Changes :)

What's new in the life of Adrianna?
1) I turned 23
2) I've been working full-time at the Senior Care center
3) I'm now quitting the Senior Center
4) I have been hired as a customer service representative at Lashbrook Designs which is a jewelry manufacturing company. They specialize in men's wedding bands. Check them out, they are really cool! lashbrookdesigns.com
5) I live in a new apartment which is nice and I have good roommates :)
6) I am an aunt!!! Little Sariah was born in February! I got to visit last weekend. She's sooo cute!
7) Not new, but you all want to know... I'm still dating Sean :) Things are going well and we are very happy.

That seems to sum up the last 3 months of my life. I hope this settles your curiosity and I hope you are all doing well :)

It's already December!?

Well, not too much has changed since October. I am still working 2 jobs, and with it being December my job at the Joseph Smith Building is very busy. I am working 42 hours this week and probably a few more next week. It's good to be busy. I am finishing up my only class on the 13th and I am so excited to be done. I have decided to go to Massage Therapy School next year sometime. So, until I begin I will be working and saving up money for that schooling.

I guess since my last post I started dating a guy named Sean. It's been fun and interesting and I found out that now that I've been on my mission, dating is completely different. So in between work and school I manage to find time to spend with him.

I am sooo happy that the weather has been nice. I really cannot complain. It makes walking to work so much easier!

My apartment is nice and I love going for walks around the state capitol, which is conveniently close. Unfortunately, our lease ends at the end of January and they are raising the price of rent. So, here I go, moving again. Maybe someday I will be able to stay in one place for at LEAST a year? Maybe?

Well, that's the update. And, I am currently procrastinating my homework. So...I should probably do that before I have to go to work! Later!

City Livin'

Who would have ever guessed that this small town girl would ever live in downtown Salt Lake City, UT? My hometown could practically fit in a 3 block radius! (Ok, that might be a little dramatic...) I have officially moved downtown. I live a 15 minute walk from school, 10 minute bike-ride from job #1 and a 10 minute walk from job #2. It's nice to not have to deal with a 45 minute commute. Yay!!

Job #1 (The Senior Center) is going well! I love the residents, but it is so hard to see them start to fade away. To listen to them have the same conversation they had 5 minutes before, or to be asked over and over again the same questions. One lady has asked me a few different times how we know her name. Awww. One of my first weeks there I was asked what day it was. I said, "It's Tuesday." The woman looked at the woman next to her and said loudly, "Today is Tuesday!" Her friend responded just as loudly, "All day!?" They are so cute. I definitely have favorites and I miss them when they don't come for meals. I am grateful to have a job that I enjoy :)

Job #2 (Joseph Smith Building as a Banquet Server) is going well too. I don't get too many hours in. But, I really enjoy working with people my age. It's kind of intimidating to try to remember all the etiquette rules of serving and setting and clearing. It's so much to remember. Then, to add to that, let's put an apostle in the room at the table right next to yours. DON'T MESS UP! I enjoy it and I enjoy the free food that comes along with it. :)

Today was the first snowfall of the season. I have to admit that I am disappointed. I was hoping for it to hold off until at least mid-November. But, like my mom said to me, "ready or not, here it comes!" Why, oh why oh why do I keep moving to places with cold winters? I know that I don't like it! Why can't I move back to Arizona!? Ok, I'm just being ridiculous now. I just need to invest in a good pair of boots so I don't freeze on my walks to work--that 10 minute bike ride is gonna turn into a 25 minute walk. Bummer! Well, I survived 1.5 winters in Minnesota as a missionary, I am sure I can handle this too.

Next weekend my former roommate and current friend, Tandy is coming to visit! I cannot wait to see her! She is funny and I am glad she was my roommate way back in 2008-2009. =D It's gonna be a blast! Well, now I am about to start rambling about randomness...so, I will end this little update! I hope you are all doing well!

Gettin' Busy

Well, since my last post I think that my life has changed some! I began a new job. I work at a place called Emeritus Senior Living as a Waitress. Many years ago, during my 1st job, the only experience I had with elderly people was being yelled at for messing up. Here I have learned that I actually enjoy working with the elderly people. They are sweet and rather funny. I love feeling like I am helping someone have a better day! I have truly been blessed in receiving this job. I was reaching the end of my available funds, so I said a prayer. I told Heavenly Father that I knew He had asked me to come to Salt Lake and that He would provide a way for things to work out, but that I really needed a job by the end of the next week. At this point most places had already called and told me that they had hired someone else. I was feeling quite discouraged. Then, one day the phone rang. It was Emeritus. They had already called and told me they had hired someone else, but some positions opened up and they offered me a job! I started that weekend. It truly has been a blessing and I enjoy having something productive to do.

I also have officially started a 2nd job. I am a waitress at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Today was my first day. It was good and I am grateful that things are starting to work out! :)

My algebra class is going well. It can be frustrating and I get mad at the problems and realize that the only problem was me! Once I figure it out it's easy! Anyway, things are coming back to me and I'm feeling more comfortable with where life is at!

Next step...make time for a social life. =D

Back to Life!

Well, it has officially been one month since I was released from 18 months of service devoted to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I wish I could say that coming home has been the best thing ever, but I cannot quite say that. It's been nice to reconnect with friends and family and even to start school again but I greatly miss having days full of serving others. So, I am going to make a list of things I miss and things that I am looking forward to!

What I miss most about Minnesota:         Why I am happy to be home:
My companions                                                                       Friends and Family
The people I taught                                                                 More relaxed schedule
3 hours of gospel study                                                         Ability to do what I want, when I want,
Feeling the Holy Spirit strongly each day                           I get to go to the temple whenever I want!! 
Not worrying about money, school, work etc.                    Being alone!!!!
Knowing for a fact that I was doing the right thing          Socializing...maybe, eventually even dating?
8 hours of sleep each night (or close to)                              Naps :D
                                                                                          
Anyway, the socializing thing is still coming. I seem to be quite awkward still. What do normal people talk about? I have found that I am more quiet than I have been in a long long time (unpleasant flashbacks of 7th grade... yikes). If you have any suggestions on how to become unawkward on a social basis and how to meet people, feel free to comment!

April 9, 2012

Well, it's the end of the transfer already. Those first two weeks were SLOOOOW. But, now it's the end. Sister Meraz is being transferred to the Nepali area and I am getting that sister, who also came out with Sister Meraz. So, one more transfer of training for me. Then, maybe I can move to a new area? This will make 9 months here. I guess I'm being taught to be ok with consistency. I like change too much maybe? We shall see.

