She Could Feel Something Different When We Came to the Door

Hey fam!

It was so great talking to you all on the phone for Christmas! It's still weird that Curtis has such a deep voice... I thought I told him not to grow up while I was gone. 

Christmas was great out here on the mission. Definitely different than being home with the family but it was good.  When we woke up in the morning we opened presents, did all of our studies as usual with a break to call home, and then my companions and I went caroling and visited part member families which was really good. Mom, my companions did like the Oregon Ducks shirts and I think they fit everyone. They say thanks! 

Hmm... what happened this week.. Yesterday was missionary Sunday.  Before I came to the area, the ward mission leader was asking the missionaries who wanted to give a talk and they said that transfers were coming up and so they decided that if a new missionary came into the area, they could be the one to give the talk. Well guess who came in! Yeah, I was the lucky one. They ended up asking one of the other elders too and we talked about missionary work. Did you have missionary Sunday in your ward too? 

Sister Schofield got off of the mission this last transfer and her family all came back to visit so they were at our ward on Sunday and it was so good to see her and to meet her family. She is one of the best missionaries I know and taught me so much out here! 

We did a lot of finding this week again. We are teaching a boy who is 14 and he loves the gospel. He wants to get baptized but his parents won't let him. His parents have listened to the lessons and have testimonies, but are not willing to change right now and they want to wait until their whole family can get baptized together. They are also super busy and we can never sit down with them all together. We talked about temples this week though and the mom lit up and started asking a bunch of questions and it was a really good lesson. We also found a lady _________ when we were knocking doors and she told us that she could feel something was different when we came to the door. We taught her later and the lesson went really well. She left town though and wont be back for a couple of weeks so that's too bad. We have some other good potentials and a lot of appointments set up for the week so I am really looking forward to seeing what happens with those. Well there is really not much more that happened this week love you all! :)

~Hermana Layton

Missing Santa Ana

Merry Christmas!!!! It has been such a great week here in Anaheim!

Yesterday I even got to go back to my ward in Santa Ana because Elizabeth got baptized. It was so amazing to see everyone and be able to be there for her baptism. She has made a lot of changes in her life and has a very strong testimony. I have a picture but I can't send it yet. I would always borrow my companions camera cord before, but now I will have to get on of those soon. 

Anyway, it was SO awesome to be back in my first ward. That ward means so much to me! Church in the Anaheim ward was good too but all throughout relief society they just kept talking about how great and united the Santa Ana 10th ward is, and how they wanted to be more like that. Yeah... I got lucky being in that ward for so long. We had a zone conference this weekend and it was a little different then usual. President surprised us a little.

Just imagine a room full of elders with a huge screen in front and all of the sudden the movie Tangled comes on. Haha! It was so funny and so much fun! We had lunch after that, and then had more of a spiritual meeting. It was great! 

Things here in Anaheim are going well. We had a less active member and we were teaching his 12 and 14 year old kids. They wanted to get baptized and were doing so well. The dad has been coming back to church and really wants the gospel for his kids. Well they didn't show up to church yesterday and so we called them after.

The mom answered and told us not to come back to their house. She said that she wants her kids to come to her church and she doesn't want to hear from us again. We haven't been able to talk to the dad but he lost his job and doesnt have anything to support his kids and so they are with the mom right now. It was really sad and we are really praying for them right now. 

Well, we had a lot of success finding people last week and we made a lot of appointments to come back so I am looking forward to working here. My companions are the greatest.

Mom, to answer your question. No I am not training both of them. Hermana Longoria was behind one week on her training and so we finished it up this week so she is done now, and Hermana Henrie has been here for one transfer and so she has another transfer left of training, so for the rest of this transfer we will be finishing hers up. There is a chance that she will leave to Spain before we finish though. 

Let see what else happened this week... Oh! We were tracting and knocked on a house and a lady opened the door holding a huge butcher knife and with a super creepy voice she said, "What do you want!" She yelled at us and told us to leave so we did. It was an interesting experience. 

