Thank you so much for all the emails! I'm so grateful for all the love and support that I have felt from all of you.
This week has been crazy! So I'm still sick :( So I've basically been working half the day while I feel good and then I come home and crash and sleep. My goal was to get better before I come home but I'm not sure that will be the case. I called the mission nurse and I asked if I could go to the Urgent Care. She said that I would have to wait to see the mission doctor on Tuesday. I was like...ummm I go home on Wednesday. It didn't really matter to her. So yay!
This week we had a lot of tornados in Indiana! Crazy! Funny story about this. So this all went down on Wednesday. I wasn't feeling very good but we were going to visit a less-active later that night so I decided to sleep for a bit. Then we got up and went to Pinky's house. That's the woman we were planning to go see. Well we're just minding our own business and all of a sudden a member calls her. She tells them that the missionaries are over and he responds by saying,"The missionaries are supposed to be on lock down. There's a tornado warning." I was so confused because I didn't hear anything about this. I look at sister gray and was like,"Do you know anything about this?" Her response was,"Oh crap." Apparently we had gotten a text about all this while I was asleep but Sister Gray had forgotten about it and had forgotten to tell me. So I freak out. We look at the phone and there are tons of missed calls from the District leader and zone leader trying to figure out where we are at haha. We jump up and we're both running to the car. We get in the car and are speeding home while sister gray is calling everyone to let them know about us. Don't worry we got home safe. And the STL's live on a top floor so they got permission to come sleepover in our apartment that night because we're on the bottom. Luckily the tornados hit farther north. We just got the rain effects of the storm. Long story short, we are okay. I just had a mini freak out haha.
This week has been filled with lots of goodbyes :( I was able to visit the Flores kids this week. Robert gave me his favorite hat that says,"CLEVELAND." Robert said to me,"My drug dealer really wanted this hat but I saved it for you." Hahahaha uhh...thanks Robert. And Maria gave me a stuffed Teddy bear. It was so sweet. I cried as I left. The bishopric gave each of us missionaries a temple open house book as a gift with a note thanking us for our service. I also cried when they gave us those haha. There have been a lot of tears this past week. I also gave a talk in church yesterday. I basically cried through the whole thing. Bishop told me that I could speak on whatever I wanted. He said that it was my gift to the ward of what I wanted to leave with them. I love this ward so much! On Sunday Sister Shoaf had us over for a goodbye pancake breakfast as well. Everyone has just been so amazing!
I'm so grateful for this opportunity that I've had to serve the people of Indiana. I love this place so much! I have LOVED being a missionary. I love being able to testify of my Savior every day. I know that my Savior lives. I know that He loves me. I know that He has been with me through all the good times and the hard times. I know that I have a Father in Heaven who hears and answers my prayers. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I have loved being able to defend his name and testify to others of his experience. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ church again restored on the earth today. I am so happy that I am a part of it and get to experience the peace that truth brings. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON!!! It's my favorite book :) I have been able to draw closer to Jesus Christ through reading this book. I know we have a living prophet on the earth today who leads and guides us. I know he receives direct revelation from God for us today.
I love you all!! Thank you for all the love and support you have given me. See you soon!
Love,
Sister Smith
xoxo