"Okay Okay, I admit.... I drag raced my district leaders!!! haha I just HAD to. Cruzin through LV! Anyways THIS WEEK HAS BEEN INCREDIABLE! I love my mission soooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love it i love it i love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ghetto is so entertaining...I am still in the same area as when I got here! yay! It is AMAZING! Pretty much everywhere you go, it is in the hood, or close to a hood. The very worst parts are by the strip. Which I am kind of far from. 6.7 miles.... the Elders serving there have the funniest and craziest stories! Especially because most of them are on bikes. The black guys on the street corners will ask them who they are. They respond with "We are missionaries!" and they go "missionaries???" and the missionaries go "we are preachers!" and the black guys go "OOOOOH, you are Preachers! You good people, you good people!" that pretty much sums up Las Vegas. Oh and there are random shopping carts everywhere, old men who zoom across the street at night in their scooters, and there are stray cats everywhere!!! That’s how Las Vegas is...well I don’t see too much of the real ghetto. The church members here are AMAZING! They are SO STRONG! Its awesomeeeeee. I can’t wait to bring back anyone who wants to see my mission, after I get home! Of which, when I see a plane I say "NOOO you can’t take me! I’m not leaving!!!!!" Still got 13.5 months! Las Vegas is so crazy. In our family ward boundaries (2x2 mile) we have one of the richest areas of LV, and we also have run down apartments. Both extremes! OH, mother, I get to SKYPE YOU ON MOTHERS DAY!!!! Hooray!!! So if anyone is at my house that day, you get to see me! And I get to see you! Thank you for your cards everyone! :) You all ROCK! It’s so great to get support. (Especially to the west bend relief society!!!!) Sister Walker, Sister Clevenger and I are exactly obedient the best we can be, and we are seeing miracle after miracle. My sister companions work SO HARD! They came PRE TRAINED! I love them so much! We have so much fun together. .... Being in a trio is the best. It’s like having a BIG family! 3 are better then 2! I will be sad if one of them, or I get transferred in 2 weeks! Well we still are having 15-20 lessons and we have 3 set with a baptismal date! We almost have 2 others! This boy came to the singles ward and said he wants to join the church! SCORE! We tract in each 10 minutes we have available! Remember David who got baptized? He is looking GREAT! He just looks so sharp! He came up to me on Sunday to say Hi and to see how things where going! Picture a tall man with trimmed black hair. Soft face. White shirt. Black tie. He looked so respectable and his eyes literally GLOWED! yay for the spirit!!!! Also, the FIRST day on my mission we met with Jamie and taught her the first lesson. She got baptized in Washington on Saturday!!! :) Miracle One: One of our black investigators, Waymond, is 69 and so awesome! He has had a LOT of hold ups...the missionaries have been teaching him for 4-5 years! BUT we have a baptism date set with him for June 4!!! He said the closing prayer to one of our lessons, and he cried. He hadn't said a prayer in more then 30 years....the gospel changes lives! Baptism is such an important covenant, but we prepare people for baptism. It’s a life style change. Miracle Two: Debbie (55), who I explained in my previous letter, has been taught 4 times, attended church twice, come to 2 dinner appointments with us, and even went to a baptism! We basically fellowshipped her the first 2 lessons. By the 3rd lesson she said "I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God!" She is so prepared for this gospel! When we where teaching her the first Lesson (during our 3rd visit) we where explaining the Holy Ghost and how it enters into your bosom and it can be a peaceful, yet burning feeling! She clapped her hands and said "oh gooooooooood!!!! When I was reading the Book of Mormon, I felt this burning feeling come into my chest and so I thought I was having heart burn. So I went and ate some tums, but when I went back to reading, it started again! I couldn't figure out what it was!!!" She was so relaxed when we told her it was the Holy Ghost testifying to her it was true. That’s the only way people become converted in our church. THEY have to act and pray. The Holy Ghost confirms the truth of what we are saying. And it’s super cool, because as missionaries, we TEACH by the spirit. On our 4th visit, after we had taught her about how Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, she said that night she had a dream. It was a dream where this young farm boy, dressed in his Sunday best, went into a grove of trees and started praying. And then this pillar of light came to him.....She had a dream about the FIRST VISION!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!! So when we watched the Restoration with her, she was in awe the whole time saying "that’s what I saw! That’s what I saw!!!!!' Heavenly Father has been preparing her to receive this message for a long time! She has a date set for May 7th! (So does a 13 yr old girl named Brianna Adams!) Debbie doesn’t have much money, so I gave her 3 of my skirts to wear at church. She is so wonderful, and she is so sad that one day she won’t be able to be with us missionaries. I told her we where going to be friends, for ETERNITY! SO there are just SOO many miracles happening. Ones I have written above, and ones I have not yet written about. I do know the Lord loves us all, and he certainly guides us in his work! I can testify to you that there is nothing more spiritual then sitting between 2 of your investigators at a baptism. There is nothing more sweet then seeing them be baptized. There is nothing better then waking up at 6:30AM and working your hardest all day for your God, and then crashing to your pillow at night. There is nothing as special, as when a less active member, whispers to you through her tears, 9 o’clock at night, "thank you, for never giving up on me." There is nothing better then sharing the great news about Jesus Christ and his atonement, and there is nothing better then working with the Father minute by minute, hour by hour. I have had the most mentally, physically, and spiritually draining moments of my life then on a mission. But I wouldn't trade this for the world! I am learning SO much, and am gaining a SOLID testimony of everything we teach!!! I love the Savior! I LOVE our Heavenly Father. I have a testimony that if you put every ounce of faith and trust in the Lord, he leads and guides you. When I have felt the most weight on my shoulders, and all I could do was cry, it was at those moments that I have felt Heavens Angles sitting by me on my bed. I know angels are here, and I know they are helping us. They are continually and literally putting their arms around us. I have also experience the most JOY i have ever yet felt in my life! It is a new joy, a wonderful joy. When we have so much success, it is truly amazing to say "Heavenly father you are So amazing! Thank you thank you thank you for this day!!!!" I dream about our investigators and still wake up at 2, 3, and 4am wanting to get going on the day! Looks like Eric starts his mission June 27!? I get home June 27th 2012 so we will be serving for exactly one year together!!!! I am so excited for him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is already a fantastic missionary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So an example of a regular day....this is what our Friday included. We woke up and exercised, ate breakfast, had 2 hours of studies, did a hour of visiting mormon.org (we have to do that weekly), taught 4 lessons, we tracted 3 doors in our extra 10 min in the blazing heat, we made appointments for this week, called 10 families to see if they needed service, did some service, we testified of the gospel, had a lesson in canyon gate (one of the richest gated community) we uplifted a weary mother, had dinner at a kind of chaotic house in those apartments, i got violated by a hairless cat in heat (haha!), and I wrote 3 letters during lunch, oh and we had a planning meeting from 9:30-10:15PM. I don’t think I had time for a shower that day. I do know why they call it the best two years..... Its because of the eternal friendships we make! They are eternal friendships made by GOD! Pday activity: Our zone went hiking this morning at Red Rock! IT WAS AWESOME! But it was the 2nd hardest hike there!!!! That’s right, these LDS sister missionaries got skills like the elders! We hiked everything they did! It was crazy!!! Red rock is the bomb!!!!!!!!!!!! Then we went shopping at Wal-Mart and it’s like we where famous! People always say "Oh look! It’s the sisters!!!!!' Pdays are the happy day’s lol. OH and mom, I have initiated MORMON MYTHBUSTERS to my singles ward out here! We are having it April 25th, with 2-3 other singles wards WOOT WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soo excited!!! Thanks for your epic idea! Gotta bust these Mormon facts! YES Mormons are Christian. NO Mormons do not practice polygamy. YES Mormons can dance. NO Mormons are guided not to drink coffee. YES the Book of Mormon testifies of Christ, YES Mormons read the Bible YES Mormons are HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAYYY To happy if you ask me! Well, I've written the longest email in my life. The only other thing to tell you that I have left out is that someone got arrested during one of our lessons. The end! HAVE THE BEST WEEK EVER! SISTER SPROUSE"