Tonight we are planning on going caroling with our district and bringing cookies to people.Mom, I do have Uncle Harold's address and maybe we can carol to him tonight. There are actually a lot of investigators we are planning to go by, so I don't know if we will have time, but that would be awesome!  

Also we might play soccer today. I think I convinced people here that soccer is fun so hopefully we will actually get to play. That is one thing I loved about my old zone, that they always played soccer. Anyway, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be out here serving a mission especially during this Christmas time. It is definitely a different experience than being home, but it's a good one. :) Merry Christmas everyone! I love you all so so much!! 

I Had No Idea It Would Be So Hard To Leave My Area

This has been a crazy day and I don't even know where to start.

Saturday was transfer calls and this morning were the changes. I had no idea it would be so hard to leave my area. I love it there so much and it was really hard saying goodbye to the people and the ward. I guess it is just so hard because my whole mission has been there, and everything I know is there.  I am now here in Anaheim with sister Longoria (who was in the MTC with Eric), and also sister Henrie.

Disneyland

Sister Henrie was actually called to Spain and is just here until her visa comes and we don't know when that will be. We are training her until she leaves, and we will only know like a day or two ahead of time. They are both so sweet and I am super excited to work with them.

I know that it will be good to change and it will be good to have new experiences in this area. By the way, Disneyland is in our area.

Wahoo! Well, things were great for my last week in Orange. _______ came to the christmas devotional and brought a friend (different friend than the ones he brought to church) He is an amazing missionary. We also taught _________ who has a lot of problems in his life, but has a sincere desire to change. He accepted a baptism date and seems to be doing really well. I am grateful for the miracles that we were able to see before I left. _________ was able to receive the priesthood on Sunday and he is going really well.  This week all of the Catholics were celebrating the Virgin Maria's birthday and there were huge groups of people marching down the street holding a huge statue of her. It was... quite the experience. There was also a big Virgin Mary party next to _______'s house and there were people who we've taught in there and they brought us tacos and said that we can come back later to pray with them. It was funny. 

Mom I got the packages. Thank you so much! I feel very spoiled and was not expecting that out here on the mission. I'm glad you sent makeup remover because mine is almost out. I was super excited for you homemade hot chocolate, and stuff to make a cheese ball. I will save the presents to open on Christmas... maybe one on Christmas eve cause I can't break the tradition of course. 

Anyway, about the calling on Christmas  I have no idea what time but hopefully I will know next Monday.  What time would work best for you all? They actually gave us permission to Skype this time if we want but I don't remember my account and I don't know the members in my new area, so it all depends if we can find someone who would let us use their computer that day. 

I am excited if I get to room with Alta! What is Brittany Nenneman doing? Thanks for everything. Love you all and I hope I answered all of your questions.

Anyway, sorry this is a really short email but I can't think right now because it has been a crazy day. I love you all! Thanks for all of the Christmas cards! :)

Why Recent Converts are Such Good Missionaries

That is so great that we had so many baptisms in our ward recently. We have had a lot in our ward too, but that's because we have 11 missionaries in one ward right now. That is so awesome that Katie's friend got called to this mission. She will absolutely love it! I can't wait to meet her. 

Mom, to answer your question about transfers, we have them next Monday. I know that I have said this before, but I am pretty sure I will be leaving this area this time. I hope not, but I have a feeling that will happen. So yes there is a good chance that I will be with different sisters for Christmas. I know that whatever happens with be great though.

We have had such an amazing week, and have seen so many miracles in this area. We had a lesson earlier this week with ______ and he was asking us if it was really hard when people don't want to listen to us. We told him that it is hard and sad. As we were talking about this, _________ (an investigator we have been teaching but hard to make appointments with) walked in  and headed toward his bedroom. He looked back at us with a really guilty look on his face because he knew that he was one of those who have been avoiding us a little bit.

