Be rich in contentment through being grateful - Oct 7

Soo many adventures this week!! Where to even start...

Monday I had a super cool experience. We had a lesson with Alfonso that night before home evening and we were talking about the restoration. Guess who we had come to the lesson with us? Imani!! It was the coolest thing ever to have one of my best friends participate in a lesson!! It was such a special moment and one that I will NEVER forget :) Then we had home evening- which was a fellowship dinner and we all got to eat dinner together. It got out that Imani and I know eachother from back home and it was so funny haha

We had so many meetings this week! I can't even begin to tell you. Mission leadership counsels, sister training leader meetings, zone training meeting, sooooooooooo many meetingsss!! But of course I loved them all and learned so much! 

Our ward had a softball game and we stopped in for the first few minutes to say hi to everyone and set up another time with Alfonso. It was so funny because our ward was playing Gable! Man I just love these people soo much!! 

So I have to tell you a cool miracle that happened this week at the Visitors Center. So I was at the back greet and I saw these 2 women coming around the corner. I said hi and one of them looked at me kinda funny. She then says "I know you! Don't I know you?!" Aww man that is the worst when people recognize you and you have to try REALLY hard to remember where you know them from. But all the sudden it came to me and I remembered who she was even though she looked way different and it had literally been a year since I had seen her! Virginia!! I ran over and gave her a big hug! I don't know if you all remember Virginia from my first area? She was a less active woman that we were working with. We had become really close with her and were visiting her 2-3 times a week. She was just the absolute sweetest, but she had struggles. I think what happened was that she got discouraged and then she just decided to shut everything and everyone out. She had literally disappeared! I never had even gotten to say bye to her when I got transferred! And then here she was one year later. I asked her how she was doing and she told me she is having a hard time. I got her information and I am going to teach her at the Visitors Center. Her friend that had come in with her mentioned that they had just discussed how Virginia needed to get a good support group. It was such a miracle and we all felt it. I know that Heavenly Father led Virginia to me that day. He puts people in our paths to help us. This is one of the greatest ways that Heavenly Father shows His love for us. This is how He almost always answers our prayers. When Virginia was leaving I overheard her say to her friend "That was incredible!". It truly was a miracle. After all this time. :)

So General Conference was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! One of the biggest impressions I received was the importance of choices. I also felt like there was a lot that was discussed about Heavenly Father and how He is still aware of us. I am so grateful for conference! I think it is amazing that I can write out a list of questions and by the end of conference all of them have been answered. I hope you all enjoyed conference as well!

Oh my goodness so get ready for a crazy story. So. This was the last week of the transfer.

Did I tell you that? So. Sister Gordon and I were either going to stay together for one more (her last transfer) or we would get split. This whole week everyone was making predictions. They are doing it different this transfer and trying to put all vc sisters with vc sisters in order to prepare for Christmas lights training. There is only one new VC sister coming so we were sure Sister Gordon would get released as a Sister Training leader and I would go to another sister and still be a sister training leader. So we are waiting and after prep meeting on Friday morning President Jenkins came in and was releasing sisters/calling new sisters to leadership positions. Sister Gordon and I waited and.. nothing! Neither of us got released! So then we were sure that we were staying together. 

both of my babies are training! Sister Remington is training 2 sisters at once and her previous trainee is training! I'm a great grandma!!

So fast forward to Saturday night.

Isaac, Stewart and Rebecca

Rebecca, Stewart, and Isaac came in!! It was sooo sweet to see them! They were so kind and bought me gifts and bought doughnuts for all the sisters on shift. So all the sisters loved them :) haha! But so everyone keeps making comments to me saying did you get your phone call?? You only get a phone call if you are training and I didn't get one... Elder Beckstrand told me to keep my phone on me and still nothing! Sister Pickett is going full field in Gable ward and is training!! I am sooo proud of her! She is such an awesome missionary and one of my dearest friends :) So we go home and FINALLY we get a call from our district leader at like 10:15 and.... Sister Gordon is staying in the area and is still going to be a sister training leader, and I am being released as a sister training leader and I am leaving the area, and I am going to be training the new VC sister. WOW I was sooooo shocked!!! No notice whatsoever!! So the sister I am going to be training is

from Kirabati? Some little island so this will be an exciting transfer! I am sooooo sad to be leaving YSA!! I haven't had a home ward since... April? It has been a while so I feel like there is going to be a little culture shock haha!

Family I want to thank you for your prayers. I feel them and I see daily miracles because of them. I hope you all know that I am praying for all of you too! I want to invite you all that while you are going through these kind of stressful times to think about your blessings. Slow down and take the time to remember all the things you are grateful for. That is what I have to do when things happen that are just out of my control. I love all of you sooo much! I know that the Lord is aware of all of you and your individual needs.

I hope that you all have a great week and that you see the Lord's hand in your day to day life. Recognize the small things. I love this qoute from Elder Bednar's talk:

 "Be rich in contentment through being grateful." 

Wise words from an apostle of the Lord :) 

Love, 

Sister Hamstead