Kay...missionary work is the BEST! Oh my heck I love being a missionary!!! So first off!!! Keco is not progressing anymore....really, we are just waiting for a miracle!! Literally, a miracle!! Then Wednesday we had interviews! And CAN I JUST SAY I LOVE PRESIDENT HESS AND HIS WIFE! They are the greatest! I did really good at not crying the whole time and then he said "are you hard on yourself....?" Then BAM, waterworks, and I said I try not to be and he just talked to me about relying on the Lord and really, all I have to do his relax my shoulders and move my feet! I loved that! Because I have been putting so much pressure on myself, but I am just the tool...(I am a tool...) so that is kinda nice that all I have to do is be willing to work! 

This week all we did was teach lessons. I think we went door knocking once. THATS CRAZY! We have had TONS of teaching appointments, so our finding has been slim. sad. I love door knocking. Okay, I just love missionary work, lets be honest! So we had one appointment with Bernie, oh ma heck....I just don't think I could love anyone more than I love all my investigators!! Bernie always says "say, do ya think...?" and always calls us when it is cold and tells us "you best stay inside today!" Gosh, he is the best! But he is so sad and just feels like he has no hope for his future. No matter what we told him he couldnt understand, but when I said "Bernie, baptism is like a new beginning...starting over! do you want that?"  And he just smiled!!! He really likes the song "I am a child of God". When it says "...lead me guide me"  he said to us "Do you think he will really do that!?"   We had our lesson at Dairy Queen and he insisted on buying us ice cream and after he left I cried right there in Dairy Queen because my heart just hurt for him...I hate seeing him sad...

Next we taught a Spanish lady....no bueno....hahahahaha....all I could say was "elgasia jesuchristo...." so it was not a good lesson! I wish I had Casey there to talk in Spanish! We learned our lesson and we are bringing a spansih speaker next time! Friday morning...I hated life....I was sick and tired and SO FATIGUED. I dont think I have ever felt that in my life! So I slept in until ten...WEIRDEST THING EVER! Sleeping in is weird now.... but we had so many lessons that I did NOT want to cancel! So I just went to work, and everytime we were in a lesson I felt so much better!! We taught Sharlotte, she is my favorite and she LOVES US!!! We hadn't  seen her for like 2 weeks and so when I saw her I was like "Sharlotte I MISSED YOU!" We are just bestiesfolife! hahaha She came to church on  Sunday and just kept sayin AMEN! haha She LOVED IT! And she kept telling me "You two are just the greatest missionaries! you are just so great!!" It is wonderful!!! She is progressing really welllll! We are going to committ her to baptism this week!

Then Amy....she is THE MOST HILARIOUS WOMAN I HAVE EVER MET! I can't ever stop laughing around her!!! We called her yesterday night and she was so sad....she had committed to live the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity and she called us after the Law of Chastity discussion and said..."I just told my boyfriend to never come back..." So needless to say, we comforted her for HOURS. But she called us and said "I dont have drugs, alcohol, a boyfriend, and I am about to get kicked out of my apartment..." I felt so bad...but it is for her good! We try and call her twice a day! She will make it, but it is a rough road ahead I feel like!

ALSO Ken, okay, ken ken ken..holy hannah! I love him....he is SO FUNNY! I laughed until I cried at their house! He is slowly progressing but he just wants evidence...no bueno...really. But he committed to baptism before and said how it felt so undeniably right, so we are trying to tap into how he felt that time and see if he can spark his testimony again!

SEE WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT??? I HAVE THE BEST INVESTIGATORS EVER! I love this area so much and the ward members are incredible! I just have such a desire to help them! I cant even describe the love I feel for each of them and how badly I want them to see the happiness that comes from the gospel!! I can finally get how Nephi says he desires their salvation and the thought of them not having it just is unbearable. This week I really tried to purify myself in order to have the spirit strong...but needless to say being COMPLETELY PURE is REALLY REALLY hard! But I have felt the Spirit so much stronger and just overall LOVED my mission so much more as I really prayed for charity! I really have it...and now that I have it I don't know that I want it, because I love these people so much....I just want to take away their agency...hahaha not a good idea.This week I have really come to realize how wonderful it is to be a missionary. I love putting on my name tag in the morning and just knowing that I am doing the Lord's work...it is amazing!! Crazy how only a couple of weeks ago if I had the chance to go home, I will be honest, I would have taken it! But now, I wouldn't go home for the world right now! Everyone that I know I just have grown to love SO MUCH! I didnt even know that I could ever love so many people so much at the same time! I am so grateful to know just a smidgen of what our Father in Heaven feels for us! I love missionary work! I love all you and pray and fast for you and for your specific needs! :) I wish that you could share some of these experiences with me because they are truly miracles! I know that this is CHRIST'S church! and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to share it with everyone in the KALAMAZOO TWO AREA!! GOD BLESS! :) 

Sister Oswald