June 20, Happy Father's Day!

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This is what we did today. A little sightseeing.

Happy Father's Day Dad!!! lately I have been sooooooooo grateful for our family. To my siblings: you have no idea how blessed we've been to have such awesome parents that taught us the Gospel. It has been amazing to me how many missionaries are learning the stories of the Book of Mormon and things like that really for the first time. I have never been more grateful for our family scripture study and all the things we do together. Thanks Dad for presiding and taking care of us:) I love you!  

Seriously I cannot believe that today is the 20th of JUNE. Every few days I look at the calendar and hyperventilate for a second. This coming Friday is my ONE YEAR mark. At the beginning of your mission you think ahead and it feels like it will never end. Not that you'll never make it there, just that your mission will never end. And now, I'm on the downhill and I don't know what to do with myself. There's a pretty good chance that I stay in St Paul for the rest of my time here, which is only four and a half transfers from now. Anyway, like I said every few days I freak out for a second and then I'm fine. I'm just trying to make the most of it and enjoy every moment. Nathan Hughes sent me a really good email this week about just enjoying my mission. I think he's having a hard time adjusting. I appreciated his input.

This week has been really good and I think one of the first weeks where I just want to go out and work hard and that's it. I finally feel like I've learned how to teach in a way that connects with people and the productivity of our lessons has really improved. I still have a lot to learn and I'll never be a perfect teacher but I really like this new drive that I've been feeling lately. We had exchanges this week, which is the first exchange I've been on where I've had to kind of conduct and be the one "inspecting" or whatever you want to call it. I went with Hna Leavitt in the West St Paul area. Hna Leavitt is still in training and I really enjoyed working with her. I think it helped her and boosted her confidence to have to take over her area for a day and it really helped me to realize that I really do know how to be a missionary haha. We also met this cool guy named Ted. We were looking for an apartment building and our GPS took us to an old Orthodox church and Ted was sitting outside. His parents were Serbian? immigrants and he speaks Serbian and Russian. He sits outside this church all day every day as a volunteer curator and gives tours to anyone passing by. He gave us this picture   . So it's hanging in our apartment now, framed and everything. He said we could come back for a tour anytime:)

A couple of things I have been focusing on in the last week are 1. using the Book of Mormon and 2. asking inspired questions. In conjunction with that Hna Chavez and I were asked to give a training in District meeting this week about using the Book of Mormon and a multi-zone training tomorrow on asking inspired questions. It's like Heavenly Father knows what I need or something. Our training at district meeting went really well. It was really powerful and made me want to use the Book of Mormon more. When the doctrine of the Book of Mormon is applied and practiced, that is what changes our lives. That's where the power comes from. So we have to teach our investigators to understand and apply the doctrine, not just read the book. The training we gave wasn't powerful because of anything we did. We just asked the right questions and the other missionaries answers are what made it so impactful. We used the model of inspired questions from our MLC training the week before. It works!:)

I've been trying to apply inspired questions and the Book of Mormon more in our lessons. I especially saw results when I was on exchanges. People I had never met before were opening up about their lives and what their concerns were. I had never seen it happen that fast before. I know that we couldn't have done it without the Spirit. It's been so cool!

I met a member this week who is less-active but not for lack of testimony, she's just had a streak of bad luck lately. She hasn't been able to get to church because her car broke down, and then her phone stopped working and then she lost her job because she was late because she had to ride the bus, and it just never ended. Her oldest son has been in jail for multiple years because he was wrongfully accused of murder in Honduras and he just got released this week. She is a single mom with 7 boys. Only one of them lives here with her, the rest are on missions or in Honduras. She has 3 sons on missions right now and one about to put his papers in! Her faith has really impressed me. She never gives up even though everything it seems is going wrong. She had to have done something right to have so many missionaries in her family. 

We also had a ward activity for Father's Day on Saturday. We cooked carne asada and had tacos and hung out with the ward for a bit. We (the sister missionaries) actually ended up preparing and cooking the meat haha. As usual it was chaos. The hermana RS president that was in charge let her counselor know last minute that she wasn't going to be there, and so the counselor was basically solo. When we got to the pavilion there was an English ward there that was doing a lunch after their temple trip so we ended up sharing the space. It was really hot too. I got sunburned. It was fun though and I got to meet some new people. I think the counselor really appreciated our help too. 

