Miner Mission-Major Blessings: The quietest Fourth of July ever

So we had the Fourth of July Monday, and not a single firework. My only real consolation is that we decided to repeatedly play the MOTAB version of "the Star-Spangled Banner" in the car. And we couldn't even make burgers because we had a soiree with members, but we'll be doing thattonight.

Hello all you probably sun-burned, home-made ice cream-filled, firework-lighting American friends! I hope your week has been awesome! Happy Independence Day to everyone. Having now lived in a foreign country and having talked with many people here, I realize how blessed we are to live in America. Our ease of travel, convenience, and of course freedom, are such a blessing that we must always be grateful for.

So biggest news for this week is obviously zone conference. We had an amazing zone conference and this month is going to be our "month or miracles" that we will achieve by being obedient, being filled with faith, working hard, achieving our goals, and never giving up. The zone's goal for this month is 20 baptisms, and the mission goal is 170 baptisms this month. I feel so energized and we have already begun to see many miracles. I was also asked to translate for the conference for those who speak French natively and haven't learned enough English yet because they're newer missionaries. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done mentally, but it really was an amazing experience, especially for the times when I felt so connected with the spirit and whoever was speaking, especially President Granger.

To list some of the miracles we've experienced recently, our investigator Anna came to church on Sunday with her three kids, and had a really good time. We also tracted our way to a potentially golden family. We were in an area trying to teach an inactive member and we saw an American flag in a window so we said, "OK, we'll stop by after this lesson." The lesson didn't actually go through, so we went over and knocked on her door and asked why there was an American flag in the window. She told us she had just got back from a vacation in California, so we talked about America for a little while and then turned the discussion to the Gospel. She said she had seen the missionaries and the chapel frequently and had always wanted to know more about us, so we presented a brief message of the Restoration and she invited us in to share the rest. We had an amazing discussion, and at the end her adult son walked in and he had already heard a little about the church. She has another adult daughter and another 10-year-old son as well. She was very accepting and super excited to read the Book of Mormon. Finally, a 9 year old girl who is the daughter of a fairly new member decided to get baptized on Monday! Her name is Rebeca, and she's so ready, and she'll be the first of our baptisms for this month.

Well, we've got a lesson to go to now, yes even on P-day, but I'll talk to you all next week!

Love you,

Elder Miner