Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Monday, February 14, 2011
Dear Family,
Oh, how I love you! I hope that you have a fabulous Valentine's Day and that you get to do something special to show the ones that you care about that you love them. Just know that I love you so much and I am so thankful for all that you do for me out of love! Jordan and Kristin, thanks so much for the cute little package! I loved everything and that was such a pleasant surprise, especially when I was sick! Brandt and Kelly, CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am so excited for baby number 4...and even more so because I know that I will be home for the delivery! YAY! Britt and Marianne, thanks so much for the e-mail and the cute picture with the chocolate letters...love it! Car, thanks for the pic of the chain...man, it is getting short! I am excited too :) And thank you all for the wonderful e-mails...you made my Valentine's Day extra special!
Well, I was sick for a little longer than I had expected! It was just about the same as last time! I wasn't able to work a full day until Friday so the week didn't quite go as planned but I learned a lot (hopefully I finally learned my lesson from being sick...I don't want it to happen a third time)! But the members helped us so much again and I just can't thank them enough. On Monday night we were supposed to make dinner for Jolanda and Jeroen because it was Jolanda's birthday but because I was sick they actually came and picked us up, made dinner for Zuster Jeffs while I slept on their couch, and then brought us back home. On Tuesday I stayed with Zuster Navarro while Zuster Jeffs went with the Elders to Leiden for a District Meeting. I had high hopes that when she got back I would feel well enough to go to all of our appointments that day but it was quite the opposite. We ended up staying at the Navarro's until 8 that night. Then when we left to catch the tram to get back home I started to feel really weak and woozy, so we went back in and waited until Zuster Peschier could come with her car to give us a ride back. It was so sweet of her! By Wednesday I had enough strength to go out to two appointments but that did me in. On Thursday I did a little more and by Friday I was able to do a whole day! I was just about going crazy lying in bed for those couple of days so I am so thankful that I can finally work again! Thanks for all of your prayers in my behalf!
Despite being sick the whole week, we have seen quite the miracles! We found a new investigator, Gida, and she is amazing! She is from Angola and she has 3 little children and a husband. We have already taught her twice and we are going again tomorrow! We can hardly wait. She has such a sincere desire and hunger to know that truth. I really think that she will progress. We also had an appointment with Silvester and he told us that he knows that Joseph Smith was a prophet who restored the church and that the Book of Mormon is true! I am so thankful that he was looking down at his Book of Mormon when he said that because I think I would have scared him with the look of excitement on my face. My jaw dropped and I was speechless! He knows the truth! Now he is praying to know if he should be baptized on March 5th! WAHOO!!! We didn't get to teach Suleýka's boyfriend because I was sick but that will hopefully happen this week.
Yesterday was pretty much one of the best days of my whole mission! We went to church and Mary and Suleyka attended as well. Afterwards we had lunch with Familie Gaster, the cutest little Dutch elderly couple in the world. Then we went to do a consecrated hour in the Lobelialaan, a street that Zuster Akkerman had chosen for our ward project. It was amazing! We knocked on a door and a young woman from Rowanda answered. She welcomed us right in and we had a most amazing 40 minute conversation about faith. The Spirit was so strong and there was a very immediate and special bond between us. We tried to share a scripture from the Book of Mormon with her but she was a little hesitant about it and asked if we wouldn't mind sharing one from the Bible instead. We were a tleast able to explain what the Book of Mormon is and what it means to us and then show her that we also believe in the Bible. At the end she invited us to come to a Bible study that she and her friends from her church have every week. We are going tonight and we are so excited! I know that Heavenly Father will bless us to know how we can share the message of the restored gospel in this situation! After our consecrated hour we went to dinner with the Elders at Jolanda and Jeroen's. We then finished the night with a sisters fireside at Familie Navarro's for all sister investigators and new members. Zuster Jeffs and I were in charge of the fireside and minutes before we still didn't really know what we were going to do but felt like we had done our best to prepare the whole week. The Spirit surely stepped in to help us and it was one of the sweetest experiences that I have ever had! It was one of those moments you never want to end! I loved it!
I am out of time! I love you and hope you can feel my excitement! The church is true!
Love, Zuster Sharp