Hermana Budge looked at him and said "triste". He looked like he felt so guilty but then he started laughing a little so we all started laughing. He grabbed his Book of Mormon from the room, came over and sat down, and we taught him the Plan of Salvation. The lesson went really well and he could feel the Spirit. We invited him to church and he said he would come which was a miracle because the last time we invited him he said no and then said that the only way he would come is if we came to his church too. He was trying to convince us to come with him. But we were so excited when he said he would come. _____'s friend said that he would come too. Well, they showed up late, but ______ walked into church with ________, and ________  and __________ even brought a friend named __________ too so there were four of them! We are going to teach _________ (__________'s friend) this week which I am really looking forward to. They loved church and were all participating in the classes so it was awesome! 

Last night we had an amazing experience. ________ doesn't have a phone so it is hard to find him, but he is over at _______'s house a lot so we decided to stop by last night to see if they were there. We walked in and ___________ was sitting on his side of the table with his gallon of juice and _______ was sitting on the other side with beer. We had planned to teach Samuel 1 Nephi Ch. 8 because his friends have been giving him a hard time about meeting with us, but we ended up talking about the word of wisdom instead. The lesson went really well, and afterwards _______ stood up, took the bottles of beer, and poured them all down the sink.

He said that he is not going to drink anymore. He is so awesome, and has so much faith! It was really cool to see how willing he was to follow the commandments when he knew that is what the Lord wanted him to do. I am very grateful to be teaching him. 

______  (the recent convert) is the best missionary in the ever. He tells everyone to come to his house and listen to us because he knows how much the Gospel has blessed his life. Recent converts have such an amazing desire to share the gospel, because they really understand what they have, and they have been able to see how their life was before and how it is now. I wish every member would have that same understanding and desire to share the Gospel. I know that this is the work of the Lord and that He wants every single one of his children to receive the blessings that come from the Gospel. I know that the church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and through him, our weaknesses can become strengths. I love this Gospel, and I love being a part of this work!

Oh one more thing... ________ always makes us eat when we come to his house, even if we tell him that we just had dinner... well this week he made us eat cow stomach... OK I didn't think I was a picky eater, but that was gross. Haha! But hey, it was a good experience I guess...

OK that's all. Bye!

Filling Up on Sin Tacos

My dearest family,

Last week we played soccer for the zone activity which was a ton of fun!! My companion ended up hurting her knee though and hasn't been able to walk a lot this week. She is doing a lot better now. We went on an exchange and had a sister from another trio come stay with Sister Budge while sister Poulson and I went out to our lessons. 

I don't know if I have mentioned this, but Sister Poulson is the new coordinating sister, so we go on a lot of exchanges again like I did when I first got here. This week I had one of the craziest exchanges of my mission. Sister Poulson left, and two sisters came with Sister Budge and I, so there were four of us. All three of them are being trained, which made it a very interesting day. They were all at different parts in the training program so it was kind of crazy. 

Eric, Sister Longoria was one of the sisters that came with us. (She was in the MTC with Eric) She told me to tell you hi. Anyway, setting up the Christmas tree last week at the Bowens was a lot of fun. They fed us dinner and shared a message for family home evening. It was a nice relaxing evening. Brother ______ got confirmed on Sunday. He is doing so well!

We are still teaching his friend but he didn't come to church again like he said he was going to. He had us send missionaries to his family in Mexico which was awesome. ______ has also been inviting his other friends to listen to us. He is the best missionary! 

We had a couple of lessons with him this week and every time we go over there he tries to feed us. Well we had just eaten before we went over there and we kept telling him that, but he made us food anyway. He asked us what we ate before, and a accidentally said tacos de pecado (sin), when I meant to say tacos de pescado (fish)... He thought that was so funny. Oops. I was sooo full after his meal though! We have decided that we shouldn't eat too much before we go over to his house now, because he always feeds us more.

We went to the Christmas devotional last night which was good. I'm grateful to be out here and love it! Thanks Aunt Angie and Uncle Byron for the package. You didn't need to do that! I love and miss you all so much!

Mom, I don't really have a pic. Sorry. Plus it's super rainy here right now and doesn't really look like California.I could try to get one though but you probably need it this week..? I don't know.

