Favorite thing in the world? check

      Hallo hallo! I feel as though my last email was just written yesterday...... goodness how time flies! These week was blazing hot! It was mid 90's with high humidity. It wouldn't be so bad if people in this country had AC, but that is just not the case. The heat carried over to the work and things were cranked up a notch here :).
      Wait for it..............we have a new baptismal date! Woot woot!! How is that for a good week?? It comes from the incredible family I told you about in my last email. The Loh family is half American, half Austrian. The mom is a member but has been inactive for years until recently. The father, Lars, is not a member but we are working on that :). They have 4 cute little girls whom they have agreed to let us come and teach. The oldest girl is Bella. She is almost 10 and has chosen to be baptized on July 14th! She wanted to make sure I got to see her get baptized AND confirmed before I went home :). Man I love this family!
      Things with our other investigators are also going so well :). We are working with so many moms and familys. It is has been a big difference for me as most of the people I have worked with on my mission have been single. It has really stretched me in new ways, and I absolutely love teaching with the family focus.
      This week also had some firsts and lasts. We started working with some new people this week that are pretty stellar. I will explain more about them in the coming weeks hopefully. However, it was also time for me to say goodbye to Oyuka. She is going back to Mongolia to visit her family until August....meaning that by the time she is back in Austria, I will be home in Utah. We had a goodbye party for her and just laughed and laughed. It was such an incredible journey to be apart of. I love my little Mongolian!!
      This ward continues to be so incredible to us. On Sunday we had three people come up to us and ask us if we would spend Christmas with them haha....I guess they prep early in the year here! The Huy family honestly feels like they are my family. It makes Vienna feel like home when the ward you are in treats you so well and so much love is sent our way. I was riding on a tram the other night and just thinking about things.......the reminder that I was going home soon came in a text from a member asking me for my home information. As I stared at the text and then out the window....it just made me realize I would give just about anything to be able to stay longer. It sometimes hurts thinking about it, so I just choose most of the time not to.
      Other cool news........I got to my favorite thing in the entire world last Monday for pday....I got to go on a ROLLER COASTER!! I think it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I just laughed and giggled the whole time as tears of joy streamed down my face....hahaha I am pathetic. It was fantastic though. The man working the roller coaster saw just how thrilled it made me, and let us go twice with no extra charge! So awesome :)
      Spiritual Thought: This week I have focused all my studies on love. It stemmed from a question I had about how can I become a better disciple of Christ? Every major commandment Jesus Christ gave us, all have to do with love. He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul and with all thy heart, and with all thy mind." That is the first great commandment. The second is similar as it tells us we must "...love thy neighbor as thyself." If love is the greatest commandment it should be at the center of everything we do.
      Love is the power that brings friendships, tolerance, and respect. It is the fire to our lives with unparalleled joy and hope. The promise is when we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and priorities align. What a beautiful promise! As we do this our lives become more enjoyable, they have more meaning, and our relationship with God becomes more profound. President Uchtdorf said, "We don't love God for Him.....it wont change his dominion. God doesn't need us to love him- But oh how we need to love God!" Our love determines our desires and ultimately what we seek in life. What we seek determines what we do and think. And what we do and think determines who we are and who we will become. ........what are your desires right now? In what direction are they pointing you? WHAT WE LOVE DEFINES US! And love is THE defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ. Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for obedience and the attitude of discipleship!
      Well I hope you all had a wonderful week! I am excited to hear of all the fun summer happenings :). I miss you but I can wait to see you.......hahahaha. jk, but seriously. KEEP THE FAITH
-Sister Linford
 
Kirche Jesu Christi
Sister Jessica Linford
Hormayr gasse 59/top/9
Wien 1170
Austria