When members get involved, miracles happen!

Ohhh my goodness! This email will be a complete gongshow. I can already tell! Becauseeee, to start... This has been a crazy, unexpected, miraculous, wonderful week! 
First things first... I have a new companion!! I can't wait until the end of the email to tell you, but I will wait to explain it all... Well, Sister Willis is currently sitting beside me, emailing! So that is the main miracle right now!
MY BEST FRIEND IS MY COMPANION!
So... with the end being the beginning, I will try to align my thoughts to start again.

Monday: Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. day!! Sister Brown and I drank chocolate MLK to celebrate. Also, I bought a fox sweater from the children's section. That night, we met with the sisters & came up with a goal calendar. They set their own goals for reading, attending church, and praying. We promised them a reward at the next lesson and they were super excited! They are still trying to be like Nephi.

Tuesday: Sister Brown and I went on splits. Ahhh, it was wonderful!! I went with the beautiful Sister Young, a ward missionary, and Sister Brown went with Sister Anderson, the Relief Society President. I LOVE when members get involved!! It's the best. So, Sister Brown had wonderful adventures and I had a great time with Sister Young. We went to some set appointments, and then went back to her house and frosted cinnamon rolls and talked. I just love her. 
That night, we went on visits with Sister Root, another Relief Society president.. Seriously, these women are amazing. 

Wednesday: We visited the Berry family, and they were wonderful. They are active members, and they just waved to us when we were walking, so we stopped in to get to know them better. They had all of these Harry Potter movies and books on the shelves, so we became best friends immediately. And then the little boy came out of his room in a Harry Potter cloak and showed us his wand, so I was just infatuated. He has an old soul and just the cutest personality. Ahh!
Also, visited the Walkers... They are possibly my favorite people I have ever met. Sister Walker is possibly an angel... She was so excited when we showed up and said that we needed to be there, because she was planning on asking her non-member friend to go to church with her, and she needed our support!! Well, we found out that that night, she did ask her friend, but not just to go to church, but to meet with the missionaries!! And her friend said yes!! YAYY! Miracles happen when members get involved!

Thursday: We visited this elderly woman in a healthcare center. Her service aid was there and hasn't shown any interest, but she sat in for our song and message. While we were talking to the elderly woman, her assistant was writing in a notebook, basically not paying attention. I felt prompted to ask her if she liked to write in her journal... Well, I love the Spirit more than anything, because she opened up SO much and told us all about searching for revelation, and all these things! 
That night, we had a missionary meeting with the Stake President and our new senior couple, the Carlstons, who I LOVEE! And then, one of the counselors asked us if we could stay after the meeting, to talk about Missionary Prep. So we stayed and Brother Walker, the stake Young Men's president, and Brother Bickel were there. The Young's Return Missionary son was also there, and we found out that we will teaching the Mission Prep class together... I never had that class before my mission, so I'm a little bit nervous! I am so super excited that they asked us though!

Friday: We had district meeting with our new senior couple and the other senior couple in the elder's stake. I love the light and knowledge and wisdom that they bring! What a blessing! 
Afterwards, we went to Zupas (my favorite!). 
Later, we went to do service. These members were moving out of their house, so we helped them pack. 
Later, I was feeling super anxious. I don't know if it was because I am nervous every day about the count-down of my mission, or what, but I felt like I needed a Priesthood blessing. Our district leader and his companion met us at the Carlstons (the senior couple) and Elder Carlston gave me a blessing.. It was so special. The Spirit was so strong. I found a lot of comfort through his words. 

