Hello my sweet family! Good grief I love you to death! This week I officially put in my "trunky" papers ...which means I put down information about where I want the flight to fly into and my official returning date was given to me. This is weird. I don't know exactly how to explain what I'm feeling. SO...instead of thinking about it, I'm throwing myself into the work..or trying to anyway. This last week has been a huge blessing and I'm excited to see how this next week will go.

So his week we were punted a lot, but we were able to have 14 new investigators, a record for me on the mission. Here is the greatest part, they were all male investigators, ages 20-30. Talk about potential priesthood holders! :) I was so happy! We have had some wonderful teaching opportunities with them. Pray for us this week that we'll have the opportunity to teach them all again. The first lesson is always easiest. It is the following lessons that can be hard to get in. I adore my companion and we're excited for this next week. We have 9 days left together..unless by some miracle of miracles we stay together and she kills me off in the mission...I would be more than okay with that. We have the exchanges tomorrow. I'm pretty nervous about it actually. We were going to do it last week ,but we rescheduled it for this week. Keep me in your prayers for it, that I'll be guided by the spirit to ask inspired questions and to help them to progress. Keep Sister Christofferson in your prayers too. I think she's a little nervous, but she'll do great! I have huge faith in her because she works by the spirit. I love her tons!

This letter is going to be slightly shorter than the average because I just spent time looking at the BYU website trying to figure out about schooling....that is the last thing I want to think about however. AH! I hate thinking about all of this. It makes me feel....really uneasy inside. I'm so unsure of anything after the mission. I feel like normal conversation with people is going to be difficult. Is it not normal to bring up the doctrine of Christ 3 sentences into a conversation??? hahaha!

Our investigators are doing well. Erwin is still progressing, keep praying for him! He's excited to be baptized, just pray that he can continue to withstand the temptations and to be completely honest with his family.

I feel like this is jumping all around. Right now in my reading I'm in Alma 26. I love this chapter. I love the book of Alma. He's such a wonderful example to us. He and Amulek work miracles together. They are such a wonderful companionship. Alma is the more calm and reserved it seems, while Amulek is the firey one....I feel kind of like that in our companionship! hahaha! I'm Amulek, Sister Christofferson is Alma. I feel she's much wiser than me in many ways as well, even though I'm the senior. I have been so blessed with companionships. Heavenly Father truly knows who we need to be with and what we need to learn from people. I have no idea what this next, and last, transfer holds for me. I feel like my time is ending here in La Carlota, but perhaps I'll have one last transfer here.

We had a solid fireside about starting home teaching and visiting teaching here. As I was teaching about the effects of home teaching I was reminded of something Brother Hansen said to me before I left on the mission. I don't know if he'll ever understand the comfort it brought to me. He just reassured me that he'd look after my family..look after Mom and Dad. I knew he was serious. My heart was calm after that. I love the effect of the truly concerned home teacher and visiting teacher. We're pretty excited to see it start in the branch here.

Mom, give Dale, Dad, and Sean a huge squeeze for me. As for fish, I hated it before my mission. Now..I'm addicted! I can't seem to get enough of it. Hope you all enjoyed your salmon. I have one more request for prayers. Our sweet little home here is in need of being renovated, so we're in the process of looking for a new home. Well, it's been incredibly hard. It's not like we can just go pick up a white sheet or get a real estate agent...its been hard. We haven't found a single house that is up to standard that is available for rent. We have a deadline too, within the next 2 weeks we need to find a home for the 4 sisters, and a set of couple missionaries need a home as well. Please pray for specifics to fit the standards for the mission:
-tile
-2 cr's...er..bathrooms
-complete kitchen
-furnished/painted
-protected, meaning...gated
-3 or 4 rooms
Hopefully nearer to the center of strength in our area too. I know Heavenly Father has plans for us to be somewhere...we just haven't found the place yet. Thank you for your prayers.

This week my eyes have been opened to many things and I feel like I'm constantly finding reasons to be humbled. Its a good thing. I'm an emotional wreck at times, 7 weeks left and it's flying by. I love this work with all of my heart. Thinking about going home is exciting, but my heart aches. I refuse to talk about it usually because it makes me start to cry..to be honest. BUT...I know this won't be my last mission. I'm not trunky. Don't worry about that. I'm completely and totally invested in this great work. I love this gospel with all of my heart. I just re-read a talk by M. Russell Ballard about Pure Testimony from General Conference in 2004. It was as remarkable as ever. How truly blessed we are to know the truth about the gospel! To know that God still speaks with man today! Share that message. Your life will be happier than ever. We came home one night this week to find the other sisters brimming with joy because their day had gone so well. We were also incredibly happy with the way our day went. Sister Freeman said, "What other time in our lives will we have the blessing of having days like this? Effecting the salvation of souls?" Amen. I love this work,and being a bigger part of it. I love you all so much! Until next week, GOD SPEED ! :)

All my love,
Sister Stadler