"I'M ALL PRAYED UP"

Elder Berry and I have had the wonderful opportunity to accompany the Elders as they taught a single sister in her forty's the gospel. This lady has had a very difficult life. She has even been homeless for a period of time but is now stable and living in an apartment. She has two children but is estranged from them at this time. The children are adults now and they are both in the army. Her daughter has a baby she has never seen but hopes someday she will be able to meet her now that she is getting her life in order. This lady has had missionary lessons before but because of the turmoils in her life just never stuck with it. She is so eager to learn, reads all her assignments we give her and more. While she reads she underlines verses in the scriptures and we discuss them when we return. (This is very unusual for our investigators to read and learn for themselves. Even the less active don't follow through on assignments,even though we invite them back to church and promise them blessings for attending, taking the sacrament and being obedient they don't come) This lady has a unique way of expressing herself on many of the topics we teach. One of the lessons included the principle of prayer. As we talked about when, where and how to pray and read Alma 37: 36-37 she got very excited and made this comment, "Oh, I pray all the time. I always have a prayer in my heart. As a matter of fact I'm all prayed up."

                                        Loading up and getting ready to leave Augusta

 Fourteen missionaries from the Augusta Zone and all of these Elders rode in the van and I drove our           
                                                             car with the sisters

                                   Elder Flake one of our Elders now serving in another district

Elder Cardon coming to greet us when we arrived at the conference. We loved seeing most of the Elders that have served in our District and they made a special attempt to find us. We saw many of the Elders who have served in our Zone. What joy to meet and greet. Most of the missionaries we have served with greeted us except Elder Caldwell and so we looked and looked and couldn't find him. It's hard picking out a certain missionary when they are all dressed alike and just blend in together. After the closing prayer we saw a missionary running across the chapel and it was Elder Caldwell.

After arriving in Columbia we were instructed not to go into the chapel until the doors were opened and we were invited in. We thought it looked awesome and humbling watching all the missionaries filling into the chapel.

                                                   Sisters Roos, Berry and King

 Elder Ulta, Jeremy and Elder Phillips. Elder Caldwell taught Jeremy and his girlfriend while they were living together. They said they wanted to get married but didn't have the money so the Bishop gave Elder Berry and me permission to give them marriage classes and he signed the form for them to take to the Court House to get their marriage license. With a signed document from a clergy that they had six hours of marriage counseling they could get their license for thirty five dollars instead of seventy dollars. They got their document but never got their license. While this was going on we could see that their relationship was deteriorating. Jeremy was committed but Shenique wasn't. She wouldn't come to church with him and when we went to visit she was friendly but cool. Jeremy and Shenique have been together for about four years. Shenique has rheumatoid arthritis and both knees replaced. She is a beautiful girl but just wasn't ready to get married. We suggested to Jeremy to move out and remain chaste and he could get baptized. It took a little time before the relationship fell apart. Jeremy moved out and Shenique moved back home. Tuesday Jeremy was baptized. He is very quiet and bashful and when you talk to him he doesn't look at you. I think we wrote about him bearing his testimony about two months ago and that was when he was still living with Shenique. When Elder Berry and I were teaching them we promised to bake them a red velvet wedding cake because that is their favorite. After his baptism he reminded me about the cake so I told him he will get a cupcake but when he gets married he gets the cake. He still has great hops that Shenique will have a change of heart. We just love this kid!

                                 Our district after Jeremy's baptism on Tuesday with our ward mission leader.

This week we had a Mission wide Missionary Conference in Columbia, South Carolina. The Augusta zone has 24 missionaries. The zone leaders had the challenge of making arrangements to get everyone to the meeting, driving as few mission cars (because of limited miles) as possible and without the assistance of the wards. Our Zone leaders made arrangements to borrow our ward mission leaders 15 passenger van with Elder Berry driving. We had already promised the Sisters in Harlem that we would pick them up and they could ride with us. What we finally decided to do was Elder Berry would drive the van with 14 Elders, I would drive our car with the 2 Sisters and two cars of Elders would drive with 4 Elders in each car. (The cars chosen were the ones with the most miles remaining for the month.) As Elder Berry and I anticipated Saturday and the thought of being responsible for the safety of 16 missionaries we would be transporting almost a hundred miles one way weighed heavy on our hearts. Of course we turned to the Lord in prayer the whole week but when Saturday came we continued in prayer until everyone was safely returned to their apartments. We were and are grateful that our prayers were heard and answered because we were "All Prayed Up." Actually I don't think anyone could ever be "all prayed up." Elder Gonzalez of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke at the conference and we all feasted on his message. Before the meeting started and we were all seated in the chapel we all had the opportunity to file to the front of the chapel and shake Elder Gonzalez's hand. The words he spoke applied to the situations we encounter and will help us be more effective missionaries. Some things we were instructed to do is teach the gospel using the Book of Mormon, we are messengers of hope, and get people to solve their own problems by living the principles of the gospel and receiving promised blessings. A special stake meeting was held in Augusta Stake Sunday and Elder Gonzalez was the speaker. It has been several years since the stake has had a General Authority so a special Stake meeting was called and the theme was "Real Growth" in the church. I'm sure if you haven't heard this principle you will soon. Bishop Richard C. Edgley's (recently released first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric) talk in April conference explains that principal "The Rescue for Real Growth."

Thursday the Heise family invited the district for dinner (all 4 missionaries and Elder Berry and me). Their son Zach is graduating form high school and is getting his papers ready for a mission. We were welcomed so warmly had a delicious dinner. After dinner the Elders gave a message and Zach and his dad played hymns on the guitar and we sang along. Our ward recently started passing around a dinner calender for the Elders and the ward members are finally signing up for meals. We try to make it understood that the calender is only for the Elders. This is the second time we have been invited although we weren't able to go the first time because we already had an appointment. The sister was disappointed that we couldn't come so she told me the next time she signs up she will call and invite us personally.

Last Monday my sister Patty had cataract surgery so Elder Berry and I went to visit her that afternoon. Patty's son, wife and 2 children are staying with them. Patty and I were sitting on the couch covered by a blanket.The youngest boy about five years old came in the room through the blanket off me, looked at my shoulder and said, "you're not a missionary." He must have asked his mother about me and she told him who I was and that I was a missionary. He didn't believe I was a missionary because I am old and a girl. His mother told him to look at my name tag. Monday is preparation day and I had just been doing chores around the apartment so when we decided to visit my sister I forgot to put my name tag on. Of all the days to forget to wear my name tag. It took a bit of explaining to convince him I am a missionary. Elder Berry and I may not always act or look like missionaries but Elder and Sister is our names and proclaiming the gospel is our game and we will never be "All prayed Up."

Love, Elder and Sister Berry