Mom, that cute little jacket is perfect and it fits really well! If it was any bigger it would be too big, You did a really good job! I love it so much! Thank youuu!!! :) You didn't have to get me that. Thanks so much!!!!! :) I will have to send you a picture soon with it. :) Love you!!!

Ok, so there has been something on my mind a lot lately. I keep thinking about how I need to do something with Spanish after my mission. I was wondering if I could major in child development and minor in Spanish and still get my associates. I don't really know how that all works or it could even do that, but I keep having the thought like I need to do something in school with Spanish. Well let me know what you think or if you know how that could even work. It's just something that I keep thinking about.

Love you all so much. Thanks for the Birthday letters and package.

Talk to you in 22 days! :D

It Was Really Cool She Was Able to Recognize That Feeling

Recent Baptism

My dearest family,

Thanks for the emails and happy birthdays! There is no better way to spend a birthday then being out here on the mission. It is such a blessing to be out here. This week was so great, and we have seen so many miracles happening in our area. 

_______ got baptized after church yesterday and the spirit was so strong. He has been asking us to sing for his baptism, and so my companions and I sang how great thou art for the musical number. It has been amazing seeing the changes in his life. He is one of the most humble people I have ever met, and has such a desire to share the gospel with his friends. We are teaching his friend _______ now, and during the first vision he teared up and told us that he felt a big warmth in his chest. Hermana Budge extended the baptism invite and he accepted a baptism date for the 15th of December! He didn't come to church or ______'s baptism like he said he was going to and we haven't been able to talk with him yet to see why.

I am excited to be teaching him. He also said that his brother might be interested in learning too so we are going to follow up on that the next time with visit with him. 

Also _______'s mom is planning on getting baptized December 2nd. She hasn't had any coffee for an entire week, so she is doing so well and has been coming to church every Sunday too! I'm glad the other sisters are taking care of her.

My Thanksgiving was great! We went to President Tuckers house and had turkey, potatoes, and lots of other good food. It was really nice.

This week we went on exchanges. Sister Poulson went to Garden Grove, and an English speaking sister came here with sister Budge and I. It was a great exchange! 

We had a dinner appointment with a lady in our ward and she had family members over. Her family members started asking us about the church and turned off the TV so that we could teach them. They asked us all kinds of questions and it went on for about 10 or 15 min, and then the lady in our ward walked in and got mad at them. They were already members and thought that they were being so funny acting like they weren't. I will admit, they did a really good job and it was pretty funny. They said we passed the test so I guess that's a good thing. Then they gave us a referral of a friend from work so it was all worth it. 

A couple of them were actually from Guatemala, so they fed us Guatemalan food. I was thinking about Eric the whole time. They thought that it was really cool that my brother was there. 

District During a Recent P Day

Also at the beginning of the week we were walking on the street after an appointment and started talking to a family. We made an appointment with them and they seemed like they really wanted us to come back. Well we had the appointment with them yesterday, but the dad couldn't come so we scheduled another time that would be good for all of them. We taught the mom still, and it was a really cool experience. We were explaining the spirit and that it testifies of truth and talking about how it feels, and how she would receive answers. When we were explaining it to her she said, "Oh, I know how that feels, I felt that way the first time you talked to us on the street." It was really cool that she was able to recognize that feeling. It is really hard to find a whole family here to teach so I am really looking forward to working with them. 

It has been amazing watching the miracles happening in this area and seeing the hand of the Lord in this work. I am a different person for being here and am so grateful for this opportunity. 

Well, the rest of my birthday will be great! I am pretty sure we are planning on going to the duck pond and having turtle races later today with the zone, and also playing soccer which is always the best! Usually we would be teaching or tracting on Monday nights but tonight President and Sister Bowen invited the three of us over to help them decorate their Christmas tree. It should be fun. :) 

Also, thank you Kara for the package! You really did not need to do that. I loved it! :
) Miss you so much! We haven't gotten mail since last week, so mom I haven't gotten your package yet but we are getting mail later today, so thank you! :) Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT KAREN! I love you tons! :) Hope it's a great one! Have a great week!

Eric, I loved the pictures!! Keep up the good work. I am so proud of you!! :)

Test the Book of Mormon

Sister Layton loves the kids!

