The # 11

Boy, it feels like a long time since I've written anyone! We're only allowed to email on our Preparation days, and unfortunately my last P-day would have been the 17th - AKA departure day. So, this is the first chance I've had to write letters or email in 13 days (but who's counting?).

I'm in Oregon now, and I love it here! Although, since I'm here during the summer first, it doesn't seem as rainy as I've been led to believe. I'm sure I'll be corrected soon enough, but so far not a singe rainy day. It is very green here, and the trees are a lot bigger than you'd find in Utah. Actually, most growing things are bigger here - even spiders!

My area is the Brush Hills ward in West Salem. It's an interesting area, and on the very northern border of the mission. In fact, North Salem is in the Portland mission, so we have to be careful to stay within our borders. But the people are very nice - so far we have had a dinner appointment every day, so I haven't had a chance to try out those new recipes I brought, but I've been well fed.

So far I've done a lot of tracting, which is good fun. You meet a lot of interesting people that way, and you get a chance to get to know your companion. My trainer is Sister Hock, from Pleasant Grove. She's barely an inch shorter than me and just as thin, so some of the ward ladies say we look like the number 11.

Hope you all are doing well!
Love,
Sister Michelle Sonntag

Don't you just love modern technology! This picture was taken by a neighbor. A wonderful depiction of Casa Sonntag Grande. I am working hard to get the back yard in shape by finishing the planter boxes.

Deb and Riley are headed for the northern woods to help Grandma paint and ready her house for sale.

Michelle is headed for the slightly more southerly north woods on the 17th as she begins her wonderful adventure in the mission field. She is already in full missionary mode.

"1) There are 36 new missionaries going to Japan who just got here last week. They are TONS of fun to play with. They walk around with these dazed eyes, and when I greet them in Japanese, they get a distinct 'deer in headlights' appearance. lol, no I'm not quite that mean. And I've only talked to a couple of those missionaries - we spend most of our time with the district.

2) I wanted to tell you about two cool experiences I had at the call center. We've had to do outgoing calls a few times, which are really rough, but last week we got to take incoming calls, and right before we left there was a commercial or something, because we suddenly had 50 incoming calls, so it was All Hands On Deck! I only took two calls in that time, but they were both really neat.
In the call center, people call us asking for different DVDs the Church offers, or a free Bible or Book of Mormon, and we take their address and see if they'd be willing to have a couple missionaries visit them. (Bob can explain this more fully if you're confused). Well, the first call I got, she declined the missionaries, but as I bore my testimony to her, she started to cry, thanked me, and asked me to pray for her (I did).
The second call was this sweet old lady from Florida. Her granddaughter had just moved out of her parents' house into an apartment, and didn't have a bible yet, so this lady was ordering one so she could give it to her. Touched, I told her how sweet I thought it was that she would take care of her granddaughter and make sure she has the scriptures in her home, and I bore testimony that if her granddaughter reads, the Spirit will be present in her home. The lady agreed heartily and, when I asked if she wanted the missionaries to deliver the bible to her and share their message, she agreed! I was walking on air the rest of the day.
Truly, there is no more powerful tool for spreading the gospel than a testimony and the scriptures. Taking this to heart, I have started re-reading the bible stories that I used to know, but have forgotten since Primary, starting with Acts.
I hope you are all reading the Scriptures, time here is so precious, we practically have to steal moments to study anything not on the curriculum. I'm jealous of how much of it you have out there in the real world!
Love you all very much, email me!
Love,
Sister Michelle Sonntag"