Quick email

"Just a quick email, I'm a little out of time today. I had so many things to do. I have some favors, but I'll write today. I love you and miss you!!" That was literally the entire email. At least she is alive and I'm guessing well. Next week is transfer week.

Hoppy Easter

"What an amazing week this has been!! I am so excited to tell you about my week!!"

"So this week, we went on exchanges with Blacksburg again, and I got to go there, again! I learned a lot of amazing things- including, if you want God to change and build your area, he's going to do it to you first, so that you will be a pliable medium through which he can bless the area. On this exchange we found two potential investigators and we picked up one as a new. We finally have a new investigator! She's older, but has wanted to learn for years. We are so grateful!!!"

"So this entire exchange was super humbling, and I have had to make a lot of changes to my spiritual aspect of life. I have grown a lot in the past 4 days. When I got home from exchanges, we checked the mail, and there was a letter in it from the mission office for me. It had a return service thing on it, and from the transparent window it had, I could see that it was a form of some variety. Then it hit me. These were my "trunky papers"- the papers you fill out at the end of your mission for the office, that you have to send in before they give you all your flight information and release stuff. It's like, 2 pages worth of stuff to fill out. I shoved it in my drawer and refused to look at it. At lunch time, Sister E. crashed on the couch. I decided that I needed to face this one day. Teary-eyed, and so full of emotion, I pulled the envelope out of my drawer. I was struck with nostalgia and started listing off all of these things in my head that I needed to accomplish spiritually before I went home. I started thinking about how I wasn't ready to come home, I still had tons the Lord needed me to do before I could complete my service. I slowly tore open the envelope. Tears streaming down my face, I pulled the pages out of the envelope, and started to read "Sister Peck, we are updating our information for our driving records, and can't find this form for you. Please fill out the following form, and send it in with a photo copy of your driver's license, front and back. Thanks!" .....I burst out laughing. I couldn't stop. I laughed the rest of lunch. I learned a valuable lesson. Never judge a piece of mail by the return address. I also learned that I have a lot to get done before this event really does happen..."

"So I started running over spring break. There's a high school down the street and we go run on the track on warm, dry mornings. I love running, and it's so good to run after a long winter. I feel like my lungs are opening up and my body is stretching and "resurrecting" so to speak after a dreary winter on the east coast."

"Speaking of resurrection, I'm sure you have heard of or seen the new Easter video the church put out. BEST. MORMON. MESSAGE. EVER. Pretty sure I have seen it 15 times in the last 48 hours. We've been showing it to everyone. http://easter.mormon.org/ Also, one of my favorite bands, Neon Trees, is a band based out of like, Provo or AF or somewhere down there, and they are all members of the church. Their drummer is a girl, and she has an "I'm a Mormon" video out. http://www.mormon.org/elaine

"I was asked May 4th to sing a musical number. Yay! Thursday night, the ward got together and made Easter "baskets" for the missionaries. It was this huge box, and they presented it to each companionship at the beginning of Relief Society. They pretty much have fed us for the next month. It was such a tender mercy. The ward is really looking out for us. I'm really starting to love the people here. (just watch, I'll getting transferred in 2 weeks...)"

"Our investigator is doing well. She couldn't come to church Easter Sunday, so her baptism has been moved to May 4th. (star wars day (: ...) Keep praying for her, she's been really getting hit with the adversary lately."

"Have a good week, I can't wait to get mail from ya'lll soon (:"

Baptism postponed

"I can't believe its Easter already. This week has been glorious, in weather and in miracles."

"Our investigator had to move her baptism date back because she couldn't come to church one of the required weeks in order to be baptized. We're shooting for the 27th (my 14th month mark btw...). Her friend isn't totally progressing. In fact, none of our other investigators are progressing at this point. We are trying to focus a little on our members and the ward. I believe that if we aren't taking care of those we already have, the Lord won't bless us with as much more as he wants us to have, or we want to have. We had a meeting with the stake mission leader, Brother P. (Brother P lives in Christiansburg, and  I grew very close to his family while serving there, so being able to see him again was such a tender mercy. I'll get to see his wife on May 4th for ward conference!!)"

Spring and General Conference

"Another week in Bluefield, and spring is well on its way! I am so grateful, mom, that you told me to seek for signs of spring. The dogwoods are starting to bloom, and we have had rain and thunder showers all weekend. Luckily, its supposed to be in the 60s and 70s the remainder of the week (:"

"CONFERENCE!! AHH!! It was so amazing, I am so grateful that I received so much revelation and answers to prayers through the talks given. My top 5 favorites:
5- M Russell Ballard
4- Gary E Stevenson
3- Russell M Nelson
2- Elder Bednar
1- Elder Holland

I need to go back and read Elder Oaks talk. I have heard it was incredible, so add that with Elder Nelson's at number three. I hope you all enjoyed conference as much as I did (: I wish it was every weekend."

"Yesterday we had zone meeting, district meeting, and president's interviews (his last ones...they go home in June!) so today is our p day. It's been nice to catch up on a lot of the love that sits in my inbox. Only having an hour sucks."

"I will write more about our investigators and such in a letter. I love you all, and I can't wait to hear from you soon!"

I did get a letter from her last week and her investigator is set on date for baptism on April 20th and her friend is now taking the discussions.