Sister Jamie Szabo

#szabos2016 is possibly the best thing I have ever seen. If I was wasn't happy before I am now :)

We went on 2 exchanges this week. We were supposed to go on 3 but one cancelled which was fine. It all worked out, as always :)

On Thursday I stayed in Havelock with Sister Bowen. She's also from PG. She is amazing!! She is the most diligent missionary I have ever met and we saw SO many miracles because of it. We had 3 member present lessons, 2 other lessons got 2 new investigators, contacted a referral, set up an appointment with 2 potential investigators and I don't even know what else. I've never had a day like that on my mission. Everything just seemed to fall into place. Sister Bowen said to me, "I wish that I could always go on exchanges because miracles always happen." And then I realized that I do always get to go on exchanges and what a neat thing that is. I really believe that's the only reason we're able to have a successful area because it's crazy having one of us be gone for so many of our lessons but our investigators and members are champs about it and we really do always see miracles from our exchanges. It's neat too to see how what happens on the exchange happens to be exactly what the other sister needed, even when they don't realize it. For example on both exchanges where I stayed in my area the sisters both really needed to have some teaching opportunities and that's exactly what happened and once when Sister Hurley stayed we didn't have any set appointments and we were feeling really bad and the sister ended up getting sick so if we would have had appointments that would have been rough. The Lord always knows what He's doing.

On Friday we had to give a training at Zone Meeting so that was fun after not being companions for a day to prepare it but it worked out and then right after we went on an exchange with the Washington Sisters. Let me just start by saying that Sister LeRoy and I used to say to each other in the MTC that one day we were going to be companions again and it happened on Friday. I went to Washington with her and her companion and it was SO much fun! I love that girl a lot! And they live in the cutest little house. Being on exchanges gives me this extra courage to do things I would normally be way too scared to do so we had some interesting experiences. We were in the GHETTO and this guy yells to us and I'm like sweet these people want to talk to us and I start walking over and Sister LeRoy freaks out and then realizes she has to follow me....well he starts hitting on Sister LeRoy and I'm like "Well if it's going to get you to church we'll give you our number..." (Yes, sometimes I wonder why President Baker made me a STL too. It's fine.) and then he asks us again what church we're from and I tell him "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Or have you heard of the Mormons?" And he goes "You're Mormons" in the most disgusted voice I've ever heard and then proceeds to throw the f-word at us. Obviously there's a reason why I don't serve in the ghetto because I don't know when a situation is legitimately sketchy. I just laughed and laughed about it and Sister LeRoy couldn't believe that I even walked over to them. Another funny story from that exchange..picture this: we're teaching one of their investigators who has her hair half in those little tiny black people hair braids and half afro because she's in the process of taking her braids out and we read 1 Nephi 1 with her and we're talking about it after and after we explain to her that Lehi is Nephi's father who was warning the people to repent and they wouldn't listen, she goes, "So you're telling me that Lehi is Nephi's daddy and he was preaching the gospel..." I was trying SO hard not to laugh. I will always think of Lehi as Nephi's "daddy" now. I love being a missionary SO MUCH it's ridiculous.

Sister Hurley and I are still LOVING being companions. I seriously have never laughed so hard in my entire life. Y'all would LOVE HER. I keep thinking that this is all going to go away because it's just way too good to be true. I've also never been so exhausted in my entire life though. Sisters seem to open up when you're laying in bed and about to go to sleep and then Sister Hurley and I don't make it any better because we lay up laughing for ever every night anyway.

General Conference was SO good! President Baker gave us permission to watch it at a member's home this time but we still just watched it at the church. For one session it was the missionaries, the Bishop, Brother Mullinex and Brother Humphreys. I was loving it. I think my favorite talk was Elder Hales on obedience. I was eating it right up. I'm excited to read all of them in the Ensign when it comes out. (Mom, our ward has extra of the last General Conference because I guess they usually order a bunch and give them out to people so if that's the case for this one I won't need you to get me a copy but we have a new Bishop now so we'll see. I'll let you know.) Our waffle bar went really good! We had 3 investigators come which was 100% worth it I think and the ward was so impressed that we even did it so I think we gained a lot more of their trust in that. It was a lot of fun too! Sister Hurley and I made SO many waffles.

Hey I love you all A LOT!

I took the color code test on our car ride to exchange back with Sister LeRoy. Before my mission I was a blue red and now I'm a blue white with 0 red. My mission is completely changing me. I thought it was pretty hilarious.

Have a good good week!

Love, Sister Szabo

Y'all will appreciate this because you know my love of animals...

This is our door mat and our text ring tone is a cat's meow.

I am in THE COUNTRY people. And I love it.