 

Thanks for the package! I have enjoyed the candy...it's like you know what my favorite candy is, or something? It's great! Also, thanks for the pictures. I was unable to view the videos, there isn't a program on the computer for me to see it! I'm glad they had fun searching for eggs, even though they felt too old for it. You need grandkids soon so that you can keep this going! :D

 

Sorry work has been hard. Hopefully it picks back up! That's rough. Congrats to Austin on his tennis matches! That's awesome! I'm proud of him! I hope Shae has fun in the musical. And best of luck to Miranda at BYU-I and with her dating life. Remember...no marriage before I get home (It's not unreasonable to ask that anymore...) And, mom is still busy with all sorts of activities! I swear you never sleep! ;) Thanks for the Mary Kay stuff mom!

 

Well, friends, it's been a crazy week. One day this week we stopped by the apartment to grab something and it smelt like gas! So, we made some phone calls. It ended up being the pilot light on our stove. But, Elder Randall had us go spend the night with the Spanish Sisters. That was fun, and I enjoyed it. Hermana Blood goes home this Wednesday, so I'm glad I got to spend a little time with her! She's fun.

 

President met with our Muslim investigator. We can continue to meet with her. She came to a baptism on Saturday and then had a concern with women not holding the Priesthood. We tried to explain it to her. She was supposed to come to church yesterday, but she didn't show up and hasn't responded to us. We will have to work with her a little more. Teaching different cultures is hard. You really have to understand their background!

 

Our Chinese investigator is doing great! WZ is so cute. We showed her the Restoration in Chinese and she loved it. She got a huge smile on her face during the 1st Vision and she gasped a little. It was cute. Our joint teacher (also chinese) went and hung out with her Friday night and it turns out she might be married...? that or engaged. But the boy is going to school somewhere else. Hopefully she's not married...

 

AB is doing great. We have met with her 3 times in 8 days and will be meeting with her tonight again. So 4 times in 11 days. She's great. We love her.

 

No stories about people running away from us this week. There was a U of M football player who passed away this week. They don't really know what happened. It was in the building right across from the Institute. They don't think it was foul play, something about his heart just stopping. One of our investigators played for the team, and one of the less actives the elders are teach did as well. It was so sad. It's sad when someone so young with so much potential pass on. He was going to be the first member of his family to graduate college. At least we know he is in a better place.

 

Well, things are great. I loved the tender mercy journal! I plan to use it every night (at least I'll try to....). I hope you are all doing well. I love you and miss you and look forward to mothers day! :D It's gonna be great! I hope you all have a great week!

 

I love you!!!

Love, Sister Randall

April 2, 2012

It's great to hear from you! It sounds like you enjoyed conference! I found it quite edifying as well! That's good that Miranda is headed back off to school next week. Dad would offer to mow her lawn so that he could use the mower! I laughed at that :) Shaelyn seems involved and busy, that's good. I am grateful for the events I was involved in in school. I think it helped me a lot. I don't remember Elder Hulme, but maybe someday I'll end up meeting him again. Austin is also involved, that makes me happy. Charleston seems to have been good to him? Keep me updated on his games! Yes, I still want to do a triathlon. Someday. :D We biked from the St Paul campus back to our apartment the other night. We had used the campus connector (bus) to transport us and our bikes to St Paul, but when we came to go back, each bus that came had bikes already on the rack. So, to make it home in time, we biked back. It was fun. It was misting, and it was a work out, but it was fun. :D

It's so weird to hear of missionaries coming home. I can't believe how fast 2 years goes by..let alone 18months. It's just insane! Anyway, thanks for sending me Mary Kay stuff. I appreciate it. As for anything else that I need, my night solution is running low (I can survive without it) and I could use some eyeliner--either black or dark brown.

So, what happened this week? We had 4 investigator lessons! That was really good! They are some of the sweetest people. We are starting to see our contacting efforts reflect in our teaching, which is super nice! AJ, One of our investigators wants to bring his "mentor" to the next lesson. His mentor is an on-campus minister. But, I guess he doesn't tell him what to believe, but sends him to the Bible to search for answers. So, that could be interesting.

P.M. has to meet with President before we continue to teach her. AB is so sweet, we have taught her once. She is so innocent and when we invited her to be baptized she got such a horrified look on her face. We assured her we weren't pushing her into anything and that we just want her to know where this will lead to when she finds it to be true. AK was interested in learning more. He is from Kenya. He said he would read and pray about the Book of Mormon and if it's true, he'll be baptized. I love Africans, so much!

We had a humorous event happen last night on campus. We had been out contacting and then needed to go back to the Institute to send some emails before we headed home. Well, to get to the institute we had to pass the Elders who were talking to a kid. In between us and them was a guy 1/2 running and looking back over his shoulder. When he got to us he stopped and urgently said "Watch out, there are two Mormons over there! I literally just ran away from them!" Sister Meraz and I were confused and just started laughing, thinking he was kidding. Well, when we realized he was serious we pointed to our name tags. He saw them, looked terrified and took of running! All we could do was laugh. I have never seen anyone so terrified of me before! Haha.

Well, we have a good week planned and will hopefully continue to add to our teaching pool. It's been a great week and we really enjoyed General Conference. It gives me so much to think about and work on! I just love conference! Maybe next time I can go to the conference center! That would be fun. Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. I am grateful for the Savior and His sacrifice. I know He lives and He loves each and everyone of us. He is our Redeemer. I know that He can help us through anything. His sacrifice is not just for that of repenting, but forgiving and finding strength to continue. The power of the Atonement is real. I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation and the reality of our ability to live with God again. I love you and hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,
Sister Randall

Mar. 26, 2012

Hallo meine Familie!

Wie geht es euch? I speak German now! ;) Just kidding. But one of my friends in the ward does. She's awesome. :D

I'm glad you had a good week!  Congratulations to Austin! That's amazing! I'm so proud of him :) He's great! You'll have to take some pictures of him in action and keep me  posted! Shaelyn has stayed busy as well and Miranda is heading back to school! Fun! It sounds like you have hit a midlife crisis with that car of yours, dad? ;)  That's too bad that your blue jeans don't fit... (I know, right?). I always forget how young my parents are...not meant in the way it sounds. Meaning, everyone else my age it seems like their parents are much older. I just always remember that I've got young parents! How wonderful is that? :D

The zoo was not a double date. One of the members took us and the elders, so there were 5 of us, plus when we showed up there was a whole spanish zone at the zoo plus a set of elders from our district. So, it was a party! However, my companion did get hit on...I had to move closer to the guy till he noticed my name tag..then he backed off pretty quick. That's the trouble of having such a beautiful companion. haha.