Hola! This week has been great! Our new companion Sister Budge is so sweet and a great missionary. She is doing so well with the Spanish even though she doesn't feel like she is. It has been so fun to have her here with us. She is not afraid to talk to people at all so it's great!

Last Monday we talked to [Brother X] about changing his baptism date to give him a little bit more time to make sure that he was ready. He told us that he knows he is going to get baptized and knows that this is the true church but he wanted more time so that he could learn more. So, he wouldn't commit to a date, but was talking about doing it in the future. Then my companion said, "Guess what! It's Sister Layton's birthday on the 26th." Then he said okay then, I will prepare for the 25th!  

We made him a calendar and wrote out what he needed to do each day to prepare for his baptism. So far he has been doing everything. His baptismal interview is Wednesday night. He came to church on Sunday and also the ward activity on Friday. I am very excited for him. What a great birthday present! 

This week we had a ward activity and [Brother X] brought his friend, and it turns out that we have talked to his friend before on the street but his number didn't work so we weren't able to find him again and he was never home when we went over. Both of them love to sing, and I guess [Brother X] made friends with the Stake President because he ended up singing for the talent show while the Stake President played his guitar. It was awesome! We had to leave early to be home on time so we didn't get to watch it, but I had someone videotape it for me. Sister Poulson and I did the rubix cube together so that was fun. We finished it at the exact same time, so it was perfect. I am teaching Sister Budge how to do it too.

We had a temple tour this week for investigators which was really nice. One of President Bowen's counselors (President Tucker) was there and he invited my companionship over for thanksgiving dinner! 

Yes!

Turkey! I guess most of the missionaries last year had tacos or beans and rice for thanksgiving.

Lets see what else.. Dad, you letter at the beginning of the week was so perfect. Last week I was feeling like we have been working so hard and not having a lot of success. We had so many appointments set up and almost all of them fell through. We found so many people but had the hardest time finding them again. They wouldn't be home for appointments or would give us the wrong address or number. 

District during a recent P day

Part of your letter really helped me. I love the part when you said, "Next time you feel discouraged and perhaps a bit of failure, remember that success is not necessarily defined as many feel that it is. Success is achieved when we invite. Remember where that feeling of discouragement comes from and then boot it out!" I have to remind myself sometimes that people have their agency and that it's not our fault if they don't accept. I also have to remind myself that I am doing my part when I invite. I just love these people so much and want them to have the Gospel in their lives because I know how it can bless them. Anyway, thanks dad - that letter came at the perfect time. 

I am so grateful for all that I am learning here and the chance to share this life changing message with everyone. I have learned that ANYONE who actually tries the experiment to read the Book of Mormon, ponder, have a true desire to know if it is true, and prays to God with a sincere heart, WILL receive an answer. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It has changed my life and I have seen it change the lives of others as well.  I feel so blessed to know what I do. I love this gospel and this opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father.

Staying in Orange!

Sister Layton with a young man who clearly has exceptional taste

Hello my dearest family,

Sorry to hear that Obama won. That is too bad. Eric, your letters make me laugh!! 

Well, ready to hear where I am going for transfers?! I am staying here in the City of Orange again!! Wahoo! :) That will make it at least 9 months here. 

Sister Poulson and I are training the new sister together. Her name is sister Budge and she comes in tomorrow. We will be picking her up at Four. I am really excited! 

We went to the training meeting this week at Presidents house and learned a lot about how we can be good trainers. We will be starting the 12 week program with her which means two hours of companionship study instead of one. I think she is from Utah somewhere near Salt Lake City. I am looking forward to getting to know her this week. 

Well, funny thing that happened this week. Remember how I told you guys I'm never going to get pulled over? Well, I didn't know you could get pulled over on foot. Haha! We were on a street where the crosswalk was far down and so we waited until there weren't any cars and ran across. Then I looked over and this motorcycle cop comes around the corner and put his lights on, he said, "Stop right there girls!" Then he said you girls don't speak Spanish so you don't have an excuse for not reading the signs. I should have started speaking Spanish and acted like I didn't understand him, but I didn't think of that until after. Oh well. I guess we wont be J-walking anymore. 

