August 19, 2013

Sorry that my letters are apparently too short! I don't know what to say, my weeks are all the same! And I can only write to you on Monday so I can't keep an ongoing letter throughout the week, sorry. I write in my journal every night, if you want you can read it when I get home I guess! There was a baptism on Saturday for the other sisters. We were planning on going, in fact we were part of the program! And then.....we missed it. But it was for a good reason because we were having a lesson with a boy we met the other day named Thatcher! He's now our new investigator! Also, that same day, we found a less-active boy that we didn't even mean to find. His records aren't here so no one even knew he was there, we just went to talk to a group of people and he happened to be just inside! It was crazy :) Then that night we went over to a girl's house who said we could come back (we met her trying to see if a former investigator who once lived there still did, the answer is no..) and we had a discussion. She is very opinionated, though, so I don't know how much she is willing to learn and open to change, but she wants us back (maybe she was just saying that to be nice, but we're coming back anyway ;) ). School starts next week so everyone will be moving back this weekend. It's very exciting :) Summers are slow in singles wards, but at least now we will have a lot more work to be doing and a lot more members to help us! Well, that book you were talking about is not part of the approved missionary library. I was really happy to get letters from Vic and Livi! I bought one of those nametags that clip on instead of the magnet or the pin. I like it a lot better :) We took one of our recent converts, Callie, to the Family History Center on Wednesday! She was able to put some of her family's names into the system and soon she'll be able to take those names to the temple :) When I took that Family History Institute class last year, I didn't really like doing family history work. But since I've been on my mission and have studied it a few times and have been able to see the blessings of doing it for other people who don't have grandmas who do it for the whole family, I can really see how important it is that we try to do our family history! I don't know how helpful I can be, but maybe I could do it for other people someday. I really miss the temple. I wish I could go every week! But my mission isn't about me and this time is long enough to make it a sacrifice but short enough that it's not really a sacrifice at all. It's kind of putting "endure to the end" into perspective for me. I'm not saying I hate my mission or anything, but I am saying that it's starting to be a trial for me to have been serving in the same place for so long. It will be different when school starts and all the students come, but it's all becoming a little too familiar to me. I would be happy to be transferred somewhere new every transfer! Of course, I'm saying that now, but I have a friend from the Farmington mission who has been transferred every transfer and it is really hard for her. So, I'm not complaining, and I potentially only have 5 more weeks in Flagstaff and could get sent to the hottest place in the mission, which is everywhere else in the mission! Life is good, days are long, but things are going well here. Sorry I'm not good at writing long letters. Love you! -Sister Tolley