Also totally random side note, my favorite summer treat is cold watermelon with tajin. I don't know if you still have the tajin I sent you at Christmas, but try it with watermelon. My favorite. It's so good. 

It's been good, I love being a missionary! Keep being my favorite family!

Love, Emily   

June 13, St. Paul Week 2

Our District - Saint Paul Spanish

Sister Chavez

So many things have happened this week. I feel like that is happening more and more. Before, the weeks seemed pretty uneventful but I think the longer I'm here the more and more things that happen. I don't know if that makes sense. Figuring out how to manage our duties as Sister Training Leaders and working in our own area is an interesting experiment. I am really grateful that Heavenly Father knows what he's doing. He doesn't let us mess up the work even when we have no idea what we are doing! 

We had the chance to go to MLC this week. MLC is mission leadership council. It is all the zone leaders and STLs in the mission. Hna Chavez and I are the only companionship that are completely new to being in leadership. Everybody else has at least one companion that has done it before. I'm telling you, the adventures never end. The meeting was so god. Basically President just gave us a main theme "how can we reach our mission goal of 100 date sets this month?" and we just counselled. We talked about all sorts of things, but mostly about the quality of our work as missionaries and training. In the next two transfers we have 60 new missionaries coming to the mission. In other words, more than half the mission will be training! So we talked a lot about the quality of training evaluations and how we can build up the next "generation" of missionaries. A sister from the Minneapolis Stake came and gave a training on asking inspired questions. She does trainings for major corporations for a living, and she is an incredible speaker. She talked about inspired questions and how we can be so much more effective if our questions are good. Specifically she talked about helping people to remember or imagine times that they have felt the spirit and then asking questions according to their experiences like, what do you notice? What does that mean? What are you going to do? etc. It was so good and I've been trying to use it more in my work. I felt really privileged to be a part of that group. I definitely had the thought "what am I even doing here? What do I have to offer?" It's been good reflection for me. I also got to see all my friends:) 

Hna Chavez and I are adjusting to each other. We get along well and I think she is most like me out of all of my companions temperament-wise. She is from Provo and graduated in 2008. She is the oldest sister missionary I've met I think. Her parents are both from Mexico City so she grew up speaking Spanish. She has only been in the area for 6 weeks and so we are both still learning the area. It's kind of a weird dynamic because she is older and her Spanish is obviously better, but I've been on my mission for a lot longer, she's only been out for 5 ish months. So it's kind of intimidating to give suggestions sometimes. I like her a lot, we have fun.   

I've decided/discovered that two of the things that I want to take away from my mission are 1) the ability to communicate with God through prayer and recognize revelation that He gives, and 2) the ability to study meaningfully and know how to look for answers in the scriptures. This week I had been praying about how I could make my studies better and the answer I got was that I need to study more about the Savior. So I made a list of all the events of his life that I wanted to study. So this last week I've been studying Christ as a premortal being, the prophecies of his life, his appearances to prophets before his birth etc. I have LOVED it and have never been so excited to study in the mornings. It has even affected my study during the day. I just want to read all the time. It was cool because the prompting I received to learn more of his life came from a conference talk that I was reading during lunch. I've been trying to read one every day. Revelation is real! 

Something less spiritual but cool that we saw this week was more cool to my engineering brain. There was an intersection where the police officers were monitoring how effective the intersections were. The were timing how long it would take for people to be able to turn, how often, etc. They would send pedestrians across every so often and would nail any car that didn't stop for them. It was really interesting. I was fascinated. For the record, that intersection really needs a stoplight. 

More experiences this week included going to the temple on Saturday! We attended a session in Spanish! I was really nervous that I wasn't going to be able to understand anything, but I actually understood basically all of it. Just a few words here and there. Plus they used the vosotros form which we never use. I loved it. It was a really neat experience, and I think it helped me feel even more love for my Hispanic family, and I saw some of my friends from Lakeville and Minneapolis. 

After the temple we were supposed to have a member come with us to a lesson with an investigator but the investigator wasn't there. Classic. I swear, if you want to make sure that a lesson won't happen, invite a member. I'm kidding, but that's how it feels haha. This member was so good about it. He returned from his mission in 2011 and still has a lot of passion for the work. We went and knocked a couple of other doors, and he brought a pamphlet with him, gave it away, and basically lead the discussion we had with a lady on her doorstep. I want to be a member like that. Also by the way, he has been working three shifts to take his wife on vacation. He works 13-17 hours a day loading big FedEx trucks. I was really impressed and touched by his desire to work with the missionaries. I love these people. 

