Sister Hartley Serving in Florida.

My dearest family and friends,

O how I enjoyed all of your emails this week! Thank you so much! They brought me so much joy.

This week has been so amazing! I have learned so much. So many amazing things have happened. We had zone conference on Friday in Stuart and it was so amazing. It pretty much changed my life! I love President and Sister Anderson! I feel like I was being taught by an apostle! President knows the doctrine so well and can teach it in such a simple powerful way. We talked a lot about repentance and more specifically, "Baptism unto Repentance". I learned so much. We also talked a lot about talking with people versus talking at people or to people. Sister Stegelmeier and I are realizing that this is something we struggle with. One of my newest favorite quotes is from Elder Holland, "If we listen with love we won't have to wonder what to say." This is what I am working on doing. President talked about how Christmas is coming and how for us who are used to snow the only way we can have a white christmas is to BAPTIZE! I thought this was such a good way to look at it. So that is what we are going to do. We are going to have a white Christmas! I can't believe December is almost here and that I have been out for a month! It is crazy.... Time is going by to fast. I have learned so much from mission already. It truly is a role play for my entire life. It is truly the best 18 months FOR my life. I am learning so much about myself. It seems as though all my weaknesses are presenting themselves everyday... but what is amazing to me is that as I forget myself and concentrate on my love for the Lord and his children and go to work he truly does make weak things become strong. As I rely on him and put my trust in him I truly become an instrument in his hands. There is no greater joy than following the promptings of the spirit and relying on the Lord and seeing the miracles that come from it. It is amazing.

Sister Stegelmeier and I are really trying to expand our teaching pool. We were harvesting the other day and we found a family of 6!!! They are so amazing. The Dad went to the church when he was young in Haiti. When we gave him the book of Mormon he just smiled and said O I just know this is true already... I just have to convince my wife! haha it was funny and so powerful! The spirit was so strong. They are such an amazing family and will be such a strong family. I am praying so hard that his wife's heart will be softened because she is pretty content and stubborn.

We had our Thanksgiving party on Saturday. We had 3 investigators come! The same 3 came to church yesterday as well! YES!!! I love it so much. Gladys is the ladies name. We asked her what her favorite part about church and this is what she said, "The bread and the water because when I drank the water I just felt so good. I felt so clean. I couldn't help but cry!" The spirit was so strong. I love her so much. She is such a funny lady. We just need to get her to stop her coffee and then she can get baptized... anyways the ward party was so fun! We made our derby car and guess what? We got 4th place!!! It was so fun. We couldn't believe it because we made it so fast and with little thought but everyone was so impressed with our car. I guess 4th is the best the missionaries have ever done and the sisters have never made their own car it is usually the elders. So we made history! haha We lost to the bishops car by barely anything.. everyone was so impressed because the bishop is an engineer and wins every year and our car almost beat him! haha people are so funny... It was a good time. It was so fun to just relax and get to know the members better.

I love you all. Thank you for all your prayers!

P.S. No I haven't rode my bike yet. We took them twice this past week to start but both days it rained and it rained hard! I have never seen rain like that before. It comes down in sheets out of no where! I have never been so grateful for an umbrella and raincoat!