It's been a fun week. Really really long, but fun. Let's run through a few pictures:

I love this ward. It has some of the best people I've ever met and they are so loving and kind and thoughtful. They really do watch out for us and love us. To quote the Swensons, "You tell your family that we are watching over you!". Well, the wonderful girls in activity days invited us to join them and then presented us with our personal Valentine from each one of them, to each individual missionary. They are lovely!!

Valentine's Day is really fun because it gives us an excuse to make flowers for our companions that are concerned they won't get any flowers for Valentines day:

as well as bake a ton of cupcakes to give to investigators and members

And in my case my Valentine's Day is always amplified by MY BIRTHDAY. For those who know me, I LOVE my birthday. I love celebrating it. Since I'm e-mailing during my birthday, you'll have to wait on the actual festivities, but for now, some packages!

From my parents (with a LOVELY yellow skirt, and a bunch of fun things):

From T/Harm, my best friend:

And a blanket fort from my favorite companion:

She and I are always painting and sometimes late at night it deteriorates into a finger painting session:

Mission life is really hard, but it can also be really really fun. One of the hard parts this week was a 2.5 hour long training by President Baker on roleplaying. And it was really long and really hard. I mean, we are good teachers, but roleplaying the same lesson 4 times in a row gets a little annoying. We felt like no one we teach (aka Spanish speaking person) would ever respond the way the English speaking person we were talking to responded. 

Well let me tell you a miracle. That very same day we went to teach the Plan of Salvation to an investigator. We taught it how we roleplayed. And she responded exactly like we had roleplayed it. It was amazing and I was chastised. Now we roleplay. 

Another hard portion was when we were in a home and something I said just made me get verbally attacked. It wasn't the gospel, it was about me. When it is about the gospel, no problem. No matter what they say about the gospel, it is still true. But when they start going after me, I really can't fight with them. I am just a little 22 year old girl that doesn't know very much about the world. 

I let it get to me. But then my mission president said something in his weekly e-mail: "I would like to say something about the power of our agency. So many things people believe are imposed on them are actually within their control -- within the sphere of their agency. For example, no one can "make me angry". I choose whether or not to be angry. No one can "offend me". I choose whether or not to be offended. I choose whether to have a good day or a bad day. The apostle L. Tom Perry observed that he never had a bad day in his life. When I heard that, I thought to myself that the day his first wife passed away must have been a bad day. But evidently it was not, because he chose to not view it that way."

Love. That's what it is all about. 

Love is not easily offended.

So go love someone. 

Happy Valentine's Day.

Con Amor,

Hermana Fletcher