Home in Anaheim

Hello family! Well, the verdict is in. I am staying in Anaheim. I kind of though that would be the case. S. Cooprider and I are both staying. I'm glad. I've really come to love this area. Though I have to be honest and say that there was definitely part of me that was really hoping that a Spanish area would be opened for sisters, and I'd end my mission there. Oh well! There are people to find and to baptize in this area!

Sister Cooprider,Tracey and Sister Sanders
Anaheim

We had a pretty wonderful week I must say. Nothing especially spectacular. We did a Family Home Evening with the Lucero family and the stake president's family. We taught the Plan of Salvation and then basically played charades/catch phrase/pictionary with different Plan of Salvation words and phrases. Like what we did with Raven and the Restoration. It's good to see how much people know-it shows in how they explain it. Plus, we just want the Luceros fellowshipped more. I don't remember if I clearly explained the Luceros before. Sister Lucero is a member. She's Spanish. I knew her sister in the Santa Ana ward. Robert, the husband, is not Spanish, and not a member. For years S. Lucero took her two daughters with her to a Spanish ward, but last year decided it would be better for them to be in an English ward. Plus, if her husband ever joins, English is better for him too. The girls want to be baptized, always have, but Dad said not until the oldest was 15. So that's now. Jenny (15) and Ashley (13) will be baptized Nov. 14. The Dad is doing well too. He's had lots of missionary lessons. He's never seemed to show too much desire to commit to anything. But he's showing signs of change. Hopefully his daughter's excitement and baptism will help soften his heart!

Raven continues to do really well. We had a great lesson on the Plan of Salvation. He's a deep thinker and had a bunch of questions the other week, so we decided we'd reteach this lesson and help answer/direct his questions. He has interesting questions about the resurrection. He's accepting of the things we explain, he just wants to get it even more. So he was asking if we all have a personal resurrection, at different times, and if Christ would have to be born again and die again and resurrect again so we could then be resurrected. I've never had someone ask that. He also asked if when people are resurrected, if people who aren't resurrected can "perceive them in their physical form." Meaning if we are here as mortals and someone else comes as a resurrected being, if we would see them as we see anybody else. We just used a lot of scripture references and stories to explain principles to him. We had a member there too who brought up all these crazy theories and together they got all philosophical about stuff. That's great. But bottom line is the other stuff doesn't matter. The scriptures tell us plainly what we need to know.

No new investigators this week. Close though! We both really want it though, and are absolutely committed to knocking as much as we need to and working with the members as much as possible to find new people to teach! There are some members that are really trying hard to work with their friends. Others are a little slower about it. Hopefully they got re-inspired from conference this weekend. I though Elder Perry's talk was great. Where he said that as members, we have to study and gain a testimony of the three basic lessons that missionaries teach, so that the member can be ready to testify of them as well. Also just the huge theme of loving one another and serving people that definitely is the heart of missionary work.

I must say my favorite talks were probably Elder Bednar's, because he's always very clear about what he wants to say. They were all wonderful. I really appreciated the ones that talked about learning to recognize the spirit in the first session. That's something I've been trying to improve from day one in the MTC! But I have to agree with you Dad, that Elder Holland's talk was just amazing. He's always sooo passionate and so direct in the way he talks. It's almost a little overwhelming sometimes. But I really appreciated his testimony of the Book of Mormon. It’s inspired me to read the Book of Mormon one more time before I'm finished here. I'm only in Jacob, so I'm really going to have to pick up my pace! It's just so wonderful to hear from the prophet and the apostles! They truly are men called of God!

We got a flat tire yesterday in between conference sessions. I was going to figure out how to change it, because I know it's pretty simple. But this nice man came out and changed it for us. He earned himself a pass-along card! Then yesterday we had dinner with a funny couple. It was S. Cooprider's b-day and she really likes this family. They're 60ish and she's super energetic and never stops talking. She joined the church when they first got married. He used to pitch for the Angels. Apparently he was one of their best. His name is Clyde Wright. (Their son also played baseball, but for the Yankees and for the Cleveland Indians-his name is Jared Wright-in case any crazy baseball fans want to look them up...David!) Anyway. Brother Wright joined the church like 6 years ago. He's crazy. He only goes to priesthood, and not every week. His wife isn't sure why he really joined the church. She said the only time she's heard him pray was when their son was pitching in the World Series. He's really nice though, and funny. He talks like he's an old man, and he calls us Jehovah's Witnesses. Dinner was interesting. This is probably the first time in a long time that they sat down together for dinner.

Love,
Emily

Sister Sanders on the county line of LaHabra and Los Angeles