#63 [Tortola - 9] May 26th, 2014

Happy Memorial Day!

We have a lot of good investigators and are excited for the next few weeks. We feel busy and excited to be working here and as companions. I, for one, really love working with Sister D__ and feel like we get along really well. I feel like I've progressed so much and learned so much in such a short time with her and I can't begin to express the gratitude I feel for her and also for the Lord in sending us to work here together. It has truly been an answer to my prayers. She's just the right companion I need to keep me motivated and working hard and completely focused on the work at this phase in my mission. The crazy thing about it is I feel like we've been companions for so long, but in reality she's only been here on Tortola for two weeks! Time is FLYING by! We are having a party, pretty much. It's her birthday on Saturday, she's turning 20! So I want to buy her something special today and surprise her.

A__, the Dominican woman who came to Church last week, is really excited to be baptized. We taught the Restoration last week and she understood the need for baptism by one having the priesthood authority of God. She is excited to find out for herself the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. We need to start teaching her the commandments! I know she drinks here and there, so hopefully it will go well when we present the Word of Wisdom to her.

R__ didn't come to Church yesterday even though she had a baptismal date for this Saturday so we postponed it. She felt bad for not coming, but she does still want to be baptized. She's super awesome and very committed.

C__ is our rockstar investigator because he KNOWS the Church is true. The only thing holding him back from being baptized is his family situation. I don't know if I filled you in on that, but he's excited to be baptized and wants to do it, too. He just needs to figure things out first with his family. He has committed to coming to Church every week. He didn't come yesterday and when we met with him he expressed how guilty he felt for not coming. He has a very sensitive conscience and it's really refreshing to hear his sincerity and know how seriously he takes this whole thing.

I'm excited for the tie and the bow tie to come. I'll be sure to get a picture of them wearing them. Thank you so much for sending those! They will appreciate them SO much!

S__'s conversion to the Book of Mormon is going really well. We are watching a Church movie every two weeks with her and yesterday we watched The Mountain of the Lord, the one about the construction of the Salt Lake Temple. She learned SO much about temples and was blown away at the ordinances done for the dead within them. It just made me want to go. I CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE AGAIN!

This past week I've been studying about the Plan of Salvation and I feel like the more I learn, the more I just want to know. I am SO thankful for the scriptures and for the light they shed on the plan. I am thankful for a God who loves me enough to let me choose my destiny. He's fair enough to give me my agency at the risk of losing me. I've been thinking a lot about the pre-mortal life and I am so thankful for the decisions I made before coming here, too. I am thankful for you, my family, and for being such great examples to me. I love you all so much and feel so lucky to be able to be with you forever. I am thankful for that part, most especially, of the plan. Families truly can be sealed for time and all eternity, and it's only through the priesthood. THIS CHURCH IS SO COOL! I can't even express "an hundredth part" of the way I feel, so I think I'll just stop there. But I definitely recommend you all study up about it. It's sweet and absolutely perfect. There are no loopholes, no exceptions, no imperfections. It is true.

Congrats to Joshy on graduating this week! Joshy, be sure to smile big in front of the T! I'll be thinking of you on Friday. Way to endure to the end, you little booger. :) I am so proud of you! SO PROUD OF MY GRAD! <3 <3 OXOXOX

Well, I love you! Thanks for being my eternal family! I feel like the luckiest person ever! My Heavenly Father loves me so much and I love Him! I love being a missionary, I think I am having the most fun right now than all the past months combined. Our current mission president, President Zwick, will be coming to Tortola tomorrow and staying till Thursday maybe. We're excited to have interviews with him. He and his wife are very special people and we'll be having a fireside on Wednesday at 7 pm. It'll be like General Conference all over again! :) I'll be sure to fill you in on any of the spiritual trinkets I get from it!

I LOVE YOU!

-Sister Erickson