Sister Crook is staying here and training another missionary. Thiswill be her fourth!! I'm seriously going to miss it here so much. I've fallen in love with the people here and it will be hard to say goodbye. It'll be weird to have to basically start all over again. New companion, new area, new ward, etc. but it'll be a brand new chapter in my mission. I can't wait to see what this next adventure brings :)
Let's see...what happened this week...oh, I went on exchanges! I was in a trio (three people in a companionship) and I was in Yarmouth/Portland which is such a beautiful area. The houses there are so nice and big..it was crazy! I told one of the ladies I met that she's going to decorate my future house because hers was just....wow. I stacked wood all day at another ladies house in Portland which was actually pretty fun! It was nice to get out of a dress and get dirty for once.
The two sisters I was with have been out for 16-17 months so they were verryyyyy experienced with everything. I just hit my 3 month mark a couple days ago so it was hard to not compare myself to them and feel like I'll never reach that skill point. They were pretty dang close to perfect missionaries which was intimidating to me. After some mighty prayer, I have come to the conclusion that everyone is their own missionary. We all have different skill sets and maybe I have qualities that they don't have and they have some that I don't have. Heavenly Father created all of us differently and He trusts all of us individually to share His gospel the best way that we can. It's useless to compare yourself to others because that'll just bring you down, trust me. Point out your strengths and your blessings, not your weaknesses and your challenges.
I helped the first lady I ever street contacted on my mission the other day move out of her house. She's the one that's a part of the Methodist religion and we met her the first day in Bath. We've stayed in contact with her ever since and she's now moving to New York so she asked if we would help her move out. She absolutely loves us..she would cry while thanking us and she took a picture of us so that we would never be forgotten. She tried to offer us money or a donation to the church but of course we told her that we do everything voluntarily and as a service opportunity..she couldn't believe it. She said she has an entirely different view of the Mormon religion ever since sister crook and I have lived here because of the way we treat her and everything. Moral of the story: SERVE. Our simple service to Sharon changed her view of this church. Now whenever she thinks of our religion, it'll have a good light on it which isn't common for a lot of people here. We aren't a very loved religion...but as we take the time to serve others, it'll show that we are a very service-oriented people and it'll soften other people's hearts.
Ahhhhh general conference!!! I've never been so excited for something in my life. I was counting down the hours..and now it's over. :( but it was SO GOOD. As I was watching it, my cheeks started hurting and I realized that I had been smiling for who knows how long...I couldn't help it! I love listening to the words of our prophet and the apostles. Now they just need to load them all onto the gospel library so I can read them back over a couple thousand more times.
We taught Steven and Yulia the law of chastity finally...and it went alright. They weren't too happy about what they had to stop but hopefully the Lord will ease those concerns. Our bishop said that he could marry them if they wanted and they seemed excited about that! Its too bad I won't be here for it though :( the struggle is real.
Brother Smith (my ward mission leader if you guys remember the pictures I sent of him before) threw me a goodbye party last night after coordination meeting which was so nice of him. I'm absolutely going to miss him and Sister Smith the most. She gave me a present and a card that she told me I can't open until I'm in my new area. Brother Smith made me promise that I'll come back after my mission so that he can give me a hug and take me "kayakin" :) that was not a hard promise to make!!
Out of all the talks..it's hard to pick a favorite. They were all so unique and so good...but I really loved President Uchtdorf's talk at the very beginning about the simplicity of this gospel. We cannot make our discipleship complicated. Sometimes we take the simple truth and add on layers and layers of man-made expectations. Each one might be helpful, but when laid on top of each other, they can create a mountain so heavy that we risk losing sight of the gospel we once loved so dearly.
We have to protect the gospel in its purity and plainness. All of us as members need to make an effort to devote our time and energy to things that TRULY MATTER. If you think the gospel isn't working well for you, step back and look at your life from a higher plane. Focus on the BASIC principles and doctrines of the gospel and God will bless you and guide you. Start where you are. We feel upset because we aren't more of something. More spiritual, more respected, more friendly, more wealthy, more hopeful. There's nothing wrong with wanting to improve, that's what we are down here on earth for. But remember, Satan uses our weaknesses to the point where we become discouraged for even trying. We don't have to be more of anything to become the person God intended us to become. All we need is a willing heart and a desire to believe and trust in the lord. (All of that was taken from the talk so don't think I'm all great and wise)
I JUST LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE. I thought of so many of you at home while listening, knowing that specific talks were for specific people. The prophet and his apostles are truly inspired and they are given direct revelation from our Heavenly Father. So many of the talks brought up the same topics which only means that we all need to improve in some way. I want to hear everyone's favorite talk so don't be afraid to email me back and tell me! I'll let you all know where I'm headed and my new address. Have a woooooonderful week!
Shoutout to my mom for the super wicked awesome purple pajamas in the mail!!
Brother Smith insisted that I tried on his HUGE boots :)
The trio I was in :)
Sister Crook and I splurged after we found out about the transfer call...
Sister Crook secretly took this of me and Dotty (our ex-investigator) as I was showing Dotty a picture of my family LOOK AT HOW HAPPY I LOOK
Brother and Sister Smith threw me a goodbye party and gave me a present and I really just love them and I'm going to miss their stinkin guts...
The elders that we served with in our ward, Brother Smith, Sister Crook, and I :)
Here's Sister Crook and I's "I love you to infinity" symbol that we do to each other :( :( :(
APPLE ORCHARDS ARE BEAUTIFUL
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