Where has the time gone?

Hey y'all!

I can't believe that this week is transfers!  It doesn't seem like I've been in here in Katy for that long... but then again, so much has happened.  I don't exactly know where I'll be next week, we won't find out if we're being transferred until tomorrow, or even Wednesday. Sister Wahlen and I are hopping that we both stay in the area - I love her, and I love it here!  I'll let you know next week what happens though.

This week has been kind of slow - everyone here is preparing for school so they don't have time to meet with us.  Which is unfortunate, but hopefully things will calm down for everyone and we'll be able to teach our investigators again.  We did get to meet with Megan again (I'm not sure if I told y'all about her - we met her tracting, gave her a Book of Mormon, and she said she wanted to learn more) and taught her the first lesson.  We taught the lesson standing on the porch though, because she didn't invite us in... hopefully she will next time, because it gets really hot when you're standing in the sun... but we felt the spirit while we were teaching, and we think she did too.  She said she would start reading the Book of Mormon - we'll follow up on that this week when we teach her again.

We have still been doing a lot of contacting, trying to get to know the members in the ward - less active and active alike - with mixed results.  Of course the active members welcome us in, and even some of the less active people are so excited to see us.  We met a sister this week, Elizabeth, who had been meeting with the missionaries regularly up until about 6 months ago, when the area was whitewashed, and somehow she fell off the list of people to visit.  But we found her, and will start visiting her again. :)  She also had her niece, Estefania, living with her.  Estefania is Catholic, but she has lived in Utah and loves her Mormon friends because they have high moral standards.  So we invited her to Institute so she can make more friends here. :)  Unfortunately, she is moving up to Cypress this week... what is it with Sister Wahlen and I finding investigators for other areas?!  At least we're finding them though, right? And we know one of the Elders in that area, so we can let him know that she's coming. :)

We also get the other side of the spectrum too... those who say that they don't want us to come back and they're not interested in being members of the church anymore.  Those people break my heart!  They had the truth at one point, and they chose to let it go... I wish I knew how to help them, but there is only so much you can do when they're not interested in hearing what you have to say.  All you can do is pray that their hearts will be softened, and eventually they'll have a desire to come back.

We still keep in contact with Jermaine, even though he is not in our area.  We visit him at work sometimes.  Yesterday, he told us that he is going to be baptized!  He has a date set for the end of September! We are so excited for him, and hope everything goes well as he continues to prepare.  Every time we talk with him, he tells us all about how the gospel is already blessing his life, and how he wants to be baptized to be completely free from the mistakes that he has made earlier in his life.  He is so awesome. :)  Sister Wahlen and I are really hoping that we will still be in the area, and that we can get permission from President Pingree to go to his baptism.  Hopefully we'll get to go!

I love you all so much!  Good luck to my siblings as you start school! (I know it's already past the first day... but I can still wish you luck. ;) ) And good luck to my fellow missionary friends - I hope everything is going well!  Thank you all for the  love and support!

Love you!

Sister Ririe

James 1:5