July 26th Email

Dear Family!

It's been a pretty eventful week! I had the opportunity to participate in a Hymn Festival, called "remembering the hymns of the restoration." It's been planned for months, and they asked Sister Myers and I to perform "Angels" at it, so the fact that we ended up being companions was pretty awesome! =) Anyway, this fireside was at the Kanesville Tabernacle, and it was a joint church fireside. Members of the Community of Christ, Remnant LDS, and Restoration LDS were a part of the program. It was actually really neat. They had a program with music from each of our different hymn books, so that we could all sing along to eachother's hymns. It was neat. Anyway, Sister Myers and I jazzed up the song, and made some cool changes, so soon you will get to see a video. It was cool to sing at the Tabernacle. That was such an important place for the Saints. It's where Brigham Young was sustained, and lots of things happened. I feel so lucky to have been here.

Todd Kmiecik is doing fantastic! He's been smoke free for over 7 days now! WOO! We taught him the plan of salvation the other day, and he said to us that it was "the perfect plan!" He also talked about how he's felt about life since going to church. He said "it's not so much just simply going to church that's helped, but we have more faith now than we did before!" So awesome. I don't know why I get so lucky with these prepared people.

It's been a rough week for the sisters. We had a zone temple trip on Friday, and just an hour before, one of the new sisters found out that someone significant in her life was killed in an accident. Another sister went home on medical release, and almost all of the sisters are struggling with something, and they are all just really weighed down. The TC trainers had a meeting that evening to plan our training for the next morning. Both Sister Larsen and Sister Minert are dealing with things too, and I just really felt the weight of the trail center during that meeting. I knew that we needed to plan a really meaningful training. We worked together and decided to have a pioneer tribute, being that pioneer day was coming up, and we are pioneer nerds =)... Anyway, we selected, very carefully, sisters to share favorite pioneer stories and their testimonies. We wanted the Sister who lost her friend to go first, if she was willing, and she was. She went first and completely set the mood for the whole training. She shared a quote by Heber J Grant when he dedicated the WQ monument. It says, "This has been called the tragedy of winter quarters, but there was no tragedy here, for tragedy spells defeat and disaster. This was the victory of winter quarters. for here were faith and hope and charity raised to their loftiest pinnacles, all greed and selfishness were brought low." I'd never thought about it so deeply as I had then, because of who was saying it. The rest of the meeting was so powerful and I loved it. I think it was just what we ALL needed.

Anyway, it's been a really good week. I'm thankful, because I may have possibly had a "last-transfer" breakdown, finally. I was holding on for dear life so I wouldn't have one... but I had one... now it's over, and I can just focus. lol.

I love you all

Sister Bonelli