How was Sam's competition? Did Erin enjoy the time with her mom? Since when does Madalyn have a baby? Sounds exciting!

Well, you manage to stay busy, as always! We did lots of contacting again. Monday night we were out contacting and there was a huge thunderstorm coming in. As we were finishing up our conversation we looked up and saw a WALL of rain and dirt. We all turned our backs to avoid the blow and then we ran, making it half way to the institute before we realized running was pointless. We were SOAKED. It was fun. I laughed pretty good.

We had several appointments fall through, so we didn't teach too much. We are working with an awesome less active right now. She really wants to come back to church and her and Sister Meraz have just hit it off. They are great. I love it. Friday night Sister Meraz started getting sick, but she stuck it out until Saturday evening at 5 when we had to come home for the rest of the night. Sunday we made it through Correlation and Ward Council and Sacrament. Then we spent the rest of the day at home. She's much better now. And now we can work again. This week is looking much busier and hopefully we will continue to build our teaching pool!

Oh, we no longer have a car. President gave it only to the elders because they are the zone leaders and they need it. So, we get to bike now. I'm glad that it's warm weather (except today is cold...)

This weekend is General Conference! :D I'm so excited. I love General Conference. It's just great. Well, my family. I think this covers the week. It's been a good week!

Anyway, I love you and hope you are all doing well! I look forward to hearing from you next week! Have a great week! You are the best!!!

Love, Sister Randall

Sorry everything is so scattered. I feel so scatter brained today. Well, love ya and talk to ya later!

A note from mom

Thanks to all of you that are supporting Adrianna thru letters, packages, thoughts and prayers. We are proud of her and love to hear her weekly letters. Sorry I keep all of you waiting until I get them posted. FYI - Adrianna will return from her mission in Aug. of this year. It will be exciting to see her, glad she is serving and know she is doing a great job.

Thanks again-
Paula

Mar. 19, 2012

Hi!

and HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! What are you doing today? Anything exciting? Fun? Work? Eating? I hope you have an awesome day.

Well, it sounds like the weather is just a little bit nicer there than it is here. The trees are not yet budding, but the weather has been quite incredible. I expected winter to last at least a week or two into April. But, I'll take this. 65 degrees is a good temperature. Now I can send winter stuff home, but I might wait a little bit just to make sure it's not going to take a sudden turn and get cold again. That would be weird. It sounds like you had a fun Spring Break, hanging out, playing, eating...you know, all the important things :D

 

How were classes this week? and Work? We stayed busy, even though it was Spring Break. There weren't tons of people on campus, but we had enough to meet the standard of excellence in finding. However, our lessons are down. But, that comes with time as we slowly build our teaching pool. We met this really cute Chinese girl, WZ. (If only I could just use their names...) Anyway, she's going to a Catholic college and just happened to be at the UofM enjoying the weather. She has no knowledge about God and Jesus Christ. It's so hard to start at the basics and teach up. How do you teach someone the concept of God? Anyway, we had one of the recent converts who is also Chinese help us teach her yesterday. She did amazing and taught her in Mandarin. It's a slow process, but WZ is awesome! She's so cute. She's going to come to church next week and we will teach her again. She's so sweet. 

 

On Wednesday we had a new missionary training meeting in Bloomington as well as interviews with President. That took most of the day. Then, that night we went on exchanges with the Oakdale sisters. That was fun. But all of our appointments fell through on Thursday, so we ended up contacting on campus all day. I felt bad for Sister Lor. You definitely have to build your endurance to be able to walk around talking to people all day. It's not easy.

 

Friday we had a lesson with a girl, PM. She has a difficult religious background that could keep us from being able to teach her. She's interested in learning though and is pretty strong-willed.

 

Saturday we did our best to not be out contacting in the evening. We had no desire to deal with drunk college students. So, we taught a lesson to our regular investigator, who used to be progressing, but is now just driving me nuts. We can't decide whether to drop him or what.

 

As a mission we are studying the Atonement leading up to Easter. We have a study guide that has a talk or chapter to read. It's exciting. I love studying the Atonement!

 

So, that's the week. Today a member is taking us to Como Zoo. It's free and it's beautiful weather. It should be fun! Elder Ruesch is still here in the area as well (we both came to Dinkytown the same transfer, we also came out together as well), so it will be our 2nd time going. 

 

I will think about the schooling thing. I don't know how I'd pay for the other some odd thousands. I know I need to get back to school, but I don't know what to do. Anyway. I'll think on it and let you know.

 

I love you all and miss you. You are awesome and I look forward to hearing from you next week!

 

Love ya!

Sister Randall

Mar. 12, 2012

My dear family! It's so good to hear from you! I am feeling better. I still have congestion and a sore throat sometimes. But, I'm doing so much better than I was last week! I suppose if that's the only sickness I have to experience then I can handle it. Sickness makes you appreciate health. 

It's good to hear that you are all staying busy and having fun. I hope spring break is relaxing and fun! It's spring break here too...which means less people to find. But, we will always find things to do! I think that church/house sounds awesome! The grandkids (when they eventually come) will love coming to grandma and grandpas house! How far away is Lerna? How big is Lerna? I do remember Sam talking about creating Randallville. That would be quite entertaining! You will have to send pictures of whatever house you end up moving to.
The kids seem to be kept busy and it sounds as if all is well. Shaelyn mentioned something about Austin going on a mini-mission? That would be SO cool. He will have to let me know how that goes! That little stinker rarely writes me! Maybe twice since I've been out? ;) School sounds tough. Microbiology? eeek. Science is NOT my forte! But you CAN do it!

Sister Stowell's talk sounds very applicable to every ward. There is always someone who goes inactive because of offense. About a month and a half ago we had an experience with someone like that. It wasn't a very pleasant phone conversation. I felt bad for my companion who was on the phone with her-- I was driving. We also just went through our ward list with our Elders Quorum president and a member of the relief society presidency and I was surprised how many we were told to not contact because they had been offended.