Well we have 2 new investigators! They are 22 and 26. No schooling, no job, smoke, missing teeth, etc. and when we asked them what they like to do in Vegas, they said "drink!" WELL we have met them with the Elders and they are already changing! It’s the best!!! Watching their eyes take fire believing and finding out they can pray to a Heavenly Father who loves them, is AMAZING. And finding out that THEY matter! This Gospel brings HOPE! Basically, it ALL comes down to a Merciful God who gave us His Son who preformed the Atonement. I LOVE IT!!!!! The people here rock! I am so excited to be here for 15 more months! I don’t want it to stop!! There is just so much progress happening. I could literally write for HOURS!!! How much do you want to hear? I really have no idea what anyone thinks of these emails. Hopefully they are spiritual, fun, and bringing you closer to Christ! Here is a cool story about what blessings come when YOU change and commit to baptism and a new way of life: Sister Cockrell taught this woman last year. She was living in her mini van. She started taking the lessons and came to church and basically grew into a beautiful flower! She got baptized, and now she lives in a HOUSE, has a HUSBAND, has a beautiful DAUGHTER, and tomorrow she is getting SEALED to her family in the TEMPLE for time and all eternity! WOW! This gospel makes you change, because it makes you WANT to change. And that’s why it’s so beautiful. The gospel of Jesus Christ ROCKS! It’s also the BEST time to be a missionary! It’s so sad about the awful earthquake in Japan....the second coming IS coming, and we have to prepare ourselves TODAY. Everyday we have to become better people and better missionaries. There is only TRUE hope and PEACE in the gospel. That’s all Jesus Christ wants for us. He gives us peace when we TRUST and OBEY him. I hope you are all feeling happy and GREAT! We become strong when we choose the right in tough situations. Choose to be strong! Choose to obey! Pray pray pray! It is through prayer and humility that we submit our will to our Fathers will. He knows all things. Believe in miracles! Its so funny. Sister Cockrell is truly one of my best friends! I LOVE HER! We are like sisters!!!!! She is definitely part of my family!! Yesterday night it was a LONG day, and it was 11PM...She came out of the bathroom and ran over by me...I was almost sleeping and she said "sister, are you awake??!~" and I moaned "Kind of...." and then the little silly girl jumped on me! haha and we talked until 1AM. Then we woke up at 6:30 as usual and talked for another hour! haha we have decided this will not be the end...we are going to kick it somewhere together, whether we are married already or what not. She is going to BYU this summer! woot woot~! Man, there are so many restaurants out here...and the mountains are so pretty...there is so much to explore. This morning we went hiking at Red Rock with our district! It was pretty intense! climbing up huge rocks, crossing gorges and streams...catching lizards, taking funny pictures, getting a tan, and soaking up the view of the beautiful cacti painted desert...ah so much fun! Ill send a pic! Mondays are our preparation day, so we usually do fun things. It was sister Cockrell and I, one of our girl friends, and 6 elders and one of their friends..... :) I put sister Cockrell on my back and we crossed a stream....it was pretty epic. !!! You all have to come to Vegas! Don’t stay on the strip though! Its scanty!!!! haha ill let you know where to stay! ;) STAY WARM Wisconsin!!! Keep standing up for what’s right woot woot!