Saturday: We had a lesson with our investigator at the Carlstons. She lives out of the stake, so we are trying to transition her to her own ward, but she is having a rough time with it. Sometimes, she feels like we are kicking her out, and so we invited her home-ward bishop to the lesson. It went SO well!! We read through 1 Nephi chapter 2, and had her start the study with a Question and a Prayer to have that question answered. We honestly got through about 7 verses, but by the end of the discussion, she had received so much revelation and help from the senior couple and her bishop. It was so great.
Later, we went to a lesson with our less-actives, who we are preparing to go to the temple. Miraculously, 2 women from the primary presidency came over at the exact same time, with cookies!! We all had this amazing discussion! One of the women had past experience being inactive, and had just been sealed with her family in the temple within the past couple of years. She related her experience and was so understanding and encouraging. It was perfect.. Again.. The members helped us experience a miracle!! There is SUCH a pattern! We cannot do this work without these wonderful members!
That evening, we went to a lesson with Tshering, our recent convert, and the Carlstons. They were able to practice their teaching on her. They are so good! A little while into the lesson, I saw the phone vibrating and it was the Assistant to the President (the AP) calling. They are the elders that work closely with the Mission President, so we always answer the phone when they call. I went to the bathroom to answer it, and the AP said, "Sister Wall. There is going to be an Emergency Transfer," and my heart sank! I asked who was being transferred, and he said that it was Sister Brown, and that she needed to be packed and at the mission office by 2 pm the next day. So I went back out and sat down, completely shocked and taken aback. And then the phone rang again. It was the AP's again. So I went to the bathroom a second time to answer it. "Sister Wall, I need to give you more information about the transfers tomorrow." I said, Ok... And he said, "Your companion will be Sister Willis..." and I just about died! I thought he was playing a prank... So I said, "Are you joking?" and he asked, "Is that okay?" And I said, "OF COURSE THAT IS OKAY!" but it still wasn't real yet. So he told me that I could call the mission president if I didn't believe him. When we left the lesson, I told Sister Brown and she was upset, and so I suggested we call the mission president to be sure. We did and sure enough, he told us that Sister Brown and Sister Willis were switching places, and that Sister Willis would be my companion and Sister Brown was going to Wyoming! I could even believe it! But, I really didn't think that the mission president would play a prank on us, so I just tried to believe him!

Sunday: Sister Brown and I went to our less-active's house and rode with them to church. They were all ready to go and I was so proud! Later, we spoke in the 26th ward and it was so great. I looked into the congregation and saw so many wonderful people who I love so much, and I just wanted them to know how much I cared about them, and how deeply I wanted to help them share the gospel! Afterwards, the Stake President came up to me and was tearing up, telling me that he could tell how much I cared about the people in his stake. I do!! I do!!
So then, we went to the mission office. I tried not to be too excited, because I do love Sister Brown, but I was SO looking forward to being companions with my best friend!!
Well, we got there and Sister Willis was just as beautiful as can be and I realized that it was real and we would be companions and I just hugged and hugged her! 
After transfers, we went to a baptismal preview for the upcoming 8-year-olds who are preparing for baptism. Then, we went to dinner, and then we had a lesson with a non-member who has been going to church for about 4 months!! It was SUCH a miracle! He is SO prepared! And I loved teaching with Sister Willis and feeling her Spirit. I am so excited to serve with her! So, we picked him up as a new investigator, and he said that we could see him next Saturday, and text him throughout the week, and see him at church on Sunday! Woo hoo!
We were running all around, busy as bees, and so we ran to the Mission Prep Fireside. President Boyer, our stake president, did an amazing job! I absolutely love these leaders! 

Welll... What an amazing week full of changes and fun and love. I am positive that these next three weeks will be completely perfect and maybe a little bit wild, but I am sure that Sister Willis will help me "sprint to the end." Also, I am SO super excited, because Abe's baptism (my Amish friend) is this next weekend, and I get to go!! It is a miracle that he came around and I am so glad that he made this decision! So many wonderful missionaries have played a part in his conversion, so I will get to see them there, too!! I get to go with my bestfriend, Sister Willis, and see our other third who we can hardly live without, Sister Summerhays!!!! 
I don't know how to reiterate this, week after week, without just saying it: I LOVE MY MISSION. I Love the Lord. I love my family; my bestfriends; my investigators. I love this gospel. I KNOW that the Lord is 100% aware of ME and my needs. He sends me miracles when I don't deserve them, and He even sends me tender mercies when I feel like I do. 

Love you all!! Have a wonderful week!

4 more weeks!!