We had a lesson Saturday night with an investigator and it was tough. He told us he felt like we were pushing him because we ask him "why" when he doesn't do something or tells us no. He continued to tell us that when he was working with the missionaries in Utah he felt the Spirit more throughout the week. He thought it was because we were "pushing" him. (We aren't even pushing him...) So, he said quite a few different things that were pretty frustrating and then our member spoke up and started talking about the reason for us giving commitments and that if he is not feeling the Spirit it is because of his lack of acting, not because we aren't doing our part as missionaries. I was so very grateful for our member. If he wants to feel the Spirit more then he needs to be willing to make this a priority in his life, which he has not yet done. He will read sometimes, if we text him, and even then it's a 50/50. Church is another story. But, he still wants to meet with us. Anyway, that was a tough lesson, but it's good when people trust you enough to bring up their concerns. 

We taught a couple of first lessons this week, they were cool, but haven't seemed to lead to anything yet. We have done great contacting! We were able to get 25 people's information and hope to be able to contact them toward the end of Spring Break.
Thanks for sharing that experience! I'm glad that me being here could open that doorway! That's the perfect gospel conversation starter! :) Hopefully she will come to church on Sunday or at least contact you.

You are all amazing and I love you and pray for your well-being! Stay strong!
Love,
Sister Randall

Mar. 5, 2012

Well, I'm back!

I'm glad you are all well and healthy! Things are going well and life seems pretty normal...with the exception of cut work, that is never a good sign. It sounds like you are all involved in worth-while activities and having fun?

So, I was at a lunch on Friday and the man who was speaking was talking with us and asking us where we were from. I told him Nebraska and then he started talking about the Midwest having tornadoes! I was like whoa! Weird. Then, he was like, yeah, one tornado took a whole town out in Illinois! Little did he know that you lived in Illinois. Anyway, one of the sisters at the institute looked up the town for me so that I wouldn't have to wait until Monday ;) But, I can't believe that there has been such a problem with tornadoes already, that's so bizarre! It scared me for a minute though.

My new companion's name is Sister Meraz. She's from Katy Texas! Fun stuff! She's got an accent and for whatever reason, I'm starting to speak like a Texan! I've tried to get the Minnesotan accent down for the last year with no luck and just a few days with a sister from Texas and I'm changing the way I speak. 

Well, I got sick last Tuesday, and I'm still working on getting over it. We had to spend almost all of Saturday inside and from 3 on  on Sunday. I feel terrible. It's the first time I've been sick enough to not go out on my mission. So, poor Sister Meraz has had to spend so much time at home within her first few days. She's been so patient with me and very helpful in supplying medicine. She's doing amazing. She's so much better than I was. She has just jumped right in and started working. It's fun and interesting and I'm enjoying getting to know her. Sunday was awesome. We knew that 2 of our investigators were coming, and then a guy that Sister Cook and I had talked to 3 months ago walked into church, and also one of our members invited his friend in response to a commitment we left him. We also got a member referral from Rochester and we taught her on Sunday. For only being in the area for a few days and for being home for 1 1/2 of those we had some really good numbers. I was excited! 

So, we have 3 investigators now, and 5 potential investigators. We just need to get some appointments set up. Things are picking up quickly and I am looking forward to getting out and working again! And, Spring should be coming soon! (OK, off and on for the next 6 weeks...) But, it's supposed to be 50 degrees tomorrow! I am SO excited! 

Well, I don't know what else to say. It's been a busy/slow couple of days. Just getting settled in and in the swing of things. Anyway, I love you all and I hope you are well! Have an awesome week!

Love, Sister Randall

(Sorry, that's a pretty boring email.... I hope your weeks were full of a lot more excitement!) 

Feb. 27, 2012

It sounds like you have had quite the excitement in Charleston! Crazy!
I feel so badly for that poor student and his family. How quickly our
decisions affect our future. They may seem so small and so innocent,
but yet, they can be so detrimental to our future. I am so grateful
for the gift of the Atonement and the healing power held therein. I
pray that they can find peace and solace through this time.

That's cool about Brother McNabb--I have heard of these websites.
Fortunately, I haven't really taught anyone who was strongly anti'd.
So, I haven't really had to use it. I know one of the student's father
gave her a 2 inch binder of anti when she was investigating, she
brought it back with her so that she can have a bonfire or something.
It's nasty stuff, that's for sure.

Overall, it sounds like you had a good week. Temple trip, exciting
events coming up, work is going well-ish. It's good to hear that you
are well :)

Well, today was the day of the transfer call. And, as expected, and as
President told me in our interviews, I will be going back to Dinkytown
to train a new missionary. Which, is an overwhelming responsibility,
but I'm doing my best to not think about that. I know it will provide
challenges, but it will be good and things will go well. It will be a
fun experience. I will go to the Mission Home on Wednesday to pick her
up.

It's been pretty fun working with Sister Davydenko and Sister Madsen.
It's been fun to hear the slang that Sister Davydenko has picked up
and also to have to try to define words that I use in words that she
will understand. It's been interesting. She speaks pretty good
English, but there are some words, like "linger" or "loiter". It's
fun. Communication was difficult, but we seemed to improve. I did not
learn any Ukrainian though. I don't think my mouth was designed to
make those sounds...which is why I am serving an English speaking
mission!

Investigator situation has been rough. We were dropped by a few and
people just disappeared. We have worked a lot with less actives and
whatnot. Oh, the ward boundaries were changed a couple months ago and
you will never guess whose records were sent to our ward! M.
Sanderson. So, I'm going to take his information with me back to
Dinkytown and see if we can get an activation effort going for him. He
keeps popping up when I am sent to areas...

Let's see... we stopped by a former investigator that Sis. D and
taught and a man answered the door and it wasn't her, so Sister Madsen
just gave a door approach. His words were slurring and it was a
weekend night and he wasn't really comprehending much. Then, Sis. D
jumped in and said, "We are looking for Sally, is she home?"
He goes, "Sally?"
"Yes, Sally, is she here?"
"Who's Sally?"
"Your wife..."
"I'm not married!"
Then he told us to go research the Jehovah Witness church and closed
the door. We don't know what happened to Sally or anything, but that's
where they had taught her before... haha. It was pretty funny--funnier
in the moment than via email, but quite entertaining. I laughed until
we got to our next street to tract.

Anyway, it was fun to be back here for a couple weeks and get to see
the people :) And to learn and grow from the experience. Anyway,
that's all that has really gone on this week. Lots of stop-bys,
tracting, etc. Oh, I know why I can't think of much... Cuz I emailed
you on Wednesday. Saturday we went to a baptism to teach the
Restoration while they were changing and it was one of the sweetest
baptisms I've ever seen. This elderly woman who can barely walk or
hear, but so sweet and knows that this is true. Both of the elders had
to assist in her baptism and they even covered the wall-drain so they
could get the font extra full. She's so cute and it's heart-warming to
see her shuffle down the hall with her walker. It's adorable.

