5/2/2022
Wow what a week. This week has been a more difficult week for me. I have been mentally and physically exhausted for some silly reason! That being said I have made it through still finding joy everyday.
Last week to have the last big hurrah with Sister Schmidt we went to Swan Falls. This is in the middle of nowhere right outside of Kuna but it’s in our area! It looks like if you’re driving out west in Manti, nothing is there lol. Kuna is known for ‘Birds of Prey’, they have huge wild birds all over. It’s crazy! Swan Falls is a huge historic Damm on the Snake River out there in the middle of nowhere. You’d have no idea it was there but it was gorgeous once you actually got there! We had fun skipping rocks, hiking around and breathing the fresh air. So much fun. I love the opportunities to escape from the everyday grind.
TRANSFERS! This week I helped Sister Schmidt pack her bags and get ready to make the adventure home. It was surely a hard situation for both of us but we made the most of it. This was the first time I stayed up past missionary bed time… She wasn’t ready!! Thank goodness she had a good companion who is a genius at tetris lol. The morning we took Sister Schmidt to the mission office, our cute roommates took us to Reed’s dairy. ” it’s your thing, we had to!” That was the cutest thing! We got to go one last time before we had to say goodbye! Then they played our favorite jam songs in the car and we talked about our favorite memories together. I was holding it all together and enjoying myself until we took the exit and I saw the Boise temple. I immediately felt myself tear up. I was scared, sad but maybe excited too! So many emotions! I looked over and Sister Schmidt had the same reaction. I couldn’t keep the tears in. Sister Oliphant grabbed my leg and she said “This is the hardest part of the mission. It’s especially hard when it’s your first time. She is all you know! ” I thankfully shed only those few tears then I was okay! We got sister Schmidt all settled in and checked into her travel information stuff. Then I met my new companion! Sister Allred! She was meant to be my companion! I gave my final goodbye to Sister Schmidt and then we were off!
Sister Allred Is so cute! I already love her so much. We are so similar! She is an EMT and worked as a CNA too! We have had so much fun telling each other our funny, hard, and scary medical stories. She also came out on her mission at the same time as me. I didn’t know her much before other than the plane ride to Boise. She is from Pima Arizona, is a country small town girl, Loves country music and animals. SEE MEANT TO BE! She served in Nyssa Oregon the last two transfers. So excited to learn and grow together.
Our first lesson together was an old lady with really bad dementia! Aww we sure loved it though. The whole lesson consisted of the same 3 questions lol but it was still so fun. We taught three lessons together on that first day together, It was cool to see how well we really can work together. God always has the best plan for us and for his people. It’s not always easy and we have a long way to go but I can see us going a long way.
FRIENDS, Sister allred has already met three of our friends! Linda sure scared her. She is hard! Heavenly Father is sure testing us through her. We are still making progress with her though. She came to a baptism with us this week. What a huge thing for Linda! We still don’t know if she is open to accepting it for herself or if she is still just learning for her husband. There is a scripture that says, Gain the knowledge for yourself then simply open your mouth to speak and I will give you the words. ( don’t have my scriptures here otherwise i would tell you exactly) I feel like this is what is happening with Linda. I don’t know how we can answer her hard questions. BUT WE DO. Have faith, put in the effort and Heavenly Father will bless us to bless his children! I know this, I have seen it happen to me! Peggy is still progressing huge. I thought it was so cute, this week she invited her friends to church! just 12 weeks ago she wasn even coming to church herself. What a huge change of heart. It’s amazing to see the spirit work through people.
Some tender mercies I saw this week. I was having a bad day and we went to a ward fundraiser and all the small kids came and gave me a huge hug and said,” you were at my house, I love you!” They remembered me. It was the small nudge I needed and a small sign that Heavenly Father was aware of me. lasty It began to POUR. The streets were like a river! We couldn’t go out on a bike at this point, so we used our time in another way. We were both just feeling down. Sister Allred opened the door and said come sit. We bundled up in blankets and sat on our balcony and watched the rain together while finishing up our day. This is the first time I really connected with her and we enjoyed the small things in life! It was honestly the highlight of my week. Love you all! Thank you for your support! Let me know if I can ever do anything for you!
Pictures
– Sister Allred and I
-Swan Fall
