(4/1)
Wednesday, April 02, 2014 0 Comments

I've been on a lot of exchanges this past week and have felt like a drifter. It's weird to be in other people's areas almost as much as your own. But I had a lot of fun and met a lot of great people on those exchanges (aka 24 companion switches) so I'm grateful.

Creepy, life-sized Pinocchio that I met on exchanges.

Careful. Buddy is vicious.

I had the opportunity to hang out at the Palomar Institute, which was a ton of fun. If you're 18-30 and single and have some spare time, I highly suggest finding your nearest LDS Institute of Religion and signing up for a class. It's a great, uplifting atmosphere and a great chance to keep working on your relationship with the scriptures and with Christ. And, let's be honest, everyone has room to work on those relationships.

On Friday we attended the funeral of a wonderful, courageous woman, Sister Amelia Ong. She lost her battle to pancreatic cancer the week before last, and we were privileged to listen to her family and friends testify of the Plan of Salvation and the greatness of her life. Sister Ong will always be an example to me and I cherished the opportunity to serve in her ward and to be around her.

We also were able to attend the General Women's Meeting broadcast on Saturday night, which was fantastic! It was really inspiring to be in the stake center with all of the stake's women, from 10 year old girls to 85 year old women. We have such strength in our womanhood. After the broadcast some of the men in the stake had made us dinner, which we ate outside because this is southern California and it's almost never cold. I felt very very pampered. :)

The dinner after the Women's General Meeting.

Some of Sister Harris's famous cupcakes. Sister M's took a nosedive before we could get a picture.

We're finishing up our exchanges this week (which means more adventures) and then we'll be into the end of the transfer. Can you believe that it's April? Can you believe that we're already coming up on another session of General Conference?

How blessed we are to have a living prophet upon the earth to guide and direct us. How grateful we should be to have the technology available to listen to prophets and apostles speak wherever we are, whenever we want.

Something that I'm going to do to prepare for this session of conference is to pray about a question or two that I am going to take during the Lord during that time. This is an opportunity to hear the voice of the Lord as clearly as the voice of man, and when we take our specific problems and concerns to Him, He will answer them and enlighten our understandings.

I am so thankful for General Conference! I am thankful for women like Amelia Ong, whose testimony of Christ remains even after her passing. I am thankful to have this time to be a missionary and to serve those around me with my whole heart and soul. I am thankful for what I have learned here and what I will learn in the next nine months, and the shaping that I will undergo.

Hopefully, when I get home you will barely be able to recognize me.

Love,

Sister B