Mission Savy : Ohh look! A bunny! .....that's a rock....whoops....

Hey all!

Guess whaaaaaaaat! I get to stay in this wonderful place for 6 more weeks! I'm so excited. I nearly cried when I found out :) #alwaysavoidingtransfers Sister Hurst is also staying! WOOT! It's amazing how fast my love for the people here has grown in just 6 weeks. Ah. Missions are the best:)

I had a pretty cool moment yesterday sitting on the back row of the chapel, just looking around at the "Mighty Monad" Ward. What a blessing and a privilege to be a missionary serving there. There were so many amazing examples sitting right there that it brought tears to my eyes. As missionaries, we have the trust of a lot of information of people's personal lives, and it really hit home for me seeing the things that so many of the Ward members are going through.

I see the new sister that moved in who courageously introduces herself to as many people as she can before the meeting starts. The single mom of 4 kids under 4 -whose husband left her just 3 days previous- with all of her kids braving church for the first time completely alone. I see the recent convert who is blessing the sacrament. The man whose wife left him just a week previous to follow her addictions, greets other members of the Ward cheerfully. The recovering addict who came to sacrament meeting because she knew she needed to take the sacrament, only to return right after the meeting to visit a granddaughter in the hospital ICU. The bishop who races the clock to hug as many of his ward family as he can The former bishop- battling heart failure- who gets to sit with his family for the first time in a long time now that the time has changed. The young dad that won let his wife leave the chapel and instead takes the kids out himself:) The young man preparing for a mission that gathers the courage to bear a powerful testimony and set the example for the rest of the youth to come and share their testimonies. The returning less active family that arrives to church early and chooses not to sit on the back row this week. The family of 6 that is there every single week sitting reverently on the 4th row.

Those are only a few examples, but it really made an impact on me. It reminded me of a quote by President Uchtdorf I think, "The church is a hospital for sick people to come and be healed." How true that is. We are all there to be able to partake of the sacrament and be free of all the mortal clutter we have collected throughout the week. Our wounds are bound and we are healed through the atonement.

Let's see... What else has happened this week? I'll insert some random journal entries :)

Tuesday: welp. I currently smell like I smoke 5 packs a day, dog drool from at least 3 different dogs, and enchiladas. It's a miracle anyone lets me in their house. Hahaha

Wednesday: I read a quote today that I really love. "Do we just talk the talk or do we ENTHUSIASTICALLY walk the walk?" It's not enough just to do. We have to love it :)

Thursday: *tries to read handwriting* *not possible* it was a long day ;)

Friday: We spent the day delivering cookies annnnnd weekly planning. #woot we had antelope for dinner and that was super good! Slept through all the fireworks ;) how cool is it that we not only get a clean slate when the new year starts but a REAL renewal every time we repent.

Saturday: visited St. Vincent's hospital today. Vanessa's granddaughter is in the hospital so we brought the Elders with us so she could get a blessing. Oh man. Pediatric ICU :( so sad. But the spirit was so strong and her granddaughter stopped crying right as the blessing ended. :) OH. When we first walked into the hospital, these people pointed at us. And said they might need us later. We had no idea who they were. But eventually we figured out they were members from Wyoming and had a son in critical condition. They needed oil to give him a blessing. The timing could not have been more perfect. God truly is in charge. :)

It was a great week! Happy new year! Love you all!

Love,
Sister Fletcher :)