New Companion! New Area!

What an intense, fun, crazy week! Tuesday I went to Wheatland to spend the day with Sister Thompson, because she is training too and we didn't pick up our new companions until Wednesday. I love her! She's so sweet and absolutely loves the people she is working with. I can see the light of Christ radiating from her! We were in the MTC together, so it was great to spend another day together.(:

My new companion is.... Sister Russell! She is just the sweetest sister ever! So kind and loving, and has the BEST laugh I've ever heard in my life. She went to UVU last year, the same time I did! She's adjusting pretty well. Going into training, I thought about what I did want to do, and things I wanted to stay away from. I had two different trainers who worked in very different ways, so I've pulled things from each of them and made goals for this next transfer. But, I never expected just how much I'd be learning from my new companion. Sister Russell is incredible, she's always striving to be obedient and she's just so loving and genuine to everyone. You can't help but love her.(: We are both open about everything, and we feel like equals! I don't feel like a "trainer." Sure, I show her the ropes on how things work, but we are both equally qualified and called to this area, we both receive revelation, we both work together and plan together. It's awesome!! She came pre-trained!

We were going to be sharing our apartment with the two other sisters, but they ended up moving out to their own place! So it's just us two, which is fine with me. More bathroom time.(; They're liking it too, it's closer to their area so it all works out! I still have the same address.

I asked President Brown about teaching my cousin still, and he said that "the message is the same" and that I could start it off, but to let the Sherman Hills sisters teach them. I felt so heartbroken! Sure, I won't be serving here forever, but I WILL be her cousin forever.

Being is YSA is sooooo different than a family ward, especially since we are over two wards now. First of all, it was chaotic because we didn't have a phone for two days and we didn't know who we were supposed to teach, but we kept a good attitude about it all and it has worked out great! Got our phone, met with the Bishops and the Zone Leaders. So there are three YSA wards here, and so how President Brown wants us to do it is the Zone Leaders will be working with the brothers in all of the wards, and we will be working with all of the sisters. The Zone Leaders were teaching mostly sisters, so they were super sad they had to basically hand off most of their investigators to us! We felt kinda bad, but we were also like yessss haha this is awesome.(: And, we are having a baptism this Sunday!! She is 19 and has been going to church for several years, but her parents didn't allow her to be baptized until she moved out. She's what you would call a "golden investigator" because she is so knowledgeable about the church and is so prepared and ready. We are finishing teaching her and planning her baptism, I am so pumped! We are so blessed!

We had Stake Conference yesterday, which was amazing. First of all, President and Sister Brown spoke and also the Area Seventy, Elder Hillier, spoke. The meeting was full of wonderful messages and the Spirit taught me many things, both for me and for people we are teaching. One thing said that I loved was "Happily ever after is a choice." So true! In all situations, we can either act or be acted upon. Sister Russell and I acted when we were swept in here, and we have been so blessed for it! After Stake Conference, we were talking with people and we had four different members come up to us and tell us they have a young single adult sister who wants to meet with the missionaries! That has never happened to me before! And, we met with a new investigator and put her on date for baptism October 31st! #soblessed

Thanks for all of the continued support and love and prayers, I'm so grateful for each of you and I'm glad I have so many friends out there on missions! Always remember our purpose, both for our missions and for our lives here on earth. Keep in mind what's most important, and strive to have an eternal perspective. Love you all!

Love, Sister Thomas