Hey Family!!!!! I love and miss every single one of you like CRAZY! Wow this week has been crazy.....ha its been super tough but I am pushin through. I don't have much time so I am just gonna tell you about my week! So on Wednesday we flew here and I was able to call you guys. That was amazing....I loved hearing all your voices and also to be able to pray with you guys over the phone was so comforting. Thank you for that Dad. Well after our flight we went to the mission home and just did orientation and met everyone, had interviews with the mission president, then we went to the motel at like 6 and had time to just chill and go to sleep early cuz we only had 1 hour of sleep the night before. I was able to share a room with Sister M and Sister S so that was wayyy fun! Then the next day was Thanksgiving!!!:) We woke up and got ready, had companionship study and then the mission president and counselors came and picked us up in vans and took us to the mission home. We ate lunch and then had a devotional downstairs from the mission president, and wife and the assistants. Then we got in the cars and drove up to the trail center. We got a tour around the center. I LOVED the memorial room. The spirit there was so strong. You could see the temple through the windows in there. It was special. Then after the tour we went up to the cemetery and then to the temple and took pictures. Then we went back to the visitors center in the basement and that is where we had Thanksgiving,. All the missionaries came there and the couple missionaries and we had dinner and a little devotional thing. It was cool. Then after we went into the theatre room and had a testimony meeting with the new missionaries. The spirit there was so strong. Then after the testimonies we got our first assignments......wanna know where I am?? haha well I have been in Iowa for the past couple of days!!!:) I am in a little town called Le Mars. It is TINY. haha we are the only missionaries in this town so its cool. Everyone knows us. I'll tell you more about it later.....anyways....so then we went back to the motel and that night said goodbye to our district. That was SO sad. I have made some of my very best friends in the MTC. Then the next day we had transfers at 8 in the morning and I met my new companion Sister K.

Sister K is awesome! I like her!! She is a super hard worker and VERY obedient. So that's good! I am being trained really well:) I am so grateful for her. We drove 2 hours up to Le Mars and unpacked and then jumped straight into weekly planning. That took 3 hours...haha then this less active lady who is seriously EXACTLY like S came and picked us up to go to dinner with this old lady named S who is the SWEETEST person alive. We went to this small town diner, where everybody knows everyone, and had dinner! Then we came back home and did some tracting but no one answered.....then we went over to the B's house. They are members and the most amazing nicest people you will ever meet. They remind me exactly like our family. They have a boy named J who is 15, then R who is 9 and E who is 6. I love that family. They make me feel like home. Ha I was fighting back tears that whole night...I miss you guys a lot....ha to be honest that night was rough.....This place is cold and I felt really alone cuz I didn't know anyone....but I have never prayed harder and Heavenly Father REALLY has lifted me up and carried me through. It's amazing the strength I feel. He really is right next to me through all of this, helping me when I am weak. It's the most amazing feeling in the world. Then Saturday came and we woke up at 6:30, worked out (Yes I am pumping hard core logs..yes LOGS....we are in the middle of nowhere....so we do what we can...haha )Then had study time all morning..(which is seriously my favorite....The mission president challenged us to read 30 mins in the book of Mormon every day...and WOW I am learning so much) Then we had lunch and I had a hard time again.....ha it's real rough out here. You gotta rely completely on the Lord....there is no other way to do it. So I am happy I have had rough times cuz it reminds me who is here for me when no one else is....and my relationship with my Heavenly Father has strengthened SO much. I can honestly say HE is my best friend. It's an amazing feeling:) Then we went and visited this old guy named R. He lives out on a farm in the middle of nowhere! His property is AMAZING. I love it....He is an investigator and I absolutely LOVE HIM. His wife and grandson were there and they are all complete rednecks. Haha we went and moved a ton of logs and trees all over his property that had been knocked down because of tornados into a huge pile so he could burn them. We did this for about 2 hours.....then we went and sat on their porch and had brownies and pop:) We were all laughin so hard and we got along great!!! I bore my testimony to them and then we said a prayer....R asked me to pray....and then after said that was the most amazing prayer hes ever heard:) It was cool.....then we left and after Sister K told me that was amazing how much R opened up to me and that I connected with that family and said more than she ever has to them for months. It was AMAZING. Ok so to make you understand somethin....there are 6 families in Le Mars who are Mormon. Everyone else is a different religion. There are TONS of different churches here. Ha the mission president told me this was the hardest area in our mission......and that is the truth. Everyone is SO set in their religion. Sooo....After