January 4 Email

Ahh my mind is going crazy for so many reasons! I just feel so great today & I'm not sure why...it may be because I took the sacrament twice yesterday. 

But it's also going crazy because a couple old companions who I haven't heard from in a LONG time emailed me (sis Otuafi & sis Kroff), college application!, ahhh, & I have to use the bathroom, but cannot because it is being cleaned....so sorry in advance for this email being all over the place.

This week was a pretty great week! I'm sorry I haven't been talking much about our investigators, because we really don't have many, & the ones we do have haven't met with us in a long time. A couple I've never even met. So we're really working on finding new ones & meeting with the ones we have. I'm really excited about the potential family we have, M & A. We have an appointment set up with them this Wednesday. 

This was a very different week than most. The whole month of December in general is quite different, but oh so good. 

New Year's Eve was a wonderful day. We had a STL meeting with President & Sister Hobbs for an hour before we had MLC. I think my favorite part about being an STL is the chance I have to go to MLC & learn soooo much! A few changes are being made to the mission: after this transfer there will be no more departing devotionals. I don't know if I ever explained what those were, but to make a long story short, it was a devotional put on for the missionaries going home & they would invite their favorite people from all their past areas to come to the mission office. No more of those. Also there will be no more transfer meetings, aka swaps, aka the best part of transfers. President isn't even sure how we will transfer, but it will be different! Also, on Jan. 20th the Missionary executive committee from Salt Lake is putting on a worldwide missionary devotional. It's gonna be great! 

 

After MLC we had about 1 hour before we had to be in at 6. So we went finding! It was incredible because out of the few houses we knocked on, all people we met were really friendly & a couple we even interested! One doesn't live in our area, but one does! We have an appointment set up with him tomorrow.

So we came home at 6 & watched The Testaments with the sisters & made goals for 2016. It was really strange to have most of my goals be for when I'm no longer a missionary. ahhhh

So it is the new year! 2016. A year I never imagined would come, but now it is in our midst. My thought from this week comes from a BYU devotional talk by Elder Holland called "Remember Lot's Wife". This is a new year of new opportunities. Let us all not look back & yearn for the past, but look forward to the future of possibilities. Let us use the Atonement to forgive & forget things of the past & start anew. Jesus Christ didn't sacrifice His life for us to be yearning for things of the past. His gospel is one of hope & joy. 

I love you & am so grateful for all you've done for me. I hope to be a better daughter, sister, aunt, & friend when I return home. :)

xoxo Sister Viraldo

p.s. I GOT TO GO ON EXCHANGES IN WRIGHTWOOD THIS WEEK & IT WAS THE BESTEST THING EVER!!!!!!!

 

 

Happy 7 months, Sister Wagner! Ahhh I feel so old. It's true, when your children grow up that means you're getting older. I was her age (7 months) when I trained her. :')