Letter dated 12/16/13

9 days until Christmas! So excited!! SO many Christmas festivities this week! We had a ward Christmas party and a stake Christmas concert--both were epic and tons of investigators and less active members came! I love the spirit of this season. It really makes people so much happier because they remember Christ and try to be more like Him. I just love being able to help people to feel the Spirit especially around this time.

Our golden investigator is still super awesome. Kelly is progressing very very fast. She has been telling tons of people (family and friends) about her baptism in January, and she has taken a lot of heat. Thursday we met with her and she told us that that morning she was talking to another teacher who had heard that she was investigating the Mormon church. The lady ripped her apart basically and told her that the Church looks really good on the outside but really does bad things. Kelly was hurt because she didn't understand why people would be so mean about something that makes her so happy. She said that she knows that the Church really is good or else her friends like Erika would not be a part of it. We talked to her about Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ and their persecutions. She has so much faith and has kept optimism despite all that; her family that lives in town is not supportive either, but luckily she has tons of friends already that are in members of the Church so they help her a lot.

Kelly is hilarious though. She is "practicing" for her baptism; she tells us that she can hold her breath for a minute. We tell her that that is unnecessary because she will only be immersed in the water for a few seconds, but she is just a goof and says that she doesn't trust Brother Cole, who is going to baptize her :P. It is very funny because she is just so enthusiastic about just about everything. Sister Askren and I have to control our excitement so that we don't give her too much all at once (milk before meat).

One other awesome thing about Kelly-- recently her fiancee was killed in a car accident where he was hit by a drunk driver and killed instantly. She was engaged to him for a year and was very depressed. It is hard to picture her being sad because she is just so happy all the time. I think that she will really love the plan of salvation. I am so excited her to feel the healing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She already has such great faith, but the fulness of the gospel will give her so much more. 

Last thought for today is a quote that I have thought a lot about lately. I might have included it in recent letters but it is so good that I want to tell you again:

"A religion that didn't demand the sacrifice of all things wouldn't have the power to lead men to salvation." -Joseph Smith

I love you all so much! Enjoy this holiday season! Fill your life with Christmas carols/hymns, service, and family time! Spend time thinking about Christ, and do everything you can to follow Him.

Love always, 

Sister Sadie Bledsoe

400 W Apache St

Farmington, NM 87401

PS- make a booklet of Conference talks! the seminary teacher around here gave them to the missonaries and we use them all the time. You go to lds.org and to the ensign then one of the options when you print it out is to make it a booklet. You can get it bound at like Kinkos or some other copy place. It is awesome because you can use it at church and read it on-the-go. Super handy! I love it. 

Here is a picture of mine

also our awesome window of snowflakes --it is a work in progress still but it makes me happy