Week 9

Hello again!
I got message saying that not all of your email addresses are working, so if you have changed them or something PLEASE let me know. Emmy, I tried sending you an email last week and it didn't send. SAD!

Alright, well I have lots to share so I will try to plough through. Most importantly I got my travel plans. We are leaving on Feb 16th (this wednesday). We fly from the Salt Lake City airport and 10:30am and arrive in Chicago at 2:42pm (their time). We have like a 6 hour layover thre so I will call you from Chicago. I am going to plan on just calling the home phone. I believe Chicago is an hour ahead, and since I will have so long there I can pretty much call any time, so just let me know what time will be most convenient for you all and I will call then (or try my best to). Tell me in both your time and Chicago time so there is no confusion! I don't even know what I am going to say to you! The thought of talking on the phone is kinda the weirdest thing ever. Anyway. We leave Chicago at 8:45 and fly to Munich Germany where we have another 5 hour layover, and then to Vienna for a 4 hour layover and then to YEREVAN ARMENIA!!!! We will arrive at 4:30 am (their time) and promptly collapse at the mission home.

I am so excited to go! I am so scared too, but thats normal. I am excited to get started and to see what its really like there. People can tell you all about it, but I just can't picture it until I get there. It just is too foreign. I am excited to go and really start learning and using the language, and I pray that I will have a deep and sincere love for the people. Love isn't something that you just have. It is a gift from God that sometimes (especially for me) has to be earned, so I am going to work my hardest to earn it.

Okay, news. I am in a tripanionship now with Sister Bailey and Sister Burnham. Sister Huntington went home on Friday. I love her and I am going to miss her, but I am happy for her too. We are actually having a ton of fun together. I didn't expect us to all get along so well, but I am loving it. On Friday I got to go to Temple Square and we get to do sessions there now too. That was really cool. I learned a lot from that session and actually stayed really awak and focused. Probably cause I slept the whole bus ride there and back. That was great. I also got to go with my friends from Calgary! Sister Mirielle Hudson and Elder Brad Peterson. We were in the same little tour group too. It was awesome. We also found another Calgarian there too. One of ouy temple sisters was from Pakistan! She was so amazing. She talked about how her parents died when she was young and so the message the missionaries brought gave her so much peace so she joined the church and decided to serve a mission. She said she has seen so many miracles in her life since, and has been able to be sealed to her parents in the Provo temple. She was so sweet and her story really touched me. That is what I am doing here! It's for people like her that I am serving! The only bad part of the day was when I  got back because SisterHuntington had left a day earlier than she was supposed to so I didn't even get to say goodbye. That kind of broke my heart, but its okay. I will get to talk to her and see her again.

I told you about how the Smiths in my branch presidency are related to us right? Well on Sunday Sister Smith brought her mom, Aunt Alberta to chruch. This was the amazing woman who was jumping rope at the family reunion! When I went to talk to her, I don't know what was wrong with me, but I just started sobbing haha. I just feel such a connection to her. It is so amazing seeing family even if you don't know them well. She gave me a small package and said it was from Uncle Al. It contained a talk that he gave to his missionaries when he was a mission president, and $50. That talk is on obedience and is amazing. I will try to photocopy it and send it home or something. Anyway, I just felt a greater connection to our extended family, even those beyond the veil and it was really cool.

Mom, I am not sure if I am allowed to hand a package over to Hannah, but there is a pickup service thing so I will look into doing that and then let you know somehow. Probably through Hannah, but I haven't seen her lately, so you should try to get in contact with her (or Andrew, that would work too) and sort things out for me. My hands a little tied here. If all else fails, I will just send it home. No biggie.

Well, we are on our week of lasts now! Last night was our last TRC. We had 3 guys this time and they were a little but harsher on us (probably because they were being more realistic), but I loved it. At one point they asked us if we eat babies ( it is a common misconception there because some people think that for the sacrament we literally eat flech and drink blood... crazy), and at first we didn't understand the question and so Sister Bailey sais aiyo.... which means yes. LIke a strong yes. hahaha. I figured it out quick and tried to remedy the situation.  It was pretty hilarious though. They were also convinced that I was Joseph Smith's wife or relation or something. Too funnny. OTher than that it went super well thought.

I GOTTA GO
LOVE YOU!
Sister Smith!