Thoughts from Sister Hall

About my new little golden family... Hermana Gloria started working
this week... She has to travel really far, every day. And I don't
really know how that's going to go over. We've been calling and
calling... And she either doesn't answer, or her daughter answers, but
her mom isn't there. Keep them in your prayers this week.

Also keep Jenny and her family in your prayers. She travels EVERY
WEEKEND for her work, and it has been impossible for her to come to
church. I'm really worried about them, and I'm afraid that they're
going to struggle in receiving their testimony if they can't make it
to church. BUT this week we had a lesson with them, the bishop, his
wife, and the relief society president. It was a miracle because she
has been so busy that it has been impossible to get a lesson with
her.The bishop and the dad (Jose Luis) had met before and had hit it
off, and this lesson made it even better. I'm really hoping that the
Lord helps them to recognize the answers to their prayers that I am
certain that they are receiving.

I sent you like 10 pictures a couple weeks back and then recently I
checked, and they TOTALLY DIDN'T SEND. So I'll try to send them again
next week, if not today. The internet is pretty slow today, so we'll
have to see.

To wrap it up... We saw a pretty huge miracle this week. We have an
investigator named Vivian. She's a 16 year old girl whose dad has some
Word of Wisdom issues and her parents won't give her permission to get
baptized. She lives in the same little house thing (Here in Bolivia,
most of the houses are pretty much just a square of rooms that all
open up into the same open/outside area in center. Your family will
live in a couple of rooms, and share a bathroom and sometimes a
kitchen with the other families you live with.) as our pensionista, so
we see her family pretty often, in passing. They sell food at
lunchtime (also called a pension) and there is always loud music, and
people yelling.... It's just not the best enviornment for their
family. Vivian goes to church every week, participates actively in YW,
and goes to seminary. Half the time, I forget she's an investigator,
because she acts just like a member. But her family doesn't want her
to get baptized until she's 18. She gets along GREAT with Hermana
Silvia (our pensionista) and is always asking her for advice, and asks
her questions when she doesn't understand things at church and all...
But this week we had a POWERFUL lesson with her.... Mostly just
because she is so faithful. And we felt a portion of the love her
Heavenly Father has for her... And I talked about that framed poem
thing you have that talks about how in our hard times we think we walk
alone, but really Christ is carrying us, and I got pretty emotional.

BUT. Her Dad ran into some missionaries in Bermejo (I think he went
there for something work-related) and something they said must have
hit him pretty hard, because he talked to Vivian and said that he
wanted to go to church. I think she was the only person more shocked
by it than we were, haha.... But he kept his word, and came to church
on Sunday. It was a MIRACLE. He told a member "Well, my daughter sure
likes it, so I figured I may as well try it out too." It was so sweet
to see Vivian with her head on her dad's shoulder in Gospel
Principles. Pray for them too... Vivian has been waiting for this to
happen for ages.