i LOVE my LIFE

Hello Family! How are all of you! My goodness, this library we're emailing at is getting a little crazy, they are kicking us off these computers in a few minutes, so this will be fast... I don't know HOW fast it will be because SO MANY good things happened this weekend! First off, I just love my calling and I love being SISTER BLACK... my time here is so SACRED to me. It is spring in wisconsin. I love being up here in the northwoods. Northern wisconsin is just beautiful. All the snow is melted. All i've worn for the past few days is a cardigan, no coat! They say that we may have a few more storms here and there, but people here are wearing short shorts and tank tops! It was hilarious to see that and then to walk down to Hodeg Park, while we were tracting yesterday, and to see that there is still 15 inches of ice on the lake, the snowmobiles are still riding on it and people are still walking and fishing on it. We just had the World Championships for ice fishing here, 11 different countries... little Rhinelander was BOOMING with foreigners! Remember when you told me about that, mom? mon mar 8pday. we had breakfast with sam and then emailed. We went grocery shopping and then hung out at the apartment. I was still feeling a little ill from my bout with sickness the days before. We taught Martha and then we did a chapel lesson tour with Abram... it was AmAzing! The spirit was so strong. we taught the restoration using the foyer, the chapel the over-flow, the baptismal font and the relief society room. We used the lights [on and off] to show apostasy and darkness and then light for restoration. I love doing chapel lesson tours! In the relief society room we made it the temple room... we had tons of pictures of temples and then we had pictures of our families. I was able to tell Abram and the Mehrs the story of my family going to the temple. It was AmAzing. The spirit was immense. I love the MEHR'S. I love Abram. I love the gospel. ps. I love the Rhinelander ward. SO many of them called to make sure I was feeling better. It was just the sweetest thing. Almost made me cry... I missed my mom, but they were all a good subsitute! It feels good that someone is concerned about you, ya know!? tue mar 9 we taught andra. then we drove to timbucktoo and back with sister mehr and sister kagie. . . ok actually it wasn't timbucktoo but it was LAC DU FLAMBEAU and MANITOWISH WATERS... gotta love the names here! We contacted referrals and had lunch with them. The members here are the BEST! I love them.We had dinner with Deb Kazmarski and then taught Brian. wed mar 10zone conference. It was my LAST zone conference. so sad. I love zone conference. it is the spiritual boost I need for the coming transfer! We talked a lot about repentance and baptism. President and Sister Barrett are my FAVORITE! They were all on one that day, teasing me like crazing! President told everyone, "Sister Black has prayed an apostle in our midst!" and sister Barrett said, "We have to trust the missionaries we send to outreaching places like those here in the Wausau zone, you're far from the heart of the mission. All I have to do is look at sister black and I know we're far from milwaukee!" I was asked to bear my testimony on what I would say to an investigator that says living the gospel is hard. Anyone that says that should have a chat with the Savior, he could teach us a lot about doing hard things. Sister Cousin gave her arriving testimony and I gave my departing testimony. SO SAD! Elder Caldwell also gave his departing, as did elder goldsmith. MAn, I don't want to leave my mission! We had interviews and then drove home. We drove both ways with the elders... that was fun, quite the adventure. the fog was really bad, but they got us there safe to wausau and we made it the rest of the way back to rhinelander, slowly. i love sister cousin. we just laugh and have the best of times together! she's a FAV! thur mar 11we taught andra. we taught alyssa and then went tracting with her. That was HILARIOUS. She'd say, "HI MY NAME IS ALYSSA AND I'M A MORMON. WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME TO OUR CHURCH!" i love her... we're still role-playing that one. We ended our night with the relief society activity. i just love this ward. fri mar 12study. weekly planning. I ate a PASTY! yum... its a yooper thing, sorta like a pot pie... very good. we went to antigo for some appts and helped president thompson and his family clean the church.... then to PLOVER to spend the night at the PyRah'S... they're a senior couple here. I love them . It was like a sleepover at grandmas. sometime when i get back ask me how annoyed i was at the elders today. I have never gotten mad at any of the elders, but today they were punks... big time, and they knew it. sat mar 13We woke up early and drove to NEENAH. D. TODD CHRISTOFFERSON came to visit our mission. His son Ryan lives in appleton. He was SO AMAZING. he taught me so much. HE talked about how we are his companion in this work. We are his arms and legs. He told us our