This week was probably one of the funnest ever, there were so many activities and just super fun things.

This week we had... ZONE CONFERENCE!! 🥳 We had to meet in a different building than normal which turned out to be catastrophic because the AC was broken. 🫠💀 The senior missionaries were running around the whole time and setting up fans with trays of ice in front of them to try to cool it down, but I’ll just tell you right now that it didn't work. Besides that, it was an awesome conference! It was a sad one though because Sister Glauser gave her departing testimony and I might've been a wreck that whole time, and then they had us end by singing, "God Be With You Till We Meet Again." Whoever's idea that was is actually evil and I think there were like 5 people still singing by the end. RIP the Nielsens. 🪦

My favorite message came from Sister Nielsen who always gives the best ones (in my opinion). Her message was all about getting to the Tree of Life that's talked about in Lehi's dream (1 Nephi 8). Our goal in life should be getting there, and once we've made it to the Tree of Life, what are we going to do to stay there? 🌳

Other highlights!!:

☆ Sister Glauser and I got to have one last exchange before she leaves, and she literally is just my favorite ever. Celestial friends fr. 🤍 She also cut my hair and let's just say that it could be a lot worse than it is!!

☆ We had Departing Activities with the Nielsens which consisted of games and then a 2-hour Q&A with them. It was so sad, but we all held it together until they started crying at the end. Then it wasn't great. 🥲

☆ We went on a road trip to Sandy Valley! 🚗 Sandy Valley is in the actual middle of nowhere (aka still part of our area) so we went out just to see if there was anyone waiting for missionaries. There was not. We got called Jehovah's Witnesses two houses in a row so not the biggest success ever, but we did have a good time.

☆ We had a stake breakfast and got to hold Tank the Turtle. 🐢

One of the Nielsens’ final pieces of advice was regarding how we can stay on the covenant path for the rest of our lives. President likes to use a bowling analogy and says there are two "gutter guards" that'll help us stay in the lane and not go to the gutters. These things are 1. Daily immersion in the Book of Mormon, and 2. Attending the temple as frequently as our circumstances allow. A verse stood out to me this week and has to go along with the part about reading the Book of Mormon to stay strong. It's Alma 33:14 and it says "...I would ask if ye have read the scriptures? If ye have, how can ye disbelieve on the Son of God?" It's so true honestly. I've never read the Book of Mormon as in-depth as I have on my mission, and it's been one of the best experiences of my life. It's strengthened my testimony so much, and I know that as we study it daily for the rest of our lives, that nothing will be able to take us off the path.

Hey everybody! This week was pretty chill, honestly nothing too big to write about.

Exciting things of the week!:

☆ Our area got QUADRUPLED.😱 The ward we're serving in has been split into 4 areas for forever (1 companionship in each), but there are now 5 companionships in the ward so they had to fix that. Our area got taken over by the new set of elders, but we've now been given the whole ward as our area. So, our area essentially is now 4 times the size of what we originally had, and we still have our other branch which is a totally separate area. Basically, there's an insane amount of work for us to get to do now!! Literally so excited (except for the whole limited car miles which were unfortunately not quadrupled). 😒

☆ Jacobo came to church!! Jacobo is this kid that has been taught since April, and he's never come to church even though everyone has tried SO HARD to get him there. Guess who came to church on Sunday? I honestly think my jaw dropped when I saw him because he was the last person I expected to see at church. Gonna put him on date now and hopefully get him baptized this transfer.💪

☆ It's 80 degrees today which I'm not sure should be considered a good thing since it's literally February but it's kinda nice out here.

