Simplify and Intensify!

Hey family and friends!  Life is good here in Ohio!  The weather has been horribly disgusting: 90% humidity or more!  The heat is almost unbearable.  Transfers are next Thursday and I'm convinced that I'll be transferred to the boonies where there is no air conditioning, now that summer has arrived.  I will just sweat . . . A LOT!

Highlights from the week:

Remember that pizza delivery guy named M. that we contacted a few weeks back, on Sister N's first day?  Well, the elders weren't able to contact him because we'd gotten an incomplete address.  So Monday night we were going to 2-2-5 a member's house, but we didn't want to sit in front of their house to take notes on the lesson we'd just gotten out of, so we drove to the next street down and pulled over along the side of the road to write down a few things before going over.  Less than five minutes later, out of the corner of our eye we saw a pizza guy go up to the house we were parked in front of.  It was M.!  CRAZY TIMES!  I had to mentally shake myself to double check that it was actually him because I couldn't believe it.  We sat in shock for a few seconds and then got out to talk with him.  He saw us and shook his head in amazement.  I said, "Hey M!  How you doin'?"  We talked for a bit and he said, "I've been reading your book and I have questions, but I lost your number.  I've been keeping my eye out for you while I've been out delivering."  We gave him our number again and told him that the elders had tried to contact him but that they didn't have his apartment number, and they'd been previously kicked out of his complex for knocking doors.  He said, "Here -- just give them my cell number."  He didn't have to tell us twice!  My favorite part was when he asked, "So do you have relatives who live here?" gesturing toward the house, basically asking why on earth we were here at this exact moment.  We didn't have an answer except "Nope . . . we were just sitting here . . ."  Heavenly Father is so amazing!  How many things He had to orchestrate to make that happen I will probably never know, but He knew that M. needed us to find him again!  Wow!

Zone conference with Elder Zwick: amazing!   I learned so many things!  Here are a few of them:
1. Simplify and intensify
2. Happiness = when body and mind are stretched to capacity to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.
3. If you want to leverage your strengths, you need to learn to pray fervently.
4. Don't limit yourself by what you think is your capacity.  Allow the Lord to expand your capacity, and He will.
5. There is no end.  Just endure.
6. We may not be much, but someone sent us here for a reason.

We visited Sister H. this week.  She is awesome!  She has a new business venture; she's going to make the big bucks at 93 years of age!  Just kidding -- she's doing it for free, bless her heart.  What is this new venture?  You might remember me mentioning that she spray painted her walker gold a few weeks back.  Well, she's now decorating walkers!  I will include a few pictures!

I spoke in sacrament meeting on Sunday!  I didn't have enough time to prepare, but I'm telling you -- I love the mantle.  It saves me every time!  I wish it would help me cry less, but the ward members are still able to understand me somehow . . . probably the Spirit as well.  I started crying before I even started to talk!  No worries, President was in our ward this week.  It made me super nervous.  Anyway, I just told them all that I'd inherited my Dad's overlarge and over-productive tear ducts.  They all seemed to like that.  I shared Mom's conversion story and how the members were key.  President was blown away and wants a copy.  I used excerpts from her letters to me in the past months.  He told me it was perfect.  I suppose that means well done!  Pheeewww!  Thanks Mom!

On Memorial Day we went to the Powell parade!  It was hot, hot, hot!  I'll attach a picture.

I love you all!  Stay safe and know that I love you!