Well, as for what to do for me flying or you picking me up, it's up to
you. If you pick me up you can come see the Sanderson's and see some
of my areas and meet some of the most amazing people ever. Or I can
fly home and we can come back and visit in a year when I'll hopefully
coming back for a temple ordinance. It might be longer than a year
though. I don't know. It's your choice. I'm fine either way. I can't
believe there are only 4 transfers left of my mission. That is
absolutely crazy.

So, I'm sending a package home today...just of things that I can't
carry around any longer and that I won't be using until I get home--my
brown coat, my planners thusfar and I can't remember what else, it's
kind of heavy...I have no idea what is in there...Anyway, you don't
need to open it, I can go through it when I get home. Well, I love you
all, and I will talk to you later!

Love,
Sister Randall

Feb. 22, 2012

My dearest family,
How has your week been? It's good to hear that you are all keeping busy! Keep you all out of trouble ;) Best of luck to Shaelyn with the musical and Austin in Tennis. I assume Miranda is still working at Cato's? That's cool that you got in contact with the Stouts! Interesting news. I hope their family is well :) What is this diet called that Mom and Miranda are doing. I may have heard about this. It's nice being back at the Sheffield's (that's where we live)--we have a scale again so I can keep track of what I'm at! I stepped on and was surprised to see the number that I did! However, I think the scale is 5 pounds off, I just keep telling myself that it is right and that I really haven't gained as much weight as I thought I have! :)

I didn't even know Rocio was dating anyone! I need her email or address or something. She wrote me while I was in the MTC, but it only had her school address on it, and I think she was at home at the time. So, I tried writing her anyway, but never heard back. Who is this man? That's too bad that they can't just wait a month and then I could be there! Oh well, life will move on. I'm happy for her. :D First, Charity, then Rocio...who's next? Miranda!? (kidding...I hope).

Things here have remained very busy. A constant go go go, but once again, can I tell you what was involved in that go go go? Not really. We've stopped by several less actives, tracted, taught a few investigators. Not much worth telling.

We went to President's Fireside Sunday night and he caught us on our way out and asked us to come up Wednesday (today) to have interviews with him. I'm not really sure what the purpose is. Maybe he is trying to figure out what to do for transfers? He said to us "I just want to help you Sisters as much as I can." So, I guess I have some ideas of what he was referring to, but it's not anything that I can really discuss with anyone. We'll find out in an hour.

The temple was nice. It's always refreshing and you learn new things. Being in a trio has proved difficult--it always is. It's hard to balance who is speaking when and what not. It's a lot easier to communicate silently to one person instead of two. It all works out in the end.

Yesterday in District Meeting we talked about our points of conversion and what the Spirit feels like and why we are here on our mission. This experience, along with my reflections upon my current finishing of the Book of Mormon helped me see how far I've come over the last year. It's gone from a knowledge to understanding, which reflects in action and attitude. It's not just in my head, but in my heart. It's cool to see how much a mission will do for one. It was cool to hear the other Elders and Sisters stories.

Anyway, how are things with work and school and church? Is there anything that I can do for you from here? Just let me know. I know I can't do much, but if I can do anything please tell me! Well, I love you all and hope that you are doing fantastically! You are all awesome and I will talk to you later!

Love,
Sister Randall

Feb. 13, 2012

You will never guess where I am at right now, can you? Want a hint? It's not Dinkytown. Want another one? I've served here before.... That gives you two options.... Northfield Singles or Oakdale. Ok, I'll tell you. I'm officially in Oakdale, for at least 2 1/2 weeks, or more. We'll find out in 2 weeks. Saturday we had just finished all of our planning for our upcoming week and then the phone rang. It was President. You know something is going to change when he says "Well, we've got some news for you." It turns out that Sister Stephenson got sick and needed to go home, so President took us out of Dinkytown and we are now with Sister Davydenko in Oakdale. That have several date sets and a baptism this coming Saturday. So, noon on Sunday President picked up Sister Stephenson from the institute and we went with Sister Davydenko to finish packing our apartment. As of 2:30 yesterday I have been in Oakdale. Weird. And, I'm the only one who can drive right now. It's crazy. The ward mission is not organized, and for whatever reason there has not been sufficient communication between missionaries and ward leaders. With the perfect timing of the Ward mission leader going out of town for 2 weeks. So, if I'm still here next transfer, things are changing and we are getting organized. There is a lot of work to do, but I always enjoy a good project :)

 

Anyway, big news out of the way! I'm glad things are going well. I'm sure you did well on your test mom. I'm glad people enjoyed the Valentine's dance! I'm sorry to hear about Uncle Lavere. Was that expected? Keep me posted on G. Grandma. Oh, and I'm glad dad is staying busy...keeps him outta trouble! ;) Not that he ever gets in trouble, right mom? At least the kids are staying busy and productive :)

 

So, last week was full of Dinkytown stuff. We taught Nate about church and the importance of it. It was a really good lesson, we made a lot of progress with him. He came to church on Sunday! So, that's a good sign! We had to meet with the Elders on Saturday and turn all of our investigators over and tell them things that they needed to know. The hardest part of leaving is that Jenny was out of town :( So, I didn't get to say goodbye. I called her though.

Oh, we met with a Muslim girl, that was cool. It wasn't really much of a lesson, it was more of a what is it that you believe, what is it that we believe type of exchange. But, I got a copy of the Quaran and some pamphlets, we gave her a Book of Mormon and our pamplets. We also saw a couple of guys doing their prayers. It was interesting. I learned a lot, and we found many similarities. Fun fun.

 

We had a really rough lesson. Well, more like we went to meet with this girl, we had planned a lesson, we sat down, she asked us about our "Conversion" and then she went off from scripture to scripture to scripture. It was then that I realized what the envelope she had set on the table was. It was a lesson plan. Scriptures about adding to the bible, about who Jesus is, what the gospel is etc. We got preached to for two hours. She was essentially accusing us of different things through the scriptures she read to us. It was hard to listen to, and we couldn't take control of the conversation. We testified to her very powerfully and she acted as if we had said nothing. It hurt to have someone say such hurtful things that are so close to my heart. But, it was amazing the love that I was still able to feel for her. We finally told her that we had to get to another appointment, and we left. I was grateful that we had forgotten to bring a copy of the Book of Mormon for her. She would have taken it and searched for "mistakes". That was a tough morning.