Sis Wall and Sis Brown!
Ohhh brother. What a week. I can see how the Lord is testing my faith and how the devil is trying my patience! I am grateful to build character, but it's pretty exhausting! 

Monday: Sister Brown and I went to Daniel's Chocolate Shop (Brother Smith's shop), and it was so good to see him! I introduced him to Sister Brown and we talked a little bit. Of course he gave us samples and I was reminded of how much I miss serving in Cottonwood Stake with Sister Summerhays and then Sister Kiser.
Also, we went to this store called Paisley Pomegranate (and if this were Facebook, I would "tag" Sister Talbert, because I was obsessed with this store when we were together. It's this cute little shop full of perfect things. But, it is super expensive and so they haven't got much business, and they were having a Closing Sale. Sister Brown and I bought a few cute little things, but mostly everything was gone.
That evening, after Pday, we went to some members for Family Home Evening. They invited a less-active family over, and I was so proud of them! We played gospel charades, choosing words and phrases from the Book of Mormon to act out. It was a lot of fun. When we were finished, the kids kept asking if we could play another round! It was a success.
After that, we went to a lesson with the sisters. We read through 1 Nephi 17. We each made 2 columns on a piece of paper, dividing Nephi from Laman and Lemuel. We went through the chapter, writing down things that happened to Nephi, his brothers, or Both, and then we wrote who reacted in what way. By the end, we had this very clear list of attributes. We asked the girls who they felt that they identified with, and being completely honest, they said, "I think we're like Laman and Lemuel..." !! Buuut, it was good because they made the resolve to become more like Nephi! When we saw one of the girls later in the week, she said, "I'm still trying to be like Nephi!"

Tuesday: Ahhh, ALL of our plans and appointments for the day fell through. I decided that the Lord must have needed us to be other places. Well, throughout the day, we had some great great experiences and tender mercies. The Lord guided us to a Less-Active woman, who can't go to church on Sundays because she and her husband both work. She told us about concerns for her children, who are being bullied in school. I told her about Mosiah 24:14, and how the Lord will ease our burdens. After we said a prayer with her, we opened our eyes and she was crying. It was wonderful for us to know that she needed the comfort of the Lord and we were able to bring that to her.
For dinner, we ate with this wonderful member and her 11-year-old daughter. Her daughter had a friend over to join us. As we talked, I realized that the girl wasn't a member. We talked to her about things like Activity Days and going to church. Before we left, I asked if she would want to meet with us and her friend and learn more. Very grown-up-like, she said, "I'm actually really interested in that!" We challenged the members to talk with the girl and her mother. The friend came to church on Sunday, too, so we will see what happens!
That night, we were contacting a referral for a Part-Member-Family. We knocked on the door and no one answered, but as we turned to leave, they pulled in the driveway. Sister Brown said, "Well this is awkward," and laughed, but I was so excited! We went to their car and they told us they'd let us in through the front door. So they opened up and let us come in, as if they had been expecting us.. It was actually kind of weird.. They were telling us how this guy was coming over and he should be there shortly, but they weren't saying it in a way that would make us need to leave... So then we found out that the guy coming over was their sons friend, who had just returned from his mission.. And THEN, we realized that they thought we had come over to see this Return Missionary! Ohhh my goodness. How completely perfect!! haha! We told them we had no idea who he was and that we didn't realize that he was coming over. By that time, he had come in and we were laughing about how "coincidental" (but actually "miraculous") it was that we had come! We sang "How Great Thou Art" with the RM and shared a message, and invited them to learn more. They were polite and said we could come back anytime, but wouldn't set an exact time or anything. Still! It was a miracle, and maybe we just set the scene for the RM to bring them to the gospel! 
Then, we had correlation at the Youngs and their RM son was there (there are a TON of Return Missionaries in our stake). They were asking how to be better Ward Missionaries, and we told the son that he had a responsibility to teach them!

Ohh bother, this is going to be a long email! "Commercial break" if you need it..

