Yay for emailing home!

Yay for emailing home! I love hearing from you guys! (Especially Samuel..cough cough not. Don't tell me you're too busy for me fool.) Last Monday we had Zone P-day and it was AWESOME except the humidity was awful. We were all sitting under the pavilion talking and play games and I was wiping sweat off my face like I was standing in the sun wearing all black. I wanted to die! and everyone says this is nothing compared to how it's going to be..awesome. But the past few days the weather has been nice. There's even been a breeze which cools it down a lot.

 

We don't have a washer and dryer in our apartment so we go to different member's homes and we went to Sister Morgan's last week and since we had zone p-day she told us just to leave it there and she did it for us. She is the best thing that ever happened. She's so awesome. She was baptized just a year ago and she is the one who sends around our food schedule. I love her. She's so so awesome. We ate at their house Monday night too and we had ribs and I was freaking out before because I don't even like meat on the bone at home let alone at a member's house where I have to pretend like I know how to eat with good manners but they were super good and it was fine. And then of course on Tuesday night we had chicken on the bone at a member's house again. I was like k cool I hate meat! (jokes you all know i'm just dramatic sometimes/all the time.) My favorite dinner appointments are the ones where it's really a homemade meal. We went to a member's home, the Walkers, they're this older couple and then last night we went to the Assletts and they both made us homemade meals and I was loving every second of it. The Walkers are just like Grandpa and Grandma. I was in love with them. I wanted to stay there forever. 

 

This week has been full of service! and I've loved it! We helped a member who's moving clean their home and then we helped a less active member clean out her garage and then a few weeks ago during walk and talk we met this lady who let us come back and clean out her flower garden. It was freaking hot during all of it but I loved it. I told Molly that I secretly want a natural disaster to happen so I can put on that yellow shirt and share the gospel that way. That's awful though and really I don't want to go through a hurricane. I am glad we get to wear skirts usually though because wearing those jeans is HOOOTTT! I don't know how the elders do it every day. And they have to ride bikes. What was I thinking wishing that I was going to ride a bike.

 

On Thursday our Relief Society threw us a House Party. They're the cutest things ever. We got so much stuff too. Oh I love them all soo much. I never want to leave this Ward. Sister Ankney and Sister Brimhall threw it. They're so great to us. It was so so much fun. And Sister Ankney invited her neighbor who's a nonmember who we had lunch with before so it was a nice missionary opportunity too. Don't worry we're not slacking over here :)

 

Last night Sister Caldwell and I had a heart to heart during Companion Inventory. I'm in love with her. It was so fun to hear all about her family and talk about all of you.

 

J*** and W*** both came to church again yesterday! We were SO SO happy! We also taught Joyce the Plan of Salvation and the WOW and the Law of Chastity this week and she was like Yeah I drink coffee sometimes but I don't need to. Anything to come closer to Christ. Sister Caldwell and I almost jumped off the couch we were so happy. She's so excited to be baptized. She was so prepared before we even got here. I don't think I told you that the first time we met her before we even told her our names she was like "Hi I want to be baptized." K  SWEET! I love her. And Will didn't have time for us to meet with him last week but he did come to church and even brought his son and we're meeting with him on Wednesday. Yay! I love teaching the gospel. and I love being a missionary.

 

If this isn't preparing me for the rest of my life I don't know what it. We read this quote in the MTC that said "your mission experience is the MTC for the rest of your life..and the next" and it's soo true! My 2012 goal was to not get frustrated when plans don't go my way and I'm still awful at it but that's literally what happens every second of a mission. Nothing goes as you planned it so here I go learning how to deal with whatever. I've learned so much already.