 

Basically it was a tough week, but it was good. I have learned so much in serving in the Singles wards. It's weird that I'm now in a Family Ward. Crazy crazy. I wish i could explain all that was going on right now, but it would take way to long. Maybe I will write you a letter after this. We only have one computer for the 3 of us...this is gonna take forever. Anyway, tell the siblings sorry that I didn't respond individually. We don't have time for it today. I am proud of Miranda's example Andrea and I hope that she gets to feeling better. The gospel can truly bring happiness. It's just hard to see how restricting yourself can bring happiness and freedom. Anyway, it's awesome. I love you all. And, thanks for the Valentine package. I loved them all. (Yes, I opened it early...I could give the excuse of saying I needed to pack it all....but that's not entirely true. I was just excited!) I thought all the cards were cute and I'm excited to have a pedicure! Haha. Ok, well I'd better get going. I love you and miss you and keep you in my prayers!

 

Love,

Sister Randall

Feb. 6, 2012

How are you all doing!? Hopefully well. Keep me updated about Great Grandma and aunt Colleen. I'm glad that you are all keeping so busy! Hopefully it's a productive busy. :) How is work going dad? Mom, school?

Well, my time is running short! I'm taking forever on la computadora....uh computer! :D

We had a pretty busy week, but most of it was contacting. We received 16 Future Investigators (meaning 16 people gave us their information, agreeing to learn more) and we hope to get 3 new investigators out of that.

We are currently teaching Nate, from Job Corps, who has taken lessons from missionaries before. His concerns are about Joseph Smith, polygamy, and tithing. We had a lesson with him Saturday night and invited him to come to church, we promised him that he would receive an answer to his questions and all he said was possibly. We arranged for a member to pick him up and then he texted us and said, "probably next week." It's so frustrating when they don't come! They say they want to know, but fail to follow through. And, it was even more frustrating when every testimony borne in Sacrament meeting was specifically directed toward the Restoration or Tithing. We will be talking to him this week about the importance of church and we will give him the notes we took of the testimonies shared. He's the only one that is a serious investigator at this time.

Last night we went contacting and approached this young man, he didn't say much and then we realized that he couldn't speak English! But, he spoke Spanish. I looked at Sister Madsen, looked at the young man and said "Somos missioneros por la Iglesia de JesuChristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias." Sister Madsen was shocked. haha. Then I said "No hablo mucho espanol!" (I know, this is extremely bad Spanish, but he mostly understood!) He laughed a little bit, and so I asked "Que iglesia tu?" He gave me the address of his church... "Quiere que otra missioneros que hablan espanol...uhhh.....to call you?" (With my hand acting as a phone against my ear. It got the point across. "Que es tu nombre?" He gave us his name... "Y tu numero?" And we got his number. hahaha....Well, it worked. I thought you would enjoy the story. It was fun :)

Here is the excerpt from what I told president in my letter about how I'm doing. This will help you know what my goals are for the next 6 months. While studying I've also thought about how this will apply post-mission as well. It's been interesting to see that the things I've learned are more than just "mission skills". Instead, they are life-long skills.

I'm doing pretty well. I'm working on being able to give all of my heart to the Lord. I read a talk in the June 2011 Ensign called "The Heart and a Willing Mind." It talked about the process of turning your will over to the Lord and there is a quote by Neal A. Maxwell that I really love: 

"The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar. . . . The many other things we give to God . . . are actually things He has already given us, and He has loaned them to us. But when we begin to submit ourselves by letting our wills be swallowed up in God's will, then we are really giving something to Him. . . . There is a part of us that is ultimately sovereign, the mind and heart. . . . And when we submit to His will, then we've really given Him the one thing He asks of us." 

I have also had the chorus of a song stuck in my head. This song was written by a woman named Christy Hinckson. The chorus goes: "All of my heart, no more no less. All of my heart, was His request. He gave His all, not merely a part. So I can give, all of my heart." So, I am working on really turning my will over to the Lord. Giving it all to Him and pressing forward. 

We had dinner with a member this week and he was talking about his mission. He shared with us one thing that he realized, looking back on his mission, that he wished he would have changed. He said, "I realized I had an attitude of thinking that I deserved a baptism." He went on to talk about how sometimes we get into the thinking that we deserve something. But, in all reality, we deserve nothing, but owe everything to the Lord. I've thought a lot about that. 

I've worked hard in this area, but maybe I've had too much of an "I deserve" attitude and not enough of an "I'll give everything" attitude. I hope to change this with the help of my Savior. After all, this is His work, not mine. 

So, that's my focus. I hope it will change the tone of my mission as well as my imperfect point of view. I have so much that I want to accomplish in 6 months, but the biggest way to do that is to learn to turn my will over to the Lord. It's going to be hard, but much worth it. I also hope that my love for the Savior will increase throughout this process.

Well, family, I love you and I hope that you are doing well. I miss you and pray for you always! 

Jan 30, 2012

Hey everyone! It's been another week here in the Dinkytown area! What did we do? Well, all sorts of things, but can I remember enough of them to tell ya? Let's find out!

But, first of all, sorry about the house. I know God has a plan and whatever His will, will work out. It'll be grand. The hardest thing is having the patience to wait for it. And not letting patience be idleness. I'm glad that you are enjoying your class! There is a group of girls in the ward here who are really pumping me up for getting back into school...but that's still forever away! As for my birthday, it was perfect. It was probably one of the best birthdays I've had in a long time. Not too much attention on me and just a small gift. :) As for a list for getting home....I have lots of ideas, they are just super expensive. But, it will definitely start with a wardrobe change. No more skirts every day of my life. Or maybe a professional massage... hmmm :)

I'm sorry to hear about Aunt Colleen and Grandpa Burbank. I hope that they are well and they will be in my prayers.

We did not go back to the Jewish center, but hopefully they will check out mormon.org. We had dinner with one of the girls in the ward and her family last night and they talked a lot about Romney and what not. It will be interesting and it sounds like I have a lot of research to do when I get home.

This past week we taught a few RCLA's and we also taught the Who is God class. We had one guy show up who already knows about God- he came because he saw the posters we put up. But, he came with interest of hearing what we had to say. Since he was the only one, and it was week 3 of the class we taught the Restoration. He seemed super excited about having a prophet and we are supposed to meet with him on Tuesday. We'll see if he shows. He told us he didn't have a phone or contact information but then right before he left he pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time before walking out. Oh, how we love people.