contribution to the world is greater than any other force ... we hold salvation in our hands. When we knock on the door of someones house, we literally offer them the kingdom of god. "You hold the Kingdom of God in your hands." Appleton, Green Bay, Madison and Wausau Zones attended. SO we saw almost the whole mission. It was SO fun. IT was overwhelming to walk in to a chapel full of misisonaries singing hymns, i am never going home from my mission! Elder Christofferson made me want to be a missionary FOREVER... but he did say there is a reason we came to WI WHEN we came... so i suppose it's that time and a season thing again! i just don't really like it! Elder Christofferson made us all feel like a million bucks, i love that man. I got to see my old mtc district and all the sisters, well most of them and all of my old favorite elders ... SO FUN! elder warr, who is serving in Adams now and lives with the caldwells and told me sister caldwell calls me the "DIVA MISSIONARY" ... apparently because I have so much STUFF! so funny.We drove back to Plover, got our car, then went to Wausau to have dinner with president thomposn. We ended the day tracting in Antigo and visiting toby. I love my life here. We are striving to meet our lofty transfer goals, and having lots of fun while doing it!!! sun mar 14we went to church in rhinelander. we had lunch. we tracted in the beautiful weather... JUST AMAZING. everyone was outside! we had dinner with the kagie's and taught aj and then had the most AMAZING lesson with dan and genny. I just wrote presdent barrett about it ... this is what I said: I LOVE ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON! ... I love being a missionary. Thanks for letting us be there, I will never forget that. He makes me want to stay in Wisconsin FOREVER as sister black, how great is our calling! Sister Cousin and I are working hard here. Last night we had the MOST amazing lesson with Dan and Genny. Dan is the daughter of a less-active woman in our ward who is making her way back and Genny is his girlfriend. We've taught them the restoration and the plan of salvation and had AmAzing discussions about the atonement with them. We knew they were struggling with something, we just didn't know what. So, we taught about the Tree of Life and being on the straight and narrow path last night. We asked SO MANY inspired questions and were able to see exactly how Dan and Genny have been prepared. Dan is struggling with a drug addiction and is just so lost in the mists of darkness. We showed him the picture in the gospel art book of the tree of life and asked him where he was at on the path and he said in a very dark place. We kept asking questions, really good questions, and then committed them to really pray, to have a conversation with their heavenly father and to ask for help, to tell him their struggles and their plan and then to listen. They need help, divine help. We are doing a chapel lesson tour with them wednesday night with lesson 3, the gospel of jesus christ. THe spirit was SO strong. When I asked what they would give to taste of the fruit of the tree, they said ANYTHING! Dan said, "I would give everything." He had tears in his eyes, we then committed them both, with a soft commitment, to baptism. [dan was really turned off by missionaries last fall because he said they just wanted him to be baptized.] I think he finally is beginning to understand WHY he needs baptism. It is the only way to have those burdens lifted. We talked about how it will be hard, but also how he can learn from the Savior how to do hard things, He knows all about that and can help Dan. President, I love being a missionary. I could just FEEL the Savior's love for Dan and Genny. I can see they want to change and I KNOW He is ready to help them if they will just ask. This lesson strengthened me too. Alyssa is so sweet. I hear you were able to talk with Bishop Lindner last night, i love that man. He LOVES alyssa and has saved that little girl's life. She is so ready for baptism... we are teaching her about repentance & forgiveness tonight [using her burdens and rocks and a backpack.... it's going to be a great object lesson] We need to be sure she has forgiven Cindy... that is a BIG, heavy rock she's carried in her backpack and we want to be sure she's unloaded that one. She doesn't know everything, but she knows enough. She needs the gift of the Holy Ghost. sorry for the novel [i know you expect that from me!] BUT so many EXCITING things are happening here. i love this work. love, sister black .... anyways. it was amazing! I LOVE THIS WORK PEOPLE! I KNOW I WILL SEE YOU SOON, BUT IT FEELS SO FAR AWAY! WE STILL HAVE SO MUCH TO DO HERE! Rocky tells me, "yep i am gald to here your not dieing a trunky mess way to finish out strong" so funny. that is the goal! i love you all! you are the best! keep that mail coming!!! Love, sister pamella jo black ** This is a SHOUT OUT to ABRAM SMITH and SCOTT MEHR who have apparently found my blog! I love this work! Go on missions! Love the Gospel! I love serving in your ward.