okaayyyyy well hello!

Notice my emailing time is way earlier the past two weeks because me and sister pew don't have any miles left for the rest of the month so we drive with the other sister missionaries we live with everywhere on p-day.  I can't wait until may 1 because that means we have a fresh stash of miles for the month and this month WE WILL DO A LOT BETTER saving miles.  haha

Dang guys looks like i just have a bunch of missionaries at home!  Mom going out with the elders and you guys having investigators over  for dinner.... DANG YOU ARE JUST ROCKSTARZZZZZZZ!!  missionary life is all awkward so just learn to love it.

And DAD look at you you emailed me LAST WEEK for this week!  wow!  What a pleasure it was to get an email from my DAD!  haaha So the big race is this weekend!  Oh boy I'll be sending my prayers that direction!  you will do great!  Good luck and jus kill it!  I know you will just rock the house and probably take first place like you probably will beat paul bracken dad.  wow.

And Drew and Karls finally graduating HALLELUJAH!  How delightful.

So this week i got to go on my first "exchange" with the "sister training leaders" which was actually fun.  I got to go to downtown Richmond to the VCU campus and work with the YSA ward there for a day!  IT WAS SO FUN!!! They just go to VCU and contact people all day and the kids in that ward are just all stars and help the missionaries so much.  And downtown richmond is SO beautiful!  Oh my gosh i was just in love.  So yeah that was just buckets of fun leaving good ol manchester for a day and seeing what other missionary work is like.

This week we also went to a baptism and Marcellius came along!  Haha it was classic he wore this big old silver chain and it was just so funny but so great because the spirit was so strong and i think he really enjoyed it.  he also came to church yesterday so i may break his neck if he doesn't just bite the bullet and get baptized.  

Also this week we were able to meet with Ginger again and we asked her if she would be open to us teaching her more about the gospel and she said YES so yipee!  She also showed us all around her garden and I was just in heaven i can't wait until one day when i have a garden the size of alaska.  

Also this week I almost went into cardiac arrest when that lady called you mom hahah me and sister pew were just in a panic cause she called our moms.  So funny.  Sister Pew's mom almost had a stroke.  We were dying.

So THIS WEEK david A. bednar comes so I am just stoked outta my mind!  He comes saturday morning and we are supposed to get there at 8 but i think sister pew and i might just camp out the night before HA.  it is gonna be PACKED BEYOND BELIEF cause the whole richmond AND chesapeake missions are coming and an apostle coming to a bunch of missionaries is like channing tatum coming to a bunch of high school girls.

And this week we also got to volunteer at the YMCA which was really fun.  I got the worlds worst tan line and so I am just in a depression about that.  But the volunteering was real fun and a change from our normal routine so yeah, it was just peachy.

I have to give a talk in sacrament meeting on mother's day which is just BRUTAL am i right?!  haha But they told me to be sensitive to the ladies in our ward who haven't had the best experiences with mothers or can't be a mother so I'll have to think of an interesting spin.  Transfers are a week from tuesday but i don't think i'll be leaving which is good.  I'd be sad to leave pew and manchester.

Well peeps that's my report.  It was a good week.  Some days really drag cause we just tract my frickin life away but THAT'S JUST LIFE and this is the work of salvation and i can't complain.

have the funnest week!  Good luck to dad and congrats to drew and karls and hope haden kills it in his tourney!  Lovey you kiddos!  I GET TO SKYPE IN 2 WEEKS YAY!

P.S. mom i'm glad eminem made you think of me.  I still sing it here.  and all the missionaries think i'm apostate.  Just miss music so much!  

P.P.S. dear mason, for your late birthday present to me, would you please send me some C.D.'s.  Josh Groban is approved.  And some people listen to Jack Johnson but I don't think that's too appropriate so I won't give into peer pressure.  Send some good stuffs.  NOT JUST MOTAB I WILL KILL YOU.

P.P.P.S.  Dad what did you give a talk on?  Haden said it went good.  Yeah i heard that from HADEN and not YOU.  

hello hello!

oh wow so biggest news of the week is dad winning march madness.  WHAT A TREAT DAD wow so proud of you.

That's real fun you're going to San Diego.  I'm feeling pretty jealous.  I'm about as white as a piece of paper.  Maybe i'll start fake baking.

Sooo I have just had a week for the books!  I don't remember if i told you about this but about two weeks ago we were out tracting and we met this guy named skylar.  he's like 23ish.  And he is jusssst golden.  Like we taught him the restoration last week and he was just eating up every word we said.  It was AMAZING.  He even said it was amazing we stopped by the day we did, because earlier that day he had been praying that god would teach him the truth!!!! ahhh i almost fainted.  But crap beyond crapper news we have to pass him off to the YSA missionaries.  blehg.

