Monday, April 25th -- GROUP EMAIL

 Monday, April 25th

Hi family!

How is everyone doing? From what my family has said, everyone is doing great which is great to hear! I miss you all and think of you throughout the week.

Everything is going so great in Ohio! We got our new schedule for the summer. And for now we will be in Kirtland for 2 days in the week and at the Johnson farm for 1 or 2 days in the week as well. I have been trying to get the history down in the Johnson farm because I have never given a tour there. But it should all go great! I feel so blessed to serve at the Johnson farm in the summer time. Only 2 sets of sisters out of around 30 of us get to serve there in the summer, and I am one of those lucky sisters!

I was told last week that I would be training this next transfer so I prepared myself so that but got a call the day before transfers telling me that one of the sisters wouldn't be coming. It's sad but all okay! I got a different companion and shes great! The Lords timing is perfect and I know that everything happens for a reason! So I'm excited to see where this transfer will take us.

Our area is great! We do a lot of finding. My companion is from the Kirtland ward and isn't so used to it. Haha. We get the Johnson farm in this area but not too many investigators. So we are doing a lot of finding for the Lords elect.

On a fun note, I still got to go to the trainers meeting a little past Cleveland this week (before I found out I wouldn't be training.) And on our way home we took a wrong turn and we some how made it to downtown Cleveland! And you know I was singing to myself "Downtown" by Macklemore the whole time. (I sing too much "Babylon" on my mission) It was an adventure. But here's the best part. We were driving to find a gas station and we were at a stop light, and a nice young (African American) man pulled up next to us. So I just smiled and waved and we kept driving. When we came to the gas station in the heart of downtown Cleveland, one of the sisters is getting gas and this nice young man that I waved to pulled up, walked up to her and says "you're beautiful can I get your number?" So of course the first thing she says, being an awkward missionary, "hehe yeah, come meet my sisters." So we are talking with this guy and start talking about the Gospel and he tells us how much he loves God and that he has tattoos all over about God. So he lifts up his shirt and insists that we look at his tattoos and the 10 commandments that he has tattooed on his back. But moral of the story we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and got his phone number. It was the craziest and funniest thing ever. There is a reason that sisters aren't allowed to serve in Cleveland.

Thank you for the love and prayers. I miss you all so much and would love to hear about how you are all doing. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the greatest blessing in our lives. We are the only people who have the true power of the Atonement. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Hope you all had a great week! Love you! :)

Monday, April 14th - LETTER TO MOM

Monday, April 14^th

Hiiiii, I have like NO time because we went to the Columbus temple today and it was SOOOO awesome! It felt so good to go to the temple finally. A ton of missionaries were able to go and that was fun. All the senior couples gave us a ride. Its able 2 and a half hours away and we JUST got back and p day ends at 6. So I dont have much time. But the temple was amazing and I will be sending you pictures in a second.

BUT I have very very big news...

IM PREGNANT!!

That means that I will be training a brand new missionary this next transfer. It is a HUGE responsibility and I am very nervous, excited, scared, inadequate, and so happy all at once! But the Lord called me to be a trainer and I trust Him. When you get to the field you go through 12 weeks of training. So basically you are just learning how to do everything and in the morning you have an extra hour of study called "12 week." I JUST got done being trained and now I am called to train a brand new missionary. It is actually quite rare that you get called to train right after you get trained so I am very humbled that I have been trusted with this responsibility.

I got a call from President Brown on Tuesday morning and he told me the news and I was In SHOCK. I had NO idea I would be called to train. It is honestly one of the biggest responsibilities as a missionary. You set an example for this persons entire mission and you are responsible to help them become an obedient and hard working missionary. Its a little bit overwhelming but I am honestly SO excited! The relationship between your "mom and daughter" is very special and such a neat experience. So Sister Adame is my mom, her mom is my grandma, and so forth. So right now I am pregnant with my baby. Its kinda funny. But that is the big HUGE news for the week! And ALSO! My mom, sister adame has been called as a sister training leader!! We both got called to some big responsibilities ahead. I hope I can be as good of a trainer as sister adame was to me. Just pray for me to do my best and pray for my baby, whoever she is that we will get along and she will adapt well.

Email me back when you can!

I LOVE YOU

Monday, April 4^th

Hello everyone!

Easter in Historic Kirtland has been a blast this week! We got to help out with Easter Egg hunts, tours, chick hatching, tours, hay rides and more tours! The summer season is coming closer which means lots of people at the Visitors' Center! It's been too much fun though. I feel blessed every day to serve in a place where Jesus Christ and God the Father have been. Every time I step into the school of the prophets, I feel their spirit. And I will never take that for granted.

General conference weekend went by too fast, and was too good. All the talks were so inspired and uplifting. I am grateful for sweet Thomas S. Monson and his apostles. It was truly such a spiritual weekend. The call that I have to help others find Jesus Christ is the best calling in the world. 

I love you all!

Here's some fun pictures from this week! One of them is Elder Heward giving the Hay rides in 30 degree weather.  (Senior couple missionaries are my absolute favorite)

Love, Sister Berntsen

Monday, March 28th

Monday, March 28th

Hello friends and family!

This week was so great! We were at Kirtland Tuesday and Wednesday this week. It has been really busy with tours because of Spring Break so that has been fun! But the hard part of that is finding time to call and email our online investigators. 

A miracle that happened this week was that our investigator that we call at sites committed to FINALLY have missionaries come to her house and teach her! She's been embarrassed because of living conditions but she knows that what we teach her is true and she knows that she needs to be baptized. So she finally committed to them coming! She also told us that someone dialed the wrong phone number and called her, so she and this man started talking and she told him about the Gospel! She isn't even baptized and she is doing missionary work! She is the sweetest older lady ever.  

Easter was also so great! It is such a special holiday as a missionary. On Friday we had an Easter event at the Johnson Farm that we were able to help out with, and that was so much fun! There was a hay ride, homemade bread, a baby goat and a lot of other super fun things! 

I am so grateful for the knowledge that we have of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That the most amazing miracle of all time is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and that we all have the chance to do that as well, and live with Him and our families forever. I know that Jesus Christ knows us all and loves us more than we can comprehend. There is no greater happiness than through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I hope you all had a great Easter and are looking forward to General Conference this week! Thank you for all the love and support! :)

Love, Sister Berntsen