Monday, July 8

No worries, pictures are totally allowed.  In fact, I love getting them!  Sounds like there's going to be a super fun vacation this upcoming week!  I hope that you all enjoy Mexico with the family.  Also, thanks for the update on the other family members, I can't believe that Rachel is already almost done with her pregnancy.  That's just amazing.

For the 4th of July, we got permission from our Mission President to stay out late to go to parks, contact people, and watch the fireworks.  There was a big city celebration in Leesburg that night so we went to the park where it was happening and got to talk to a lot of people before the fireworks show on the lake.  It was so much fun and it was something different which was nice!  However, it rained like 3 times and it was a thunderstorm for one of them.  We're starting to ride our bikes more because we want to have more exercise and also try to contact people on the streets more often so we got soaked on the way to the park.  One thing about the weather here, it rains almost every day for about an hour and there's tons of lightning and pouring rain, and then it stops and gets super hot and humid to a point where the streets are steaming from the recent downpour.  It's pretty sweet.

So I've been in Leesburg for pretty much my whole mission so far (5 months).  I love the area but I'm also expecting that I'll get moved in about three weeks when we have transfers.  Most people don't stay in an area for more than 4 transfers so I'll be surprised if I stay.  Plus, we were told that our tripanionship wouldn't last for very long so most likely one of us is getting transfered out in a few weeks.  But I like having three girls because it's so much more entertaining!  Sister Peterson is just a great addition to an already great companionship and I have never laughed so much in my life because of her.  My companions are starting to keep a quote book of all the hilarious things that we say/hear.  Plus, it's really fun to mess with our District Leader with 3 girls as well.  He always says "Tri's are the worst!  Especially with sisters!"  Although we know that he secretly thinks that it's a blast.  We just love going out and working.  We're working a lot with less-actives and it has been quite successful.  Our Bishop is pretty excited because a new less-active comes to church every week which is a great improvement.  Now we just need to work harder on getting investigators to teach!

Something that I've noticed as a big change for me is my study habits.  I've really noticed how much mroe I take out of the scriptures now that I'm reading them every day for an hour!  I love reading my scriptures!  I've never marked so much in them as I have over the last few months and I love it.  I have noticed how much my testimony has grown because of it.  The scriptures really are from God.  I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and its added testimony to the Bible about Jesus Christ.  I'm starting to read the Doctrine and Covenants backwords and I hope to do that with the Book of Mormon too once I finish reading it all the way through again.  I'm doing this because I want to be more familiar with the scriptures. I want to know them frontwards, backwards, and in-between.  How interesting it is to be reading the scriptures this way and see the new things that come out!  I have also grown a lot in my testimony about the Priesthood.  Without the Priesthood, our church would just be another church!  The Priesthood is what allows us to be different, it is what makes us have the fullness of the gospel, and it's what made the restoration of the gospel in this dispensation possible.  How grateful I am for the Priesthood and God's everlasting love for His children!  Even after His Only Begotten Son was killed, He was still loving and merciful to His children enough to give us the gospel again on the earth.

Thank you for the emails and such.  I'm sorry about the complaining last week.  I sometimes get down because I don't really write and email anyone which is fine and usually doesn't bother me.  But last week was just harder for me especially because both of my companions get a lot of letters, packages, and emails and it was hard to not get any letters and then no emails either.  I'm sorry for the complaints.  I know that you guys have busy lives and that writing me isn't a main priority nor should it be.  I had a selfish moment and I am sorry for that.  But I love you guys and I hope to hear from you again soon.  Haven't gotten your letter yet but I'm guessing that it'll come today.  Love you all!

With love,

Sister Ward