Bucksport, Maine Aug. 26, 2013

Hello hello!!                        Aug. 26, 2013

I hope that everything is going well back at home! Especially without Amy and Erin, man it is to weird to think that they have moved out.  Crazy how time flies!  Well, things have been going great out here in Maine!  Sister Wallentine and I have lots of fun together!  She is such an amazing companion! It has been somewhat of a slower week, but I'm still learning a lot every day :)

One thing that I learned was that Kaila is one of the greatest people that I have ever known!!  She is amazing, and I can't believe how much she has grown in this short time!  We taught her twice this past week about the temple, and she was just so excited about it!  The branch temple trip this past Saturday worked out really well, and she was able to do baptisms for the dead for ten people in the spirit world!!  She absolutely loved it!  It really was a miracle that everything with her has been able to work out so smoothly.  She is a very special person.  She is also very strong.  We were driving to church with a member and we got a bit of a shock when she started talking about how Kaila was going to speak in church.  We had no idea!  We got there and I'm not sure that Kaila did either, but she was so willing to do it!  She bore her testimony about the gospel and about the temple and it was really powerful.  She is such a great example to me, and I feel like I have grown right alongside her :) 

Another thing I have learned is the importance of the Book of Mormon.  I finished reading it last Wednesday, and now I have started it over again!  I can't even explain how much I love the Book of Mormon.  I know that it is true and that it has the power to change lives!  I have seen that so much with Kaila.  In one of the lessons we had with her last week she started talking with us about how miraculous it has been these past several weeks for her.  She said she is in awe at the growth, but then she started talking about how she knows that it won't always be like this, and she is okay with that. She knows that things won't always work out as wonderfully as they have been, and that she still has many trials and challenges to come, but that she doesn't worry about the Lord leaving her.  It is so humbling to hear her talk about her conversion because we saw her at the beginning.  She was so worried that it was too good to be true, but now she sees things with a more eternal perspective.  She also sees the need for the Book of Mormon in her life.  She still loves the Book of Mormon so much, and she studies from it a lot!  She told us last week that the most powerful spiritual experience came when she was reading from the Book of Mormon.  She said she felt the love of God more after reading a verse of scripture than she did being baptized and confirmed combined!  What a wonderful tool the Book of Mormon is!  No wonder we are commanded to feast upon the words of Christ!!  I have seen a lot of change in my attitude about scripture study because of the example Kaila is to me.  As I started the Book of Mormon over again I had a renewed desire to learn even more about how I can benefit from the words of God, and I have seen blessings from feasting on the word already.  Nephi is amazing, and I have been learning so much from his example. He is so faithful and obedient, and his statement, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded" is so powerful.  However, I find the story about him being commanded to kill Laban more powerful.  That was where he was commanded to do something that he really didn't want to do, and he says in 1 Ne. 4:10, "I shrunk".  Nephi in that moment gave in to his weakness.  But after the spirit commanded him again and he thought about it, he did it.  I love how real the Book of Mormon prophets are!  I know that I am not expected to be perfect in all things and that there are commandments the Lord will give me that will be hard to follow. But I also know that the Lord will be patient with my imperfections.  So, I will try my best everyday to follow the Lord's commandments and pick myself up when I fall.  When I shrink, the Lord will be there to strengthen me if I put my trust in Him!  What a blessing :)  I just love the scriptures!!

Hmm.. what else did I learn this week?  Well, I most certainly learned that I can eat a lot of peanut butter.  Very fast.  I just love it so much!  But, I do feel a need to add other food groups to my diet.  As much as I would love to live on it like I have been doing this week, variety would be nice.  So, would you look up some easy recipes and send them to me please?  They would be much appreciated!

Alright, well I've got to head out!  I love you all so much and I am so grateful for you :)  I love getting your letters!

Have a great week, read the scriptures, and go and do!!

I will too :)
Sister Bergeson

Kaila's baptism    Aug. 15, 2013