Oh family family, my goodness what amazing emails! :) AMANDA AND JOSHUA CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! And Te! (te means like..i told you so) I knew it was going to be a boy, Holly and I were correct with our guesses. Oh my goodness I am so excited for you two and I'm sure my excitement is nothing compared to yours! And I'm gonna be there for it maybe.

OK, let me give you a short update on this week, and short it will be. Well, mom, Erwin isn't progressing at all and in fact, while we were planning on having his interview for baptism this week, he was planning on breaking the Word of Wisdom yet again. It's ridiculous. We're gonna visit him less frequently for now. I think he needs a break, he's still smoking, but secretly. My fears were confirmed by his wife. The missionaries have been teaching him for over 4 transfers now and it's just not his time right now. He understands everything and could probably teach us the lessons, but until he really believes it...and applies it, it means nothing. SO....with that being said, we have been working like crazy updating our CMIS list for church. Most of our days are spent going to different areas of town and asking if people know where certain people live and if they've moved or passed away. In one day we were able to remove 170+ people from the list. That definitely helps with retention percentages. haha! Our little branch is doing pretty well. Our relief society president, Erwin's wife, is remarkable and has started working with us once a week to go contact less active sisters. Our other time is spend mainly trying to contact priesthood. We have had some members reactivated and next Sunday 2 more will be considered reactivated. It's a very slow process.

President just recently increased our Mission Standards, the goals we have to meet each week and month....it's not going to be easy and it will definitely have to be directly from our loving Heavenly Father. Please keep us in your prayers that we will specifically be able to meet the goals set for us my President Tobias. I know he is a very inspired man who has a vision for this mission and I know he receives revelation for us from God. I have faith, but right now we have 1 progressing investigator. The Angelico family isn't progressing. They promised to come next week to church, I hope they do. Their 14 year old daughter is progressing,and we're hoping they'll catch her wind and fly with it....but they haven't yet.

This week, to be honest, has been a very difficult week. Not a bad week. I don't think I've had a bad week on the mission, just some are harder than others. You all have been asking about what to pray for specifically, well, here are some specific things. Pray for me to be humble, to be sensitive to spiritual promptings and to be endowed with patience. I have been made very aware of weaknesses this week, but it's a constant struggle we have with the natural man no? HA! That pesky natural man that holds us back and keeps us from happiness.

Mom, that two week missionary challenge sounds awesome! Quality commitments are key to helping people repent and come unto Christ. I'll include that in my prayers! I'm excited to hear about your experiences! I can't even begin to tell you how jealous I am that you went to the temple! AH! I miss the temple so much and I can't wait to do our full day temple day when I get back.

The Pacheo family, the family with no food that needed medicine are doing great! They came to church on Sunday and I've never seen them smiling so big! They were so happy to be there, their whole countenance has changed! They are reading daily and praying and fasting and just loving life! Amazing what the gospel does for them! I don't really have much else to add.

Keep me in your prayers. You're in mine every single day! I love you all so much. I love this gospel! I just finished the Book of Mormon again and I am just in love with this book! I can't get enough of it! I was reading in Moroni and I was thinking about how precious Mormon's letters had to have been for Moroni and we get to read them! The last thing he counsels him to do, in chapter 9..I think it's verses 25-26...He says to not be weighed down by the carnage and sin but to be lifted up in Christ. I love it! Of all things he could counsel him, here he is, after witnessing an entire nation destroyed, he's hiding out..literally being hunted for his life, I'm sure he's incredibly lonely, and the best counsel his father could possible give is given. Look to Christ. I echo that same message. For each of you who are weighed down by burdens and feel lonely, as if no one else could ever completely understand, I testify that Jesus Christ does understand because He has already suffered it for you. He loves us with such a pure love. When it feels like you can't go on or you have nowhere to turn, Turn to Him. He knows how to succor His people, (those are Alma's words...not mine) haha! I love this work! I love all of you! Until next week, God Speed! :)
All my Love,
Sister Stadler