My friend sister newell left thursday morning and I was just a sad little bug all day thursday.  I haven't been that sad on mish thus far but thursday was just a sad day.  Anyway, I pulled myself outta the pit and am doing good.  She was just a peach, but ya know sister pew is a peach too.

So last night was just, WOW.  We were supposed to have a lesson with marcellius and we had a freaking member coming and everything and lo and behold he got backed up at work and couldn't make it.  I was just pissed.  So we go to contact this referral from the elders.  LET ME JUST PREFACE BY SAYING THE WORLD'S MOST ODDEST EXPERIENCE.

It's a mom, and her two daughters- one of them has down syndrome.  We got chatting and within the first five minutes she let us know some very personal information about a trial their family has been going through and i was just like WHOA LADY back up the truck i don't wanna know that but it also was just really sad.  Then one of her daughters (the one who doesn't have downs) went storming out of the room saying she doesn't believe in god and I was just feelin a little bit in over my head at this point.  We taught them about prayer and read with the romans 8: 35-39 (side note: that is like the best scripture ever) and they just were not focusing.  I was literally in the middle of baring my testimony on personal prayers and she starts busting up laughing because her cat was sitting on a picture of miley cyrus.  There are just some odd ducks out there peeps.  And I just am still at a loss for words concerning that whole situation.   

hope that made sense. hahaha

okay.  hmm.  mom i wanted to tell you that the virginia richmond mission has a facebook page that they update like everyday and you could follow it.

Another thing.  EVERYONE BETTER BE SHARING THE BECAUSE OF HIM VIDEO ON MORMON.ORG BECAUSE IT'S THE DOPEST VIDEO EVER AND IT WILL ONLY BE PLAYING THIS WEEK SO GET TO IT.

you can share it on fb or twitter or whatever.

mom i got your letter, thank you that made my whole day.  It came on my thursday (my day of misery).

Sooooo yeah.  David A. Bednar is coming to speak to us on may 3rd so i'm getting pumped for that.  He's just gonna bring down the house crying repentance to us missionaries ohhh boy i can't wait.

Alright everyone, keep it real this week and don't do anything too cray.  you're all just great and i love ya so much.

abbs

hello hello!

Well well well i don't know where to begin.  Glad to hear the family had such a lovely week.  Sorry to hear Cole is sick.  Hopefully he doesn't die.

Hmm so my week was just... ya know.  I don't know if I've told you about Marcellius- He is our most progressing investigator.  How we met him is a funny story.

So we were scrambling for something to do (a very common occurance that peeves me to no end) and i opened up the freakin area book and just randomly pick a house that is close by.  We originally stopped by to see his sister- but instead Marcellius opened the door and we taught him.  He's had the missionary lessons many times but he just gets stuck when it comes to the commandments.  It's just interesting because the elders in our ward had been teaching him pretty regularly about a month prior to our meeting but dropped him, and then we randomly show up on his porch.  I just thought it was cool how the Lord totally led us there- and I didn't even know it.  Anyway, he's actually doing really well.  He totally has a testimony... He just doesn't want to give up tattoos.  But he came to conference on Sunday AND MY FREAKING COMPANIONS MADE ME SIT BY HIM oh my gosh I almost died of awkwardness.  He's like a 30 year old black guy covered in tattoos who says things like "imma" and "axk" (instead of ask.  ya feel me?)  Anyway I sometimes get a little nervous about him because he seems a little creepy but hopefully that's just my little st. george sheltered mormon girl coming out.  Anyway, it's just really refreshing to work with someone who really will read the book of mormon and pray and actually has a desire to progress.... It's really awesome because we can be very bold with him and he doesn't get offended or anything.  

Well i must say i love so much being in a trio with sister newell and pew.  They are just lovely and yeah.  Totally the best thing.  Sister Newell leaves for Nauvoo on Thursday and that's depressing but also good. I will miss her lots and lotsssss.

Conference was the bomb shizzzzzzzle am i right???  oh my gosh let it be recorded in the books of heaven that Abigail Van Orden DID NOT FALL ASLEEP ONE TIME DURING THE 8 HOURS OF CONFERENCE.  I don't know about you but I now believe in miracles.  I'm serious that may be the first time in my whole life i've ever done that.

We had a pancake breakfast as an incentive to get our investigators to come to conference and it actually went really well.  So inviting people to that has taken up a big chunk of our week last week.  It was cool because it really helped boost my confidence.  by the end of the week i was walking up to people no problem and inviting them.  I never in my wildest dreams thought i'd ever be able to walk up to some random human and talk to them about coming and eating pancakes and then listening to a prophet of god speak..... look at what mission will do for ya.