Well this week we had zone conference and Elder Kopischke from the Seventy spoke. It was about 6 hours long but it was so great! President and Sister Bowen spoke as well. :) 

As for [Brother X], he told us that he was going to come to church no matter what again this week and didn't show up. :( We even called him before and he said that he coming. We still haven't talked to him about why he didn't come but it was so sad! 

The District on P Day

Last night we knocked into a former investigator and he told us to come in and talk to both him and his daughter. We made a return appointment and he said that he was going to have his wife and son come as well. He has been to church before and said he liked it.

It is always hard to find a whole family to teach here so I am excited to come back and teach them. 

Well, not much more happened this week. I love you all! Have a great week! :) Oh one more thing, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD! :) Oh yeah, and I taught my companion how to do the rubix cube and so we are probably doing it in the talent show for the ward party this week.

Curtis that is awesome that you got to go shooting! You look different and older. :'( Remember I said not to change.

(We no sooner received Briana's letter than we got another quick note from Eric, who is leaving the Guatemalan MTC tomorrow morning. He said this:

Hmmmm well good job getting pulled over Briana. That´s pretty great. Did you get a ticket or anything or just a warning? Apparently all the cops here are corrupt and they don´t ever pay attention to stuff like that so I should be safe. I probably jay walk all I want! Pretty cool. Well I don´t even know if they have crosswalks here. Well it´s great here with or without crosswalks. Oh yeah apparently pedestrians here have no rights like in the states so You just have to hope you aren´t hit by a truck or something. That wouldn´t be very fun at all.) 

(Later in the day, we got a second email.)

You get two emails today, Happy anniversary!!!

Well, my companions computer wasn't working earlier and so she didn't get to email. So here we are again. I forgot to tell you about those pictures that I sent earlier. We went to a huge trampoline gym for our P day activity last week. They had a big foam pool that you could jump into from the trampolines and other random stuff. The last picture was the P day before when we carved pumpkins and played soccer. As you can see, I wasn't in the picture. It was because I was out playing soccer.

It was so fun! We always have the best zone activities. Today we went to the Book store because my companion needed something there. We had gift cards from a member for a restaurant right next to it. We thought that we would go use them since we were in the area. Well, before we got inside this guy ran out of the restaurant and said "Hey sisters!

My boss wants to buy you lunch." We went in there are they were having a big business meeting. It turns out that most of them were LDS except for a couple and then they were all trying to convince the others to listen to us. He bought us lunch and then they had to go. One of the guys there said that his brother is in Eric's mission but I forgot to ask his name. There was also a guy who's girlfriend lives in Bend but the name wasn't familiar. When I was in the Bookstore the girl working there said that she just got home from her mission in Arizona and it was the same mission as my friend. Well it turns out that she knew him and was in his same district for a transfer. Such a small world! Hmm..

I don't know what else happened this week. Have any of the cousins put in their mission papers yet? When will Michael and Dallin leave again?

LOVE YOU ALL. :)

Getting Past the Bottleneck

At the Recent Baptism

My dearest family,

I have so much to tell you this week. It has been amazing! [Sister X] got baptized on Thursday and it was one of the best baptisms I have been to. She shared her testimony at the end and it was so powerful. She is the 18 year old that Sister Schofield and I taught last transfer with her mom. Her mom is planning on getting baptized the 25th of this month! I am so happy for them. 

Also, more great news, [Brother X] CAME TO CHURCH! We were walking down his street last Monday and he chased us down to tell us how sorry he was that he couldn't make it. His nephew passed away that morning and he went to be with family. He loved church though and said that he is looking forward to coming again next week. Everyone in the ward was so welcoming. He was even participating in the classes. 