Jenna is training TWO missionaries! WOW Jenna!

This picture was sent from a family that had all three of themn for dinner this week. AMAZING things happeneing in Jenna's life and all those around her.

Give Praise!

"Are you a man of great faith? Do you believe in miracles? I believe in miracles and this week I have witnessed for myself the divine plan of our Heavenly Father. This week we had 17 lessons, doubled to what I have past experienced on my mission. We have 3 awesome investigators set with baptismal dates and are setting one more with a date this week. We received 9 referrals. Both our wards have fasted for missionary work. We have fasted for our investigators (people learning about the church), and for more missionary work and boy, it has come. Let me tell you of how direct God has His hand in our lives.... 3 Months ago my beloved trainer Sister Cockrell and I where running around trying to find this apartment within this huge complex. It was getting late (8:30 probably) and we where still racing back and forth across the whole thing. Finally we saw a woman walking her dog and we asked her for directions. She was so kind and she actually took us up to HER apartment to ask her son for directions. Her apartment was dimly lit, but very beautiful with many plants and it had a Greek feel to it. Her son told us where to go, and of course we left her with our pass along card and number. It was one of those families and circumstances where you thought "she would be perfect!" (for the gospel!) 3 months later a woman comes to general conference (which was 2 weeks ago). The elders there took her name and number and passed her off to us. Little did we know who she was.... when we walked up to her apartment and when the door opened, and I saw her house, and her happy face I thought "oh my gosh! This is a miracle! I am witnessing a miracle!" We are now teaching her the lessons and she has a baptismal date set for at the end of this month!!! WOW! I know she was prepared by the Lord. She has had an AWFUL life...so sad....I can't even begin to explain!!! This gospel is changing her life, and the peace she now feels she says is incredible. Never forget to give your life to the Lord. See where he takes you. Let him shape you and become like Him."

