Bucksport Miane, Sept. 16, 2013

Hello dear, dear family!!     Sept. 16, 2013

How are you doing?  It feels like it has been forever since I have heard from you!  I just got the letters you wrote on the 2nd today and haven't got the chance to read through them all yet.  I hope that things are great back home!! How are you all enjoying fall?  The leaves are changing a lot more here, and it is just beautiful! :)  It is getting a bit brisk, but nothing too bad so far.  Driving around is amazing looking at all the trees.  I have officially figured out my favorite tree (so far).  Silver Maples.  Sister Wallentine and I were driving and both of us spotted one for the first time and had to turn around and drive by it again to see it!  The leaves are silver and they look like they shine :)  I have never seen a tree like that before, and I just love them!  I can't wait when the leaves are all fully changed!  It will be so wonderful :) :) :)  I love fall so much!!

So I think I may start with the big news first because I just can't wait to tell you all!  We picked up our new companion on Tuesday night, and I had no idea who it could be at all.  I didn't know what to think still about being in a trio, and I was pretty nervous about it all.  Then when we called to pick her up we got to talk to our new comp and find out who she was, and lo and behold it was Sister Fratcher.  Yep, it is most surely the smallest world ever!!  Sister Fratcher went to high school with me and we graduated the same year.  We are also in the same stake.  I still can't believe it!  I didn't think that I would ever be with someone from American Fork, but here we are! :)  It has been pretty cool being in a trio so far.  Although there really isn't that much room in our apartment, we have made it work.  We get along really well so far too! I think it helped a lot that Sister Wallentine and I got along great before she came and joined us :)  I can't even describe how amazing Sister Wallentine is!  I am so grateful that I get the chance to be her companion again.  It is crazy that this is her last transfer though!  She is just the most loving, patient, and selfless person :)  I have learned so much about myself as I have been out here with her, and she has just helped me along every step of the way! 

One of the greatest things that I have learned from Sister Wallentine has been to use the Atonement every day.  When she would first tell me that I was a bit confused. I thought of repenting and repentance everyday, and it just made me feel bad because I knew that I was making mistakes and there was so much room for improvement in my day to day missionary life.  However, we have talked a lot about the Atonement since and I have really liked discussing the definition of the Atonement and Repentance in the Bible dictionary.  It talks about repentance being a turning of the heart to the Savior and aligning your will with His.  I know that I repent each day when I draw nearer to my Redeemer and strive to become more like Him.  I love Jesus Christ.  I know that He loves me and He cares about me.  When I feel burdened and tired I can give it all to Him and he will make my burden light.  I know that I could never be able to be a missionary without my Savior and His Atonement.  He is the center of what I teach.  He is the center of my life.  And it all started because He is at the center of our home.  Thank you mom and dad for teaching me about the gospel!  I know that your examples have shaped my life, and now I am able to be an example to others and help them shape their lives after Christ.  What a wonderful and perfect plan He has!! :) 

Now, as far as teaching that plan to people in this area, it has been a bit slow going still.  We taught Joe twice, and when we teach he has told us that we bring a light into his house and he feels really good.  He started crying in one of the lessons, too but he has just been struggling accepting that there is a God when he can't see the physical evidence of Him.  He wants it to be obvious that He is there, but the spirit doesn't shout, he whispers.  He said that it is easy for him to doubt the soft, quiet feelings that he gets when he prays and listens to us teach the gospel and bear our testimonies.  It is pretty rough sometimes because I really care about him and Kaila and their daughter so much.  They all know that since they have allowed Christ into their lives they have changed, but sometimes it just gets hard because keeping the spirit with you and praying takes work!  It is easy to take a wrong step and then get lazy.  We have been praying for him a lot and praying that Kaila will continue to stay strong.  We have moved his baptism date to Oct. 19th and hope that he will be ready to make that sacred covenant with the Lord on that day!

We have been doing a lot of finding, and so far there has been some good success!!  We have been in the Blue Hill area where people are just so nice and friendly :)  It is like that pretty much everywhere we go too!  People generally are polite on the doorstep and we have even have people come up to us and ask us what religion we are and want to know more.  It is a lot different than I expected, this area is great!  Now we just have to start teaching them :)  What has helped a lot has been the members!  They are such great examples to their friends and neighbors, and we have been getting to know some of their friends and that has really helped us out and we hope to start teaching some of them :)  I also love going to member meals, it is great to be able to be in a home and feel the spirit and really build a relationship with them!  We also went to our branch presidents house and helped him stack his wood which was a new experience, but totally great!  Lots of people heat their homes with wood stoves here (I had to be reminded of what that was when I got out here, haha).  I love this area! It is slowly but surely growing, and there is a lot of fertile soil here :)

Alright, well I better get going, but just know that I love you all so so soo much!!  I am so grateful that we have the gospel and that we are sealed as a family for all time and eternity!  I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and I know that by using the Atonement every day and putting off the natural man we can truly become saints :)

Onward and Upward!

Sister Bergeson :)