What is your vision?

Hello dear Family!

It has been a wonderful week here in Alabama!  I love Huntsville so much!  It is completely different than any other area, but I love it here!

Transfer week is always a crazy week!  Sister Jackson and I were able to get a lot of work done before she left on wednesday.  She had been in Huntsville for 10 months!  Guess where she got transferred to? CLANTON!!  I am so excited!  Also, I found out this week that one of the people from clanton that we contacted about a year ago got baptized!  You might remember me talking about her family.  They lived in Idaho for a lot of years, and the mother joined the church there.  Then they moved to alabama, and her daughter knew that the church was true, but had a lot of habits that she needed to break.  Also, she was living with her boyfriend and he was completely anti!  Well, they got married and baptized!! WOOHOO! (:  Miracles!

My new companion is Sister Bringhurst from Pleasant Grove, utah.  She is super sweet!  We actually sat next to each other on the plane on the way to Alabama.  It is fun to be her companion!  I love her!  Her and I are a lot alike.  it is going to be a great 6 weeks! 

We are teaching these sweet kids!  They are 8 and 11 years old.  There mom has been inactive for a lot of years, and a few months ago she decided to come back to church!  It is amazing to hear her bear her testimony.  She said that in all of her searching she knew that she was happiest at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She told us that her kids deserve that happiness.  I know that by keeping the commandments we really are happy!  That is the only way to be truly happy. (: This week her kids are getting baptized!  They are so sweet!  One of the cutest things that I have ever heard was when they said, "We are so excited to finally get baptized!  We have been waiting our entire lives for this and it is finally here!"   Do you realize how much of a blessing it is to have been baptized?  To be able to get baptized?  To have the Gift of the Holy Ghost to constantly guide you? It is a miracle. 

This weekend there was a Celebrate America concert.  The AMC band was there and an amazing multi-stake choir!  They had lots of military people there.  it was amazing how strong the Spirit was in the chapel that night, even though it wasn't technically a 'church' event.  My favorite part was when they sang Battle hymn of the Republic. 

In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me.

As he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free,

While God is marching on.

I am so grateful for this free land that we live in.  It is the promised land! 

This morning I was reading the Sermon on the Mount.  I love how Luke says it, 

Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Luke 6:22-23

Times will get rough.   We will be persucuted and rejected (it actually happens quite a lot in missionary work).  Christ tells us that we should rejoice!  We should be leaping for joy when times get tough, because our reward will be great in Heaven.

I know that is true.  I know that times are tough, but it is okay!

I love y'all SO much!

Sister Casperson

ps.  Coool small world!  A daughter of one of the members here just came home from BYU to wait before she leaves on her mission and guess who lived underneath her at BYU?  Sherlynn Topham! Small world. (: