Aw, man. Don't tell me about skiing. Nothing makes me miss home like
talking about skiing and seeing runners. You find out what you really
love when you leave home. I've found that I miss my family and my
puppy the most, followed closely by running, skiing, and my Utah
mountains. BUT! Good news! Today we're going on a hike for p-day! I'm
so excited!
My new companion, Sister Tripp, is a powerhouse! Honestly, I don't think it would
be a stretch to say she is the best Sister Missionary in the WVCM. The
way she works, her love and involvement in the people we are teaching,
her great ideas, her never- ending enthusiasm, and her incredible
faith.... man. I am SO lucky to be her companion. I have learned SO
much in the week that we have been together, and we have accomplished
SO much! This week has been one of the best weeks of my mission as
far as numbers, but also as far as REAL success and the progression of
investigators.
First of all, Sister Tripp and I get along great!! It's been such an
easy transition! I prayed and fasted pretty hard that everything would
be good with this companion switch, and it has been better than I
could ever hope for! Sister Tripp is so fun and hilarious! We have so
much fun! Everything from street contacting to planning is fun with
her. She is so full of great ideas and she LOVES this work and you
can't help but love it, and her, as well!!! She is so awesome, and she
has been through so much to be where she is; she is honestly one of my
heroes! I miss Sister Pierson SO bad though. Driving to T----- and
S-----'s last night was harder than I expected it to be. For the first
time I was going to "mama T----'s" and I didn't have my sister by my
side. Seriously, that girl is the best. BUT! I got a call from her
mid-week because she left her cd!!! It was so fun to talk about
investigators in Ashland! And guess who she met?!?! S----!!!!!!! My
boy S-----! Turns out he is actually moving because HE GOT A
JOB!!!! I'm so happy I could die! All I wanted was for him to get a job and
get up on his feet! And it gets even better! When he was down in ---------
getting his place to live and everything straightened out, guess who he
ran into on the street? MISSIONARIES!!!! He ran into to Elders who talked
to him! Sister Pierson told me that she told him that wasn't just a coincidence
that happened, and he agreed :) So he'll STILL be taken care of! Even
when he goes to ---------! And ---------- is still in my mission! Gah!!! I
can't even tell you how excited I am about that and for him!!!! All I
have to say, is that prayer works. All that has happened with him is a
direct result of prayers of faith from many many people who love him.
#WeLoveS-------
Also, this week we have had some nice weather and we've gotten to do a
lot of street contacting in downtown Lexington. First of all, downtown
Lexington, especially main street, is like something out of a dream.
It's like this place was built for me. Main street Lexington reminds
me a lot of main street Park City. It's got that artsy vibe, and it is
just gorgeous. It also has plenty of cute coffee shops, which of
course makes me love it even more. #HotChocolateEveryDay Anyway, we've
met some way cool people there, and got the chance to give out lots of
Book of Mormons. That book is so powerful. Even when people are not
interested in what we have to say, when we offer them a Book of Mormon
to read, you can almost see a little light switch flip on in their eyes. I
think something inside everyone, the light of Christ that is within us
all, only has to SEE that book and they are drawn to it because of
it's truth and it's power. It's been really cool to see that first hand this week.
Just last night we got to go see T----- and S----. T---- had just gotten
out of the hospital after going through another round of chemo
yesterday, and they pumped her full of steroids right before she left,
so she was feeling pretty awesome and wanted to have us over before
they wore off, so we of course headed out to Collierstown to see them.
Every time we drive to Collierstown I fall more in love with this
place. The sun was setting, and it was the warmest day we've had in a
long time here in Virginia. I pulled up T---- and S----'s dirt drive,
and even with a new companion by my side, I was still coming home to
the most beautiful place in the world, and I was still with family.
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| Collierstown |
perspective. I've seen so much more. I've had the chance to enter
homes, and become part of lives that I would have never had the chance
to otherwise. I've seen the lives of others so close, and I've seen how
deep and real feelings are, and how big an impact every little
action that every person makes has on everyone around them. I really
can't even explain exactly what I'm trying to say in words. I'm
experiencing life out here. But other people's lives. And it sometimes
means more than when I am so caught up in the life I am living myself.
The feelings are deeper, and there is more meaning. And I think I
leave a little piece of me in every home I enter. I think that's
why I always say that missions are just learning to get your heart
broken. Maybe love is really heartbreak after all. Real love anyway.
Because it requires the breaking of your own heart, to give it to
another. I hope by the end of my mission I'll find words to describe
these feelings and all that I'm learning. More than likely though,
I'll spend my whole life trying to explain it. And really, I'm okay with
that. Because this journey is the best I've ever been on, and I don't
want it to ever stop.
I'm learning so much, and I'm also having so much fun. One funny thing
that happened this week started with District Meeting on Saturday. SisterTripp
and I left the room, (P.S. Just a thought: Missions are so weird. I met Sister
Tripp a week ago, and that very same day we started living together,
and being together literally 24-7. A week ago we didn't even know what
each other looked like, and now we spend every second together!) and when
we came back in, Elder Hughes is messing with our phone. We think
nothing of it until that night. . . at THREE in the morning. . . an alarm on our
phone goes off with a message... "Hello from Elder Hughes :)"
#ElderPranks #We'llGetHimBack #WelcomeToTheWVCM
Also, I'm honestly really thinking about going to
SVU and running. I got to talk with Brother D----- ,our landlord,again and we were talking cross country. Apparently his team is
running times I was running back in high school. I don't think it's just
coincidence that I'm serving here, living under him, and that I feel a
connection to this place like none other. So.... we'll see where that goes!
I'm not really one to go off feelings, but I really do just have this feeling
that even after my mission, I'm not gonna be done here, especially not
with Lexington. And I've always felt like I needed to run for a college.
#DreamBig #LiveSimply
I love you guys so much! I pray for you constantly! Keep skiing and
enjoying those mountains for me! We are actually going on a hike today
with the Elders in our ward, so I'm way excited!!! And tonight a member
is taking us on a ghost tour of Lexington!!!!!!
#YayForP-Day
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| For My Grandpas. #ForestServiceGranddaughter |
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