Okay, Wednesday: We did a lot of contacting. We'd been given a few Less-Active and Non-member names, so we took the day to visit them. Again, we knocked on a door, noone was home, and then a car pulled up.. This happened SEVERAL times this week! (Tender mercies). Well, the man got out of his car and said that we wouldn't want him to talk to us about Darwin and evolution and all of these things, and we said, You're right, but we'd love to talk to you about what we believe! :) Well, he was kind of a snob, but he was kind, and eventually I just told him that I felt good about the conversation because angels in Heaven were recording the things we were saying.
Also, we visited this semi-less active woman and her daughter. Her daughter is the chorister of the ward and so we sang a song for them, and she was so excited!
That night, we went to the Young Women activity which was "New Beginnings". All of the 11-year-old girls who will be turning 12 that year get to go and check out the Young Women program. We thought our 11-year-old non-member might come, but she wasn't able to. We saw one of our sisters there, though! That's when she told us she was still trying to be like Nephi. 

Thursday: Weekly planning. Then we visited this Less-Active man and he was being so silly. The day before, he told us to come back and then when we came back, he said he had been talking with his wife and they decided they didn't need us to come... We told him that the Spirit prompted him to let us come back, but he was a stubborn one! He told us about how he had committed too many sins for us to teach him. We said that the Savior didn't consider anyone too far away. He said that if he could be forgiven of sins by Jesus, then he didn't need to come back... And then I cried repentance!!
We had dinner with this lovely member family. They were very scared of missionary work. It was hard, because I loved them so much, but I was so sad that they refused to share the gospel!
Later, we went to the family's house, who we've been teaching. A member family from the ward came with us. We read through a chapter of the Book of Mormon. The little member boy was so cute! He is the same age as the non-member boy. He was so intelligent and profound in his understanding of the scriptures! Unfortunately, the family fell off of date for baptism because the husband works two jobs and is never able to meet with us or go to church. He has a desire to learn, but the family is kind of struggling financially, and he has to work. I just absolutely love them and cannot wait for them to be baptized as a family some day. We are trying to arrange to go to Temple Square with them so that they can feel the Spirit as a family. 
That night, we got into the home of a Less-Active woman, her Less-Active fiance, and their 4 non-member boys. They were so sweet and sat quietly while we sang "I Believe in Christ" (We sing a lot because Sister Brown is very talented. I am NOT a singer, but I just sing quietly and everything goes okay!). Well, I guess that members of the ward haven't been able to get into that home in years! The dad said that he wasn't interested in coming back to church, but that they would talk as a family and decide if they want us to come back or not. So.. there's hope.

Friday: We had district meeting. We went out to eat as a district at "The Egg and I" and the elders knew the owners, so we got free food! 
Afterwards, we went to this sweet little Less-Active old lady and read a chapter in the Book of Mormon with her. 

Saturday: Saturday was the 18th, and it marked my "ONE MORE MONTH ON MY MISSION".
More unfortunate things with our investigators.. Sad! Satan is very obnoxious and I don't want to be friends with him. 
Then, we went to a Less-Active. Her furnace broke and so she had her oven turned on and open. We showed up and her whole house was so smokey and I could barely see or breathe! Ahh, it was terrible. And also, she had 6 dogs, who, I will admit, were kind of cute.
This lady had 2 dogs and those 2 dogs had 4 puppies. 6 dogs! Also, her furnace broke and her entire house was smokey because she was using her open oven as a heater. So... We smelled like smoke and dogs for the rest of the day.
That night, the Eberhardts came over. Sister Eberhardt visited with Sister Brown about some things, so President talked to me... "So it's getting close to the end..." he said. I replied, "President.. You have 2 and a half more years!" Pk pk!

Woo! We're approaching the end! Almost done, I promise...

Sunday: Many ward councils. President Boyer, our stake president, offered for you (Mom) to stay in their family's house and said it could be your personal Bed and Breakfast! So.. Consider that ;)
We had a lovely dinner with the Rideouts. They ordered so much Chinese food the night before. Brother Rideout kept calling me "bones" because he knew from the past at Apollo Burger that I am vegetarian. 
That night, we went to a Baptism Preview for the 7-year-old primary children. It was absolutely adorable. 

