May 5, 2014

Dearest Family,

This is the last day of the transfer. And guess what?! 

#1: I got released as a sister training leader. First one to ever get released in our mission haha. 

#2: I'M TRAINING!! I am SO excited. It is exactly what I needed right now. God is so good to me. 

#3: I'm getting transferred! So I'll be whitewash training starting tomorrow. I'm going to Westminster. I've done several exchanges there so I know the member that we're living with (a little bit) and I've been in that area a bit. I'm really excited. I'll share the ward with my zone leaders so that will be...good :) A little bit stressful,  but really good. It is also really close to my old ward in HB. So I may see some of my favorite people down there every once in a while.... 

And....I get to go back to my favorite farmer's market where I can buy raw milk. Yesssss. 

I'm going to be really sad to lave Granada. I have really come to love the people here a lot. And I really love Sister Oler. She is also training-here-and I'm so excited for her. Training is the best. But I'll be sad to not be her companion. We have had some good good times :) 

Hiking the hills of Whittier: 

Going out to eat with all the gift cards members give us :) 

And taking pictures after planning :)

(Sorry for the lack of pictures lately. Hopefully these last two emails will make up for it....)​

This week was pretty crazy. More exchanges and meetings and practices. Oh yeah, I sang in the departure fireside last night! It was fun :) Somehow I've managed to play that piano or sing at every single one of them. Whoops! We had MLC on Friday. It was my last one so I got to give my goodbye testimony. It was sad. But it will be a really good change for me. I get to be just a regular old missionary and work just in my area instead of doing 9 exchanges every transfer :) But I'll really miss the meetings that are SO inspiring and being able to work closely with President and Sister Tew and the other mission leaders. But it will be all good :) 

Monday: FHE with the Thomsons, lesson with our investigator Steve, and then driving to an exchange!

Tuesday: Exchange with Sister Anderson. She is from Utah. And she is super awesome. I learned so much from her. 

Wednesday: Exchange with Sister George! Except I forgot to get a picture with her :\ She is from Idaho. She is a nurse! We had a lot of fun talking about nursing school and just nursing in general. I LOVE her. I felt so comfortable with her even though I had pretty much just met her. She has been on her mission just one transfer. 

One experience we had on that exchange was a lesson we had with a less active. Sister George began by asking her some really inspired questions. As we talked with her she began to open up and shared her testimony as well as her concerns with us. As we were sitting there I was suddenly overwhelmed with what an amazing calling I have to be a missionary. We come to people's homes, we represent Jesus Christ, and we help them overcome their sins and come back to Heavenly Father. No one else can do this! I am so so grateful to be a missionary. 

Thursday: District meeting, weekly planning, and then an activity for some of the families in the ward we are working with-the Thomsons and the Becerras. We made them chicken salad sandwiches and had cookies for desert. Then we played several games (including red rover. Good times...) and had a little scripture at the end. It was so fun. 

Friday: MLC! 

Saturday: We talked to lots of people. Sister Oler got asked for her number several times. That was funny :) And it was reeeeaaaallly hot. Whew. I miss the dry heat of Utah. Or I just got spoiled with the beautiful weather for the last several months haha. 

Sunday: Steve and Julio came to church! I was playing the organ so I got to look out over the audience and I guess they came in just before the meeting started. It is so so exciting when people you are teaching come to church :) Then we had the departure fireside. It was really good. 

And now we're back to Monday. I have to pack and clean and then we're going to play volleyball with the elders in our district. 

But here is the best part of this whole email...

I GET TO TALK TO YOU IN ONE WEEK!!!! 

And we can even skype (it didn't really work last time but maybe we'll figure it out this time). 

I'm not sure when the ward in Westminster meets but we'll probably call sometime between 1-4? I don't know. Just after church. Just be home, okay? :) 

I am so happy today. I love being a missionary. It is so ridiculously hard and tiring, but it is also amazing and beautiful and so so happy. 

Don't forget to read your scriptures. 

Share the Gospel this week. 

Love you! 

Love, 

Sister Andelin