In response to your emails, I have some stuff to say! First off, Kali's pregnant????!!!! That's so exciting. Hna Chavez knows who Kali is btw, they went to the same high school. It sounds like all the graduation festivities went well and everyone had a good time. I'm proud of Ryan for working hard. everyone is getting so old. Dad, I like your Portuguese, hola mi hija is Spanish;) How cool that Vicki Scott is getting baptized, and even cooler that Hunter gets to baptize her. That will be an incredible experience for him. I also want to meet this Spanish teacher man. Aka, baptize him so that I can meet him and talk to him! Which reminds me, remember Leonor? The old lady in Lakeville from Spain? Her daughter lives here in Saint Paul and want sot meet with us. We live at 1776 Maryland Ave E #208 St Paul MN 55106 if you guys ever want to send me stuff:) Ryan! read this talk- 

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1996/05/what-i-want-my-son-to-know-before-he-leaves-on-his-mission.p29?lang=eng

I thought it was perfect. These are all the things I would suggest too. I will follow up to see if you've read it! 

Dad, I want to hear some of you mission experiences. Tell me stories! About anything.

I love you all, I'm glad you had a good week! Keep me updated!

Emily  

June 6, City Lyfe

Leo!

Our sleepover apartment

Hey Family!

Wow. I feel like there's so much to say. First off, I already love St. Paul and it's only been like 5 days. I had 

forgotten what living in the city was like haha. It's been too long since I've been in Minneapolis. There's a lot 

of traffic, a lot of people, a lot of noise, a lot of apartments instead of trailer parks, and a lot of sirens. It's fun,

it's exciting to live in the middle of all of it again. Leaving Lakeville was sad, but I was excited too. I think Leo 

was the most sad to see me go. The Jensen's were really sweet and made me homemade bread and a pillowcase

to take with me. They're so sweet. Hna H was sick the day of transfers, and puked in the car on the way to 

rendezvous with the other sisters. Don't worry, we were prepared haha gotta love that mission life.

 To kick off my time in the city, one night this week we were parked right across the street from our apartment, 

and this lady comes and taps on my window. Hna Chavez was on the phone, so I had to deal with it for a second. 

She goes on to tell us that she has to get to the hospital in downtown Minneapolis because her friend just got 

shot (don't worry, in Minneapolis, not here...). She's borderline hysterical and is crying. She's also drunk by the 

way. She tells us her bus is coming in ~15 minutes, but she cant wait that long. We told her we can't really help 

her, because we can't give her a ride, and we don't have money for a taxi or something. We offered to say a 

prayer with her. So she puts her purse and phone inside our car on the dashboard leans all the way through 

my window to grab Hna C's hand and she prays. Her prayer was actually really sweet and it calmed her down

I think, but I could smell alcohol and cigarettes for the rest of the night. She did say that she felt like God 

directed us to her, so that was kind of cool. So that was a nice intro back into the cities. 

Our zone here in St Paul is completely language speaking missionaries. There is one companionship that teaches 

in English. There are 2-3 sets each of Spanish, Hmong, and Karen (pronounced kuh-Ran) missionaries. It's neat to 

see the diversity and makes me appreciate the fact that I didn't have to learn an Asian language. We share an 

apartment with the Hmong sisters, Sister Brett and Sister Xiong. Sister Xiong was my RA my spring term at BYU. 

Small world. Our apartment is surprisingly nice. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a washer and 

dryer, which is more than any missionary could ask for. We use the bedrooms as study rooms and all our beds 

are in the living room. It's really fun, like a sleepover every night:) 

Being an STL is interesting. It's a lot of extra phone calls and a lot of extra planning. We spent waaaay too long 

weekly planning this week. I like getting to know the sisters better though. One of our companionships got 

rear-ended by a truck last night, so their car is pretty crunched. They are fine, but we called them to make sure 

they were doing ok and stuff. It's kind of like being an RA again except we all live in different places. I like it, I'm 

looking forward to the challenge of keeping our area progressing and in order while helping all the other sisters.