Okay. This is the end... But really, I have less than a month left on my mission and I am realizing more and more, it's not about the things that I have done as a missionary, but WHO those things help me become. More than ever, the Lord is helping me develop Christlike attributes, and it's definitely not by GIVING me those attributes, it is by nearly forcing me to be in situations that try my patience, my faith, my charity, etc. I love the Lord. I love you! I love the gospel. I love my mission. 
We went to a dinner appointment, and they had the best things. I love this chair! 

5 more weeks... but who's counting?

This week has been full of changes and anxiety and weird things and such wonderful things! haha. I know, don't say it.. Gong show.

Monday... Sister Talbert and I got the calls about Transfers.
Sister Talbert's last day.. Seeing Sister Evan's at Walmart!
 I started my application online to BYU! Ahh! That's where most of the anxiety is coming from! Trying to pretend that I am never leaving my mission, but still making sure that I am not homeless in a few weeks. I'd really love to get into BYU and of course I procrastinated, but let's just see what the Lord can do with me! Bless this mess.
After Pday, Sister Talbert and I went to a member's and did a lesson with her and her less-active 15-year-old daughter. It went really well and she is coming along! She's gone to church 2 Sundays in a row! Woo hoo! We ended the lesson with brownies and icecream.
That night, we stopped by the set of sisters that we dropped a few weeks ago (10-years and 15-years old). Sister Talbert wanted to say goodbye. Before the girls came out, their grandparents told us that the girls asked if we were coming to teach them; they told them No because they made it seem like they didn't want us to come; and the girls were like, "Whaattt, we never said that!" So then they came out and talked to us and we were firm about making sure that they were committed before we said we would teach them again. So they said they will keep commitments and let us prepare them for baptism. We have another lesson with them tonight, and we invited some Young Women, so we will see what happens! 

Tuesday: Transferss! Super long transfer meeting. Seeing almost every face that I love! Sisters Willis, Summerhays, Villoso, Allen, Simon, etc etc. I am so nervous that that was the last I will see my friends for a while! Sad! Buuut, I found out AFTER I got my companion, that I am training her! She is second-transfer, so she's not fresh from the MTC, but of course President would have me train during my last transfer! Anyhow.. My companion is Sister Brown! She is from Virginia. She is 21. She has been out for 6 weeks. She loves to talk... A Lot! And really quickly!! haha. Sometimes she is talking and I'm not listening, I'm just laughing because she is saying so many things so quickly that I can't even follow along! It's a lot of fun.
My new companion, Sister Brown, drying her hair during studies
In the evening, we had dinner with Sister Judy Anderson, the 1st ward Relief Society President, and the Young family. Brother Young is the very newly called Ward Mission Leader. Also, their son came and he JUST returned from his mission from the mission in... Pittsburgh! We had so much fun talking about Pittsburgh and he even knew some missionaries who served in Slippery Rock.
Then, we went to the stake president's, President Boyer, and Sister Brown got to meet him and talk about the senior couple that she previously served with in Monument Park... We are getting a new Senior Couple next week!! They are members of our stake already, but they are called to serve as missionaries WHERE THEY LIVE! I am so so excited to work with them. It is the Carlstons. They are so great. So we discussed some ideas to work effectively with them.

Wednesday: Sister Brown and I (I just realized that I might slip up and write "Sister Talbert" sometimes, but I am actually with Sister Brown now, so sorry!) .. Wednesday, Sister Brown and I set goals for the coming transfer. I am so excited! and nervous! Pretty much every day I wake up with knots in my tummy because somehow my body knows that I only have a few more weeks of this beautiful missionary life! But I am really grateful for the time I have left, and I want to work really diligently and faithfully, and sprint to the end! So.. I decided that these next few weeks, my motto will be: "Have ye inquired of the Lord?" ...If I am struggling, or confused, or tired, or even feeling perfectly content, I can ALWAYS inquire of the Lord as to what can I do better? Beg Him to help me focus and have energy and not be sad about the end! Together, Sister Brown and I set the goal to be 5 minutes early to each appointment. I feel like this is something that I SHOULD master by the time that I go home, but who knows!
Also, we made some visits and shoveled some snow off of driveways. We always catch this elderly sister, Sister Rice, shoveling her own snow. I'm like, "Sister Rice, you are so wild. Give me your shovel and go inside!" She was shoveling without a coat and then we took over and she came out to take pictures of us.. hahah. 
For dinner, we went to Quiznos with Moroni and Jerry! They are just the best. Moroni is this little Hispanic man who is hilarious, and Jerry is this old man who is so cute. They are roommates and best friends. I was laughing so much. They are such good missionaries, too! 