"Hello my wonderful and amazing friends and family!!!!! its 70 degrees in NV! So, I have a challenge for you. I want you today, to write down in you journal, what your Savior means to you. There are so many miracles happening in Las Vegas, and so many wonderful stories. I love serving here!!!!! My two new greenies are amazing!!!! One of them even had a class with my sister Emily at BYU I! Small world huh?? Sister Clevenger is from Illinois and Sister Walker is from Missouri!!! They both ROCK!!!!!! Well there is nothing greater then loosing yourself in the service of your fellow beings. When we loose ourselves in the service of others, we find the greatest blessings! The greatest blessing I have found is coming closer to my Savior Jesus Christ! I love Him! I give my life to Him! HE is amazing, and truly saves. Our lessons have been so spiritual. Its amazing- You can literally feel the spirit enter you and give you the words to say when we are teaching, and then feel it move from you to your companion, and then back to you...ahhhh I want to serve another mission after this one! lol I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK! We had a lesson in the ghetto- right off the strip the other day. It’s so awesome there. We had a lesson with a Black Man, who spoke Spanish, who was born in Brazil, but raised in Africa, that also spoke French and English...what!?? haha! it was great! The lesson rocked!! Also, many of the areas the Elders serve in, they are the only white guys. It’s so funny because they will challenge people on the street to basketball. If the people loose, they have to take the discussions! Everyone always thinks they can beat the white guys, so the take the challenge...and in return are now learning the gospel of Jesus Christ! We have had so many lessons lately, and the windows of heaven are definitely opening up! The second coming is drawing nearer....its so important that we are being the best that we can be. My life is completely immersed in missionary work! I dream about our investigators, I pray for them, I think about the people we are teaching while I brush my teeth...my lunch hour is spent making appointments because I am so excited...and I woke up at 1:30AM three nights ago and was sad it wasn't time to get ready and go tracking! haha oh dear....missionary for life! Sister Clevenger and I played basketball with the elders yesterday! That was fun!!!! I think I am turning into one of them! haha just kidding....well its time to go! we have 2 lessons tonight and have lots of happy visits to make. Enjoy the day!!

Hello everyone!! Yesterday morning Sister Cockrell (one of my best friends) crawled next to me in bed at 5:30 and said "sister, tomorrow morning I won't be here!" And we both balled. Wah!!! Well, its a weird feeling. She is on a plane and NOT here! BUT I am SOOO excited because I get to train 2 GREENIES this transfer! That’s right! Straight from the MTC! Sister Clevenger is AMAZING and we have so many similarities. Sister Walker comes next Monday. The last week with Sister Cockrell was amazing! Our lessons rocked! And now for this transfer we have so many visits to make and TONS to do. THE WORK HERE IS ON FIRE! HORRRAYY!!! I can't help myself from randomly doing "I’m on a mission!!!!" dance moves throughout the day! I’m on a mission for our Creator and there’s nothing else I'd rather be doing, or do for the rest of my life!!! Bringing souls to Christ is amazing! muah! I am learning so much and experiencing so much. We were in a crazy lesson last week. We where with a part member family...the children where wining....dog being annoying...kind of hectic, but we pushed through the lesson.... the kids got quiet and the dog ran away, the spirit was felt. We taught the wife (non member) about Baptism. A few minutes before challenging her to be baptized, her son came to her and started crying (he’s only 1), and it got hectic again!! and really loud! and the dog came back. we where worried. However, with a crying and tired 1 year old on her shoulder, the wife was challenged to be baptized by sister cockrell. Most of us didn’t even hear her talking, so she said it again, and the wife responded with a loud laughing voice above the babies cries, "YES!" Another lesson we had was with a 69 year old black man. He is so wonderful and the missionaries have been visiting him for years. FINALLY this past week the spirit was SOO strong and the member we had with us (supporting him along his journey) totally had the right things to say to him and he accepted to start saying personal prayer! BREAKTHROUGH of a might big wall! Miracles baby, they are happening and ALL AROUND us. BE GOOD! I have so much to say but time is up! Sister Clevenger and I have LOTS to do! Follow the spirit and TRUST GOD. YOU HAVE TO! He knows what we need. The miracle CANT happen until you trust him. The FRIENDSHIP can't be made until you trust him. I am witnessing this for my own life. I NEED HIM EVERY HOUR. I love My savior and God SO much. Be good, be strong, and endure to the end. Life is amazing. and YOU ROCK! p.s. if you seek the best adventure and the most real life experiences in 2 years of your life...then SERVE A MISSION