We had to hit the ground running my first Sunday here. We translated in sacrament meeting which is the first 

time I've done it since I left Minneapolis, I also translated in Relief Society for a sister, and played the piano. That 

night, we had to send our car report, do a training evaluation for the other Spanish sisters, and call the other 

sisters about the crash. No rest for the weary. Missionary work is way more enjoyable when you're busy. 

I met some cool people this week too. We met this guy named Domingo that Hna C has been trying to get in 

contact with for weeks. He has a tumor on his brain and was telling us about how the missionaries changed his

 life and how he would be baptized in a second if his wife?, we're not actually sure if they're married, would be 

supportive. He is someone that the gospel has changed his life even though he hasn't been baptized and 

doesn't attend church. I want to work more with him. There are a LOT of less-actives in this area. I've met a few 

of them, but there is a lot of work to be done. We have set good goals and are ready to work. One of our goals 

is to use the Book of Mormon more and encourage everyone to read it! I mean we do that anyway but more

intense. There is a lot of power that comes from the Book of Mormon. I love reading it with others so they can 

feel that too. 

I love you guys! Send me graduation pictures!!

Emily        

May 30 TRANSFERS111

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ok so transfers always get me pumped. I'm going to NORTH ST PAUL as a Sister Training 

Leader!!! STL's are kind of the sister equivalent to Zone Leaders minus all the paperwork. AHH. ok. I'm nervous but 

really excited. Hna Hughes is staying here and her new companion is a sister I served with in Minneapolis. She's 

awesome. I will be with Hna Chavez, I don't know anything about her haha 

I might freak out randomly during this email because many things are happening! Nate goes home this week!!!! 

And this is basically the last week that I can write Josh emails because after that they won't get to him in time. 

CRAZY. 

One of the coolest things this week is that we taught 20 lessons. Maybe that doesn't sound too impressive to you

guys, but just for perspective, the week before Hna Hughes got here we taught 7. We have been working really 

hard.The most fun and happiness on a mission come from working as hard as possible. Sometimes its hard to

keep that motivation because you are seriously wiped at the end of every day, and you dont know if you can 

wake up in the morning, but you always do, and it's so worth it. There's a real satisfaction that comes from 

leaving an area more productive than you found it. I am so thankful for Hna Hughes and how much she's 

helped me grow in the last two transfers. I really needed her help. 

Among those lessons was a lesson with a couple named Paula and Luis. They did not want to hear anything we

had to say. It's so frustrating when people ask questions to trap you instead of really wanting to know. It's so 

hard especially in Spanish. All we could do was testify of the Book of Mormon and leave. When people aren't 

ready they're not ready. It's sad. We had a lesson with a guy named Fidel who told us his 'come to Jesus' story 

which included cocaine overdoses and stab wounds and who knows what else. It was pretty intense but it was 

cool to see how much faith he has. Occasionally I miss my greenie days when I didn't understand stories like 

that haha. But not really. I love Spanish. 

We took our PDay on Tuesday this week as a zone because we got permission to go to Valley Fair! Aka 

rollercoasters. We had so much fun and I got sunburned and got to wear jeans and ride rollercoasters. We 

seriously had so much fun. I love this zone and am sad to leave. But I'm ready for new adventures:) I'll send you

lots of pictures.

We got to talk to one of our less active members for the first time and he was telling us about all sorts of new

technology and advances and stuff. I don't even know how we got on the subject but it's a good thing we were 

talking in English because if he had started about Teslas, mega batteries and missile lasers and quantum machines 

in Spanish I would be lost. He also told me how I should be washing my face and what skin products I should use. 

That wasn't really appreciated haha.  

Another highlight of the week was going to the temple with Leo. We just walked around the outside and sang 

hymns and went in the waiting room. We are really trying to help him prepare to receive the priesthood and

enter the temple. It was a really good experience. 

I am pumped to be a missionary. I have never been more grateful for a family that raised me reading the scriptures 

and learning the stories and doing all the things we're supposed to. I am so thankful for you and love you! Mom

I think your story about seminary is really cool. It's obviously somewhere you need to be/something you need 

to be doing. I can't believe it's JUNE!! What?!

I love you! Let me know how life is, keep me updated on sports and school and stuff!

Love, Emily                         

Sooo many things

Thursday in a snapshot

This is Karen :)

Pitching to Elias

Hola familia!

