October 15, 2012

Things have been a little bit crazy! I didn't really have a preparation day last week because all the sisters were deep cleaning the Hatch house and packing preparing to leave. My preparation days are now a constant Monday. (Until April that is). The flight was 2 hours and I didn't get sick this time!! :) My ears did hurt really badly though because of the change in elevation that quickly. I talked to a man on the plane. We had some great conversations about our beliefs. He wasn't interested in a Book of Mormon, but I think I helped him remember what it was like to be a believer. I think he might go back to his own church soon.

 

My new mission address is to the mission home and the AP Elders divide all the mail and it gets sent to our apartment. We live in a very nice apartment. My new Mission President is President Riggs. He's served here for 3 months. He is 43! Crazy young, but he's great. He knows President Gilliland.

I am serving with a Sister from my Zone in the MTC! Sister Hanson. She's really nice. VERY service oriented. She decorated a planner for me on the second day I was here, just because I mentioned I needed a new one.

 

I am serving in Northern Virginia, which is the DC South area. I am in a city called Gainesville. It's like suburbia capital! So many neighborhoods. These homes are all so nice and big. We have investigators and I love it! AHHH! We street contact and knock doors. I see miracles all the time still. We knocked on a lady's door. She's a Christian and wanted to know what we believed, so we set up an appointment and came back the next day. We did the WHOLE first lesson. It was great. My companion has never been a trainer before, nor has she been responsible for an area. So she is really nervous all the time, sometimes a bit awkward. But hey, missionaries are prone to awkward situations. We knock on people's doors and talk about religion. Not many do that anymore, so we end up in some interesting situations. But it's all well and good.

 

We serve in the Gainesville Ward in the Centerville Stake. This ward is SO great! We are the only missionaries serving in it. I love all the members. I smiled ALL day yesterday at church. I couldn't stop. I am so excited to have my own ward to serve. I met our Bishop. He is AMAZING. I've never seen someone sacrifice so much for his ward. We are about 600 members strong. Some are inactive. There are 72 youth alone! Crazy huh? The Bishop is very sensitive to the Spirit. All he asked of us Sisters was that we help reach out and visit some less actives and keep up the good work.

I met a recent convert. He is 18 and SOO pumped about the gospel! He is doing everything he can to prepare for a mission. He LOVED general Conference. I am so glad about the new missionary announcement. That is so epic. That is such an inspired change, instilling good gospel habits in people at a younger age is all the better. I feel the second coming is getting closer :) The Savior will come to claim the righteous.

 

Traffic is crazy sometimes in VA. Most of the people here commute to DC every day to work. They wake up at 5:45am, drive for an hour and a half or so, then work and it's about 2hour drive home. So many go to bed at like 7. EARLY!

 

Do you have any other questions? I am well and happy and STOKED to have actual investigators.