July 29, 2013 Bucksport, Maine

Dear, dear family!                                                                July 29, 2013

This week has been amazing!  My testimony has been strengthened so much, and I am so grateful for all of the experiences I've been able to have.  Sister Wallentine and I have been so blessed here in this area.  Although it was a hard start coming here opening the area, we have already seen it grow a lot.  I know that the Lord has heard our prayers, and He is putting people who have been prepared into our path.  I know that we can see miracles happen everyday if we prayerfully look for them!

Kaila is the greatest example of that.  She never ceases to amaze me!  I feel like I have learned so much more from her than she feels that she has learned from me. It is amazing how much the Lord trusts missionaries to share the gospel with His children.  I feel so inadequate to teach her, but I guess that is why prayer and teaching by the spirit is so important. Kaila is 22 years old and I can't believe how many awful things that she has gone through in her life, but yet it's amazing how trusting she is and how much hope she has that there is surely something better.  We had a life changing lesson about repentance when we were teaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the spirit was so strong.  The Atonement is real, and it has been such a blessing to see Kaila turn to her Father in Heaven and plead with Him to lighten her burden and forgive her.  I know that He cares so much for her and for me.  As we have teach her, I feel a portion of the love that Heavenly Father has for her, and I am so grateful that I have the chance to be apart of her life!  She is so willing to change and to be more like our Savior.  For example, we gave her a pamphlet about chastity, and when we came back she had gone through 2,000 of the movies on her hulu account and deleted them until she only had 200.  She watched horror movies the majority of the time, and she saw the need to change and so has now been watching more uplifting things, and has tried to limit the amount of time she spends watching anything at all.  She also told us that has set the goal to finish reading the Book of Mormon before she enters the waters of baptism.  She is so diligent and excited to be baptized it is contagious!  So contagious that her husband is now investigating the church!! :)  She shared with us that she has been talking to him about the gospel and taught him how to pray.  We had a lesson with both of them, and it was amazing to see Kaila talk with him about how she has seen the gospel bless her life.  It was such a privilege to be able to witness :)  Also, on Sunday we had a lesson about priesthood blessings in Relief Society and after she asked if she could receive one.  She did, and again, the spirit was so strong.  She said she felt like she had been smacked in the face with the Holy Ghost, and she felt so much love from her Heavenly Father. The priesthood is so powerful, and I know that what was said to Kaila was from the Lord.  I really can't even describe it! Words just don't do any of these experiences justice. I feel so humbled and blessed to see her growth, and I know that it is all happening because she is turning to God and acting in faith.

We saw another miracle this week when we went to contact a media referral, Chris.  Sister Wallentine and I were pretty shocked when we showed up at his door.  He said he referred himself because his grandparents are members of the church and he had been talking to them about the gospel, so he decided to look into it for himself.  He has already read half of the Book of Mormon, quit drinking, and is trying to quit smoking! Totally surreal! He is such a nice guy, and he said that he wanted us to come over and help him learn more about the church. What a humbling experience!  He's pretty rough around the edges (he has tattoos and gauges and dreadlocks), but he has such a happy personality!! We invited him to church, and he came!  He couldn't stay the whole time, but he said he really enjoyed sacrament meeting and he wants us to go back to his house today :)  I still can't believe it! 

For the last miracle, we had transfer calls this week, and Sister Wallentine and I are staying in Ellsworth!! :)  I am so glad that we will continue to serve together.  She is such a great example to me of service and love.  She teaches so powerfully with the spirit, and she is patient with my mistakes.  Most important of all though, is that we have so much fun together!  This work would be so much harder if we didn't laugh!  But we also know we are on the Lord's errand, and we work hard.  So, here is to another six weeks living in Bucksport :)

I guess what I want to stress in this email is that prayer is so important!!  I know that if we pray and act on promptings from the spirit we will see miracles :)  The Lord will lead us if we put our trust in Him, which leads me to one of my favorite scriptures! Alma 37:36-37. I know that the Lord listens to our prayers and will answer them in His time. 

Keep praying for missionary opportunities! There are people out there searching for the truth, and as you share the gospel you will see miracles!

Love ya bunches!

Sister Bergeson

P.S.  Have so much fun in California you lucky ducks!