Thursday: We had a looong weekly planning, because I was trying to update Sister Brown on everybody. We made some carecenter visits and even had a lesson with a non-member. She was 7th-Day-Adventist, she was the aid of an old woman we visited, and she was completely uninterested. I invited her to be baptized anyway! Well, she said no.. But one of these days, someone will say Yes!
That night, we went to a lesson with my lovely less-active family, who we spent Christmas eve with. Bishop Jones came with us and committed the husband to prepare to baptize their daughter when she turns 8 in March. He said yes! Then he committed them to go to the temple to be sealed as a family. They said yes! Yaayyy! They are preparing for December 29, this year. I won't be on my mission, but I would definitely LOVE to be there when they are sealed! How special.

Friday: District Meeting. My companion and an elder left, so we had 2 new missionaries in our district, but everyone else is the same.
After lunch, we had a lesson with Eva and Charles. Their non-member roommate came in for our lesson! We were teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so it was perfect. We asked her about her baptism and she said she was baptized Catholic when she was a child and couldn't remember it. I asked her if she would want to make the decision to be baptized and then be able to remember it. She said that she might, and that she would talk to the Marshs about it. Woo hoo!
Friday, we tried contacting people all day. We got a lesson with Tshering and read a chapter in the Book of Mormon with her. I am so proud of her! Her testimony is growing every day! 
In the evening, just before we went in for the night, we tried contacting a less-active, who I didn't know exactly where she lived. We knocked on what I thought was the right door, and RayAnne, this very wonderful member, showed up at the door!! It was the wrong house, but we didn't tell her; she was so excited and invited us in! She has been coming back into activity this past year and said that Satan is really working on her! We talked with her and shared some experiences, and every time I said something, she would say, "I need to write that down," and would write it. I shared a scripture and she said, "I need to write that down."..haha. By the end of the lesson she said, "I would give almost anything to hear you give your homecoming talk!" It was so nice. I knew we needed to see her that night!

Saturday: We borrowed Sister Rice's shovels and spent the day doing random acts of kindness. We shoveled non-members driveways and then left notes, "Love, the sister missionaries," with our phone number. One of them actually called us to thank us! 
That evening, we had dinner with the Prestwich family and it was so so so wonderful. Brother Prestwich, is an institute and seminary teacher, and I realized that is EXACTLY what I want to do! I have never been fond of the idea of being a teacher, but if I were to teach the Gospel, it would be perfect! He said that I really should consider it. They have these classes you can take if you attend certain Universities with Institute.. I just HAVE to get into BYU! It is my dream job.
Later, we had a lesson with our investigator, who is progressing so well!! She is ward hopping around the stake, but she wants to be baptized. The only problem is that she still lives with this boyfriend who she isn't dating anymore.. She has some financial troubles, so she is letting him stay in her apartment to help her pay rent. We just need her to kick him out so that she can be baptized!! He is planning on moving out at the end of the month, so she is on date for February 8.. I pray pray pray that it will happen!

