Short email!

This week's email is going to be short! I waited until the last minute to write this and now I have like 12 seconds left. Oopsie. PS sorry if I don't write everyone back, I try! But I love you all!! :)

Okay, so first off let me just reiterate the fact that I LOVE BEING IN A YSA. Seriously. Being able to teach people who are my age and I can relate with is so cool! Sister Chipman andI live like 10 minutes away from UVA, The University of Virginia and we just walk all over campus contacting people all the time! It's so much fun! I've never laughed so hard in my life. Some people are just so weird.

I'm praying for everyone back at home I hope you're all doing great! It's such a great time to be a missionary! The work is FANTASTIC wherever you are! I know that this church is true with my whole heart!

Line of the week:

We were reading a scripture about godliness and trying to describe it to her.

Beth: (less active) Yeah, so like godliness is next to happiness!

Long pause
Me: Yeah... It's cleanliness is next to godliness..

We were all dying laughing! Hahaha

Tchau com muito amor,

Sister Hallmark

Charlottesville! :)

SO. As you can clearly see, I've been transferred to Charlottesville! Waddup. It's so awesome! Just the name alone, Charlottesville. It's so cute!!!! :) But wait, it gets better. I'M IN A YSA ward. I almost peed my pants when President announced I'd be in the Charlottesville YSA. I was praying and praying and PRAYING I'd be in a ysa! See, Heavenly Father answers prayers. The church is true. There you have it. Also, my lil trainee, Sister Chipman is awesome! I have been so blessed to have amazing companions! I have yet to meet a single person who doesn't tell me how amazing. Seriously, everyone loves her. I'm just like, heck yeah, and she's my companion, back up. She's already such an amazing missionary! I'm so impressed. 

So this week, besides transfers we didn't really do much. It snowed, DANGIT. I just realized I forgot to take pictures of the snow. Anywho, it snowed a TON here, like 187 feet. I was like, what does all of this even mean?! So, obviously we were stuck inside all day. Which I was alright with. I've never taken such a long nap in my entire life. Literally. After day 1 of being inside and doing nothing but sleep, eat, and play ukulele, I was like I CAN'T DO ANOTHER DAY OF THIS. So we hung out with the Fitzgeralds, it was way fun. We went sledding outside in their backyard. Whether or not we're allowed to go sledding or not is a mystery, but I'm too afraid to ask, I don't want the answer to be NO. Hehe

I miss Spotsylvania SOO much it's retarded. The ward here is awesome! I love being in a YSA so much! It's so different from a family ward. It'll take some adjusting to the way things work, but I'm so pumped to be here! Also, we share our apartment with Hermana's, the spanish speaking sisters. Dude, it's so much fun! They're awesome! It's like a party every night!

I know this church is true! I know this new area will be amazing and I will witness so many miracles! I'm so grateful for the Lord's hand in my life and for sending me to Charlottesville Virginia! I KNOW I'm needed here! I can't wait to go to work! It's crazy, Sister Nelson and I were talking the other day about mission life and we were thinking about all of our investigators. We came to the conclusion that we were so selfish for thinking of NOT serving a mission. Like, there were and still are people in Virginia that are just waiting for me. Like Joan for example, one of our recent converts. The Lord prepared her and she was just waiting, waiting for us to share the gospel with her. She knew she was missing something in her life, but she wasn't sure what that was until she came to church for the first time. So before my mission, and Sister Nelsons as well, we were like, I will NEVER serve a mission! Heck no! That's only for the guys! But now that I'm here and I know how AMAZING it is, I'm like, how could I have been so selfish? Those people were just waiting for me to share the gospel with them. They needed me, and my companion. Not anyone else. I'm sad I wasted so much time before coming out, but now that I'm here, and I know the people, I NEVER WANT TO LEAVE. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY AND THIS CHURCH!!!

ps. I got a new address: 864 Ashley Court, Charlottesville Virginia 22901.

So if anyone was thinking of writing me, NOW'S THE PERFECT TIME. How convenient! :) I'll be checking the mail everyday at 1:00 in case anyone is wondering. ;) Love y'all! 

Tchau com muito amor,

Sister Hallmark

Spotsy for life = HEARTBREAK

I'm getting transferred!!!!!!!! :( I literally cannot describe the amount of sadness I have! I was FOR SURE I would be staying! But I guess the Lord has other plans for me. We got the call from President for like 9:30 at night and I answer the phone and here's how the conversation went:

Me: Hello, this is Sister Hallmark and Sister Nelson

President: Hello Sisters! Can I talk to you one of you privately, then the other one?

