Sunday, December 16, 2012

September 17 2012

Yep the fires are still burning. It's horrible. We're completely surrounded by fires and they just keep burning. The smoke is so thick we can't even see the mountains. We're all safe so far, but there have been a ton of evacuations. Apparently the mission office tried to email mom and dad about it, but the email address was wrong? We've been limited to  how much time we're allowed to be outside. It feels like a battleground because there are helicopters flying overhead constantly and any field that doesn't have trees in it is being used as a fire base. The national guard came in later last week and so there are huge trucks driving around and tons of official looking people. Signs are constantly posted telling us of the latest evacuations. School and all outside activities have been canceled. It kind of feels like a ghost town at times. Sometimes a breeze will come through and blow away some of the smoke so we can actually see the blue sky and people will come out for a time, but that's it. The sun is a constant glowing red ball and so everything has a red-orangish tinge to it. It's kind of eery. It got a little better on Saturday and we could actually see most of the valley, but then another fire started somewhere and everything was covered in black smoke again.

Unfortunately all the being indoors has really limited our teaching and finding time. We're in a huge finding stage right now and we can't tract for more than 20 minutes without getting a head-ache. So the week was a little rough. We moved out of our house and into the Bishop's old house down in Dryden. No more mice! I'm so excited! The house is adorable and we have it all to ourselves. it's in the middle of an orchard and so we have more fruit than we know what to do with. Mom - the house was built in the 1920s and has a ton of antique furniture in it, you'd love it! I think the best thing is that the Spirit is there. It feels so good.

We have started teaching Chris again and he's basically our only investigator. However, he is also our best missionary. He has invited several friends to church, he walks up and down Main and talks to everyone he meets and invites all of them to church, he mailed a Book of Mormon to a struggling friend and has been handing out mormon.org cards and pamphlets. Now all he has to do is get baptized. We had to pass David off to the Young Single Adult Elders, but he's still on-date for September 29 so we're excited for him. We have 2 other awesome potentials that we're trying to teach, but haven't been able to yet.

We had the Monitor building open house and dedication and it was so awesome! I watched the thing built from start to finish and it was so exciting to be there.  I got to see some of my old E. Wenatchee peeps and it was so good to see them. We got to spend a bit of time talking to President Hunsaker about the ward and Chris and he was very encouraging. He's so fired up about missionary work it's awesome! Good things are going to happen in Wenatchee. We're going to get a senior couple that is completely devoted to the Spanish work and they should be here soon. We had a training last week on invitations to baptism. Our commitment was to invite one person a day to baptism. Unfortunately we didn't get any, but the area next to ours exploded! They found several families and they're all on-date! It's so exciting!

One of the neatest experiences I had was at the Dedication. The stake presidency had asked us to sit basically front and center with Chris and we were singing The Spirit of God. All I could think about was how this great work is truly filling the earth. It is rolling forth and picking up speed. I thought of when that song was sung at the Kirtland Temple and how long ago that was and the amazing growth that has happened since. It is growing so fast because it is true! Feeling the power of all those people and the spirit burning within that room was overwhelming. That's why we're here! That's what we're doing. It was purity and power all in the same. We have that! Chris felt it and I know it. He loves it! he came from such darkness and now he is drawn to the light just like the rest of the world. I love this Gospel so much. The Church is true. There is nothing more that needs to be said. It is truth and everyone wants the truth. Live it. Love it. Share it.

I love you all so much!

Sister Probst

ps Sister Haws is engaged!

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