Preaching in Pennsylvania: After 16 Months, still not a dull moment!

Family,

This week has been pretty swell! Saying goodbye to Sister Kelley was tough beans because I love her so much! But she is going to do amazing things in Butler, I just know it.

On Tuesday, I got my baby, Sister Robison!!! I absolutely adore her. She is amazing! Poor thing got slammed with a bad cold at the beginning of the week, so I forced her to rest (because she wouldn't have otherwise

). But even with her sickness, we had a good week! She is from Rigby, Idaho! Another comp from Idaho-Sweet Potatoes! She is the youngest in her family with 3 older siblings. She is excited to be out and I am excited to get to work with her and watch her discover all the amazing things about being a missionary! Oh and she loves music and has a beautiful voice! The music bond is so great and we will be definitely singing lots! Life is Good! God definitely knows who we need, when we need them!

After 16 months (as of today!!! Ahhhhh!!!), still not a dull moment. We had dinner at a recent covert/less-active's home, and we were doing some service for them afterwards, and...I stepped in dog poop. Yep, that was nice. And then the next day at a lesson, a cat was sitting on my lap and it peed on me. Yep, that was nice too. Never a dull moment. Ever.

*Ron and Nancy*

Please please please pray for them. We tried to see them this week, but they were in such a rough patch we didn't even get to teach them anything or read with them...the atmosphere was so tense and I just felt so helpless. They are struggling in so many temporal aspects of their lives, and I feel like there's nothing I can do. Please keep them in your prayers.

*George*

Okay, here is the gem of all gems. So we tracted into him mid-December, and have seen him two other times now. We taught him about the Plan of Salvation and had a good lesson with him. I told Sister Robison that she was going to be the one to invite him to be baptized. She did, in the middle of the lesson, and without hesitation, George said, "Yes!" We invited him to church and he said he would be there. (Can you say #GOLDEN?! But wait, there's more!) He shows up to church in a legit suit. Holy cannoli guacamole, was not expecting that! He just fit right in! When one brother in the ward asked if he was visiting, he said, "Yeah, I'm just visiting today, and I might start coming every week." Right after Sacrament meeting, he asked questions like, "What else do I need to do to get baptized? When can I get baptized? Can you give me enough notice so I can invite my friends and family?" It was the coolest thing. We definitely will be giving him a baptismal date this week! It was so amazing. Please keep him in your prayers--he recently went through a really hard divorce and is going through a lot with that. I'm so excited for him though!!

I absolutely love my mission. I try not to dwell too much on the fact that the end is nigh, because it just about brings me to tears. I know this phase of my life won't last forever, but I sure wish it would. I guess I just have to focus on all the good and amazing experiences I've had and cherish those forever. I sure will. And trust that what God has in store for me is going to be amazing too. I am grateful how, through my mission and the experiences here, the Savior is changing me and has changed me. I'm not the same person I was when I got here. I've changed and grown in ways I wouldn't have anticipated or expected, but I'm so grateful. I have loved these 16 months, as hard as they've been. But I couldn't be more grateful.

So glad I have Sister Robison to keep my feet on the ground these last few months and help me stay focused. I'm so grateful for her, she really is a gift!

I am so grateful for each of you and the support you continue to give me--I love you so much!! I hope you have a beautiful week!!

"Keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)

With so much love,

Sister Bartlett

Goodbye Sister Kelley!