HELLO people!

So I think I need to start off by rebuking Dad.  He told me he ALMOST thought about me everyday.  WHAT up with that SVO?  you better think about me everyday! 

Another thing before I forget.  MASON JOHN VAN ORDEN SENT ME A PACKAGE IN THE MAIL.  Yes, also I don't know if you heard, hell froze over.  BUT seriously!  He sent me some wonderful C.D.'s that me and my comp have been jamming to.  So thanks a millions mas, you rock my socks! 

So so so!  I HAD THE FUNNIEST MOST BEST WEEK OF MY WHOLE MISSION HAHAH YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO DIE.

So to start off I am getting transferred!  Holy crap I feel like my head is spinning all the days.  I won't know where I'm going until I go to transfer meeting tomorrow... So you guys will have to be on the edge of your seats until next Monday.  STAY TUNED!  It was really sad saying goodbye to my ward family in Manchester.  I truly grew to love all these weirdos and I just feel really grateful and humbled that Heavenly Father sent me all the way to Virginia to meet these amazing people that I undeniably needed to meet.  I am so grateful to know, to truly know that the Lord is leading my life.  I am exactly where he needs me to be doing what he needs me to be doing.  I want to retain that feeling throughout all my days.

This week we taught so much and every night I laid in bed and just died of happiness.  Teaching makes me so happy.  Scrambling for things to do and tracting for 4 hours makes me so not happy.  I LOVE WHEN WE HAVE EFFECTIVE THINGS TO DO LIKE TEACH THE GOSPEL.  Seriously so many miracles this week.  Like, one morning we went out tracting in our apartment complex.  We knock on this door, and this lady yells through the door, "who is it?!" and we say the sister missionaries (typical Virginia).  She ask us to come back in ten minutes cause she just got our of the shower.  So we leave to knock some more doors, find a lady, teach her about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ- AMAZING, and then go back like fifteen minutes later to this lady's house.  Her name is Neenee and she was so GOLDEN.  She kept saying how she was looking for a religion because she grew up Jehovah's witness and didn't believe in that.  And she was so excited about the whole restoration and ate up every word we said.  Oh my goodness I just died.  She was so excited to read the book of Mormon and it was just sweeeeeet. 

On Thursday we went on splits.  I was with one of our laurels and everything was falling through.  I decided to tract with her, and the first door we knock on this guy tells us all about how he has been waiting for Mormon missionaries to knock on his door because he is so impressed with the way Mormon's have strong families and raise their kids in righteousness.  CAN YOU SAY MIRACLES?!?!?! 

Of course we find all these golden people RIGHT WHEN I AM LEAVING.  But what was also cool was I had a real convo with this guy and he really listened to me and I really did my best to listen to him, and I realized after how much I am growing.  I taught the whole restoration without my comp and I felt so good about it!  That was a nice feeling.

I'm serious this week was miracle week.  Last week in weekly planning we had like 3 people to plan for and this week we had EIGHT.  HEAVENLY FATHER IS THE MAN.

Here's a story that will probably make you laugh but made me want to lock myself in a dungeon for the rest of eternity.

So you remember our old investigator Marcellius?  Well we kinda "set him aside" a while back because he is lazy beyond belief.  But we would still text him and invite him to church and to the BOM study class and whatnot.  So on Saturday night we were texting people to remind them about church, and we text marcellius "you best be at church tomorrow, it's sister van orden's last sunday and we need to get pics" blah blah blah trying to get him to come.  HIS RESPONSE:

"I'm not coming...blah blah blah."

sends another text, "I don't wanna sound strange but I've had the biggest crush on her"

I ABOUT DIED.  That is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo disturbing.  What can I say?  I attract winners.  31 year old men who live with their mother and work at 5 guys. 

needless to say I will never be getting the pic with Marcellius and I wrote in permanent marker at the top of his teaching record in all caps "SISTERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO VISIT EVERRRRRRRR". 

I hope you all got a good laugh out of that.  I told our elders and they sure did.  It only terrified me and I will never work with single men again.

In other news. 

We had two investigators at church yesterday which was awesome!!  I love when people come to church.  It makes me feel like they are finally seeing something and their journey of progression is hastening. 

So yesterday at church was a missionary's farewell.  The topic was hymn 219, "because I have been given much".  This kid said something that just rang so so true to me!!  He stood up and started talking about how a lot of people have asked him why he is serving a mission.  His final answer was exactly the topic, "Because he has been given much".  YES YES YES.  I am not even serving in a third world country or anything like that but every single day I find myself thinking things like why was I so blessed and grew up with a strong family?  Why did God give me two parents who raised me to be who I am?  Why have I been given SO MUCH?  Literally I have been given everything.  Everything.  I meet kids who take care of their drug addict parents or foster kids who have never had a place to call home or people who have been abused by those they truly love or people who are so sick or struggling so much phsycially, spiritually, financially, etc.  I meet mom's and dad's who take care of their kids all day and work all night and STILL have a desire to grow in the gospel and never ever miss a sunday and magnify their calling and here we sit, crying about 9 AM church.  PEOPLE ARE AMAZING.  I can't believe how amazing.  So yes, that newly leaving missionary finally put this thought I've had for 6 months into word form.  I'm on a mission because I love the Lord, and because I have been given so so so much.

That's that, family.  Have fun at the Koosharem family reunion.  I am suuuuuuper jelly I won't be there.  Tell all those people that Sister Van Orden loves them.  I heard Maddie's prego again.  That is so funny.  She da woman! 

Mom that is so sad about Zak.  Yes if you could get his address I would love to write him.  Oh man, that just breaks my heart.  Zak is a strong soul.

AND COLE TOO BAD ABOUT CALI!!!!  Just tell Cole the legendary story of when you decided to not let me go to Cali with my friends the NIGHT WE WERE LEAVING.  Yes still bitter but I have moved on.  hehe.

Also mom that is sweet you're going to hot yoga.  First thing I do when I get home is become a certified yoga instructor.  And run a marathon.

Okay love you people.  This week will get weird!  I'll be going through the new comp transition and the new area transition.  Hopefully I survive.