The ward is getting excited about missionary work. We have had 5 baptisms in the last 5 weeks with one this coming weekend. (most of which have come from the Elder's) But, the ward is very excited and the auxiliaries are becoming more missionary minded. It's been a huge blessing. On Friday we had a Sister's conference. It was good. They had 3 counselors from LDS Family services come in and talk about how to flip the negative to a positive. They also talked about how successful and happy family relationships have 5-10 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction. Anyway, so it's ok to express negative emotion, but there needs to be surrounding positive things. One of the office missionaries shared a REALLY embarrassing story and as she said it she pointed out the ways that the Lord blessed her. It was funny :D But we talked a lot about comparing ourselves to others and difficult companions-- but that's an awkward topic when your difficult companion is sitting in the room. So, yeah. It was good.

The ward had a cultural night. One of the Chinese investigators played her Chinese flute, then the Hmong group did a dance, it was cute. We also had several returned missionaries share their mission cultures. It was a good turn out and it was really fun! best of all, people did invite their friends- their friends didn't come, but they have begun the essential step of inviting. President wants to create a "Culture of inviting".

Saturday we were super busy. We taught our Karen investigator-- I don't think it went to well. In their culture they believe if they get baptized a 2nd time they will go to hell. So, we spent quite some time on authority, but that isn't going to do it. It needs to be through the Spirit. Later that day we went to the baptism of the Elder's 1st Chinese investigator to be baptized. We taught the Restoration and hope to teach her 3 friends that she brought. We were also given a referral and so we went and taught Nate and his friend. Nate has taken lessons before, but didn't "do the work to be baptized." He said that he is now ready to do the work and find out. We are excited to teach him, but he didn't come to church like he said he would.

Jenny is doing great. She got called as a ward missionary. She's awesome and is working on a mormon.org profile.

I feel like I never sound like I'm as busy as I feel. But, I promise we are keeping busy! Well, I feel like this is all. I love you, keep on being awesome and know that I'm praying for your success and well being. Oh, but before I close this off I wanted to share a quote that Hermana Hart (my old comp who is now home) sent me:
"To reach, to teach, to touch the precious souls whom our Father has prepared for this message is a monumental task. Success is rarely simple. Generally it is preceded by tears, trials, trust and testimony."

I love you. I know God is there watching out for and protecting you. I know that His angels are round about us bearing us up as we go about His work. I love you and have a great week.

Love, Sister Randall

Jan. 23, 2012

Man, sorry my emails have come so late! Our pdays have been sooo busy. It's good to hear that you are doing well. I cannot imagine Shaelyn driving. I can't even imagine Austin driving. But, he is and so is she. Crazy. I'm glad your Klondike Derby Camp-out went well. Winter came this week. We had one day that it was a windchill of -11. It's been a bit breezy. But, we have a busy week planned. And someone was telling us today that the coldest days of January are the 18th and 19th. And, those are past. So, it should all be getting warmer now...right? Maybe. We'll see, either way we'll go out and do the Lord's work. We got 1-2 inches of snow this week. That's exciting. Oh, and I had my birthday. It was a busy day. Sister Madsen made a happy birthday sign out of sticky notes while I was in the shower. It was cute. I give her props, especially since she only had like 2 days notice. Thank you so much for the shirt! I'm going to wear it to the sisters conference on Friday! I'm excited. :D And, the necklace and earrings are super cute and I'll be wearing them often :)

That's cool that you had thunderstorms! I miss good midwestern thunderstorms! They are so amazing. I'm glad mom is enjoying the use of your IPAD. It is a fun toy/tool. Thanks for updating the blog. I wonder if anyone reads it? Best of luck with the table. It sounds like quite the adventure... and tell Shaelyn that I'm not offended. It's pretty hard to offend me. :D

Well, cool experiences from the week... I guess I can start with transfers. It was hard to say goodbye to Sister Cook. She taught me a lot and really helped me with the struggles of missionary life. I will always appreciate what she has done for me. But, I felt very calm that this is what the Lord wants. I quickly found out one of the reasons why Sister Madsen and I were put together and I really feel like what Sister Cook taught me will help me to help her and to help future companions. She's had a couple of tough transfers and really needs love and encouragement while someone who can teach her. I really feel like that over the past 3 transfers I've been able to learn how to be able to help her in this situation. She's great and I really do love her. It will be a fun transfer :)

Today, we went with bishop to a Jewish community center where they have a class that meets--it's senior citizens--and for 3 weeks they were studying Mormonism. Actually the "Mormon Quest for President." Bishop did a great job at explaining our core beliefs and then it was opened up to questions. It was super interesting. They asked lots of questions and I was grateful that I knew a small piece of my family history, because they asked questions about whether any of us 4 missionaries had ancestors from the beginning of the church. But, then they asked if our family had stayed within the religion and I was like, well, my immediate family is...but probably someone somewhere walked away. Anyway. It was an interesting experience and there were so many interesting questions. It was cool though :)

Saturday night we went to teach a recent convert/less active who is too old for the Singles Ward. We had been given the responsibility of inviting him to attend the family ward-which was hard, because the last time they tried he got upset and didn't talk to missionaries for quite some time. We were able to bring a member from the family ward with and we went and taught him. We ended up being 15 minutes late, due to unexpected traffic, but our Joint teacher went ahead and went in and got to know him. I was praying so hard that the Spirit could be there and direct the lesson. We read from 3 Nephi 11:10-17 and 3 Ne 19:5-8. We talked about Christ's purpose and how He set up a church and then how they split into congregations with the 12 disciples and how it was the same church but just in different areas. We had asked him a question and he answered it with something about being able to help others. This whole time I was praying to be led in the wording and direction that we took and as he said that the idea came to mind to talk about his ability to help and serve those in the family ward as they can relate to his experiences and he to theirs. The Spirit was so strong. The lesson was only about 20-25minutes, but the Spirit was there. I was so grateful for the guidance we were able to receive. He accepted the invitation and should hopefully go starting next week. It was a great experience that helped me learn to trust more in the Lord. 

I think that's the best thing I've got for you this week. I am grateful for the letters and cards I have received this week :) I love hearing from the people I love! So, Sister Madsen and I are doing a 40 day fast of things that are keeping us from being consecrated missionaries. We fasted yesterday and created lists of things that we need to either start doing or stop doing and we are going to fast from or begin doing those things for 40 days, that way they become who we are and we become more powerful missionaries. It's going to be awesome :)

Well, what are you all up to this week? I'm sure that you are keeping busy. I love you all very much and pray for you daily. Keep on keeping on and I will leave you with a quote that my friend Stephanie sent me this week:

"...the heart and soul of the gospel is love, and all the rest is commentary. Whatever else we may perceive religion to be, we are wrong--for true religion is love in action--God's love for us and our love for God and for our neighbors." Stephen Robinson

I love you! Have an awesome week!

