Transfer Week!

Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't write an email last week. It was such a busy week, and I got transferred!

I won't go into the details of all the business and craziness that happened last week, because I also need to write about this week haha. But it would be accurate to say that it was one of the busiest and most joyous and most exhausting weeks of my life. I'll send pictures and you'll have a good idea of what was going on.

As for this week it was also both joyous and exhausting! I don't know how to portray to you the chaos that it has been but here's a list of some highlights:

• I went on my first blitz as an STL and Sister Theurer (from Ridgeline!) is so incredible! 

• I met so many people from so many places! So many states, England, Jamaica, and of course every Latin American country

• Sister Rowell is an awesome companion and I'm already learning so much from her

• I spoke in church again! 

• My new district is awesome!

• Sister McMullin is in my district again! 

• MLC was so motivating and I got to see some of my favorite missionaries there!

• I feel like I'm figuring out who the people we are teaching are and who the members of our ward are!

• We did yard work at the temple and I got really sweaty and I stepped on the white concrete with my muddy chacos

• I got to account directly to the mission President which is so awesome because I feel like I got to make a good personal connection with him!

• Carried a large couch down 3 flights of stairs

• I no longer have a couch

• I went on my first exchange as an STL!

• I had an impromptu lesson in a brunch cafe

• I got fed so much pasta 

• I learned Jamaican slang

• I learned some ASL

• I ate a ton of brownies

• President Schmiel spoke to me in Spanish which threw me for a loop

• I could go on and on, but basically I was super busy but super happy:)

Large Plates 

I'll go where you want me to go

Last week was stressful because of the anticipation of transfers. It's the first time we have had transfers since president Schmeil got to the mission. No one knew what to expect.

I've been in my first area for 9 months, which is a very long time. Everyone talks about how crazy it is, whether I'm there or not. Anyone who knows me knew it was time for me to leave. Not because I didn't want to be there anymore but because honestly my time was up. Someone else needed a turn in that area. I had kind of accepted that. 

But the thing is, I had no idea where I was headed. I had heard about a hundred rumors or ideas that people had and I had zero clue which one was true. 

Fortunately, we were blessed to be able to go to the temple on the Thursday before transfers! Some of my very favorite members, Boris and Yerika, went to get their endowments!

During the session, I learned a little bit about the law of consecration. The thought came to my mind: that's what you need to study in the Celestial Room. So, when the session was over and we entered the Celestial room, that's what I did (after hugging all of my favorite people ever). I opened up to D&C 42 and I immediately felt like it was speaking to me.

And then I got to this verse. And it hit me.

"And from this place ye shall go forth into the regions westward; and inasmuch as ye shall find them that will receive you ye shall build up my church in every region."

The first half of my mission has been in the Orlando South Stake. But at that moment, I knew God had plans for me in the Orlando West Stake, in the area of Horizon West.

It was really hard to leave the Buena Ventura area. I miss it every day. But I know without a doubt that I am exactly where I need to be. And I know without a doubt that my mission president is called of God and he is inspired by Him in every aspect of his work. 

I'm really excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for me in this area. I'm already feeling really good about it. It hasn't been an easy week by any means but I have never once felt like this isn't where I need to be. 

I know I'm supposed to be in the west, and to build up the regions round about. Next week we are starting a Spanish group in a chapel 45 minutes away, and I know the Lord needs me to help build up Zion there. I know the Lord needs me to help build up Zion in my ward, and in my district and zone, and in each of the respective areas within this zone. 

Time and time again Heavenly Father keeps showing me signs that I am exactly where I need to be. Miracles are everywhere and I am just so grateful that my Heavenly Father allows me to see the miracles, and in some cases, to be the miracle. Here's to the second half of my mission!!

What is truth?

 Large Plates 

The new family we're teaching, service at the Salvation Army, brunch, transfer news and member meals

As far as pday goes, we didn't really do anything too notable haha. It was still super fun though! We played games at the park and I got some Jersey Mike's and I got a ball out of a tree so the Elders all called me Hermana Squirrel haha.

We started teaching a super cute family this week! Pamela & Luis and their kids!! They actually live in our apartment building haha. They just moved in so when we went over they didn't even have furniture yet! We stood by the kitchen counter and just talked about faith and got to know them! They're really cute.

Our weekly service at the Bishops storehouse got canceled because there weren't enough orders. We were pretty sad about it because Storehouse is super fun and Elder Holladay, the manager, is one of the best human beings on this planet. Also it would be the last time this transfer! We called up a member of the stake who does a ton of service to see if he could hook us up with something. He coordinated with the Salvation Army and we got to go make a thousand sandwiches for them to give to the homeless! It was super fun and the best part was when Elder Holladay showed up!! He had some food from the Storehouse that he needed to give them. They told us they needed help unloading a truck and when we went over Elder Holladay was there! It made my whole day, and everyone else's too. 

