The church is true!!

I have some great news! I should be in Brazil within the next 12 weeks, hopefully sooner, but we'll see! I've been praying to just have a time period of when I might receive my visa, just so I'll know! And I have!!! I'm so grateful! The church is true!!!!!! I love being a missionary!

So this week has been amazing. Sister Romney and I found a new investigator. The elders tracted into her, and have them to us, since she was a single elderly lady. So, we went to her house the other day and she's amazing! Her name is Joan Jones, and the Lord has really been preparing her for this gospel! First of all, she is a 75 year old lady, who has FULL custody of her great-grandson. And he's not really her great grandson. It's her grandson's, girlfriends baby, they thought her grandson was the father, but he's not.. And his girlfriend and him are both in prison... So she has full custody of him and takes care of him like he's her old child. Little Cameron is only 5 months old. Doesn't that just break your heart? Anyway, we taught her the restoration and she was just soaking it all in. When we asked her if she believe if Joseph Smith really saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (most people have a problem with believing this) and she said confidently, YES. I was like AHHHH! Then she committed to reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it. And best of all, she accepted our invite to be baptized!! I LOVE JOAN.

Well, Thanksgiving is on Thursday. My first holiday without the fam. It's gonna be sad, but I'll have my mission family! Haha. We're eating at a members house and I'm super excited. The Hinxon's are so funny! It's gonna be a great day.

Oh my goodness, I watched the best Mormon Message last week but forgot to tell everyone to watch it! It was called  "Wrong Roads" Everyone go watch it!! It's awesome! That's my challenge to all of y'all!

I love this gospel more than anything in my life, I am SO grateful to be a member of this church in these latter-day's and be able to serve 2 missions. I know, without a shadow of a doubt that this church is true, the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet!

Eu amo voces!!

Line of the week:

Sister Sloat: Yeah, it's just going to be so hard not to be able to go to McDonald's' and get a sweat tea anymore!

Me: But they have REALLY good Root Beer.

It's true. What can I say? Haha

Tchau,

Sister Hallmark

Ps, I lost the my camera chord, so no pictures for this week until I can find it! :(

Spotsy fa lifeeeee!

 So transfer calls were yesterday, and Sister Romney and I have been thinking about them all week! Neither of us wants to go, so we were both freaking out! Well, Sunday rolls around and it's call time. Basically the way they do transfer calls are only to torture us!!! I swear! Haha. So, President Wilson starts making calls around 7:00pm and depending on how many people get transferred, he could end calling around 10:30pm! If you're getting transferred, you'll get a call from President, if you're not getting transferred, you won't. So, if you're not getting transferred YOU WAIT ANXIOUSLY WAIT BY THE PHONE FOR 3 HOURS WAITING TO SEE IF YOU'RE GETTING TRANSFERRED, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT YOU'RE NOT. Good times. Hahaha. Seriously, Sister Romney and I were like hoovering over the phone. But when we got a text from the Zone Leaders saying that transfer calls were over, we started jumping up and down and screaming! We're gonna be together for another 6 weeks!!! We're so excited! She's seriously become like one of my best friends. We're so unified, it's crazy! We're ALWAYS saying the same things at the same time.. it's creepy. Haha. Also, the area I'm in right now, Spotsylvania is the bomb. The ward is great and I love all the people here, they're so friendly. I'm excited to be here for another transfer.

So, Friday was a rough day, but it had it's rewards. We started off the day with an appointment with Clarise. She was a referral from the elders. We had called and set up this appointment and she sounded so excited! We practically taught her the restoration over the phone. Anyway, so we get to her house and she's not home.. :( We called her three times and left voice-mails but she didn't answer. We were so upset. We don't really understand what happen, so we're praying for her. We decided then that we would go tracting. Oh! So our ward is having their annual Live Nativity, Celebration of Christ and they had little invitations that they gave to us to pass out. So, we decided we'd go tracting and pass the invitations out so it's not as awkward. NOPE. Still awkward. People are weird. Hahaha. Sister Romney and I knocked on this one lady's door and she wasn't answering so we assumed no one was home and did what any sensible person would do. We started dancing on her porch. Obviously. But guess what? Someone was home.. She opened the door and just awkwardly stared at us. I've never felt so awkward in my life. I was so embarrassed! But afterwards Sister Romney and I almost peed our pants laughing. Good times. Gotta love the mish. So after we were finished passing out all the invitations, we decided to reward ourselves with some hot chocolate. We were craving white peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks, so that's where we went. Through the drive through, of course. We pull up, and there's a sign that says "buy one drink get one free! November 14th through the 17th 2 to 5pm." It was the 16th at 4:30. Can't get more perfect than that. The church is true. So we got our two white peppermint hot chocolates for the price of one! Holla!

