Preaching in Pennsylvania: I'm Gonna Be a Mama!!

FAMILY!!

Wow, was it SO good to talk to you yesterday. Just the best!!! I just
love you all so much--my heart is bursting for the love I have for
you. Thank goodness I'll have you forever. ;) These 18 months are just
a blink of an eye in comparison to eternity.

Soooo.....transfer news!!! Yinz already know because you got a sneak
peak yesterday ;) but....I'M GONNA BE A MAMA!!! I'M HAVING A BABY
GIRL!!! Or in non-mission lingo, I'M TRAINING A BRAND NEW
MISSIONARY!!! :D Wow. Floodgate of emotions when President called me
and told me. To be honest, I just laid on my bed and cried. All of the
sudden, I felt completely overwhelmed and inadequate and unsure if I
was capable of this. I still feel that in waves, but it's slowly
getting better. The elders are going to give me a blessing tonight,
because I need all the help I can get. But one thing I need to
remember is that the Lord has been with me from day one on my
mission...why would I think that now would be any different? He's never
left me, and He never will. I'm not alone--I have Him to help me
accomplish what He's called me to do. Stay tuned 'til next week--I'll
send pictures next week of me and my baby ;))

This week we were on exchanges and I was with one of our sister
training leaders (equivalent to a zone leader) here in Beaver. We went
to visit Cathy and took a member with us. But before we saw Cathy,
Sister Smith and I had prayed and we felt that we should extend June
4th as a baptismal date to her. So when we went to see her while we
were on exchanges, to follow up with her, I asked her if she had
prayed about a baptismal date. She said, "Yeah, I feel like the first
or second week of June would be good." AHH!! INSPIRATION IS SO REAL!!
We taught her about prayer, and at the end, I asked her if she would
prepare herself to be baptized on June 4th. She said yes!! I am so
crazy excited for her. The only thing is she needs to start coming to
church, so we might need to adjust the baptismal date according to her
needs that way. But still, she's following the example of her Savior
and her life will never be the same. I feel so blessed to witness her
taking this step.

I've been stressed about taking over the area, and now
stressed/overwhelmed with training, but Sister McDonald's commitment
to me is to be confident as I take over the area, and believe in
myself. Definitely something I need to work on and will work on as I
take on this new role as a trainer. I would so appreciate it if you
could pray for me specifically to be able to take this on. Thank you
so much!!

So...miracles happen once in a while...when you believe 🎶 Actually,
they happen all the time out here! 😉 Remember Erin who I mentioned
the first week I was here in Beaver? Well, after trying to get in
contact with her since then with little success, we finally got in
touch with her and we are meeting with her this week!! Definitely a
miracle!! I'm so excited!!! I barely even know Erin, but I already
love her. And I'm so thrilled to share the hope-filled message of the
gospel with her.

This week has been full of goodbyes as Sister Smith wraps up the best
18 months of her life. It has been really hard to watch her say
goodbye to everyone--they all love her so much. She's starting a new
chapter of her life and I'm excited to see where life takes her! Even
though I am going to miss her like crazy. I have had such a fun time
with her--it definitely won't be the same. But I'm trying to have
faith that whatever God has in store for me will be just as great, or
even better than what I'm leaving behind.

I hope you have an amazing week!! Remember who you are and that a
Sister in Pennsylvania loves you oh so very much!!

"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

The District--cool pic huh!