Me: Of course! *put the phone off speakerphone* This is Sister Hallmark

President: Hi Sister Hallmark! I was wondering if you'd accept the calling to train a new sister?

Me: Of course! *in my head WHAT?! NO? I've only been out 5 months! Are you nuts?! Kill me!!

President: Thank you so much! By the way, you'll be leaving, but you're companion is great and the area is awesome!

WHATEVER! HE SAYS THAT ABOUT EVERYONE! 

As if it wasn't bad enough that I have to train someone, I'm leaving Spotsy!!!!! I literally thew myself on the couch and cried for hours. The thought of leaving everyone here gives me anxiety. I can't leave it here. I just can't. :( I was calling people all night and we were crying together! We taught so many people this week! Had so many miracles and I'm not going to be able to teach any of them! :(

Enough of this negativity. We went tracting this week and found 10 potentials. The Lord is really preparing many people. It's such a great time to be a missionary!

We went over to Sister Sloat's house yesterday and were there forever! Just talking, watching Mormon Messages, and eating cereal, our addiction. Hehe. I sure am going to miss her. She's the bomb. We decided after Sister Nelson and I get married and get rich, we're going to go on a cruise with Sister Sloat. Her response to that was "yes, please." Hahaha

That's all for this week!

Tchau,

Sister Hallmark

I LOVE IT HERE! :)

Well Clarice is officially a recent convert. She was baptized Thursday and was confirmed and received the Holy Ghost yesterday in church. She's just so great!!! :) Not to mention the fact that Sister Romney, President and Sister Wilson were all at the baptism!!!!! It was soo good to see her! I didn't think she was coming it was totally a surprise. Then when I saw President and Sister Wilson I was like WHAT THE HECK, WHY ARE THEY HERE?! It was so awesome though! They drove like an hour and a half just to see Clarice get baptized, and of course to see Sister Nelson and I, because I mean, we're just so awesome. Hehehe

I got some fantastic news this week!!!!! I found out that I'll be receiving my visa in about 2 to 4 weeks! It's crazy, because the entire time I've been here in Virginia, I've wanted to be in Brazil. But now that it's actually coming quicker than expected, I'm freaking out. Am I ready? Who knows! I know the Lord will qualify me, though. I'm going to miss Virginia like crazy! I love Spotsylvania with my whole heart and I don't ever want to leave! :( Speaking of leaving, transfers are next week! They're calling us Saturday to tell us where we're going, if we're getting transferred. I realllllly hope I'm staying here in Spotsylvania! Spotsy for life!!!! :)

Aside from the fact that our Relief Society president is trying to hook me up with her son after my mission, things are going great here in Spotsy! ;) Now that all of our investigators have been baptized, we need people to teach! But the Lord has been gracious and has given us many referrals and people to teach! This week's going to be a great one! I can feel it!

The church is true! This week Sister Nelson and I have been studying the second coming a lot, and it's coming so quickly. If there's anything I've learned, I know that I'll have my food storage when I get back from my mission! Seriously! I want to be ready when the Lord comes again! I am so grateful for this knowledge I have of the after life. This gospel brings so many great blessings! I'm so glad to be apart of it! Ahh and I LOVE MY MISSIONNNNNNNN! :)

Line of the week: 

Sister Nelson: I wonder if God likes dogs.

Sister Sloat: God is dog spelled backwards.... You do the math.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Sister Nelson and I were dying. She says the most random things and half the time they don't even make sense! Hahahaha

Tchau,

Sister Hallmark

Me, Clarice and Sister Romney!

Me, Clarice and Sister Nelson!

Sister Nelson and I

This is how we study the scriptures.

Everyone and their mother has personalized license plates here! I was DYING when I saw this. 

THE TEMPLE WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!