R's we went and met our investigator J at the ice cream parlor. It was cool we got into deep conversation about him and long story short....his family is all different religions...and he just got out of a super bad addiction to drugs....and he wanted to know more about our church. The sisters had been teaching him before but he dropped them and wanted to meet one more time....IT WENT AMAZING. I connected with him so well and we talked for awhile and I got him to commit to going to church AND to read the book of Mormon! He said he would.....Me and Sister K were super surprised...but didn't think he actually would.....well what do you know...HE CAME TO CHURCH! it went amazing...I'll tell ya about it in a min....anyways then after J we went and met L. She is a hard core smoker and drinker and her house is disgusting....haha but we went and cleaned her house for a couple of hours and then just sat and talked to her....haha we also connected SO good. We laughed and joked and she taught me how to make scarves and is gonna make me one:) Then we taught her the Restoration and challenged her to read the book of Mormon...we will see how that goes...Then we left and went to the trailer park and met the L. Oh gosh.....that place was disgusting. There was legit RATS in the house.....its a complete dump....she had cats and food and stuff EVERYWHERE....it smelled horrible...but she is a nice lady and we just talked forever....We were able to pray and read a bit of the scriptures but she just doesn't stop talking...ha so then we left...but it was cool...Sister K told me that she was amazed at how well I was getting along with people and she was jealous about how much they already love me and are practically begging for me to come back...it made me feel so much better especially cuz I have been feeling so inadequate. Ok so Sunday....To get to church it takes about an hour to get there. Ha Le Mars is a small town in the middle of nowhere and the closest city is Sioux City. So we left at about 10 (after our studies and stuff) and went and had Ward coordination meeting where we met with the sisters and elders in our mission and the ward mission leader Brother W. HE IS THE BEST. He is SO funny and the most redneck guy ever. Everyone here is.....I love it:) (ha they all say warshing....instead of washing...) And then after we were done with that we had about an hour to just hang at church cuz we can't go back home...so we went and studied in a classroom and me and Sister K got into a deep conversation about Jared (Ashley's brother)....It was amazing. I feel him here SO close all the time. I love it......:) Then we went to Sacrament meeting and J WAS THERE!:) He got a ride with one of the members we had asked to get him and he actually came:) It was fast Sunday so I decided to get up and bear my testimony to kinda introduce myself and it was cool...after EVERYONE came up and talked to me:) Then the bishop came up and thanked me so much for bearing my testimony and how I had such a strong testimony and asked if I would give a 15 min talk in 2 weeks. YEA. SHOOT ME. Ha so then literally 5 mins later...the Relief Society President asked to give a 5 min talk on Saturday for the ward Christmas party....haha yayyyy....I love talks....ha oh well the Lord will help me:) Then after Sarcament meeting we went to Gospel Principles class and 2 of our investigators came (including J) and it was awesome! So after church we came home and at 6 went to the B for dinner. It was awesome! I feel SO at home there...The little boys and me are best friends:) ha the 6 year old CRIED when we left last night. I love them:) Well SO much more has happened but running out of time.....but I just want you all to know that I know without a doubt this is the one and true church. It is the one and only way that we can find completely peace and happiness. I know that God is there watching over EVERY single one of us. He knows EXACTLY what we are going through, and EXACTLY how we feel, and promises to carry and help us through it, if we just turn to him. We have to rely and depend on HIM alone...and he WILL help you, and so much more. I have had probably one of the hardest weeks of my life...ha its scary being in a complete new place....with complete new people....and away from the people you love the most.....It's so hard....and I worry about and miss my family more than you can even imagine....but I know that the Lord needs me here for a reason.. and will watch over and protect me and my family. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary. It is the most amazing feelin in the world to be able to serve and love people and give them all of you. I have never been happier when I am with these people. It's amazing how much I instantly love them...and how their happiness is the one thing I want most in this life right now. I just want them to be able to live the gospel and see the peace and happiness and comfort it brings in a world where everything is so hard and scary. IF you live the gospel and follow all it teaches...then you WILL be blessed! Well I love you all and pray for you EVERY single night!!! Have a great week and talk to you next week:)

Oh I forgot to mention I am living with some members named The C. I just met them last night cuz they have been in Idaho and THEY ARE AMAZING! I love them so much already!!! But here is my address so WRITE ME LETTERS PLEASE! I can only email my family every week and only email friends once a month! SO PLEASE WRITE ME INSTEAD! it is.... 1205 1st Ave SW Le Mars IA 51031