Sunday: Running all around! NOT a Day of Rest, but a Day to DO the Rest! We went to so many meetings, and we were with President Boyer ALL DAY! It was so good though. I love to be busy! We spoke in the 10th ward, along with our ward mission leader, Brother Carlston (the son of the couple who will be our Senior missionaries). He did SO WELL! I made him give me a copy of his talk. He was so inspiring and I actually think I teared up a little bit! The Spirit was so strong as he talked about his experiences with sheep and compared it to missionary work. In one instance, he came across a sheep stuck in this quicksand-like-mud. He thought, "Should I just walk away? Surely someone will find this sheep. It's not my responsibility." ..So parallel to sharing the Gospel! Wonderful wonderful wonderful.
Other things: we helped the 26th ward with their ward conference Primary sharing time. They did an activity revolving around "Fishers of Men" and had the kids "fish" for ways that they could be missionaries. It was fun.
Also, we went to the setting apart of the Carlstons!! It was at their house and the Spirit was so strong! I want to be set apart as a missionary over and over again!
That night, we had dinner with the Boyers. Full house!
Lastly, we went to a stake youth fireside and it was the best thing ever!!! 

Mostly, I love you all and I love the Lord!
Sister Brown got her fingers stuck in her hairband and I made her get out of the car and go into our dinner appointment anyway!

Last transfer!!

On the bright side, I will never have to endure an endless night's sleep, agonizing over where I am getting transferred! I cannot believe that this is my last transfer call. The Zone Leaders called before our studies were even over. I answered the phone and said, "You're not allowed to play pranks on us.. Just tell us the truth about transfers!" So they told us the truth. Sister Talbert is leaving the area, and I am staying in Holladay for my last 6 weeks! I am very very very happy to be here! There is still so much work to do. I love these members. I love our investigators. Thank you thank you thank you, Heavenly Father! 
I am sad to see Sister Talbert go, but honestly, I think that she is ready to move on from her trainer. Spread her wings and fly, ya know? We get along really well, but she's antsy to practice the things she's learned. 

Some wonderful things happened and some sad things happened! We have these wonderful wonderful investigators that we are teaching! They are progressing so well! Everything on the investigator front is great. In fact, Mallory was BAPTIZED!!! However, this week, I had the flu! So sad! 

But some perfect things: We had a font side lesson with Julia and she cried! She is always so early to our lessons, so open and honest, so willing to go to church!  We are praying for a miracle! She came to Mallory's baptism and also to her confirmation. We've had several lessons with her and she's just so great! 

Mallory!:
Mallory and Cory
She was baptized! Woo hoo! I was so so sick, but I just ignored it and went to her baptism! Our landlady, Cecy, ordered me to stay in, but I snuck out and it was so worth it. Mallory was beaming and hugging everyone and so happy! Unfortunately, I missed her confirmation and her testimony during Fast & Testimony meeting, so sad! Our mission president's wife told me to stay in, so I went to the Walker's (the beautiful family!) But, I heard wonderful things about Mallory's testimony! I am so proud of her! She told us in our last lesson with her that she wants to serve a mission! She has come such a long way! From the first time that we met with her and she wouldn't get off her laptop, to now.. Ahh! The Lord is just perfect.

Something really cool: Sister Talbert went to the doctor and found out that she has been experiencing migraines, so I was trying to find someone to come to our appointment with a Part-Member family. The bishop has been trying for weeks to set this up, so I couldn't cancel it. I was praying so hard to find someone to go on splits with me and I thought of this family we ate dinner with a few months ago. The daughter is about 19 and isn't very active, but gave us a ride home and told us to call her anytime. So I texted her and said, "Help!!" and she asked what we needed. I explained and she said she had something to do, but that she would try to get out of it. A few minutes later, she texted back saying she was all good to go! 
So we went, and talked about Trek the whole time because the non-member dad went with his 2 active-member daughters. The Spirit was so strong! At the end, I talked to him about his previous experiences with missionaries and he told me he is on a "hiatus" but that he is reading the Book of Mormon!!! I was SO happy! I showed how happy I was and I grabbed my Book of Mormon and testified of the truthfulness of it's words and promised him that if he would read and pray about it, he will get an answer! I cannot wait to follow-up and see how it's going!

Shorter email than usual. I hardly slept at all last night, so I am in that weird mood where I think that I have a lot of energy, but I am bound to crash any second.. Ahh! I love you so much! Missions are the BEST! The Lord is wonderful. I am so excited to work hard and see miracles this transfer!