it's good for him] i just love elder bratt... he is a good elder from my mtc district.
*Appts with Tina, Daisy Christina, Abbotts (dinner), Temika

wednesday:
*english class [a real highlight in the week] we taught SO many people there, not only english, but the gospel too! Jaime, Oscar & Claudia are my favorites... they play soccer with us on saturday too! Last week I invited Jaime and him and his wife and son came to church! so cool!
*Tina
*Sura's for dinner
*went to mutual: it was at the furner's: night games and a bonfire...fun!

thursday:
*ted & cheryl
*tina
*contacting referrals

friday:
*english classes
*appts with daisy, nancy herman, & tina

saturday:
GENERAL CONFERENCE
*session one at BLaKe's [crepes with nutella, bananas and whipped cream, YUM!]
*session two at the Sura's... so fun.
*dinner at Culver's
*contacted Tina and referrals

sunday:
GENERAL CONFERENCE
*session one: davis's. I love them.
*session two: at the Crowther's with Adam and Suzy and their BRAND NEW BABY! so fun. Suzy is our investigator. Sister Crowther made us lunch too... yum, stew and rolls.
*we visited amy at joanie farley's... they watched conference together! what a good friend joanie is, she doesn't even know!
*dinner with the Cluphf's... he is our new ward mission leader, we had a good meeting/dinner with him and the elders

I don't know if you can tell [because there was a bit of brevity in this email]... but we are SO busy! There is so much work for us here... it is AmAzing. We got FIVE new investigators this week. It's so wonderful how the Lord is blessing us as we are faithful and do ALL he asks and Put are Trust in HIm! Almost every single one of our investigators is progressing, that is wonderful. i will make a point to tell you about each one of them next week! I love them all.... My mom tells me every week, "Keep loving your investigators!" I love that. I think of her saying that each time one of our investigators does something to frusterate me.

I loved Conference... these are some themes I saw: LOVE, REVELATION/LISTENING TO THE SPIRIT, PUTTING OFF THE NATURAL MAN, and the MESSAGE OF THE RESTORED GOSPEL. I can't wait for the Ensign to come out. I feel so uplifted and inspired ... I love watching conference AS A MISSIONARY. I am grateful for the prayers of so many all over the world for us as missionaries! It is the BEST CALLING in the WORLD! I am convinced.

The work here is going really well, it has really picked up in the past two weeks. I love my companions, i feel like they have both been here with me forever. THey are really good missionaries and love their calling as well! Here is a quote that describes our work lately:

"When you choose to follow Christ, you choose to be changed... The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take the people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christs changes men, who then change the environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature."
-Elder Ezra Taft Benson

This is what we've been teaching a lot lately to the people here in Racine/ Kenosha... we can't take these people out of the slums, but we can help them allow Christ to take the slums out of them, giving them the POWER TO CHANGE for GOOD! In turn, I too feel Christ changing me!

I love you all! Have a good week!

Love, sister pamella jo black