Hermana Bingham's Adventures in San Jose: Happy Father's Day

Hello family!

First off, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DADDY!! I hope you had a fantabulous day, you deserve it!

Sounds like you all had a good week. Good job with the race dad! I'm so proud! Sounds like you've been super busy mom. Good work! Oh wait, I have a question. A couple of weeks ago in Relief Society they came in and announced that now it's required that you take your own family names to the temple. Like, they'll check and see if you have names at the recommend desk. Is that true? That just sounds a little crazy. Good, but also, it would be hard to go to the temple as often!

Also, I love the idea for the t-shirt mom. That sounds awesome. When is the reunion again? I'm sad I'll miss it. But I missed it last year, and I lived, so I'll be okay. :) Just tell me all about it. And Lake Powell! Is that this week? Sounds like so much fun! Have fun. I have no suggestions. It is just all beautiful and amazing and fun. I'm sure you'll all have a blast. :)

Also, I just found out that Kelsie, my old roommate is ENGAGED!! Crazy right? I'm so happy for her. She's getting married in november up in Portland. So I'll miss it. Oh well. But I'm just so happy for her! You'll have to fb stalk her okay mom? haha :)

So it's been a good week. We got to go on exchanges with the Watsonville hermanas this week, so I got to go hang out in Watsonville for the day with Hna. Arias. Remember her? She served in YB with me. It was really good. The poor girl is having a really hard time right now. Her companion and her are having some struggles right now, individually and together, so it was really amazing to be able to go work with her for a day and do my best to help her. She really opened up to me about everything that's been going on, and I was sitting there and just didn't know how to help. I didn't know what I could say or do that could possibly help her. She has been through SO much in her past, and it's all coming back to her memory now and she can't sleep at night. And she has low self-esteem, and blames herself for everything... I just didn't know what to do. She's been seeing a counselor from LDS family services, so that's been helping, but there I was, her STL and didn't know how to help her. But I learned a very important lesson. The Lord will put words in our mouth, all we have to do is open them. And yes, I've learned that lesson a thousand times, But it was really cool. I was able to share some experiences that I've had a the past couple of transfers, and use those to help her. I also read with her a part of E. Bednar's conference talk "Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease" from this last conference. It just popped into my head. And then a quote that Charlie mailed me a few months ago from Ralph Waldo Emmerson that says, "That which we persist in doing becomes easier; not that the task itself has changed, but our power to do is increased." or something like that. But it helped her a lot. I didn't say anything special, but it was amazing how the Lord brought things to my remembrance, and then let me speak so that I could help her somehow. He's kind of awesome. I know that as we open our mouths, he will put words there. We just have to be willing. Open your mouths, share your testimonies, be bold!! It will be awesome. I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Bingham