"AHHH I LOVE my companion so much (she goes HOME in 2 weeks!!!), I LOVE the Tremendously hard working Elders out here, I LOVE our investigators, I LOVE our ward, I LOVE our Mission President, I LOVE the Lord... I LOVE LAS VEGAS!!!!!!!!! I witnessed my first baptism on Saturday! Our investigator David, 22, felt to join the Church of Jesus Christ and was baptized! Horray!!! That Saturday was BUSY! Let me explain a typical missionary day...and I'll just explain this past Saturday: 6:30AM wake up and exercise, eat, shower, have Personal Studies from 8-9AM, and Companionship Study from 9-10AM. Then we made visits and worked on book work (recording potential investigator names and such), then lunch, then a lesson, then filling up the baptismal font, then the baptism at 4PM, then some awesome members took us out to eat, at a Expensive restaurant!!!!! $ so fancy and delicious, then the Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus preformed at one of our church buildings, and that was at 7:00. Of which our whole District Sat together with our investigators and other friends so that was FUN, and then Sister Cockrell and I made more Visits. Then we came home at 9:30 and planned for the next day. Then got ready for bed and fell fast asleep. FEWF! Typically missionary Day! woot woot! Its BEST! So it's a blessing when your investigators go ahead and get married on the STRIP over the weekend RIGHT?? LOL! Oh, Las Vegas. Yes it’s a blessing. Because she is getting baptized next month and now lives with her HUSBAND! ;) So many new families we are teaching! I LOVE IT! I LOVE MY MISSION~ So you know how in Wisconsin cute little children frolic through the tall grass in the fading sun and catch lightning bugs??? Well here in LV kids go out at night with flashlights and smash scorpions with baseball bats!!!! HAHA~ Oh my goodness. There are scorpions here and all over. And sometimes in your home!! I haven't seen one yet, luckily... but you know. Its the cute small see-through ones that will be on your floor. The cute small ones which are more poisonous then the BIG ONES! AHH . Sister Cockrell was putting on her makeup sitting on the floor when out crawls a black widow from our closet. She remained normal and said "Get a shoe sister, that’s a widow!" What!? hum, and supposedly I just killed another poisonous fiddle spider the other night to, but enough about spiders and potential death. Enjoy your mayflies, gnats, and mosquitoes a little more!!!! HAHA Everyone asks me how many siblings I have, and I proudly say 10!!!! :) It’s the best! I brag about you all the time!! We where in Relief Society on Sunday, and the sisters where asking what may keep us from keeping us from doing our Visiting Teaching? (VT is where all the woman in the church are assigned to another woman-so she can go and visit her and make sure all her needs are taken care of…..its awesome!!! and to share a spiritual message....) and after a few i said "A snow storm!!!" and they all laughed. Anyways Sister Cockrell and I are WELL taken care of. Missions are full of exhausting days, but the Lord always gives you enough energy to keep going on! I feel myself getting lost in the work. I don't even remember what bands I like. Ha! Each night we write in our journals, and I wrote in mine yesterday "in case I forget, i was a photographer." The missions ROCK! It truly helps set a spiritual course for the rest of your life! For eternity ~ YAY~~~~ GO on a mission if you can! They are amazing! Well, got to go run off to dinner and a lesson~ :) At our Bishop's mansion! We could fit like 5 of our homes in one of his wings. Well, the great thing is, some of the church members may be wealthy, but they are some of the most humble people I know, and do give to anyone in need. Everyone is always there for each other out here. It’s awesome! I'll have more stories about our investigators next week! Until then! Carry on~~~ Spiritual Thought: What if you where 100% loyal to your BEST friend and you where ALWAYS there for them when they needed you, and they new you LOVED them and cared for them. And what if they didn't trust you in return? Wouldn't you feel offended and heart broken? I think that is how our Heavenly Father feels about us when we don't trust HIM! He has given us EVERYTHING in life. Let us never doubt or fear and take our worries and burdens to Him. Let’s put our full faith in his unchanging words and LOVE AND TRUST HIM! ONLY THEN THE MIRACLE HAPPENS. Religion isn't Diction, its ACTION. :) Heavenly Father sees through our inabilities and weaknesses and holds high our divine destiny. He knows who we are and who we can become. It’s our job to trust Him, to let him guide us in life to get back to him safely. He is our eternal guide. Christ and God are our eternal friends. When we love and trust them, they uncover and find for us, our heavenly angel wings and make them fly. Never forget who you are.... A child of God! Be strong! Much Love, Your Sister Sprouse"

