May 27, 2014
Hey Family, Friends, and (Fellow & Future Missionaries)

     I thought I would throw that one in there considering I've been getting tons of notifications (on my email in the library) about people from home getting their mission calls! I am so excited for all of you. Please keep telling me. It's like Christmas every P-day. This week has been crazy for us here in Overland Park, Last week we had Sister Fuenzalida and now we don't. She was with us about a week and a half and then she had an emergency transfer to Gardner where she replaced Sister Adams (whom I love). Sister Adams was transferred to Independence to be closer to the mission office and home because she's been having kidney stones. I've been seeing so many missionaries having health issues lately. I'm so grateful I've been healthy besides a few extra pounds brought to you by the members of the Clinton and Overland Park wards. Whatevs though. It's all good. I've been so blessed. 

     Last Tuesday we volunteered at Farmstead and Sister Beard and Fuenzalida and I greeted the guests. When I was counting the guests with this little clicker thing, 1100 people came in through the gate within the hour of 9-10am. It was crazy! Volunteering there is awesome. We do it every Tuesday morning. Look it up on the internet if you haven't already. This Tuesday (today) we were over the Dairy Barn. We helped prep the place for Martina's morning milking, swept and cleaned the room, moved the calves into another stall, fed the calves the milk that Martina had, cleaned water bins, and wait for it... took a couple of baby goats on a walk around the Farmstead. It was so great. They had leashes and everything. They loved it and obviously so did I. Yesterday was Memorial Day so the libraries were closed so we planned to email on Wednesday because we were packed with appointments after Farmstead today, but after we did some of out studies, we knocked on the Ehpel's door and they weren't there :/ I'm not too worried because they have been progressing so well recently and Sister Beard said they haven't ever done so well since they started teaching them in January. We were excited to meet their dad today because he had work off tonight (and he's the only thing holding them up for their baptism) but, another day soon. I'm so excited for Riann (11) and Simrick (8).

      Memorial Day was awesome! We studied, did laundry and shopped briefly. Then we went to the park where we had our ward BBQ. We invited a lot of our investigators and the less actives we've been seeing, but unfortunately they didn't come. After that, we went straight to the stake center where we played sports til 6pm with the other missionaries. I played basketball for about 3 hours or so. I actually was making some good shots! The Elders weren't worried about me at first, but then someone yelled out to get me marked! haha Now I'm making up for it. I tried to go running this morning, but it was a joke. My body is so sore haha. Oh well. It was sweet. 

      The rest of last week we hardly had any time in our area. It was really lame. We went to Independence to drop off Sister Fuenzalida and then Kansas City to go to the Temple. However, it was so great. President Keyes pretty much took two days to go through the temple with all the missionaries in the mission. And then we had lunch and a small meeting where he talked about Temple and Families. President Keyes said that the number one thing that President Monson said the age change had to do was.. to bless families. We went on to say that it wasn't a coincidence that boys are now going to be getting home around 20-20 1/2 and sisters are getting home around 20-20 1/2. Awkward. He pretty much made everyone get stoked to get married in the temple. Which I think was his job.. so it was a great conference. 

      We were also able to to visit a few more people this week. Like Sister Saltzmann. We had a great visit and we shared a scripture about how Heavenly Father makes weak things strong and she was really excited about coming to church and to the bbq, but she didn't come. And then we had dinner with a part member family, the Neuburgers, at this AMAZING mexican restaurant (Best enchiladas ever fyi) We shared a message afterwards about the Book of Mormon and found out he had read the Book of Mormon before, goes to Sacrament every week with his wife, and calls it 'his ward', but when the Spirit was there and I was prompted to invite him to take the lessons. He said no. Good ole agency once again getting in the way. Denial is kind of rough. And then we had dinner with this less-active lady named Sister Greenhaughl (50's) and she doesn't come to church and she is a returned missionary. And she doesn't seem very interested in coming back and we don't know why!

     Despite quite a bit of trouble this last week, I'm excited to work hard, do my best to help people come to church, progress towards baptism, or be baptized. No matter what, I will be planting seeds and working my tail off to do what the Lord wants me to do. Only a couple more weeks in the transfer. Let's do it. I'm so grateful to be here in Zion preparing the way for the Lord. I know this is where I was meant to go and I'm grateful for the many lessons I learn every day. One of them being Ether 12:27. Which is one of my favorite scriptures. If your not already doing so, I invite you to open up your scriptures and read at least a chapter a day. Obviously I was never good at that before my mission, but I have seen the blessings it gives as I see families commit to doing so. And I know that as we do, we will feel God's love more fully, see the Spirit's guidance more abundantly, and be able to receive all the blessings He has in store for us. It's the best feeling ever! I love you guys so much. Talk to you soon!

Love,

Sister Penman