I have sooo much to say. This week has just been jam-packed. We did all sorts of random things, like from making

 quinceanera decorations to pitching to one of our less-active members son to mowing that same members lawn

 and walking to the park with her to roasting marshmallows and making s'mores with the Jensens. And that's just

 the beginning. I seriously think this has been our most productive week by far. We did so many things. 

On Wednesday we had Zone Conference in New Prague. We were told to be at the church in Lakeville to carpool

at 745, and our alarm didn't go off! We woke up a little before 7, freaked out, and then eventually made it on 

time. oops. New Prague is about 35 minutes south of here, and only has about 3500 people. I felt right at home. 

Sister Cupkie drove most of us in their van because we don't have the miles. Seriously it was all farmland and the 

main street reminded me a lot of home. We had training all day, which is always a good experience. We talked a 

lot about extending invitations and asking inspired questions. One of my favorite things is being around other 

missionaries. We have so much fun. Our zone is pretty small so we have been able to get to know each other very 

well and we have lots of fun and work hard. 

All week has been gorgeous. We did weekly planning outside and have studied a lot outside this week because 

its been so nice. Teaching and contacting is so much easier in warm weather because there are actually people 

outside. There is a trailer park in Burnsville that we go to a lot where we have lots of kids that we know by name 

and they always come and give us hugs when we're walking through. They're so cute:)

Thursdays are always a struggle. We haven't figured out why, but seriously everyone always cancels on Thursdays. 

It doesn't matter who we try to visit when, we can never get in with anyone. And the funny thing is that the 

Spanish Elders have the same problem. We always commiserate haha. But we went out to eat on Thursday at a 

place called Vivo that we love. It's expensiveish, but the food is all fresh locally grown stuff, so it's always way 

good. The building is gorgeous. I took pictures. I will send them. Speaking of really good food, the Jensens have 

been making bread like crazy. It's their current hobby and they've been experimenting a bit. I have eaten way too 

much bread in the last week. 

We met a lot of really cool people this week. There is a former investigator that we have been trying to contact 

since I've been here, and we finally were able to get into her house and talk to her. She invited us back and we 

talked about the Restoration and what she remembered from other missionaries. She basically summarized the 

Restoration perfectly, and told us that she knows that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that baptism is something 

that is important. So we invited her to be baptized in August. We are so excited about her. Her name is Yajaira. 

Another really cool lady we met invited us to come sit down on the porch. When she saw us she immediately put

out her cigarette. Before I sat down, she got up and wiped off my chair, and then after a couple minutes she 

realized we were halfway sitting in the sun and so got up and sat on the cement stairs and insisted that I sit in 

her chair. She was so sweet. She is an evangelical christian, so she was fascinated with what we do as missionaries. 

We had to clear up though that we aren't Jehovah's Witnesses. We had to tell her probably 4 times haha and 

I'm pretty sure we'll have to explain again. She really wants to read the Bible with us, so we're going back this 

week to talk about heaven and hell and the passages in the Bible. So that should be interesting. But she was 

super nice.

WE had a really good visit with Leonor (the old lady from Spain) this week. A lot of the times when we teach it's 

hard to judge exactly how much she's getting out of it. This week though we were talking about the Plan of 

Salvation, and what happens after we die. We talked about the celestial kingdom and how we'll have perfect 

bodies and families. She said "que cosa mas grande, con razon es la iglesia verdadera." Which is so much better 

in Spanish, but it basically means "What an amazing thing. Of course it's the true church." And it was so cool 

because she got it. It was a really rewarding experience. 

All week long we have been working towards a goal of 18 total lessons. We have been working like crazy to teach 

everyone we know. We did really really well and have been working really really hard. But last night, at our dinner 

appointment, we still needed three lessons. We had a dinner lesson, and one other set lesson, but needed one 

more. We were planning on leaving as soon as possible from dinner to get our last lesson to reach our goal.

But when we started teaching the family we had dinner with, it was obvious that they needed more testimony 

and a little more time with us. We were talking about temple covenants and their importance. The dad of this 

family is not endowed, but the mom is and they have a son on a mission. They opened up to us and he expressed 

how he doesn't feel ready and we were able to invite him to start preparing himself. I was sad that we had been 

working so hard to reach our number and in one appointment it was gone, but I realized as we were talking to 

this family about preparing to enter the temple and the importance of the covenants they make there, that as 

missionaries, we are here for a way more important purpose than setting goals and reaching numbers. We all 

know that, but sometimes we need reminders. I think it was Heavenly Father's way of saying "good job, thanks 

for working hard, but remember what this is all about." We have been helped so much this week to reach our 

goal and even though we finished one lesson short, it was ok. 

