Temple Days

Dearest Family,

The baptism was great. My new wards are good (we cover two wards). The members are really nice. We just need to get them more excited about missionary work. :) The people here do a lot of things for a living. Kansas City has the headquarters for a lot of things, and it is so close that the people here can do a lot of things. The most common is that Sprint's headquarters are here, and also a lot of the members are lawyers and dentists. Hallmark's headquarters are here, too, and Brother Anderson (we live at his house) works there. He is an illustrator and designer for Hallmark, so he helps make about 100 cards a year! I think that is really cool. He's working on Valentine's Day cards for next year right now. It is fun to eat in their houses. They are really nice homes. I'm positive that I have eaten in several million-dollar homes. I have also ridden in a Hummer, an Infinity, a BMW, and perhaps a Lexus. I'm not positive. I'm sure the list will grow. I don't know much about the youth yet. Some of them I have met are strong. The two wards we cover are very different, and I think the youth are struggling in the more affluent ward. They seem a bit complacent.

Okay. About my week. It was a good one!

We spent a lot of time at the temple open house. Last week was the last week of it. I just loved that opportunity so much. I'm sad it is over. I don't know if I really described what we did there, so I'm going to tell you again. :) We were the ones to introduce the whole tour. We tried to help them feel welcome and described the setup of the tour (the video, the refreshments, the comment cards at the end), then we turned them over to their hosts. We were told that we were supposed to treat everyone like they were temple patrons, which was an image I really liked. I needed to be as nice and as smiley as the happy old sisters at the temple. They help all of the patrons feel welcome, so I was supposed to do that, too.

We also worked the end of the tour in the reception area. We wandered around while people ate their cookies and drank their punch. We struck up conversations with everyone, answering questions, helping them feel welcome, and encouraging them to fill out the comment cards. The reception area is more fun to work sometimes, but it is much more exhausting. This week I talked to a couple that the wife was working her way back into the church. They pinned me down for almost an hour and by the end I was burnt out. So I went to preset the movie for a rest for a little while.

There were some people at the open house this week that were fun to see. There was a part member family from our ward that came, so we were very happy about that. They had made up excuses for weeks, but they finally made it! There was also a man named Pete from Independence that I had met at the Visitors' Center. Initially, he had been very rude to me and Sister Minall, but we were very kind and persistent and he really softened up. He came to the open house with his wife! I was so happy to see him there. :) He will join the church someday.

There were also several groups of Amish people that came through. There is a member that lives near one of their little towns that brought up at least four groups of Amish people to the open house. It was a good 21/2 hour drive for her, and she did it there and back four times at least! I talked to them, and the Amish people are very kind. They found a lot of similarities between our faiths. Their families and little kids were so cute. :) They looked like they felt a little out of place, but they had a good time, and they smiled when I talked to them.

There also was an investigator from Lee's Summit that I ran into! She was supposed to be out of town for the whole open house, but she flew in and made it for the last day! I can't wait for Sister Lewis to find out! She'll be so happy!

The last tour went through at 6 on Saturday, and then they took all of the young women in the temple district through on a special tour. They had a devotional, and then they had a special tour that emphasized keeping themselves pure and worthy. They got to see the Bride's room, which is not a part of the normal tour. I got to see it yesterday, too, because I met a member of the temple presidency. The room is beautiful. It has three chandeliers, and the main one is constructed to look like a crown on top, like a queen. :) What a special experience for those young women.

As far as teaching goes, it was a rough week. Hopefully now that we have more time in our area, things will pick up. I have a lot of ideas of how to launch the work in this area. Maybe my bishops need to talk to Willies. :) It's just hard to knock on million dollar homes. you know. But I'm getting more fearless. I have something these people need that they can't buy. I'm almost done reading the New Testament (which has been an amazing experience, by the way. I recommend it to everyone), and I came across this verse this morning: "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" (Rev. 3:17). Sounds a lot like what the attitude is out here (although they would never say that). They are really nice people. I just wish they could see what they are missing. It's interesting--we live in an area that is very, very catholic. Not what I expected.

My studies this week have been wonderful. I just love the New Testament so much. :) I've learned so much about the atonement and using it to change me. I've just read 3 chapters of Revelation so far, but I love it already. It makes so much more sense this time around. I love it! I also am reading the chapters in the Book of Mormon that testify of the Savior (there is a list of chapters in Preach My Gospel in Lesson 2) and that is really cool, too. I want to keep studying this stuff forever! I love it so much!

The only other exciting thing to write about is that I saw my first summer storm this week. Everyone laughed and said it was very mild, but we were outside and I have never seen rain like that! I just laughed and laughed--it was comical how much rain was falling! I got so wet! I am very grateful for my waterproof coat and my hat. :) I thought the movies were lying about how rain can fall, but it is true! And the sky is beautiful out here in Kansas. :)

I love you all! Sorry for the scatter-brained email!
Love,

Sister April Atkin