We invited Elder Holladay to come to lunch with us! We went to a cute brunch place and I had a super yummy waffle. At the beginning, Elder Holladay excused himself to go wash his hands and apparently while he was up he told the waitress he was going to buy all of our food. We were all super surprised at the end when we asked for our checks and the waitress said he had already paid! He's too nice & now we owe him one haha. I don't know if I've already mentioned this but Elder Holladay is going to be the new Orlando Temple President starting this summer! I'm excited to be able to go to the temple and know the president so personally.

Also a side note: the same day Elder Holladay paid for our lunch a nice lady paid for our ice cream! We were very surprised because that just doesn't happen in Florida haha.

This Friday we got transfer news! We got a call from President Ashcraft at around 10 a.m. and he told Hermana Morris that she's going to be moving all the way across the mission to be a Sister Training Leader in an English area. We were so blown away. We had a few predictions for where she could possibly go but that was not one of them haha. She's going to do so good! I'm very excited for her. And she gets to live by the beach!!

As for me, I will be staying here in Buena Ventura and I will be TRAINING! I'm super excited!! It's going to be a lot of responsibilities and a lot of pressure, but it's going to be a lot of fun. I still don't know who my trainee is, I'll find out Tuesday morning when I meet her!!

On Saturday, we ate so much food. We had a member meal at 1:30 (where I ate enough food to last me a whole day), another at 4:30, and another at 6. I thought I might die. I changed dresses between the first two so I could wear a dress with pockets. Why? So I could put a zip lock bag in each pocket and put food in them when people weren't looking haha. (Shoutout to Aunt Rachie for the idea) I left the second meal with ⅓ of a burrito in my pocket haha. We got to the third meal a little late but it ended up being okay because the member forgot she was supposed to feed us haha. This meal was with the Elders too and they got there first, fully expecting and hoping for a meal. This member is kind of a crazy old lady so she forgets and gets distracted a ton. She said it was nice to meet me for the first time even though I've talked to her almost every Sunday for 4 and a half months haha. Needless to say, I was grateful she forgot about feeding us cause I thought I might throw up right then and there. And we had leftovers in the car for the Elders' dinner haha.

Small Plates 

What is truth?

This week in my studies, I learned a lot about truth. About what it is, and how to find it, and why it matters. 

There's an old story about a bunch of blind men trying to find the truth. They come across an elephant and do their best to make sense of what they observe. One man, grabbing the tail, notes that an elephant is like a rope. Another man, touching the trunk, determines an elephant is like a large snake. The third man runs into the leg and concludes an elephant is like a tree. The last man finds the tusk and is certain an elephant is like a spear. 

Are any of them wrong? No. Are any of them right? Absolutely not. So how should they find out the whole truth? 

They could discuss their observations and come to a more informed conclusion. They might determine that an elephant is like a tree with a rope hanging from an unreachable branch. Or that it was like a large snake holding a spear. Those conclusions might be more accurate, but they still aren't the whole truth.

This is how relative truth works. We, as humans, are incapable of understanding everything there is to know. But as we observe more of the world around us, the things we do understand become more true. As we learn more about the human body, or about human nature, our truth changes. As we learn more about the universe, our truth changes. 

There's a difference between relative truth and absolute truth, though. Relative truth changes as we come to understand more. Absolute truth doesn't change. Ever. 

In the case of our story, the absolute truth would be this: "an elephant is an elephant." 

No matter what the blind men observe about it, it will always be an elephant. 

We can increase our understanding of relative truths by discussing with other people their conceptions of truth. But if we want to understand the absolute truth, we need to ask someone who knows the whole story. Those blind men would be better off asking a person who can see the whole elephant. 

They can still make their own observations of the elephant after the seeing man told them what it was. But their observations wouldn't change the truth. It would just strengthen their belief in the absolute truth. 

The same concept applies for us. We can talk with as many other people as we want about what is true. We will certainly learn more by doing so. But we will never know the whole truth until we ask the Creator of Truth. 

There are so many absolute truths that are essential to understand to have happiness in this life and the life to come. 

I could list a hundred absolute truths we should know, but for the sake of illustrating the principle at hand, I want you to think about this question:

Do you know that God loves you?

Any person could try to articulate God's love, but no human definition or explanation will ever amount to the witness that comes straight from the source. If we ask God if He loves us, He'll tell us the absolute truth. Spoiler alert: the answer is YES. But don't take the evidence from me. Go ask Him. He knows better than I do, anyway. 

And then once you have received the absolute truth through the Spirit, every observation you make from that point forward won't change the truth. Rather, it will increase your understanding of the truth. 

The truth won't change because of you. But you will change because of the truth. 

You'll see something beautiful and you'll remember something you already know. God loves you. 

You'll receive an answer to a prayer and you'll remember. God loves you. 

You'll meet someone who will change your life and you'll remember. God loves you.

There's so many things in this life that testify of the most important absolute truth there is. 

God loves you. And that will never change. 

Saying goodbye to Hermana Morris in the last Sunday in the 

Buena Ventura Ward. 

Leaving on a Jet Plane- Saying Goodbye

The day has final come and I'm heading to Orlando!

    

    

   

  

Text from the gate to mom