 

ENJOY THE FIREWORKS this week. They're illegal here so we can't do them and I was so sad when I heard because Sister Caldwell and I both love the 4th of July. We've been singing all the patriotic songs in the hymn book to get ready for it and we're going to try to find a fun outfit to wear at the store today. I guess there is a firework show at Mt. Trashmore so maybe we'll get to see that. We'll see what our new mission president's rules are for the 4th. Our mission conference is TOMORROW. and today we are officically part of the Chesapeake, Virginia Mission. What?! I love it here. I'm so happy to be on this side of the mission and I'm so excited to meet President and Sister Baker. Also, I can't remember if I told you or not that because we're on this side of the mission we lost a week of our mission so this transfer is only a 5 week transfer so transfer calls are this Sunday. Crazy! But this is about the only transfer we don't have to worry about because I'm being trained so we'll most likely stay here for the next transfer as well. OH and i got a call from Sister Huff in the Mission Office calling to say she had a package for me so she's going to give it to me on Tuesday but she was like "when I say American Fork I have a hand over my heart because that's where I'm from too." I guess she's in the 20th ward? I don' know. I'm excited to meet her tomorrow. and to get my package! yay!

 

I watched "Origin". It's one of the new Mormon Messages. EVERYONE should go watch it. I love Joseph Smith so much. I love bearing testimony of him and everything he did to make the Restoration possible. What a neat thing that I get to teach people. I love this gospel and I know that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ and I love that he was so willing to restore this church to the earth. I can't wait to meet him someday. The First Vision is so awesome. I have felt the Spirit testify to people as we quote it to them. I love that. I love this gospel so much! Ah! I love being a missionary!

 

Here's my random section with everything that I've written down during the week that I wanted to tell you guys..I am hungry all of the time. It's the worst. and post-it notes are a Sister Missionaries best friends. I'm obsessed with them. I brought so many quarter length sleeve shirts and I don't know what I was thinking. That's like a winter shirt here. I desperately need to find some more shirts at Target today or I'm going to melt in this humidity. A question that we get asked all of the time is "Who made God?" and I want to smack people it's so frustrating. Who cares who made God. This gospel is true and that's all that matters. hahaha I promise I'm nice to people. I sound like the worst missionary.  Reading your Patriarchal Blessing as a missionary is the neatest thing on this earth. Everything is so cool, even reading your scriptures with the perspective of a missionary. I love it. I am so grateful that the Lord has promised me so many blessings if i'm only willing to work my hardest. I love having the list of blessings I was promised when I was set-apart. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by them because I'm not at that point yet but I love having them and the motivation they give me to work harder. I have a question, I shower at night and I refuse to wash my hair in the morning because I refuse to use my blow dryer but we exercise in the morning so I always wash my body after but I still get all gross and sweaty so I'm at a loss for what to do. Any suggestions?

 

And sorry this is long but I have a story to tell that if anyone knows me at all they'll die. We were at this families house, they're less active/part member and they're so awesome. They seriously have taken such good care of us from the second they met us but they have these 3 dogs and we were all talking and one of the dogs jumped on my lap and just sat there FOREVER. I am not exaggerating when I say I had an anxiety attack. I thought I was going to throw up. No matter what i did, it wouldn't move. THERE WAS A DOG ON MY LAP. It's hard enough acting like I like people's pets but to have it on my lap, and the lady didn't even care. I was dying. Oh my goodness it's giving me anxiety thinking about it. I hate dogs. That's all there is to it. I will never own one. Gross. Sorry for all you animal lovers out there.

 

I love you all SO SO much. I miss you every day but I love being a missionary and I am so grateful for the sacrifices people are making for me to be here. I know this is where I'm supposed to be. And I know that the Lord is blessing all of us for our obedience to Him. Share your testimony with someone this week. It's hard in Utah because you're surrounded my Mormons but find someone who needs to hear it. I promise you'll see miracles from it. Have the best 4th of July. I love you all!

 

Love, Sister Szabo

 

p.s. We met this less active in our ward this week. He told us "Your walk with Christ is not a sprint." Take it as you will. ENDURE TO THE END people. I love you all.

 

The pictures are of our house party and our living room slowly getting put all together. The picture with all of the ladies is the house party. I love them all so much!

 

Sister Ankney, Sister Brimhall, Sister Zondler, Sister Six, Sister Heinzelman, Sister Caldwell, Sister Szabo

next row up: Sister Morgan, Fran, Sister Saunders, Sister Neipraschk, and Sister Reliford is the lady in the very back.