SO many things. This week we want to teach 20 lessons, which is kind of crazy, we'll have to teach everyone we

know. plus some haha. I'm so ready. Transfers are a week from Wednesday, and we're pretty sure I'm leaving, so 

I'm leaving with a bang. I emailed Nicole last week and we talked about housing. We are so down to live together. 

I'm stoked.  

Dad, I want to hear some of your mission stories! Do you have any that especially stand out? 

Happy anniversary! I love you guys. How has the temple blessed you personally and as a couple? I love the temple. 

Love you!

Emily

PS Tomorrow is my 11 month mark. What. 

Good Week!!

Hey family!

This week was so awesome. So many things happened, and we taught more lessons than I've ever taught in a
week here in Lakeville.

The highlight of my week was having Hna Carrillo come to Stake Conference. We had a lesson with her Monday,
and it went really well. I don't even remember what we talked about but at one point she said that she has had a
lot of pain from various medical things. We offered for the Elders to come by and give her a blessing, but she just
brushed it off and said it wouldn't help. The next day, out of the blue, the Elders and our branch president stopped
by just visiting members. She asked if we had sent them and they had no idea what she was talking about. They
went through the lesson, and just as they were leaving she asked them for a blessing. On Sunday she came to
Stake Conference! It's the first time in more than a year that she has been to church. And what's even cooler,
Elder Rasband was visiting our Stake. SO cool. She was so happy after. Just beaming. It literally was worth every
second that I have spent here in Lakeville. We visit her every week. It was amazing.

We had exchanges this week and I was in the English area with Sister Smith. I haven't worked in an English area
since I was new. Hna Hughes was nervous to stay and have to spanish by herself, but I was pretty confident that
she'd be fine. Turns out, every person they planned to see, they taught, and literally everything Sister Smith and
I had planned fell through. EVERYTHING. Even dinner. Sad. But it was ok, because it was worth it to see how
much more confident Hna Hughes has been since then.

One of our investigators, Aracely, had a baby this week, so we made her enchiladas:) When we dropped them
off she was sleeping, but someone told her we stopped by. We had a member present lesson planned with Lucio
that night, but he ended up cancelling. Right then Aracely texted us and asked if we were still in the area. So we
had the member present with her instead! It was so perfect.

Saturday morning we did service at a 5k in Eagan with a bunch of other missionaries. It was really cold. Last week
we had a day almost in the 90s and Saturday morning had windchills in the 20s. It was cold, but I got to wear
jeans and a hoodie, and hang with other missionaries outside. I loved it. Because we burned some many miles
going to Eagan, we ended up biking the rest of the day. It was only like 3 or 4 miles, but I enjoyed that too! I just
love being outside. It's so pretty here right now.

Stake Conference was awesome. Elder Palmer of the 70 and Elder Rasband of the 12 came and spoke to us. The
main focus of their messages was strengthening family and faith. Especially through Sabbath Day Observance.
What are you doing to make your Sundays more special?  When you hear an apostle speak it's impossible to not
feel the spirit and the inspiration of their messages. I was really impressed with humble they were and how much
love they showed the people here.

This morning we spent some time helping Anel with decorations for her daughters cinceanera. We have built a
really good relationship with that family, and we hope that eventually they'll want what we have.

To top off this letter, I'm going to describe what I ate for dinner last night. Probably the second scariest thing I've
eaten on my mission. It's called sopa de mariscos or seafood soup. Contents: octopus, squid, mussels, shrimp,
fish, and crab. Everything except the fish and squid was whole. Overall taste and smell: fish. It was actually really
good, I just kind of had to shut my eyes and not think about it too much. It's just rough when you're digging
through shells and claws and tentacles and stuff. I liked it though:)

Overall, an awesome week. Thanks for your letters and pictures, I loved them. It sounds like everyone is doing
really good!

Love you!

Emily

I Love You Guys!

