Last Monday for our preparation day, some of the Elders invited us to play squash with them.  Squash is apparently very similar to racquetball so it was very fun.  Afterwards we climbed the Butte which is one of the smaller mountains in our area but it was still a beast to climb.  We chose to climb the side with the stairs.  After a certain amount of climbing the stairs you reach a point that looks like the top, but there are still more stairs (420 steps). :/. My legs felt like they were about to fall off.  On our way back very close to the bottom of the mountain there was a mother and a baby moose on the trail.  We waited so long for them to move doing everything we could to scare them off but they are so domesticated here they don't care about us.  We were headed back up the mountain to go down the other side when a couple of girls who turned out to be Mormon caught up with us and said they didn't see any moose coming up so we turned back around.

For two days we did service for the state fair working with the recycling crew.  We were split up in a couple of groups and some of the Elders took their truck to pick up cardboard in bulk.  Apparently Elder Oace started to drive before Elder Brown was firmly seated in the bed of the truck so he fell through the back window.  We came around the corner and saw they had taped up the window with a piece of cardboard!  Our vehicle coordinator was not happy.  At least now we can never miss the Elders driving their truck.

This week we had another trainer/trainee meeting, but this time I stayed in Anchorage  to do exchanges.  Exchanges are when you and the Sister Training Leadets switch companions for about 24 hours and work with each other teaching and doing all other things that you normally do on a typical missionary day.  This way you learn from each other and mainly so that they can see how each missionary is doing.  I exchanged with Sister McGre who leaves next transfer.  I love her; she is truly genuine and has a love for the work.  It was really cool to see how she does things so far into her experience as a missionary.

This week has been working out the details on the baptism for Mary and Lizzy.  We came across a complication:  Stake Conference is being held the Sunday following their baptism.  That means she has to be confirmed a week later.  The problem with this:  (1) they are being prolonged to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, but (2) that the baptism isn't complete without the confirmation.  We would move the date of the baptism, but Mary finally feels at peace with the date because all the people she wants to attend will be able to come that day.  We are wrestling with this issue but we are talking with Mary later today to explain the situation and see if she either wants to move the date or be okay to be confirmed a week later, which is not a bad thing.

I'm very excited about how the work is progressing and I know that The Lord really directs His missionaries to find the elect:  ones prepared by The Lord to receive His gospel.

Many Thanks !!!

Sister Shelley Willden