March 24

Morning everybody!

Well, I got a brand new companion this week - Sister Gunther from
Orem, Utah! Yep, we were practically neighbors and never knew each
other and we both went to Timpanogos High School! I am super excited
to get to serve with her and I think we shall have a great transfer
together and see some good things happen! Even though she has only
been out for 4 months she is SO confident as a missionary, she teaches
very well and simply, she has a good vision and goals. We have had
lots of fun and laughs already just this week and it is refreshing to
be companions with her and I think we'll really be able to strengthen
each other here.
This week was LONG - all we had to do was finding. The nearest
neighborhood is at least a 10 min drive so we ended up really trying
to work the boardwalk. We did get in with a couple, Ryan and Laura,
who are Seventh Day Adventists and we taught them the Restoration.
Ryan said he has been very impressed by the church's view and value
placed on families and had heard about FHE and he appreciated our
approach as missionaries. Turns out he and Laura met at a Seventh Day
Adventist college and they just last couple of years had served a
mission for their church in Thailand and they have three daughters.
Although they agreed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it,
right after Ryan asked us if we would read Exodus 20 and pray about
that (says the Sabbath is on the seventh day or Saturday). We are
excited to go back and teach them more and hopefully they will have
actually kept their commitment. :)
This week I am starting Jesus The Christ, I have been wanting to read
it since I got out but haven't started it. Sister Kramer (recent
convert) is reading it right now though and keeps saying so many great
things about it that I finally opened the book so I can discuss it
better with her and to satisfy my own curiosity. She is a stellar
member though with a fire testimony! She has a lot of time on her
hands currently so she reads and reads and reads church materials. She
is reading Jesus The Christ, her 3rd time through the entire Book of
Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and now the Teachings of the President
manual because she just got called to be a Relief society instructor
(so fitting for her!). And yet she is always asking us to read with
her and teach her more because she wants to be just like us, but I
want to be like her!  She just has a spiritual hunger for knowledge
like very few and she is so different from her previous nonmember
self, it really is miraculous when the gospel truly becomes something
dear to someone's heart. That very real and literal change of heart
feels me with gladness and inspiration that I don't think I could
adequately describe other than it is feelings that go along with the
Holy Ghost and it is beautiful.
I am excited to watch the Women's Broadcast this Saturday - another
historical moment and we get to see it unfold! Also excited for
General Conference coming up shortly too, it is too bad people don't
understand how wonderful it is to hear from God's living prophet today
or they would be running to the church doors for Conference.
Well, I am doing well and loving life. God is good and the church is
true, I do know that. :)
I love you!
Sister Amelia Rust


Oh and I almost forgot to mention the mouse in our apartment this
weekend! We tried catching it with towels but that was ineffective so
we called management and they got us some traps. Eventually we got it
and I felt bad killing the mouse but it probably would have come back
if we just caught it and took it outside. I am not really scared of
mice but I freaked out when there was a black spider crawling up my
arm that same night! Good thing I didn't see it and freak out until
after we left the people we were teaching. :)