This week was great! Monday I had my last P-day in Ellensburg. I don't know if I mentioned it last week, but there were these really cute Mexican sandals at Rosa's store that I've been wanting for the last 6 months ever since I got there, so I finally went in and bought them before I left. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture before I packed them up and sent them home. I sent home so much stuff this week! I also got rid of a lot of things. I'm so grateful to be going home in springtime and not winter. The 50 pound suitcase weight limit on the plane is a killer!
Just shaving some cactuses at Rosa's store...
She didn't want to say goodbye! :(
We went to Selah after email time to play some sports and say goodbye to people in our zone. It was so sad saying goodbye to Sister Carroll and Sister Michalek. Also sad because before, they were planning on having all the "dying" missionaries meet at the mission home at 4 PM, so I was totally going to go there and say goodbye to Hermana Luevano, but then they changed it to 6 PM so I couldn't! I was so sad. I'll get over it eventually. Let's just have a moment of silence for my Mom.
Goodbye Sister Michalek!
Goodbye Sister Carroll!
goodbye Reina's!
We also went to say goodbye to the Robins family. It was sad, I love them so much. It was so sweet though. They are from Hawaii, and when I got there they sat me down on the couch and all the kids came and gave me different colored leis! It was so sweet.
Tuesday we had a lot of appointments fall through, so that was disappointing. But that's okay. We still made the best of my last day in Ellensburg. We went in the morning to work on the Days for Girls project, so that was fun. Then we went to have lunch/language study with Bea Garcia for the last time :( Not that sad though, because her family is all in the Terrace Heights branch (my new area) and the Garcia's go there to visit all the time, so I knew it wouldn't be too long before I saw her. Then I went to say goodbye to Rosa. That was just emotionally exhausting. There was so much packing and packing and packing going on at the apartment too, with Sister McCourt and I both leaving. It was pretty entertaining actually, Sister McCourt (she went to Wenatchee btw) has been out for 9 months now so she's right at that point in her mission where she's gathered a lot of things, but still has another winter so she can't get rid of a lot of things yet, so she had ELEVEN bags. We eventually narrowed it down to about 7-8 I think. To be fair she only came out with 2 suitcases instead of 3 like the rest of us and her suitcases are small, and most of the bags were like backpacks and large purses, but still! It was funny. That night we went to $1 scoop night at Winegars with the Reina's twins, Karina and Jamie, and they brought Karina's non-member boyfriend, too! He's been coming to church the last couple of weeks and says he really likes it and wants to know more. So that's cool.
Hermana McCourt being stressed about all her stuff
Packing!
Wednesday morning I had to say goodbye to Sister McCourt, which was really hard because I lived with her longer than anybody else on my mission (nearly 5 months together!). It wasn't as hard with Hermana Tolliver because I saw her the very next day at Zone Conference, and I'll see her at the mission home when I die (her new companion is dying with me) but I most likely won't see Sister McCourt again. Super sad. Then Sister Robins came and picked me up and drove me to the Yakima Stake center. It was so sweet of her. The transfer site was fun, weird that it was my last time being at a transfer site, though! I think I'm in denial. Fun to see a bunch of friends one last time who were going up North. I also got to meet Sister Finch! She's from Texas and is being "born" in Royal city! Also her companion is from Flower Mound, Texas and her name is Hermana Cluff. She's a cousin of the Cluff's I grew up with there. I told Sister finch she's the luckiest missionary here. I love Royal so much.
Sister Cluff and I
ALSO I found out HERMANA HULL AND I ARE IN THE SAME ZONE NOW. I'm so happy! I've missed her so much. And then I got to meet my new companion, Hermana Powell! She is SO SO SO SO sweet. I love her so much already. It's funny because her first name is Violet and everything she owns is purple, haha :) Then we went home to Moxee to shop and unpack. It was super easy unpacking this time because I sent so much stuff home! Then we went to meet some of our investigators and the Bishop. It turns out I'm actually covering an English ward, too! Which I'm excited about because I've missed English work. It's like Royal all over again. An English ward and a Spanish branch. Yessssssss best kind of area in my opinion!
Thursday we went tracting together for the first time and taught our first lessons together and HOLY COW I AM GOING TO LEARN SO MUCH FROM HERMANA POWELL. She is a powerful teacher! We had lunch with a few of the older single ladies in the ward. They are so cute and funny! But it was like getting interviewed by 6 grandmas about my life! They were all like so where are you gonna go to school? Where are you going to work? Are you gonna get married soon? etc. Then we taught Marisa. She is so sweet and is praying about a baptismal date right now! Her husband just died recently so she's really open to God right now and especially loved learning about the Plan of Salvation, and how she can be sealed with her husband in the temple.
That afternoon/evening we had Zone Conference! It was weird to have it on transfer week, but it was a mission tour Zone Conference, and was SO GOOD. Elder Juan A. Uceda of the 70 came. Some of my favorite parts was when he talked about when we got set apart as missionaries how even though it was our Stake President giving the blessing, it was actually Jesus' hands on our heads. Then Elder Sanchez (in my district now) commented. "Those hands that were on my head were the same hands nailed to the cross for me." Then Elder King pointed out how everything that Jesus' hands touch gets healed. Then I thought of how the cross is really symbolic of our sins! Our sins are healed because Jesus' hands touched them.
Me and my daughters!
Sister Young, Hermana Tolliver, Hermana Hull, Hermana Knight
My last Zone Conference :(
Elder Juan A. Uceda thumbs upping Elder Donakey
Elder Uceda also taught us a lot about teaching by doing things with our investigators, rather than just talking to/at them. He pointed out a verse in Matthew 28:19 where it says to teach to all nations. Then he showed us that the word "teach" in that verse was translated from the Greek word, "Matheteuo" which is actually a verb that means "to make one a disciple". I thought that was just so cool! We aren't just teaching people, but we are literally helping them to become a disciple of Christ. He talked about how we learn by doing and it clicked for me about Spanish. I have studied Spanish in school for most of my life and have had this intense desire for such a long time to be able to speak Spanish, but it wasn't until my mission when I had to actually do it, speak Spanish, that I actually could! Now I'm super comfortable speaking Spanish and on my way to fluency. It's like that with the gospel, too. Maybe these people have studied a lot and have a desire, but they'll never actually learn unless they do things. Act!
Friday weekly planning (weekly awesomeness) was kind of weekly stressing again, but it's okay. It was just hard because Hermana Powell has only been in this area for a few weeks, so she doesn't even know it that well yet, and now she has to take over! It was good though. We work really well together. And we decided we are anti-stress.
Saturday we went to Sister Michael's house and she went over the ward and branch directories with us so we could find out who is active/not active and what people's church callings and careers are. It was so helpful. I already love the Michaels. They remind me a lot of mama and papa Abken in White Salmon <3
After that we taught Brittney, Albert, and Mike. Albert's first wife died a few years ago, but she was actually Mormon so that's how they all got interested in the church. (Brittney is the second wife). Then we went to a Relief Society activity for the branch. (BEA GARCIA WAS THERE) it was SO fun! I am so so so so so soooo happy to be in a branch again. I loved the food too, of course.
That night when we went tracting we accidentally knocked into 3 members! Haha it was funny and great to get to meet them.
Sunday was SO GREAT. I love the ward and the branch and am so excited to be here!
My new apartment!
I guess that's about it. I'm out of time! I love and miss you all!!
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