Hey family, 

So we talked yesterday so I don't really know what to tell you haha I wish we could have talked

more in depth buuuut such is life. So this email will probably be less about what happened 

this week and more about what I'm thinking for the future. I feel like if I decide things they 

wont distract me as much. I've been thinking about Dads question and I do think the only 

reason I would be an RA again is because its really convenient financially. I would rather work 

somewhere else, try something new, but I don't want to have to rely on you guys for school.

I feel bad. What do you think? I don't really have to think about going back to school until 

October when I register for classes, but housing will probably have to be before that sometime.

Who knows. I would love to live with Nicole. I'll email her today.

I'll have to think about Christmas. Like I said, I change my mind every time I think about it. 

I probably shouldn't even be thinking about it yet. How on earth do I stay focused for the 

next 7 months?! It feels like so long but at the same time it is going to go so fast. I love 

being a missionary, but I feel ready for the next thing. I think that's a pretty solid sign that 

I'll be transferred. It's how I felt when I left Minneapolis. I think going to a new area would

help me a lot. I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for the next few months. I can't

believe it's almost halfway through MAY!!! How crazy. What are you guys thinking?

It was so fun talking to everyone. Everyone is getting so old!! Ryan is like an old person now 

and a grown up. Sara is gorgeous. OHmygoodness. I need Prom pictures. Lauren is old, 

Morgan is old. Everyone stop. 

Thanks for your email Dad, I think that will be good for Josh to think about. I was going to 

mention it yesterday, but he asked me last week what my expectations were for him and us 

as a couple I guess. I wrote him a long email, he wrote me a long email, I'll send it to you if 

you're interested. I appreciated your thoughts about faith. I think it happens way to often 

when Satan gets a hold of the RMs and tells them that everything they did and experienced 

wasn't significant. I'll be interested to see what Josh says. 

Side note: one of the Elders just tazed himself with a tazer that one of the sisters carries. 

Stupid, but pretty funny haha.

Thanks for all the cute pictures of little us! Sister Hughes loves laughing at my jungle hair 

haha I'm so glad I learned how to get my hair cut. 

I love being a missionary, I learn sooooooo much. Thanks for being the best family ever!I love you!Emily

One Week until Mother's Day!

Hey family!

Honestly, I really don't feel like emailing. But I'm going to do it. For you guys. But I probably wont give tons of 

details because I'm talking to you on SUNDAYYY!! Yayyy!! 

Random request first: Leo asked if he could see a picture of me as  a little kid because he wants to see my hair haha. 

So if you send me an email of me... That'd be great. 

This week has been awesommmme. Super uplifting. We had mission conference on Wednesday with Elder Lawrence

of the Seventy. It was incredible. Sister Lawrence gave a training on the house of Israel and missionary work that was

mind-blowing. I'll tell you more about it when we can talk. Elder Lawrence helped the mission leadership council to 

set a goal as a mission to set 100 dates for baptism this month, and basically the whole mission is pumped.

It was a really spiritual experience. We got to kneel and pray as zones to receive the confirmation for ourselves that 

this is the goal our mission needs. Wow. Probably the most powerful prayer I've ever been a part of. We also fasted 

as a zone to be able to reach this goal, and I think it's exactly the kick we need. 

My testimony of the priesthood this week has just exploded. It started with the blessing I received on Sunday, 

mission conference and the inspiration of our priesthood leaders helped, and on Friday, we took the Elders to give

blessings to the daughters of our investigator because they had been sick all week. They blessed all three of them 

and the spirit was so present and so strong, they could definitely feel the difference. Karen, the oldest, shes 14, I 

think felt it the strongest. She said it just felt sacred. Yes. And then finishing the week with fasting was perfect. This 

week went so fast. 

A couple fun experiences include: talking to Bill, this pentacostal? guy who prayed for us and it was almost scary. 

He was almost yelling and commanded the Holy Spirit to come down and fill us head to foot etc, meeting some 

Deists, which I still don't really know what that means, but basically God exists and it doesn't matter, we also went 

knocking in the rain and it was so enjoyable. Like I just felt so happy. It was awesome. 

I also got Kaitlyn's wedding invitation this week! Are you going? How exciting about Vicki Scott!!

Ok I'm so sorry that I really don't feel like writing. I want to go play basketball. and I'm talking to you on Sunday so

I don't feel overly motivated. I love you!! How does 4 CST sound? I can call you before too to give you a heads up.

Love you so much!

Emily