Hello Family!!!
This week has been crazy!! Monday started out with an exchange in Ottumuwa. We had a nice time with Sister Hunter and Sister Penrose. They have many nice ward members and investigators that they are working with. We arrived back in Iowa City Tuesday afternoon. Later that afternoon we had a lesson with Pam, who is the sister to Sister Flynn. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and she was very touched at different points in the lesson. We extended a baptisimal invite and date for November. She said she would like to move it to January 10th, because that is a very meaningful day for her. She just found out that she is cancer free and she received a lot of comfort in knowing that when we are resurrected that our bodies will be in their perfect form. She felt that she could be whole again, because she had ovarian cancer and had surgery a few weeks ago. She is doing great in her reading of the Book of Mormon. She is at 1 Nephi 16. She said that she had a few questions, but that Ben (her brother-in-law) has been able to answer a few of them.
Saturday we had the baptism for Ben and there was such a great turn out from the ward! Bishop wanted to start out in the Relief Society room and then move everyone to the chapel if there were too many people, and sure enough that's what happened. I had a really strong feeling that there were going to be many people from the ward who wanted to show their support and that it would need to take place in the chapel. There must have been at least 50 or more people there. Paul, Mary and Haley our investigators were there and they all felt the spirit very strong there. Paul is the French speaker and Brother Beardsley tried his hardest to translate. Ben's father, brother, and his brother's close friend were there as well. It was quit the sight to see up front with President and Sister Jergensen, President (1st Counselor) and Sister Jeppson, President Peters of the Stake Presidency, and Bishop Gelder on the stand. The spirit was very strong throughout the entire thing. Towards the end of the program, Ben was asked to bear his testimony and as he talked, he shared an experience that he had with Pam. He said that she had been meeting with the Sister Missionaries (Sister Whitaker and I) and as she read in the Book of Mormon she would have questions and she would ask him. It was as he was explaining things to her, that he realized that he really believed in the things he was saying and that he knew that it was all true and that's when he really desired to be baptized. Pam was very touched as she listened to him share that with everyone. We are so excited for this family! They are so great and many people in their family are coming to learn of the gospel and their lives are changing for the better. Pam was so excited to tell me that she was in 2 Nephi 3 now! President Jergensen and President Jeppson said as well as others, that she'll be ready to be baptized before January 10th and I really do believe that as well. I think that as we continue to teach her and she sees the change that has taken place in Ben and his family, that she will be ready much sooner than then, but for her that was an important date to set it to initially. I have no doubt.
On Thursday we had transfer meeting and I will be staying in Iowa City for now. My new companion is Sister Brown. She is from South Jordan Utah and she has been on her mission for 13 months. She will be the senior companion and with that she will be doing the majority of the driving. We are going to work hard in this area and we will see many great miracles happen in the lives of those around us. We will have the van every other week, so we'll be doing more walking. We also have an apartment in mind that we are going to finalize things with this week. For so long we kept hearing that the Bishop was going to check with the ward members and work something out there for us to move into, but as time has gotten closer and closer to September and without any definite word, I was starting to really stress, but I told myself to not stress to much, but to do our part by looking. I would really like to have had things finalized a while back and know when all the move would happen, but for a while all that was out of my hands and I couldn't do anything. If we move into that apartment, we won't have much furniture, but I'm sure the ward will be willing to help where they can. They are a very supportive ward.
We'll I should be going. Please take care and know of how much I love each one of you. Hugs and Kisses to all!!
Love,
Sister Tucker
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