Have I mentioned that I love being a missionary?

Dear family,

Have I mentioned that I love being a missionary? Man the blessings just keep coming and I am just filled to the brim with joy!! I don't want this experience to ever end!! :( But I'm not going to talk about that.

stage for the Easter Pageant

So many miracles happened this week!! Let's start with Monday. Amazing miracles at the Visitors Center Monday night. Came in for shift and one of the missionaries asked if I would help him and his companion in their lesson with their investigator- show the Christus and take around the art exhibit. I agreed and was super excited! I love getting to be a part of other missionaries lessons! So fun! I was even more excited when I found out who the lesson was for! Do you remember Jasmine? She was the girl that Sister Taumarawa and I were teaching at the VC a few weeks back. Well since I got transferred Sister T kept Jasmine, but I would still see her occasionally when she would come in for lessons. Well it turns out that Jasmine got transitioned over to the Elders in her area and they had taught her a lesson and she committed to be baptized on March 22nd!! Miracle!! So just incase you didn't get the connection, these Elders that were asking me to help with the lesson are the ones that are now teaching her!! I was soo happy to see her and to see how she has continued to grow in the gospel :) Yayyyy she's getting baptized!! Then I had another miracle with one of my investigators that I have been teaching online. I hadn't heard from her in a little while so I sent her a message just to check up on her and she said she was doing really good. I asked her if she was still meeting with the missionaries and she told me yes and that she loves everything that she is learning! The last lesson they had was on why Jesus Christ was baptized and she told me it was really good. I asked her if she was still deciding whether or not to be baptized and she told me that she has really good news- She got her answer and she has decided to be baptized!!! Amazing!!! I asked her what happened/what made her decide to make this choice and she told me her experience. She said that when the Elders again invited her to be baptized at the end of the lesson (this had just happened that very night that we were
messaging!!) instead of just saying no she just really thought about it and thought about all the reasons why she was saying no and for once she wondered why she was holding herself back from being happy. Immediately she felt a sense of joy and peace as she finally agreed to be baptized. What an amazing experience it is to see someone transform as they learn about the gospel and apply it to their lives. It makes me so happy! 

Tuesday was another awesome day. We had VC in the morning and then 2 family night lessons in the evening with some families that are going through some struggles. You know that really is one thing that I absolutely love about being a missionary- your job is to strengthen an uplift EVERYONE. what is better than helping people come closer to Christ?? Then that night I met up with Sister Clemons and Sister Carmack for my last

Sister Clemens and Carmack

exchange of the transfer- back in Gable ward!!!!!!! Wow dreams come true. Seriously Heavenly Father has blessed me with the most amazing last transfer. It is better than anything I could have wished for!! Unfortunately it is making the end seem even more dreary :( But it has been amazing to go out with all these different sisters to serve them and to offer any advice our counsel that they might need- not so good at that part! haha I just LOVED getting to go back to that area and being able to see the members that I love! We went out on member visits and it was awesome to see mostly the same ward council members that I had served with :) then we had mission Leader council and it was awesome!!! Since sister Pickett and I are single sister training leaders we got to be companions again! :D brother Lesvardi came and trained all of us (he came a few weeks ago to the vc) and also brother packer from salt lake came and it was awesome!!!  The highlight of the day was helping out at the yw luau! Sooo fun!! It was a big fund raiser for girls camp. We helped with set up and we served the salad which was really nice cus we got to greet everyone that came it :) the best part was that we had a bunch of less active members show up as well some recent converts and our investigator Nancy!! Such a great night! One of the members was an Elvis impersonator and he did an awesome job!


Ummm also how amazing that Elder Hamstead has been reassigned to the
Missouri independence mission!!!!!!! Woowwww I read that and just  mmediately felt that it was right! Yayyyy!!!!! So our sweet nancy miracle. A member invited her to come to church and she finally agreed and said she now feels ready to attend :) so she came and she had an amazing experience! She felt the spirit so strongly and she felt so much love from everyone that she just started crying! Sooo sweet! I got up and bore my testimony. It was really bitter sweet knowing that this was my last fast and testimony meeting as a missionary :( i am so grateful for the time that I have had- and the time that I still do have to be a missionary. It is the best thing I have ever done! 

So Sunday was busy! The highlight of the day was when we went and had our lesson with Nancy! We invited her again to be baptized and she said yes!!!! She is planning on being baptized on April 19th. :D also in ward council we found out about this girl who's family has been coming back to church and she hasn't been baptized yet (she's 9)! We are having our first lesson with her tonight!! Yayyyy!!! Miracles!! 

Oh and yes you all heard about our cool dinner appointment where the members had 2 nonmembers there. We taught them about the Book of Mormon and gave them a copy. It was awesome! I love what I do :) one of the sweetest experiences of the night was when Nancy prayed out loud for the first time. She felt uncomfortable praying out loud still so I offered that we would each say a little prayer first and then she would pray. She was ok with that so sister younce said a prayer, then me, then the member, and then it was Nancy's turn. Right when she started sister Ashley (member that came with us) grabbed my arm and gave it a little squeeze. It truly was a tender moment and the spirit was so strong as Nancy said her first vocal prayer. When she said amen we all had smiles on our faces and our member was I tears and she told Nancy that this experience took her back to the days of her mission.


All in all this was an amazing week. I am so grateful for my savior Jesus Christ and for his gospel which has been restored on the earth today. I am grateful for how it has shaped me and helped me become somebody better. I love seeing how it changes peoples lives and brings them happiness. I just love everything about it!


Mommy and papa I hope you had a wonderful 29th anniversary!!!!!!! I love you both soooo much and I am grateful for the example you have set for me. I believe in true love because of both of you and the love which you have for each other. Sorry I didn't send you a card!!! I feel really bad!!!! But know that I love you both and I am so grateful
that we are an eternal family :)

Eugenie and Jerel!!!!!! Wooowwwww I can't believe you are going on your one year!!!!! Insane!!! I am hoping I missed your awkward honey moon phase of marriage haaha! Jk! Love you both and I hope you continue to have many years filled with love and happiness together!


Love you family!!!
Love forever,
Sister hamstead
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

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