Sister Emma Gore

Dear all,

Thanks so much to everyone who sent Sister Fielding a birthday card! That was so fun. I appreciate you. :)

This week was way good! Two new Elders came to our district which is good. Change is fun.

J is awesome. She hasn't smoked a cigarette since January 3! We love her. She loves God.

B , whom I believe I talked about earlier, came out of nowhere this week. Oh, we had incredible experiences with her. She comprehends things slowly and gets easily overhwhelmed. So we teach slowly. Usually we teach a princple in one lesson and then review it and commit her to act on it in the next lesson. So on Wednesday we went and saw her with a member of the ward and taught her the 2nd half of the restoration of the gospel. Nearing the end of the lesson, she just sort of picked up her pamphlet and ignored us to read it. Which.. you know, is fine. And then she stopped and pointed to a word and said, "So how does someone get baptized? What would they have to do? Would they just need to meet with you guys for a while?" So we explained how an individual prepares to be baptizes and she said, "Well that's something I would like to do." B, who had prefaced our meetings with her with "I don't want change" is now desiring to be baptized. The Spirit has touched her as we have met even in these few short weeks. On one occasion, we went over and put all her books up in the bookshelf we built for her and rearranged and unpacked a good deal of her living room. She said, "When you left last time after I prayed I just felt so good that I wanted to clean everything." And now she's starting puting on a dress when we come over. She reads the Book of Mormon often and prays fervently. And she came to church this week!! And loved it! And is going to come back!

Mission news: This Saturday, February 3, Elder Joaquin E. Costa will be visiting the mission! We didn't find out until Sunday night so.. But it's happening! So this week Sister F and I go to Macon for Mission Leader Council and then stay the night in PERRY, GA before heading back to Macon on Saturday for a mission-wide conference and then a second session of MLC with Elder Costa. We are beyond excited. Also I'm going back to PERRY. We get to do some proselyting that evening so... We'll see what happens. I'm pumped. Your first area is always special. Perry is special.

As I've been studying about repentance I have also been led to think about forgiveness. Forgiveness that comes from God, freely as we sincerely seek it, and also the forgiveness we are commanded to extend to others. The Lord has taught us, " I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.". I have known firsthand the incredible joy and peace that comes as we forgive others. It can be hard. But it is right and good.

My invitation to you this week is to forgive someone.

Pray for the love to do so.

Have an incredible week.

Awake and Arise!

-Sister Gore