Eu amo este trabalha! Eu se que este evangelho e verdadiero. Eu amo Virginia, mas eu nao espera a ser em Brasil. Eu se que Jose Smith foi um profeta correta e eu amo ele. Eu amo este opportunidad que tenho a servir uma missao e servir o Senhor. Estou muita feliz que eu estare aqui em Spotsy por 6 semanas mais! A Igreja E Verdadiero! Eu amo voces!!

Tchau,

Sister Hallmark

Oi!

Sorry I completely forgot to write a blog last week. I'm so sorry!

This week has been great! With Sister Bradshaw's new calling, Sister Romney and I are getting fed every night. Which is so good! I was getting a little tired of Firehouse Subs. Haha

So we've been working a lot lately with less actives and it's been great! One less active in particular, Sister Sloat, is my favorite. She has such a sweet spirit about her. It's been her goal to get back to the temple, and overcome her addiction to smoking and she just got her temple recommend last Sunday. We were both in tears, she was so excited. For some reason last Sunday I could not stop crying, I love testimony meeting and I loved the lesson we had in Relief Society. So, during the lesson in RS, we were talking about visiting teaching and Sister Sloat raised her hand and made a comment about how she didn't have any visiting teachers and God knew that so he sent her the sister missionaries and she loves us. I couldn't stop crying! So, I leaned over put my arm around her and said "I love you." Then, a few minutes later, a sister made a comment (I don't remember what it was about) that really touched my heart and I started to cry again. Sister Sloat leaned over, put her arm around me and said "I love you." I lost it. I could not stop crying!!! I love her so much! Such a sweet old lady!

Oh yeah! I just remembered! So President and Sister Wilson had a special announcement for us! We're all getting iPads in 2014! Each missionary. AND we get to keep them after our mission! They're OURS! Sister Romney and I are stoked! We'll be able to show investigators Mormon Messages and stuff! All our manuals, book, scriptures, everything will be on there! No more bulky bags! I. AM. SO. EXCITED.

Transfers are a week from Wednesday people! One week we're talking! I don't wanna leave Spotsy!!! I love the ward here, and I love my companion! Change is hard! I wouldn't mind getting transferred to Brazil though.. See what I did there? My visa will come soon enough. :( Hopefully! haha. I just found out that my companion from the MTC got her visa and leaves for Brazil on Monday. I almost peed my pants when I found out. Everyone in my district has slowly but surely been getting their visa's. Hopefully mine will be next! 

 So we had dinner at the Rivards this week and they're awesome! They told us something funny! So originally Sister Bradshaw scheduled us and the elders for the same night with the Rivards, and we're not allowed to eat dinner at the same place as the elders. I'm not quite sure why. Anyway, so Sister Rivard got a phone call from Sister Bradshaw saying "sorry you can't feed both the elders and the sisters, you have to pick one." Sister Rivard said "well, obviously the sisters!" Hahaha, we feel bad! Sister Romney and I share a ward with the zone leaders and everyone totally likes us better! Duh, though! We're sisters! Haha

Well I can't think of anything else we did for this week! I love you all and I love this work!!

Hope everyone has a great week! Eu amo voces!

Line of the week:

*Sister Romney and I are getting out of the car to visit a less active*

Sister Romney: Well.... I don't have my scriptures.

Me: Shoot! Me neither.

Both of us are just dying at this point.

Sister Romney: Well.. Do you have any memorized?!

Me: Jesus wept and my father dwelt in a tent.

 We were both laughing so hard! Two missionaries FORGOT THEIR SCRIPTURES. -__- iPads 2014! Haha

Tchau,

Sister Hallmark