Oh boy Oh boy!

What a fantastic and awful week!  Ha!  I learned so much that I feel like I have been an awful missionary for not doing the things that I just learned…I don’t know if that makes sense at all!!  I feel SO GRATEFUL TO MY HEAVENLY FATHER to know that this week I celebrated my year mark!!  He has carried me along this long already!!  June 20th I entered the MTC!  I feel like it was a lot longer than that because of how much I have changed…But I also feel like I came into the MTC a week ago.  It’s really complicated to explain!!

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Alright.  I’ll start off with our Goodbye conference to President and Sister Jergensen! I was asked two nights before to SING A SOLO at the conference!!!! But it’s okay because this was an oppurtunity of a lifetime. 🙂  One of my favorite American Folksongs is “Homeward Bound.”  Obviously, that’s not a hymn.  So Hermana Hunter and I changed the words to “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer.”  Ah!!!  Hand’s down it is my favorite song ever now!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂  When I sang it, I felt like I was singing to Joseph Smith.  I felt like I was baring my testimony to everyone!  And I don’t even care that I messed up and forgot some of the words, because the spirit was singing FOR me. 🙂  Two elders came up to me and told me they felt the spirit so strongly that they cried.  🙂  It definitely wasn’t me, but I was so grateful for that oppurtunity to THANK my sweet presidents before they left. 

I will miss them more than I can say!!! They have changed me in a way that I will never go back to my “old self!”  Before I came to this mission, there were personality traits I knew I needed to fix. I prayed for help to know which characteristics I needed to develp in order to be a better missionary. Among those traits were: gratitude, sence of humor, more spiritually mature, remaining positive, ettiquite [how not to eat like a pig…;)], and a deeper appreciation for the atonement. Everything that He taught in His trainings!!! Can you believe that??! I honestly know I was sent to this mission to learn from Pres. and Sis. Jergensen. And it’s so cute because they always laugh and smile.  When you call Sis. Jergensen with a baptismal date or good news, she does this fun cheer.  “Yaaaaahooo!!!!!” 🙂  I would’ve NEVER expected that from a mission president’s wife, but I’m so thankful they taught me you can be rowdy and spiritual at the same time. 🙂

News update!!!!!  The MISSION IS SPLITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AH!!! MY FIRST AREA!!!!! PEORIA ILLINOIS ISN’T IN THE DES MOINES IOWA MISSION ANYMORE!!! It’s so sad!! Want to know something crazy too??!!!  It’s now the Illinois Chicago West Mission…Which is where my BEST FRIEND, HERMANA VANESSA LUNT IS SERVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was so happy, but sad to miss all of our wonderful missionaries who’ve been in this mission. 

Ok, I don’t have much time left for investigators…sorry.  The Zone Leaders wanted to come help us out with Randy.  They gave him a blessing and a great Lesson with Sis. Fisher…But basically…Randy called later and told us that His Elders/Pastor/Mom have been telling him all kinds of stories about us.  He was supposed to be baptised this weekend.  CUT TO THE HEART!!!!!!! I loved Randy So much!  He was so personable.  We’re going to continue praying for him though…no worries! 🙂

We took Alicia and Savannah to a YW activity and they loved it!  🙂  She fell off a horse though…Too bad!  We just need to get her out of bed and to church!!!  We have teenagers who live next to us and always talk to us!  So we invited them to come to a service activity at the Hospital.  We rode our bikes about 8 miles to the hospital and painted old people’s fingernails!  🙂 It was really a cute idea to serve!

I started to help Alia speak English.  We’ve got to soften her heart!  She hasn’t been to church for 12 years because someone offended her.  BUt we are having exchanges with spanish sisters who will show her what God’s love is all about!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 :0

THE NEW MISSION PRESIDENT’S MEETING LAST NIGHT WAS SO ASTONISHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am so grateful and blessed to be a missionary out right now!  I can’t even express how much it means to me.  I keep falling and Heavenly Father picks me up over and over again!! 🙂

I love this gospel!!  I love how much trust Heavenly Father gives me and how much he Loves me even though I am so weird and crazy!  Thank you for supporting me and reading my testimony.  I know  He feels the same intense love for you. 🙂

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen!!!

Sister Tobias 🙂