Wednesday, March 12, 2014

March 10, 2014

Dear Family!!!!
        
Oh my goodness gracious I have so much to tell all of you! This week ended up being amazing, well the end of it haha, the beginning not so much. Well last Monday night, Sister Austin and I drove around and said good bye to everyone. That was awful. Oh before we went around though, we had dinner with the Karikers. Oh my goodness I might cry just writing about them. That was the hardest goodbye. We walked in and Sister Kariker immediately asks us "Do you know?" Sister Austin tells her that she is staying, and I have already started crying and I told them I was leaving. Sister Karikers eyes started to get watery, and then I completely lost it. She gave me a huge hug and I cried. They tried to comfort me and it as right before dinner, and we always say grace with them right. So normally they pray, and it is just one of the like 2 line prayers from the bible. Well they asked me to say grace! I was able to bless the food and it meant so much to me. I of course cried...hopefully they understood what I said haha. We took lots of pictures and I will send them home :) Sister Kariker said she will write me and I told them I would write them also. Sister Austin sang for them it was really nice. Finally we had to leave, and I gave them another huge hug. Then we were off.
     
On Tuesday we said good bye to more people and I took more pictures haha, and then I was finally in the transfer van and on my way. Normally I love car rides...this one was awful, I got so car sick and almost puked about 4 times until we finally got to Lovell. In Lovell I saw Elder Rust! He was being transferred also. So we were able to talk for a while. I walked with Sister Avrrett  to the gas station where I got some mint gum to help me. It helped so so so much. Tender mercy there for sure. Finally we got to Billings at 8:30 at night. My companion Sister Spencer  was in an appointment and we were early so I did not get picked up for an hour...but that was ok it was nice to just hangout with the other missionaries at the church. Finally they showed up. Sister Spencer's old comp, Sister Newell did not leave till the morning so we all stayed in the apartment and I slept on the love seat..bad idea!  I hurt so bad the next morning haha. So then in the morning, we dropped Sister Newell off and then had Sister Gray stay with us till 4pm (she is Sister Austins new companion) We all went to Cafe Rio for lunch!  So good! Oh my I have missed that. Then later Sister Gray left and it was so nice to just be with Sister Spencer, it finally felt like we were companions and it was becoming my area. We went on splits that night with the ward..no luck..but oh well. 
     
The next day, so Thursday was pretty great. We did not have a ton to do, so we were trying to find people and it was getting dark and we pulled up to this house and it has a super long drive way and there is this scary dog, looks like a rescue dog...we are getting sketchy vibes, so we decide not to get out, and just slowly start driving away and right across the street  this scary guy comes out of his house with a chainsaw! What the heck! He started walking our direction and it scared me so much! So we got out of there. I know that he probably was not gonna do anything.. but still, a chainsaw, in the dark, long driveway, and rescue dog..that is not a good mix to me. haha.
   
Oh Saturday we went up to Colestrip, (2 hour drive).  We drove up to Hyshm and met Liz, a member who drove us to Colestrip. Liz lives in this tiny town and her driveway is like half a mile and complete mud. Our jeep almost got stuck, yes we have a brand new jeep! It is so nice. Well we get in Liz's car and she starts to drive us out of her driveway and she gets stuck. We had to push her car out of the mud! That was so freaking fun!!! My boots were covered in mud and part of my leggings and the tires were spinning up mud and got it in my hair..but it was so fun. Finally we got out and got up to Colestrip. While in Colestip we went to try a girl in our ward and no answer, but behind and to the side of her house there is this deer just squirming and can't get up. We walk over and it just starts to go limp and it died in front of us!!! So freaking sad! I was praying it would die fast though, cause it was hit on the highway that was like 20 feet away, and there was nothing we could do. So I am grateful it died...poor thing..I saw a deer die in front of me... :(
         
Well on Sunday we had a wonderful meeting at church, it was so nice to be there because i was able to finally put names to faces! We had a munch and mingle after, total blessing cause I was starving. It is weird serving in a singles ward cause they are all my peers! It is just different. I love it, but it is different. We get to go to FHE tonight so that will be fun. They had me bear my testimony yesterday in sacrament. Going to church yesterday just solidified that this is supposed to be my area. I am really excited. We have seriously like no work right now. I think I might be here to help build the work up, kinda like in Riverton. We had 4 lessons my first week in Riverton and when I left we had 28. And we had a actual investigator poor and lots of less actives. I am so excited to help find people here. I know that I am here for a reason.
    
It is funny cause I have a really odd area right now, just cause I am in a singles ward and I am an office missionary. I am still trying to get used to seeing the president everyday and having him call us and text us about things we have to do and what we need to get done. It is so nice to just had him be himself. I am used to only seeing him during zone conferences and here he is just himself and it is not as up tight as I thought it would be. I really do love it. I am a little worried cause I am not good with computers and we use a lot of word and excel. I love Sister Spencer so much!  She is awesome!! I know we will get along really well, we already do. She is great. We live in a ghetto apartment, it is a basement. The apartment has no heating so we have heaters. We have like 2 outlets in the whole place so we use lots of extension cords haha. The apartment is awful but it feels a lot better since I have a companion I really like and so it makes up for it haha This is the first time on my mission that I have not lived with members. Well everyone I love you all so much and I can't wait to email you all about what will happen this week! Have a wonderful week. I love you all and I know that this church is true. I know that we can apply the atonement whenever and wherever. It can bring forgiveness but also comfort when we are scared. Our Savior understands us individually and can help us individually and we can turn to him. I have really learned that this week. That if we let him comfort us and help us he will, he is just waiting for us to let him in. I love my Savior and my Father in Heaven so much. Oh and my address is the mission address so sent mail there since I am there for two hours 
a day each day but Sunday. Address:  1848 Rimrock Rd. Billings, MT 59102
               
 - Love Andrea

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