SISTER SARAH JOHNSON - 7/24 - Happy Pioneer day, guys! :)

First off, we had the BEST district pday ever! We got to go Huckleberry picking way out in the mountains somewhere! None of us had ever been there, so we texted this guy who texted us these directions to basically the middle of nowhere. The elders thought we were leading them up the mountain to kill them and hide the bodies, that's how far we ended up going. We went until we were sure we were lost, and then went a little further, and picked so many huckleberries! Haha I'll have to attach more pictures in another email. We've had a lot of fun with all the berries :).

We got to finally catch Christine and Carlyle at home this week, and they are the cutest family ever! They have 5 kids- one who's 9, one who's 3, twin 2 year olds, and a baby. Teaching them is always an adventure, and we already love them so much :). Carlyle is a member, and he says he's excited to get back to church now. We're so excited! 

Also Moroni and Cynthia will be getting baptized tomorrow evening! We couldn't be happier about it. It's been a long road for the missionaries on that one, but they've been counting down the days to their baptism too, and we're glad to organize it for them. They're so cute about it. :) We just love them. 

We got to have a zone conference this week too! It was nice to not be in charge of any of the trainings, because I'm not an STL, it was great! But the trainings were really good. And sister Dymock read us a poem that was awesome! Here, I'll copy and paste it for you all: 

IF YOU WANT A THING BAD ENOUGH…
(By Berton Braley)
If you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it
To work day and night for it
To give up your time, your peace and sleep for it
If all that you dream and scheme is about it
And life seems useless and worthless without it
If you gladly sweat for it and fret for it and plan for it
And lose all your terror of the opposition for it
If you simply go after that thing that you want
With all your capacity, strength and sagacity*
Faith, hope and confidence and stern pertinacity**
If neither cold, poverty, famine, nor gout
Sickness nor pain, of body and brain,
Can keep you away from the thing that you want
If dogged and grim you beseech and beset it
With the help of God,
YOU WILL GET IT!

Let me tell you, that made an impact on me and I really like the idea of it. We can be whatever we want to be, if we're willing to work hard enough for it. And that makes me really excited to be a human being, I don't know about you! 

We got to go out to Tensed the other day too, and ate dinner with some of our favorite members. They're so funny, I just love them. They're the ones I took the sword picture with a few weeks back. We also got to meet a cute little old man named Bob who's going to let us help him paint his house bright yellow. Like, sunflower yellow. He lives behind our house and I've watched this guy slowly paint his house this incredible color, and I finally got the courage to go ask him if we can help him paint his house. So Tuesday we're going to get to help! I'm pumped about it. Also, his little dog is like a mix of my childhood dog Woofers, and my teenhood dog Oscar.... it's weird. I like her. :) 

Sunday was awesome! Anastasia got released as a door greeter and now will be in the Primary Presidency! I'm so so excited for her! She's going to do so good there :). She's just the coolest. 

Sunday night we got to have the nicest dinner with the nicest people with the nicest view. No joke. They're lake people, so they're not permanent, but we had so much fun going there. We got to take a tram down to their house because they live right right on lake Coeur d'Alene. It was awesome :). 

Anyways, I hope everyone is doing GREAT! Life is so good. It's so good to be a missionary. And it's so good to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days :). I LOVE YOU ALL!

Also sister Hulsey makes me fabulous breakfasts! And the last email I forgot the car pic, and accidentally sent my huckleberry waffle pic. But regardless, we've been eating huckleberries on everything. :D 

So we took a picture with our car to show you how dirty our car got... but it was too shady. 

We also got to buy Ranier cherries today!! I love them so much! 

And Christine and Carlyle brought us fry bread last night.... we just love them so much! 

And this family is the Gearhardts!

They let us pick raspberries from their garden after they fed us the best deer tacos ever. Then after we picked berries they gave us buck knives so we can feel safer in Plummer. They're the nicest :). They also showed us their cute new cow :) He was just a little baby guy.