Saying Goodbye Again

I have learned that I will never like goodbyes. Well, at least not the goodbyes of people whom I love. This week we had to say goodbye to Sister Mobley. It was a blast serving with her, but the people in Sandy need her, so she was called away.

Diana, Sister Mobley and Sister Gull

Have a wonderful week and a safe Halloween! 

On a Tandem with Christ

Last Monday my zone went on a hike and at the top of the hill we could see basically our entire mission. Here it is, the Salt Lake City South Mission:

So we have a new method of transportation over in Riverton:

Diana and Sister Gull

Learning to ride a tandem is a pretty interesting experience. It requires a lot of trust for whoever is on the other seat, especially when you are on the back. 

While on the back you have no control of where you are going, when you start and stop, and you can't really see where you are going. Whoever is in the front has total control of all movement of the bike, so they definitely need to be able to safely control.

A couple nights ago we were cruising down the street, going a pretty decent speed when my companion steered us into the lane of traffic. There was no car in the lane at the time, but I knew there were cars that would be there at some point. I had a very minor panic attack thinking she would kill us both, when I looked over and saw the large roadwork sign that my companion was steering us away from, so that we wouldn't crash into it.

From the backseat where I was sitting, I could see the sign, so I couldn't see that we were in any danger. But I could definitely see the line that we were crossing taking us out of the bike lane. I had started to panic because I couldn't see what was ahead, and thus couldn't see that we needed to make any changes in our course of travel.

Our lives are exactly like that. We don't know what is ahead, we just know what is right now in front of us. We don't know when sometimes the course we are taking is leading us toward danger. But Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know. They can see where we are headed, and they know what we need to do to avoid any danger that might come out of the darkness. The trick is having the faith and trust to follow them without question and without fear.

I had to have the trust that Sister Gull wasn't taking me into the street for no reason, and that she had our best interest at heart. Similarly, we all have to have the trust that when Heavenly Father guides us and calls us to do something scary and seemingly disastrous, Jesus Christ will be at the head of the tandem guiding us to safety and making sure we don't get hurt. Trust in the Lord and all will be well. He knows the way, and He will always save us. 

I love you all! Have a magnificent week!

A New Area?

I got transferred this week! I definitely didn't think that would happen. I don't know how, but I kind of convinced myself I would be in Herriman for the rest of my mission. Well, that's not the case. I was transferred to Riverton this week. I love Herriman, and it will always be what I consider it my mission "home" because I love it so much and I spent so much time there, but I already love Riverton too. Leaving Herriman was really hard though, when I got the call I couldn't stop crying for a while. Change is hard, but when the Lord says "move" you move.

My companions right now are so much fun. We get along really well, and they are two of the kindest, funniest, most genuine people ever. Sister Mobley and Sister Gull and I are already a great companionship. Everyone assumes it's temporary and one of us must be waiting on a visa or something, but nope. We're just your regular companionship, only there are three of us instead of two. 

This week we got to do some actual service. Most people won't let us help them with anything, but the bishop of one of our wards has a pumpkin patch, and so they needed help washing some of their little pumpkins. We got to help out and do some service, and in return they let us choose some tiny, adorable pumpkins to take home. I completely forgot to take pictures of them, but I will soon and send them home. 

Diana, Sister Gull and Sister Mobley

Well, no more time this week, but I love you all!

General Conference and some Pre-Halloween Fun

This weekend we got to go to General Conference! It was amazing. It's such a wonderful opportunity to get to hear from the Prophet of God and a number of other inspired men and women who are called to teach us the things of God.  It's always a good opportunity to receive revelation and get the answers that we desperately need to our prayers. If you did not get a chance to watch it, I invite you to do so. No matter what your faith is, or how strong that faith may be, it will be strengthened as you listen and apply the things that we learn from the servants of the Lord.

 October 2014 General Conference

I had the opportunity to go downtown to conference for the Sunday Morning session with Chad and Amy. It was a great experience and easy to see the hand of the Lord in getting us there. Yesterday morning things seemed to be falling apart in terms of us getting there, but everything came together exactly as it needed to for us to be there and have a wonderful experience.

Amy, Chad, Diana and Sister MacGregor

Yesterday afternoon I got to go watch conference at the house of one of my favorite families here in Herriman. This is the Christensen family. I love them, and Sister Christensen says I look like I could be part of the family.

The Christensen Family with Diana

Earlier on this week our mission had a sisters conference, so all the sisters in our mission got together and we had some special training. It meant that I got to see some familiar and beloved faces.

I got to see Sister Aldridge! My companion from the MTC. It's always fun to see her, because it takes me back to all the good times at the MTC and how far I have come in the past year, how different things are than I expected them to be and how amazing everything is.

Diana with Sister Aldridge

I also saw Sister Beaudin and Sister Revolorio

Diana, Sister Beaudin and Sister Revolorio

  

They are both awesome, and I love them so much. I was companions with both of them separately, and then they became companions for a little bit. Sister Revolorio goes home this week, and Sister Beaudin goes home next month. I can't believe it. I will miss both of them so much, but I am grateful for the time we got to serve together.

This week we had a lesson with the Glasseys'. I can't remember if I have mentioned the Glassey family before, so forgive me if I am repeating myself. The Glasseys' are a family in one of the wards I cover, and they are active members of the Church. We've been teaching them the lessons to give their boys the experience of meeting with the missionaries and helping them to prepare for missions in the future. They are an awesome family that I love. So, with Halloween fast approaching Brother Glassey is gearing up for his favorite time of the year. He's designing his decorations and beginning to start putting things up. When we got to the Glassey home, this is what we found in the seats that we normally sit in for our lessons:

Obviously we had to have a little fun with our new buddies, our skeleton selves. So we set them up to show what people normally see when they open the door and we're outside:

Well, I mean, we're dressed, and usually look a little less creepy than that, but you get the idea.

Overall, I made a new friend:

And last of all, we saw this great pine tree while we were out the other night.

So, you may notice something about this tree. You know, the fact that it's just a tree with a pine cone tied to one of the branches. This was one of my favorite things that I saw this week. So, this tree is in a neighborhood without a lot of trees because it's a pretty new neighborhood, and it definitely has no pine trees. Seeing that someone had seen this tree and decided to make it even more exciting than it already was, made me smile. It teaches a great lesson. We need to make the best of what we have. Sometimes we just don't have awesome things or awesome circumstances, but we can always make them better. There is always something we can do to be happy. Make the world the best you can. Even if all you can do is just a little, it is enough. Do what you can.

Have a wonderful week! I love you all!