veryone neeeds to thank their lucky stars cause I MADE IT A WHOLE MONTH ON MY MISSION and didn't even come home.  Wow never thought I'd see the day.

So this week was like.... yeah.

There were no clowns involved so yeah, blessings all around.

This week i experienced a lot of "so that's what it's like" moments.  You know what i mean?  For example Sister Newell and I were planning the other night and we were saying our prayer to end and she starts asking where we should go to tract and after the prayer we both had the same idea of what place we should go to and it was just cool.  before my mish i never really felt like I knew when Heavenly Father was answering my prayers.  My mish has already taught me so much about recognizing that.  i just think it's dope.

We had 2 really good lessons with our investigator michele this week, and on Saturday night after a lesson she agreed to come to church.  And we were so pumped and yep you guessed it she didn't show up.  It's okay though, she'll come next week.  RIGHT? 

We did a lot of tracting this week and saw very little progess.  It's kind of annoying. I WOULD HOPE that if i wasn't a mormon i would at least have the kindness in my heart to listen to two teenage girls who go around sharing what they believe all day errryyyday.  plus the message we're sharing is TRUE so i don't know maybe you should LISTEN bleeehhgg.

Times of drought just mean the rain is on its way.  that's what sister newell tells me.  and she knows everything.  hahah

The people of Virginia are seriously SO DIFFERENT from peeps on the west.  Like i don't know what it is but they are just a different breed out here. 

It snowed yesterday so we were confined to our apartment so that's why i didn't email.  When it snows the whole town literally shuts down.  It's pretty funny.

I don't really know what else to say....... my life is one big awkward moment which is great it keeps us laughing all the time. 

That's cool that you got to go to the symphany thing.  That sounds way cool.  Can't BELIEVE cole didn't go and drew didn't drive down for the occasion.  Literally so shocking.

I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE GOOD THING THIS WEEK CAUSE THIS LETTER IS KINDA BLAH SO FAR.

So this family in the ward, the Cahills (they're the ones who took us out to eat and then had us over again and made us salmon) ahh i love them but anyway.  It's a husband and wife, they're like 50 and their kids are all moved out but his mom lives with them, she's like 70 and she is so funny i love her, but she isn't a member.  So she is like baptist i think and has never been willing to talk with them about the church.  BUT sister newell and I have been "practice teaching" them (really teaching her) and she is listening and being responsive and it's just SWEEEET cause i can just see it in her eyes that it's all starting to make sense to her.  Also I'm learning a lot from it because they ask a lot of hard questions and we study it and also talk about it with them so i am learning a lot about backing everything up with scripture and meanings of verses in the bible.. i think that this experience is something that i will be able to use my whole mission so i just find it such a blessing and so awesome.

We also visit a lot of less active old ladies who have completely let themselves go.  Some people have really sad lives.  yeesh.

Okay love you all have the best week in the history of forever!

abby

ELLO FAMILY

WELL can we all just lay down and praise the lord HADEN VAN ORDEN IS A PALO VERDE VOLLEYBALL STARRRRRR.

can't tell you how excited i got when i read that fabulous news.  Congrats to hain.

ALSO biggest news of the letter this week is MOM bought the freakin eye shadow holy crap i'm almost sure hell froze over SHE FINALLY BOUGHT IT!  So happy for you mom you finally bit the bullet and made the big purchase.  

to answer the boiling question of transportation-

yes we have a car and sister newell is the driver.  I literally laughed out loud the first time i had to back her.  Dad, you were right.  I literally have to stand outside the car and watch every time we need to go in reverse.  It's ridiculous.  But yeah our car is nice.  We don't have a GPS so i had to learn how to read a map REALLY quickly.  Not to mention virginia has no grid system.  all the roads have a mind of their own.  I never know whats going on but somehow we make it to people's houses alive everyday.  I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES.

sooooo sister newell and I did a very unhealthy amount of tracting this week.  wow how i love to tract.  We just have a very dry pool of investigators lately and have been doing everything we can to find.  someday we'll see the fruits of the labors i hope.  tracting is so funny because every single door without fail i have a meltdown right before but then it's okay i calm down and can talk to the people.  no one wants to listen though cause "they have their church they go to their baptist church and they know jesus christ is their savior blah blah blah" so annoying.  I do think tracting is good it shows God we are willing to work hard but i'm not sure it's the most effective thing to be doing.  oh well we do all we can and god will provide am i right?!

Anyway so we did a shiz ton of that this week.  We also had some good lessons with our three (*tears*) investigators.  The problem is none of them really are interested in keeping their commitments.... they just like me and sister newell and the spirit we bring.  So i have a feeling getting them to progress is definitely going to be a process.

One of my favorite parts of this week was we did a couple lessons centered on Joseph Smith.  I love Joseph Smith.  We watched the restoration movie with the Cahill's (the ones we are "practice teaching") which was swell but we also taught a less active about Joseph Smith.  Her name is Cherry and she has chemical sensitivity so every time we go visit her we have to wash our clothes with special soap and wash our hair with special shampoo and use this certain kind of deoderant ya know the whole shabang.  she's a sweetheart but was one of those who was converted to the missionaries, not the gospel.  She didn't even remember the joseph smith story so we started from square one.  It was just the best to teach that lesson.  We memorized the first vision and I QUOTED IT TO HER (hehe) and the spirit just is so strong when you recite those words.  We got to talk about his whole life and read some awesome scriptures from D&C and it was just a really good moment.  It was fun to teach a less active about it cause they understand he was a prophet and that we don't worship him and all that jazz so we didn't have to worry about that.

WORLDS MOST WEIRDEST THING THAT I KEEP FORGETTING TO TELL YOU ABOUT: I am allergic to that EOS chapstic mom bought me for christmas.  My lips have been a very sad story the last month and a half.  Like they were so chapped and peeling every minute and i had big sores on the corners of my mouth that would open up and bleed every time i opened my mouth.... so i just kept putting on more of that eos chapstick but they just kept getting worse!  finally sister newell made me buy some burts bees and my lips have been so much better.  I talked to this lady about it and she also had me buy some cold sore cream which is kinda helping.  The weirdest experience. At first when i talked to the lady about what was going on she thought i had herpes.  I was like.... um.  no.

DAD- could you please send the stuff about my blessing from president parker.  I would appreciate that very much.  Also so happy for you and your new bike.  I bet you two will make the cutest couple.  keep killin it in your ironman training.  It's pretty hardcore!

I HAVE FAITH that next week when i write you i will have miracle stories to tell you about new investigators we have found.  just you wait.

Things are good here in good ol virginia though.  still cold but getting warmer.  my jacket is the bomb mom.  I am in love with it.

OKKAYYY everyone have a blessed week and Cole i hope you know that mom and dad love haden more than they love you.  I also wish you the best of luck at the dentist aka hell.  i hate the freaking dentist.  make sure to get the gas.  that's the only thing that makes it bearable.  And haden good luck with your tournament go our there and kill it in your new duds!  and mom i need to go to the mall too but mission rules are literally psycho and even though there is a DOPE mall in richmond "we can't go there because it's out of our area" blah blah blah stupid.  I hope you get to go the mall soon.  Live it up for the both of us. hahaaaa

okay love you all and i am pledging right this instant to never say the word "y'all" like everyone in Virginia does.  okay have fun byeee

abby