Dad- Me and my comps will work on that thing you want us to do and then i'll get it to you next week.  I'm freakin pumped for you and your iron man.  The training sounds hardcore!  I'm so impressed.  Keep chuggin along.

My fav talks in conf were easily bednar and uchtdorf.  daaaaaaaannngg they just brought the heat!  I seriously loved conference.  It was just the best.  Hahaha i've really been missin out these last 18 years that i didn't care about it.

I feel like this letter is really formal.  I don't know my worst fear is becoming a psycho missionary with no personality.

that's soooo crazy about Quin coming over to my side of the country!  tell him to come visit me.  That's a big decision!  Tell him congrats for me.

OH i wanted to tell you i hit a turning point in life.  I can now start moving on with my life.  I read this talk by jeffery r holland called "remember lot's wife" and it just was a gem for sure.  As hard as i try to stay focused on my mish i can't help but just love the past and sometimes it gets a little troublesome.  It's hard to be here and wish i could still talk to my friends and crap everyday, but that talk really helped me see how FAITH is in the future- not living in the past.  Now i can start moving on from graduating high school.  wowowowow.  big day.

Yeah so that's all i can think of.  Hope you all have a great week and that you know i sure love ya and yadda yadda yaddddd.

Just so you know.  Wil and Lakyn walker are engaged.  who saw that one coming?  no one.

loves to you all

abbs

hey heyyyy fam!

first order of business DAD IS THE WARD MISSION LEADER oohhhhh boy do I have a shpeal for you.  GET MEMBERS TO LESSONS DAD PLEASE DO IT.  and get those vegas missionaries on a roll.  Baptize summerlin with fire.

alrighty.

this week i got a new companion!  Her name is Sister Pew.  She's 22 and from Mesa and she is the dopest.  like seriously so funny.  she reminds me so much of bree hansen.  I'm so relieved.  I was so nervous I was gonna get a psycho companion.  Praise the Lord i got a good one.

So yes.  It's me and Newell and Pew as a trio until April 10th.  And it's just real real fun.  We have so much fun together and can teach so nicely together it just works.  

*side note* wanted the fam to know that living with girls definitely isn't the easiest pill for abby to swallow.  GIRLS ARE VERRYY SENSITIVE.  It's teaching me to be more sensitive.  Which is annoying.  I don't like being sensitive.  hehe.  but I really feel like we've never had any problems, i just have to swallow my pride and help them when they're down.  I can't just tell them to stop being a boob.  You know what I mean?  going from all boys to all girls is a change but I love em so much.

this week was pretty whatever.  We got one of our less actives Betty Brown to come to the Broadcast on Saturday so I was pumped about that.  We also had some nice lessons with our investigators.... Our investigator Michele fell off the face of the earth so that's pretty sad.  She says she's really sick right now but whatever maybe i'll go break down her door and throw her in the font.

We actually had really good success with tracting this week.  WHICH WAS AMAZING.  We found 3 potentials in one day so that was crazy dope.

Sister Pew is really really awesome at being bold and unafraid and I just love it so much.  She's already taught me so much.

I wanted to tell you all about the coolest thing that happened to me DURING MY STUDIES.  yeah.  Buckle up.

So I have been praying a lot lately to be able to better understand my patriarchal blessing.  I always have treasured it, but I just felt like it didn't really help me or tell me anything I really needed to know.  

So i was studying the other day and I realized my patriarchal blessing talks a lot a lot a lot about different spiritual gifts I have.  

I was studying about spiritual gifts this past week and I just think it's so cool.  I read this talk given by Elder Oaks and it talks about how spiritual gifts are only given and able to start developing after someone is baptized and receives the gift of the holy ghost.

anyway- read the talk.  It's awesomeeee.

So yeah!  And it's also cool because President Parker said in my setting apart blessing that on my mission i would become more aquainted with and be able to develop my spiritual gifts!  SO COOL!

I just can't imagine not coming on this mission and meeting all the people i've met and learning all these things........ I just think everyone should go.  Yeah it sucks.  But it's cool too.

hahaha i mean that in the best way possible.
Mother I hope your birthday was everything you could ever hope for and more. It is on the 30th right?  hahah i always get mixed up.  

AND YES MOM MICKELL WROTE ME AND WIL AND LAKYN WANNA GET MARRIED ON JUNE 21st oh my gosh SO STUPID people are so stupid i can't even talk about it makes me sick.  It's also THE LAST thing jordyn needs holy crap i just really hope she doesn't respond in a bad way.  ya know what i mean.

Also my good ol friend James Katoa had his farewell on Sunday.  Remember my little gangster boy?  Yeah look at him go.  Mickell said he did a really good job.

Anyway.  Glad dad didn't die in mexico.

Have a grand week people!  I love ya!

abbs

ps- tell drew to keep killing it in march madness.  sure proud of him.