Oct 16th

      I forgot my old planner this week, so I don't remember everything that happened but I can go by my camera. So we had interviews with President Blatter this week, and what should we see outside the church doors but 4 goats nibbling on the lawn! We figured they were the neighbors so Sister Blatter had us go out and see if the neighbors were home so we could tell them their goats were out and somehow tie it into a gospel message to see if they'd be interested in learning. They weren't home, so we just let the goats be and took pictures with them.

For every segment of a missionary's time there's a burning ceremony if you have a place to do it and even care to. At 6 months mark the sisters burn a pair of tights, year mark it's a skirt, and 18 months mark is a suit jacket. Sister Walker and I weren't interested in doing it at first until one of the Mountain View sisters that's going home was planning on burning a jacket, so we decided to participate with our year mark burning. It was kind of hard to give up a skirt, but we chose ones we hardly ever wore, and mine was passed on from a sister leaving the area that was pretty old anyway. There's one family that does it for all the missionaries, so we went there and celebrated our year mark! November 4th will be the year mark for being in the mission field, and it's crazy how fast it's gone!!

We were invited to go to the Blatters for zone lunch yesterday (probably because it was Columbus day- they always have us over for Holidays, even the little ones). We watched a few sisters play basketball in the parkinglot or the elders at ping pong while eating pizza and chatting in the house. It was actually both the Tacoma zones, so it was fun to see people we don't see very often, and I have to say; even though we don't ever get transferred, at least we get to stay near President where we can participate in mission-home activities!

A lot of our work consists of tracting for people we generally don't end up teaching, but we've learned that if we give referrals, we usually get referrals from others. So even though it doesn't feel productive, we get to meet some interesting people and it's the interesting conversations I have with people that help inspires my personal study. It blows my mind to hear some of the things people can be content with believing in, but they have their agency to live life the way they want or receive guidance and support from an omniscient and loving Father in Heaven, and it's our job to help make them aware of that.

Sister Humphreys is doing well and even though we're two separate companionships now, we mesh really well and it's fun having four again. Sister Humphrys and I haven't had a sit-down lesson with an investigator or less-active speaking all Khmer yet, but it'll be interesting to see how well my Khmer will be after Sister Loy took the brunt of teaching and conversation the past few months. Otherwise, we're doing well and are excited for the coming transfer!

Sister Dunster

                                               1. We're allowed to give church tours right?

                                                                     2. Our year-mark skirts!

                                   1. They had a can of lighter fluid that really helped add to the flame.

                                                                         2. The celebration crew

                                            1. Tacoma East & West: Columbus day at the Blatters'.

1. Our last district photo for the transfer! (Sisters left to right: Lomu, me, Young, Walker, Frandsen, Loy and Muti. Front of elders: Durgin, Johnson, Shuler, Hansen, Bellows and Muirbrook.) 

                                                                  2. Gig Harbor harbor!