Week 32

I’M STAYING IN CHAMBERS CREEK WITH SISTER PACKARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AH! I am so pumped!!!! We are still STL's too :) I have gotten so spoiled my whole mission! I feel like pretty much every transfer call I've been able to deal with :) haha I was SO worried I was going to be abandoned and have to take over an area that I don't know very well I was stressin’! But, my stress is relieved and I am SO happy! :) I'm sad sister Dean is leaving though :( She is going to Olympia 4th and she's training! Crazy! She's still not going to Argentina. :( She doesn't have her visa STILL. It's ridiculous! The FBI is involved with the whole process now and she has to get her fingerprints redone and everything so it's a PAIN!!! (that's why I'm e-mailing so late) and the poor girl just wants to go to her mission and speak Spanish! It's crazy how much she loves Spanish...but she does! haha But yes, I am so excited to be with Sister Packard still :) We are going to work SO hard! I will miss sister dean like CRAZY! Oh! Also, Sister Hall is going to stay with her companion as an STL but they're getting doubled into Kitsap Lake in Bremerton! Sister Thompson is still in Steilacoom and Sister Baird is still on Bambridge Island I think! :) There's the DL on my mission family :) haha

But enough about transfers, I want to tell you about my week! :) TERRANCE GOT BAPTIZED!!!!! Ah I am SO happy! Ya'll don't understand how much I love this man! He's my favorite! haha His baptism was so sweet! I was nervous! haha First of all, it's a baptism and I always get nervous cuz I'm a perfectionist, and second I had to give the missionary message, and third my companions and I decided to do a musical number and sing "where can I turn for peace" because that's what Terrance has been looking for, peace! :) So, last minute Sister Packard picked up a violin from the bishop's daughter and Sister Dean played the piano and since I have no other talents I got stuck with singing all by myself. I don't do these things....haha! But, It turned out good so that's great! :) haha The baptism went really good and afterwards Patriarch Coleman (he's in our ward and he gave Terrance a ride to the church he's the sweetest man of my life) told us that when he went to go pick Terrance up he asked him if he was sure about this and Terrance said "I've never been more sure about anything in my life" AH!!!!! It made my heart a puddle!!! It was SO great! Then yesterday he received the Holy Ghost! It was SO amazing! :) I am so happy for him! And he's a lot happier too! :) After his baptism we had a lesson (with pizza and cake and ice cream.... :) ) with all our recent converts! Juan, Jon, Kyle and Terrance!!! It was awesome! I have pictures but I forgot the thing this week....so you'll have to wait til’ next week...oops :) haha

Fall is here! It rains SO hard! It's been crazy the last couple of days! It's so fun but very cold...haha :) Oh! On Wednesday I was the happiest girl in the world! The area 70 Elder Bussey came and talked to all the ward councils and the missionaries about D&C 88:73 "Behold I will hasten my work in its time" and how NOW is the time when God is hastening His work, and how we need to work together as ward and missionary in helping God accomplish His purposes! It was so cool, and it made me pumped and, guess what else?! It was combined with Lakewood stake! Aka STEILACOOM!!!! :) haha so I got to see Bishop Mortensen and Papa and Dawn and some other people from the ward! It made me so happy! Steilacoom will always have such a tender place in my heart :) I just love it SO much! :) There are about 85,000 missionaries all over the world RIGHT NOW! How sweet is that!? But God doesn't want 85,000 missionaries...he wants 15,000,000 missionaries! (Aka every member of the church :) ) So be missionaries! Be a light! Share that religious thing on Facebook! Spread the good word! haha :) But anyways I was so happy!

 Afterwards, bishop Mortensen and President Marchant (the stake president in Lakewood) asked president if they could have me back :) haha I felt so loved! :) Awh! And president and sister Weaver did the sweetest thing for my companions and I! they got us some hot chocolate after the meeting! :) and man was it GOOD! :) haha I'm trying to get everything in that I want to tell you! sometimes I feel like these e-mails don't make sense....or adequately cover what I am trying to say, but I just love everything that's all :) haha

So one random fact: every single Thursday during weekly planning we eat an artichoke :) and it's good! haha Oh! Another random thing! I was so touched! Sister Packard's mom is so precious! She sent sister Packard a package and in it she had the coolest thing for all 3 of us! She made this little book for general conference! It has the prophet and all the apostle’s names and pictures in it! Oh my goodness it's adorable! I am going to cherish it forever! But man am I SO excited for general conference! I don't think you know (except matt you might know) of my excitement! General conference is like Christmas for a missionary! Can you believe it was a year ago that the age change was made?!!!? It seems like just yesterday! I still remember everything that happened in those few minutes after he made the announcement! haha good times :) And the relief society broadcast was AWESOME!!! I was freezing and soaked the entire time but it was so fantastic I didn't even care at all! :) haha The prophet is so precious! I loved his talk especially! He misses his wife so much :( It's the saddest thing! But he's such a good man! I just love him! :) If ya'll didn't watch the broadcast you better get on LDS.org Right NOW :) haha cuz it was awesome :)

So we had a miracle this week! On Friday at 6:57pm we were walking up to our last door when sister Dean says "alright last door, miracle door!" and it was! Behind the door was a man named Kaale (like the veggie but with an extra A :) ) And his cute daughter Kaalee :) Kaale has been investigating the church for a while, and he's pretty much already a Mormon, he just needs to get baptized so we're going to baptize him! :) He and his daughter came to church and he brought his mom Miss Debbie Jackson who we found out is actually a non-active member. She hasn't been to church for 35 years and she came yesterday!!! She sat out in the foyer for 3 hours, but baby steps right?! :) It was Legit! :) And Jon got the Priesthood! Ah Jon! I am so proud of that boy! I love all of our recent converts in this ward and they are all doing so good! :) It makes me so happy! :) haha after Terrance received the gift of the Holy Ghost I asked him how he felt now that he was an official Mormon and he answered "taller!" haha! Oh man that man is hilarious! :) Last night was sweet too :) we went to Juan's house (he's an amazing cook!) and we has SUCH good food with all our best friends! :) It was precious :) 

 I just wanted to talk about what I've learned this transfer. :) First of all, I learned a ton about love. I have never been in a companionship with so much love and service for each other! It has been great! I have found that if there's ever a time when you're feeling down, serve someone and you will feel SO much better! :) And that's the truth :)

 I have also learned a LOT about my relationship with my Heavenly Father. As you know I have recently been working on that :) there's always room to improve :) haha but it's been really cool to be able to work on that relationship. I feel the spirit more every day...I feel happy more every day when I focus on that relationship! Sister Packard gave me this great quote! (ya'll know I love quotes :) ) It says "men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whosoever will lose his life to God will find he has eternal life." I have recently found that this is totally true...I have been feeling even happier (if that's possible?) I feel like I understand the gospel more, Ah! I am just so blessed to be a missionary! My favorite things about being a missionary are seeing people change, and realize that it's true, the gospel is true! It’s as simple as that! I know that with all my soul! It’s awesome :) haha

But I am out of time :( so know that I know that my Savior loves me and I love Him too. I know that He is going to take care of ya'll no matter what :) I trust in Him and will always keep Him near :) I'm grateful I can be so close to Him because His gospel was restored to the earth! We have a wonderful prophet who God works through, and He's going to speak to us THIS weekend! I am PUMPED and you should be too. :) Go into General conference prepared with questions for God and I promise you will find your answers. I love you all very much!

Have an AMAZING week! I know I will! :) haha

Love always,

Sister Wilkins :)