How y'all doin this week!? SO, I have so much to say that I hope I can even remember it all and get it all out. We'll start with Monday... So after I e-mailed y'all we headed to our appointments and such. I got to mow a lady's lawn! First time I've ever done that in a dress but MAN oh MAN it was so great! I don't know why I have this weird thing that I love mowing the lawn but it seriously made my whole day! Then to Wednesday. We went over to this lady's house whose name is Suzanne. She is some Christian religion and is honestly one of the best people I have ever met. Her daughter is struggling a ton and doing lots of crazy things and she said it breaks her heart. But one day she decided that her daughter has agency and so while she was trying to help her she couldn't let it drag her down. So she decided to do as much good as she good for others. I am telling you, this woman is saintly. So after she made us this incredible fish dinner and we had talked for a bit I get this undeniable prompting to share my testimony and tell her that I KNOW our Gospel is true and it has the fulness that she needs. I thought how can I basically tell her that our church is right and hers doesn't have everything? I was so afraid of offending her because here I am looking at someone who is probably a better person than I am and I have to tell her to change? But then I realized that was myself doubting and that the Spirit was the real teacher. I was so afraid of her getting mad at me but I figured if she does, she does. So I started to bare my testimony and it ended with both of us crying and the Spirit was so strong. She's not going to be baptized yet and my companion has been working with her for a while before I got here but it was just such a cool experience. You can ALWAYS have confidence in the Spirit. Sometimes, the person probably will get ticked off and yell at you (had that happen out here too) but it doesn't matter. Don't ever be ashamed of the message you have to offer people. Be BOLD :) Now moving onto Thursday night... We had dinner with the Garibaldi family. The parents were both born in Mexico and both served a mission there. I am surprised God hasn't taken them straight to heaven yet because they are incredible! But I guess he needs good people left here on the earth too :) They call us missionaries angels and treat us as such. So nobody worry, I am being so well taken care of :) But anyways they found out it would probably be Hermana Ostler's last dinner with them and that we couldn't eat with them on Thurs. anymore (just a mission rule that would take too long to explain but it's for good reason. But don't worry, we can eat with them other days.) and so they were really sad. Hermana Ostler said the closing prayer and Hermana Garibaldi was crying. I was holding back tears as well :) Then they pull out their missionary book and want Hermana Ostler to sign it. I don't blame them for missing her... she is the best :) and we have such great talks about baseball! We took it and started looking through and you won't believe who I saw.. the Schulte family photo! The Schulte's are a family that I know in Taylorsville. I believe the dad was actually the one to set Jackson apart for his mission. I went to school with two of the brothers and their older sister came to my mission and apparently ate with the Garibaldi's! :) So she signed their book too. It's crazy how many connections there have been like that. There are so many good people here and everytime I meet another incredible family I realize they are the way they are because of the Gospel and it gives me the drive to keep working with those we teach and that we will teach. I heard a quote in the MTC and then again a couple of days ago... It says something like this... "When you go to bed at night, pray like everything depends on God, because it does. When you wake up in the morning, work like everything depends on you, because it does." Yes, God will do His part and we can have full confidence in that but we have to WORK and do our part as well. If we do that, we truly will see miracles. Whenever I am going through a little rough patch and starting to get down I think of President Hinckley and the advice his dad gave him when he was struggling on his mission... "Forget yourself and go to WORK" and one more " The secret to work is WORK" it is so true! I can't stress it enough. If you came out here and didn't work... the mission would be miserable and would take forever. But here soon I complete 3 months and I don't know where the time has gone. If you just go to work, miracles come :) Now to Saturday night. Hermana Ostler and I were super anxious because we knew that transfer calls were coming. On Tuesday we had gotten a call that she was going to be made a Sister Training Leader (kind of like a Zone Leader or Assistant for the Hermana's) and so we had to go to a meeting. While she was in training I got to go work with Hermana Kirkham ( my old companion and Hermana Ruesch (whose cousin I went to school with) and it was a blast! But at that meeting we got hints that Hermana Ostler would be moved. I was way sad because normally trainers stay with their trainee for 2 transfers. Anyways, the calls came Saturday night for transfers and sure enough... a few minutes before 10:30 we got the call! Hermana Ostler is leaving and I am staying here!!! This means a lot of things... 1. I am way sad because Hermana Ostler is so stinkin' great and I don't know what I'm going to do without her talents in every aspect of the mission and her deep love for sports! 2. I am staying here in this huge area that I still don't know and my new compa and I are going to probably be SO lost for a while! It's going to be a wild ride/adventure! Hermana Ostler knows the maps like the back of her hand and so I'm aspiring one day to be that good :) but she has been in this area for 6 months! So I don't expect immediate progress. But if the Lord left me here, He knows I can do it. So I know I can :) But please, PRAY FOR me! Hahah. 3. I get a new companion. Her name: Hermana Lebaron! GUESS WHAT! Apparently, she went to Taylorsville High School. I could be wrong but I am pretty sure. Did we know any LeBaron's in T-ville? She's a bit older than me, so I didn't know her in school. But how nuts is that?!? I am excited to meet her and get to work! 4. I get to stay with the Whitley's for one more transfer :) Unless they move us to an apt. They are THE best! Look at her blog if you haven't... it's moronitenfour.blogspot.com. The work is going great here in Texas :) Oh! and Joel Gardner who I went to school with (He was in Madrigals with me) is getting into Texas today!! I hope I see him at transfers tomorrow. People from Taylorsville are just serving everywhere together with all of them going to Mexico with Jackson and him coming here! What can I say? Taylorsville is the best :) Also, a funny story from today. So we all know how much I love car washes... we started through the car wash today and all the sudden I feel water hitting me and I see Hermana Ostler freaking out and jumping all around and I look over to see the window down and water BLASTING in our window!!! SO stinkin' funny! Her first reaction was to get away from the water but then we were both frantically reaching for the button to roll the window up! Ah, it was HILARIOUS :) We got the window up and were laughing for the rest of the car wash. Gotta love it! I'm pretty sure God has a sense of humor and laughs at all of us here all the time. Pray for me this next week as we go through transfers tomorrow morning. I'll keep you all in my prayers as well. Keep doing what's right and you'll be blessed! :) Sounds like all of you are doing well :) I am so excited for it to cool down here in the next couple months. Yesterday our thermometer said 111 plus humidity. GROSS :) hahaha. But don't worry, I drink loads of water. Take care and have a great week :) LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!! Keep the mail coming. I love getting letters :)
Su favorito- Hermana Hadlock- del mision de milagros
fotos:
Here's the lawn I got to mow Monday night :)
I can't believe I didn't put this in the e-mail... BUT MEAGAN got baptized! :) She is the sister of the last people I sent you that got baptized :) She actually decided to do it before them but her date was just a little later. Here she is :) Love this girl SO much!
The Schulte family.
An ice cream I made. First one on the mission :) I'm so good ;)
Some carrots from the food bank we serve at :) Biggest I've ever seen!
One of Hermana Ostler's and I last pictures together as a companionship!
Also, look at my bun! It's from the thing you bought me. This picture is from today :)
Hermana Ostler right after we got the window up. You can see the water dripping off the window and steering wheel I think. Love you all! HAve a great week :)
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