A really great week

Earthquake this morning at 5:32!  CRAAAAZY.  THis one felt bigger than the last one, for sure.  It woke us up and went on for a little while.  I was SUPER SCARED!  I sat up in bed and hugged my Pillow Pet for comfort.  Nothing happened, so it's ok!  :D  This was a really great week.  We've had a tough transfer so far, but we have been seeing miracles every day, and our investigators are really making some giant steps in their progression in the gospel.  We've been teaching a couple named [E] and [C].  They're so wonderful and we instantly felt close to them.  [E] has been reading the Book of Mormon and he understands it so easily!  It's amazing.  When we first started teaching him, we had a hard time helping him understand the personal relevance of the message of the gospel.  He seemed to just enjoy talking with us more than learning and applying what we were teaching.  But this week we noticed a biggggggg change in him.  We taught [E] and [C]the plan of salvation, and we can tell that [E] knows what we've said is true.  He recognizes the importance of what we've taught, and he knows there are big changes in his future.  He's scared, and for good reason.  He's in his 50s and he's been Catholic his whole life.  For him, and for many people, being Catholic is part of his identity, something that has literally penetrated every aspect of his sense of self, culturally, spiritually, and even politically.  His heart has really softened a lot this week, and I can feel the differences in the way he listens and asks questions.  He wants to follow the truth, even though it will be hard to change his life in so many ways?  I am amazed at the faith that I see in people here.  It's astounding to think about how much faith and trust in the Lord it takes to accept the gospel when it's not something that's been a part of your life before.  We've also been teaching a couple.   They have two young kids and they are outstanding parents. Their kids are super smart and super involved in everything--Shakespeare,football, soccer, science, etc. and their weekends are spent doing extra credit pojects. [They] really want to help their children be successful.  They've been talking with us because they know they've been lacking in teaching their kids about God.  We have high hopes for this family.  Their barrier right now is that they kind of see spirituality as another category that they want to make sure their kids are "successful" in, not as the center of how they guide their lives.  We've seen a lot of changes in them too, as they've felt the Spirit and have recognized some of the importance of relying upon the example of the Savior.  It made me think of how I've grown up.  I was super busy in high school and middle school and in college, and I had lots of activities and programs and volunteer things that were a big part of my life.  The thing that I've always felt is at the center though, even though my education has been so important to me, is the gospel.  The center of our home has always been the gospel as well, and what a blessing that is!  It's true that everything else will eventually fade away, as fun and rewarding and beneficial as it is to be involved in different things like sports and theater and science.  Knowing the gospel is what gives meaning to this life!  When we understand that we have a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for our eternal progression and happiness, it's so much easier to focus on the things that really matter.  Now go and watch/read "The Things That Matter Most!" by President Uchtdorf! :D  :D  :D