Heavenly Father is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! Keep up your hard work everyone!!!!! It is so amazing to see the changes in our investigators!!!!!!! It is so fun to teach, and I am learning so much! I love my Savior! Within our district (comprising of 6 elders and sister Cockrell and I) we have 7 individuals set with a baptismal date, 17 others close to being set, and a whole slew of other investigators! Hooray! The Lord is definitely blessing us to teach!!! Success is a blessing! We work so hard, and we just want to bring people closer to Christ. This is our daily goal. We pray over our investigators, I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about them, we fast over them, and we love them to pieces! Remember that there’s one way to know you are on the road to righteousness; it’s uphill. Keep battling and keep strong! No one is perfect! Through the mercy of God by sending his Son Jesus Christ to us, we can be brought back to live with them forever! Hooray! :) Remember to do the small things in life! They matter! Remember in the bible in Numbers, when the children of Israel where inflicted with a plague and all they had to do was simply look at the staff of Moses and they where healed and saved? Well many did not because it seemed to "simple", and they perished. The ones who obeyed the commandment and looked upon the staff where saved. Hum..... Read your scriptures, Go to Church, have family prayer, have personal daily prayer(s), take your neighbors trash cans from the road to their house, visit the elderly, tell your kids a quick I love you..... These may all seem like simple things, but they are not. They are building the Kingdom of God, and you! Remember Nephi Says in the Book of Mormon, "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." This is how eternal life is gained. By doing the small and great things the Lord commands us. Yoke your burdens with Christ, He saves you from not only your sins, but of your pain and sorrows. Jesus literally saves us from everything. Remember that "Ye are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Matthew 5:14. Heavenly Father has put you where you are for a reason, "Let your light so shine before men," Share your testimony often and sing praises onto God forever! :) Share of your talents, time, energy and heart and soul. These are the things the Lord Requires of us. These must be our personal sacrifices for being true believers of Christ. Isn't it wonderful that the Lord says if we loose our life for His sake, we shall find it?? Hum! Ah ha! Terrrrific! Great news DO WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO! SO this morning I made Strawberry Banana Cinnamon Cacao PANCAKES! YUM YUM YUM I thought the day couldn't get any better. Then I realized I was on a MISSION and it did! I also made a Goji Berry Pancake, and a Cayenne pancake!!!! haha So good! and funny! My companion thinks im nuts, but hey, she puts avocado in her hair to make it silky! haha! we both love each other! She leaves and ends her mission in 4 weeks! Well go to go! Love you! BYE!!!! :)

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Heavenly Father loves you and so do I! Will you be my valentine? So Sister Cockrell goes home in 5 weeks! I love her so much!! We always act so funny together, that people giggle. She and I work extremely hard (and need to work harder) for the Lord, yet we are still funny when we are in our apartment by ourselves! You know you love each other when you start beating each other up...right? HAHA I'll be getting in the car, and she'll push me! haha! And then I go and chase her around the church parking lot! We are there for each other when we need to talk, and we love to laugh. Sister Cockrell is amazingly strong, and is so dedicated to the Lord, She LOVES her Savior! Her testimony is so strong and it’s so beautiful. I want to cry when we teach lessons and she bears her testimony of Christ. It’s so awesome.

So I'm SO SAD I already have 2 months GONE of my mission life! I guess I have 16 more months! New investigators: .2 Japanese girls from Japan and they where contacted on the airplane from Japan to Las Vegas... guess who contacted them... A RM! A RETURNED MISSIONARY going straight home for the first time! Haha! So he rocks and he meets with us when we teach them! The singles ward is just so awesome. I love working with them! :) We also have an investigator from India, and she is 19 and is loving the gospel. Both her (Besey) and David, where at a baptism yesterday night, with us, to see what it was like.

We also are teaching a Muslim woman from India, and she has read the Book of Mormon many times. People are popping up out of everywhere! And we have another family we are teaching, and TONS of recent converts, and less actives, mission life is always FULL! We are helping a few families start family home evenings...so we are teaching those...and we have dinner appointments each night and share a spiritual message...and planning for the next day (each night) and zone conferences, and district meetings each Tuesday, and attending church activities to meet new people, and tracking, and praying......feeding our elders in our district because they ran out of food......THIS is what mission life is like!!!! On Sundays we are in meetings and in church from 8:30-5PM 2 wards! Everyone is so kind to us too! :)

I may not be swinging from jungle vines in Jamaica, but now that I have started my mission, I will totally be able to relate to Return Missionaries! We all go through many of the same things across the world, yet no mission is the same. I'm so excited to see where my brother Eric is called! YIPPIE!!!!!

Some yummy things I made this week: Curry cauliflower, coconut Asparagus, cumin coriander quinoa, black bean taco salad, and yesterday I made a coconut Thai cuisine pasta dish with 1 tea of Cayenne for 1 cup of noodles... spicy and delish!

"The Submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's Alter. The many other things he 'gives' are actually the things he has already given or loaned to us." Neal A. Maxwell

Remember that we grow closer to God through our extremities. Sacrifice unites us. Be willing to place your doubts, fears, and worries on the alter of Sacrifice. Give your life to the Lord. See where he takes you!!!! Only when we do this, "ye shall find it," (Your life!) Give 100% to the lord and "cleanse yourself from all ungodliness." If we do this, miracles will take place in our hearts and our lives will change for the ultimate better! Give 100% exact obedience, exceeding faith, heart, focus, and love to God! Give it all, even when you feel you have nothing left, and He will in return open the windows of Heaven to you! Our God, and our Savior Jesus Christ are AMAZING! Take the challenge to know your Savior this year like you never have before. "FEAST upon the words of Christ," follow His example, pour out your soul to him through prayer, and LIVE like you are THANKFUL for his tender mercies and miracles! TRUST Heavenly Father. It is those who believe, who trust. Never back down and fear men or worldly things. Jesus has overcome them all. Be good, and be happy and do all that the prophets have counseled! I promise the windows of Heaven will be opened up to you and that you will receive every needful thing you stand in need of! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Me Ke Aloha Pumehana! (With the warmth of my love!)


Sister Sprouse

"Well, one minute I am teaching a lesson in a mansion, and the next, sitting on the couch in a poor apartment with a family who has moved 28 times and are eating dinner on the floor in front of me. They gave me and my companion the couch to sit on for dinner. Their feet are black from the dirty floor they walk on. Yet, in their state, they are happy. They children are smiling with smudges on their faces. All 6 children and the single mother enjoying the company. You know why they are still happy and why I can see the Light of Christ in the Mother's Eyes? It’s because she is faithful. It’s the only way she could be happy. When all else is at unrest, she goes to church and prays, and has family home evening with her children, home schools them, takes them to church, opens her home as shelter for her neighbor children, and delights in her Savior. She does the best she can. What else could seem bright and cheery, when you sit on the once white, but black floor, with a single light in the room, and dirty chairs but no table? Being thankful for what you have. As it says in 2nephi 31:20 "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the words of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

As President Thomas S. Monson says "Pray for your abilities to match the challenge. Not for the challenges to be easier and you then will be the miracle."

Be grateful for what you have. We are all enduring. But if we stay on the "straight and narrow" the ending will be worth it!!!"