☆ We had a noche de hogar with the Caceres who are the cutest people in the whole wide world. They had us sing opening and closing hymns and we watched the Legacy movie, and then they made us dinner. Literally left in tears because they're so precious. 😭

Now, let me tell you how biking went! Firstly, imagine you've just been gaslighting yourself ALL DAY LONG that biking is going to be fun, it's going to be good, you're going to feel super productive, you're about to get so fit, etc. Your first day biking, you've been biking for 12 MINUTES in total, and your pants get caught on something (I don't know anything about bike parts—some silver thing that aligns the chain🤷‍♀️), and BAM. Your bike is broken after 12 minutes. How would you feel? If you answered and said that you'd probably be really frustrated and would sit down on the street corner and cry, I completely understand and hypothetically would do the exact same thing. So, we had a rough start with biking. Got to go to the bike shop the next day, they told me it'd take a week to fix, and in the meantime I get to borrow a bike from the mission office! The pants are getting tied to the side with rubber bands every day now, don't worry. Besides the rough start though, it honestly isn't too bad. Sometimes I even enjoy it. 🤭 It's definitely an adjustment and we're figuring out how to be the most productive and efficient we can be, but it's kinda fun.

I think that's all for this week. A scripture that stuck out to me this week was 1 Corinthians 9:14 which says, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." Pretty self-explanatory, but it's a good reminder for me to always live what I'm teaching! Love you all and thanks for the prayers and emails, I appreciate them all. Have a good week!! 

Happy February everyone! Fun fact: I hit 7 months 4 days ago, which is BONKERS. 🤯 What's even more bonkers was this week and everything that happened.

Our main event of the week: BEATRIZ GOT BAPTIZED!!!🥳 I've loved all of the baptisms I've been able to be a part of and they all have such a special place in my heart, but this one was so special because I've never seen someone as excited to be baptized as Beatriz was. In one of our lessons with her, we kinda roleplayed how they were going to baptize her, and she started jumping up and down and clapping and was so excited. The elder who did her baptismal interview told us he's never seen someone so excited to be baptized and that she was so ready. On Saturday, she was crying the entire time and could hardly sit still. There were 3 people getting baptized, but we made sure she was baptized first because I think she would have actually burst if she had to sit there any longer. Her testimony at the end was so sweet and so powerful and I just love her so much. A temple trip with her is currently in the works for next week, so hopefully all goes well there.

Honestly, this baptism was just so amazing for me because it wasn't just Beatriz getting baptized. She's being an example for her mom, who started sitting in on lessons as we got closer to her baptism. She's being an example for her daughter who can now be raised in the church. And honestly, it was just fun to see someone be so excited to change their life through baptism. As missionaries we're always super excited for someone to be baptized, but this time I think Beatriz had us beat because she was genuinely just so thrilled.

Other things that happened:

☆ Interviews with President and Sister Nielsen! They both said exactly what I needed to hear and helped me with so much that it genuinely was such a blessing for this week.

☆ President told us last night that this is about to be a BIKING mission, like everyone on bikes. Please start praying for me now. 👎🚵‍♀️

☆ I'm not in a trio anymore, womp womp. 😪 Kinda came as a shock to everyone but it's just 2 of us here in our fun little area now.

☆ Had to drop our elect friend when he asked me how much longer I had on my mission and then told me that he wanted to date me when I was done. 😀 Praying he likes the elders though cause he's still elect.

☆ We had 70 PEOPLE (!!!) at night church last night😱 so they set up a temporary Primary and Sister Kamp and I got to teach it. One kid kept telling us how much he loved Jesus and so we gave them all pictures of Jesus, bookmarks, and little rubber Jesus figures. It was a hit.

Something I was thinking about a lot this week was the beginning of my mission. At the beginning of my mission, I would call home on pdays and say to my mom, "I'm having such a good time, I love my mission so much and I don't get why more people aren't doing this!" Now, after 7 months and a handful of challenges, I can say I still feel the same way. However, I'm no longer saying that because it's just been so fun and such a party. Honestly, the mission has been hard and there have been days where I've checked the countdown till December a little more than I should have. But I'm still having such a good time and loving my mission and encouraging everyone to go on one because it's been the greatest blessing of my life. I've learned so much, I've (hopefully) become a better person, and I know that I'll never get to have this experience again. The joy of finding those who are ready to be baptized and make covenants with Heavenly Father is a different kind of joy than any I've ever had, and it's lasting. Y'all should take every opportunity you have to share the gospel, whether it's through words or actions, because it's been the greatest experience of my life and I know it will be for you, too.

Thanks for all the continued love and support, hope y'all have an amazing week!

❤️ Hna. Pursglove