Love, Sister Randall

Jan. 16, 2012

Well, this was THE best weekend ever. The baptism went really well! I attached pictures! The first is "Jenny", Sister Cook and I, and Jenny's friend from California who introduced her to the church. :) The other ones are of Sister Cook and I and Jenny and Elder Neeley and Jenny. Hope you enjoy them! Let me know if it works! Jenny's parents were able to make it. They came up Friday and stayed the weekend in a hotel. So, they were able to make it. We got like 1/2 an inch of snow, and then in melted yesterday. But, it's definitely getting colder. I used my first set of hand warmers this week. Mostly because wearing big gloves gets in the way of writing and grabbing cards, so I just wore small knit gloves and used hand warmers. It worked splendidly!

Oh, we got transfer calls today. I can't believe another transfer is over. I can now count the transfers I have left on one hand. I'm staying in Dinkytown, but Sister Cook is headed to Waconia with Sister Elsholz. They will be white-washing the area. They used to have elders there. I am getting a sister who has been out 2 or 3 transfers, her name is Sister Madsen. I'm not sure I've ever talked with her. I've seen her a couple times. I guess I was meant to serve with the YSA. I've been with singles for 9 months now and by the end of the transfer it will have been 10 1/2 months. It's crazy. We are getting 8 new sisters next transfer, which is crazy because I don't know any sisters that will be going home next transfer. So, we'll see what happens next transfer, will I stay...or go?

It will be a good transfer. I love working with the Asian students and I have enjoyed teaching the Who is God class. Speaking of which! We had 4 new students show up to our Who is God class this past week! It was awesome! They should hopefully come this Thursday again. I'm looking forward to it. I really feel like working with Wesley helped me to start thinking about how to simplify things and I had always wanted to serve my mission among the Asian culture, and here I get to do that while not trying to learn to speak a complex language. It's exciting. I really do love serving here!

The student we were hoping would be back by now hasn't returned our calls. I'm sure if we give him time, he will come around. We will just wait. He has his agency and we've done all that we can do. When he's ready, he'll come looking.

We have stayed busy, but I'm not sure what all was included in that. Preparation for the baptism covered a lot of that. We had some really amazing lessons with Jenny. She shared her testimony at the end of her baptism, it was good for her parents to hear and she really just gets it. I love her :D

It sounds like your projects are going well! haha. Mom, don't worry about how long it'll take you, just focus on the learning, because that's what matters. That's all that you can take with you. So long as you are enjoying your classes and doing what you can, then you can be happy!

Thanks for Bridgett's address! I finally bought stamps today so I can send out my thank you cards that have been sitting around for a few weeks :S woops. It's hard when so many holidays fall on Mondays! Anyway, sorry it's so late today. it's been a busy day. And, we still haven't done our laundry...ooopsies! Anyway! Let me know about the house! 

I love you all. Sorry this is short again. Hopefully I'll get some good stories to share with you soon. Things are going great and I'm really grateful that I get to stay in Dinkytown for another transfer :D I love you and I hope that you are well! Have a good day!

 Love

Jan. 9, 2012

How are you all doing? It was good to get your email! I'm glad that you are all doing well and feeling better! It sounds like it's been another normal week? Back to school and the busy life of the Randall's. I enjoyed your story of wearing Austin's shirt to church. I still can't believe how grown up he is. I probably won't believe it until I see him in person..and maybe not even then ;)

 

Dad, as for your paragraph "The 3 kids all bore their testimonies today in church.  They all talked about how wonderful their family is.  Everyone now thinks that we are perfect.  I wasn't about to stand up and ruin that.  Let them think what they want." The scriptures tell us to avoid all appearance of evil, and I'm pretty sure it's a commandment to "not bear false witness." ;) haha. That's funny though. I'm proud of you all and I love and think of you often. We had a gentleman stand up in our Sacrament meeting and start preaching. He's older, he's a convert, and he's a less active. So, it was interesting, Bishop had to ask him to sit down. That's always awkward...

 

This week was busy, but it didn't show in our numbers reported for the week. We attended ZLC (Zone Leader Counsel) this week. That was a good meeting, and then we had Zone Training this week as well. So we had lots of meetings and interviews with President. I'm pretty sure I passed! ;) We taught Jenny 3 times this past week. She had her baptismal interview and is ready to go! We are so excited for her! This Saturday at 4pm is going to be the best week of the year (thus far). We were talking with Jenny and she found my mormon.org profile and then followed the link to my blog. She read about some of my experiences and I was relieved to find out that the last update was in September! It might be a little weird to read about yourself...with a different name. Ha. She's so sweet though. I love her so much and we look forward to meeting her friend from CA who is coming out this week!   It's going to be an awesome week! We are excited for school to start next week so that everyone is back! One of our investigators is still at home and we've had very limited contact with him. :( From what we understand he is still excited to learn more! We are excited for him. We are teaching a referral tonight, and we are hoping that that will go well. Anyway, we don't have a lot planned for the upcoming week, but I'm sure we will make it productive!

 

Next Monday we find out about transfers. We have no new sisters coming in, but next transfer we have 8 sisters coming in! I didn't realize they ever sent that many sisters out at once for our mission. I don't think we have any going home either... So, we will increase in number! Fun! Oh and Sister Clements was telling us that we are going to have a Sister's conference this month! How fun is that? For the first time we would have a meeting with JUST sisters and no elders. It should be really good and it sounds like we will be having some fun!

 

As for the insurance thing- I gave the doctor our insurance card, but then I think when the bill came into the office Elder Randall just went ahead and sent it through the MissionaryMedical instead. I don't know why, or if that's for sure. Anyway, that was when I went and got my inhalers back in like May or June or whatever. So you know, I got my flu shot the other day and used the insurance..it made it free for me! And today I'm gonna be going to the Chiropractor. I've been really tense and have been grinding my teeth for the last few weeks. I'm hoping that this visit will help me out a lot.

 

I think this is gonna be a short email this week. Not much is happening. I'll send pictures of us and Jenny next week! It's going to be a good weekend :)

 

Well, I love you all. I hope you are well and enjoying your "normal" lives! Keep working hard and know that I love you! Have an awesome week!

 

Love, Sister Gunga Randall