 I want to live there. Straight up. So, Sister Nelson and I had the opportunity to go with a less active, Sister Sloat, who we've been working with a lot. Her goal recently had been to get back to the temple. The last time she went was in 1995. We were so excited for her! The Lord helped her with her smoking addiction, and when she was interviewed by Bishop Stone and found worthy to get her temple recommend we were SO HAPPY for her. It was incredible. I love her so much. We waited a whole 2 weeks in agony, from the day we found out we could go, until Thursday morning! It was the longest 2 weeks of our lives. For real. But it was worth the wait!!! The minute we pulled in, I was overcome with so the spirit so much, I kept thinking to myself, "are we really at the temple right now?" The session was amazing and I was bawling like a baby the whole time. Of course, would you expect anything less? IT'S THE TEMPLE. The the celestial room.. Words literally cannot describe how peaceful and beautiful it was. I never wanted to leave. I think I used the entire box of Kleenex in there. I was hysterically sobbing. I was just SO happy. Never in my entire life have I felt the spirit so strongly than that day. Never. The whole thing was surreal. And seeing the smile on Sister Sloats face while we were there, I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. She was grinning ear to ear. I'm so grateful that we were able to share that special moment with her. In that moment, I KNEW without a single doubt in my mind, that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer and loves me so much. That he suffered on the cross and in the Garden of Gethsemane so that I can return to live with him and Heavenly Father someday. I am extremely grateful for the wonderful opportunity that Sister Nelson and I had to go to the temple together with Sister Sloat. It was an experience that I will never ever forget.

 

Sister Sloat and I after the temple! LOVE HER. 

All 3 of us at the temple! :)

 Next item of business. OUR BAPTISMSSSSSS. Waddup. Morgan, Grant, Joan and Anna were all baptized this weekend and they were wonderful! Especially Joan's. I really felt a strong connection with her. Joan is the 77 year old woman who has full custody of her great-grandson who is 7 months old. She has had SUCH a hard life, but I don't think she's ever doubted our church. The first time she came to church, she said "I've made my decision, this is the church I want to join. There's just such a good feeling about you people." She's so amazing. She has so much faith, I look up to her. When she was baptized, again, Sister Nelson and I were hysterical. Literally. We were both bawling so hard and hugging each other while she was getting baptized! Afterwards, she had a big smile on her face and said "I finally belong!" It was so amazing! Crazy how Heavenly Father trusts us enough to be apart of her conversion! I am one lucky sister!

So kind of a funny story. Last week I had really been struggling on whether to stay here in Virginia or go to Brasil once my Visa comes. I just love the people here so much, I can't ever imagine leaving. So I had been praying, reading my scriptures, praying, reading talks, and PRAYING! I was kind of leaning toward Brazil but every time I thought about that I was like, but what about Virginia? Needless to say, I needed help from the Lord. Well, it was perfect that we were going to the temple, because I was like SURELY I'll receive an answer there! So when we got in the celestial room, before I could even ask Heavenly Father, if I should stay in Virginia or go to Brasil, He said "Go to Brazil." Then I cried some more (apparently I haven't cried enough this week) and I was like but I'm scared! I don't know! Then we had interviews with President on Friday so I told him everything that had happen and his response was "oh, that's not even an option. When your visa comes, you're going to Brazil. You can't stay here in Virginia." I SWEAR, HE'S THE ONE WHO TOLD ME THAT IF I REALLY WANTED TO STAY IN VIRGINIA, I COULD. SO whatever! hahaha. Sister Nelson and I couldn't stop laughing. I had been stressing out this whole last week and question wasn't even valid! I can't even stay in Virginia!!! Goodness! Hahaha. Guess I'll be going to Brazil. :)

I know I say it a lot, but I've LITERALLY never been so happy. THIS is the reason I came on a mission! To find people like Joan and hep bring them unto Christ. That is my purpose. I want EVERYONE to feel the wonderful joy that I felt that day in the temple and when Joan was being baptized. BEST feeling in the whole entire world. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have a year left on my mission! That means, one more year of this complete happiness!!! YAY!! I KNOW that this gospel is the true and everlasting gospel on this Earth today! I'm so honored to have this opportunity to share it with the world. Stateside mission's are the BEST! I LOVE it here! I was worried before I came out that I would be stateside, I was just like ughh, I want to be cool and go foreign. I'm retarded. I would be SO happy if I got called in Virginia! I don't ever want to leave here! My visa can take as long as it wants!!! :)

Tchau,

Sister Hallmark

 

Anna and I! :)

Anna's family and I! :)

Sister Nelson, Morgan, Berkley, Grant, me before their baptism!!

Me, Joan, Sister Nelson, right before her baptism!

Right after Joan got baptized!! :)

My birthday last Monday!!! Jan 20th I'm finally 20!! 

 

 

Sister Wangberg couldn't make a gluten free birthday cake, so she got a gluten free cupcake instead! She's the best!! 

My first grey hair on my 20th birthday! I'm getting so old!!! Hehe