Last week we had a lesson with him and his friend walked in the house. [Brother X] stopped the lesson and said to his friend, "When can you meet with these missionaries?" His friend told him the day that he would be available and then [Brother X] said, "okay, and what time works best for you?" He set up a time to meet with us and then [Brother X] asked him for his phone number and his information so that we could teach him. It was awesome! He is already a great missionary. We had the lesson later in the week with his friend and he sat in. At the end of the lesson we invited his friend to be baptized. He seemed unsure and said he didn't know yet. Then [Brother X] jumped in and said, "Mira. Las hermanas no han ensenado la importancia  del bautiso en su salvacion" (Look. The Sisters haven't taught you about the importance of baptism in your salvation.) Haha! It was so awesome! Then his friend said okay but he needed more time. [Brother X] is planning on getting baptized on the 11th of this month, so in a week! Everything has happened so fast that we might move it back a week to make sure he is ready, but we are going to meet with him tonight and see how he feels about it. I love teaching him and seeing the changes in his life! 

We are also teaching a guy named [Brother X]. He is so funny! We had a really powerful lesson with him a few nights ago about the plan of salvation and he seemed to really understand it. He didn't come to church though but we are still going to work with him. He accepted the baptism invite but not a date. He said he wants to read and learn more first. Halloween was great.

President and his wife invited my companion and I to come to their house and pass out candy to all of the kids. It was so much fun! The kids were so cute. We had our ward halloween party this week which was also fun. I love the little kids in our ward! 

Sisters Layton and Poulson

This week we had another sisters meeting. President was telling us about how much the missionary work is growing now that the age is lowered. He said that they have had so many new people who have turned in their papers since the announcement that they would already be able to open 60 new missions. That is amazing! 

We are going to be getting a lot of new missionaries in our mission and president said that a lot of them would be sisters. Do you know if any of the cousins have turned in their papers? 

This week we have a member of the 70 coming for our zone conference which should be awesome! Also, this weekend is transfers so we will see if I say here or not. I hope so!!! Transfer week always makes me nervous because I love this area and ward. 

Anyway, I hope all is well for you guys! Eric, keep up the good work! I can't wait until you are out in the field! :) Love you all!

I Like This Room, I Can Feel the Spirit in Here

 Hola mi familia!

Last Tuesday after I emailed we went to the temple. I love it there and was very grateful to have the chance to go! After the temple our district went to the park for the rest of our P-day to feed the ducks.

No Turtle Races

We started feeding them, and a bunch of turtles would swim up to eat the bread. We caught some of the turtles and were going to have turtle races but we ran out of bread so they stopped coming. It was lots of fun! 

This week we were on a street headed to a lesson and the guy had just gotten home from work and was cleaning up so they asked us to come back in 15 minutes. We decided to go find some of the potentials that lived on that same street. As we started walking towards one of their houses a lady ran over to us and said,

"Wait! Are you Mormons?"

We said yes, and she told us that she has been looking for us. She used to meet with the missionaries, and would go to church all the time but moved and lost contact with them. She said that she couldn't find missionaries anywhere and so she went to many different churches but none of them were the same. She was really excited that she found us and wants to start coming back. Well this week we found out that she has to move again, and wants the missionaries to come visit her there. Also, when we were teaching her I had a random thought that she looked like one of my old investigators so I asked if they were related, and she said that it was her mom! Haha crazy! It was cool to be able to meet her and see the desire that she had to learn and come to church. 

Making Caramel Apples

This week we also taught [Brother X] a few more times. We had a lesson about the Sabbath Day and he told us that he was going to come to church and that he knew he needed to. Well, sadly he didn't show up. He said he was out of town and got back too late to come. It was really sad though because this is the third week in a row that he said he would come but then didn't. We have been praying a lot for him and I hope we can help him see the importance of church. 

This week I had a couple of cool experiences. The first one was a couple of days ago. I went on exchanges to Anaheim hills and they had their Halloween party that night. They had members in all of the classrooms handing out candy to all of the kids. The kids were all really excited and running around. There was one room off to the side that had a church video playing and it was a lot quieter. A boy who was probably about 5 or 6 years old walked in and sat on the chair for about 15 minutes while the rest of the kids were running around getting candy. Then he stood up and walked over to us and said, "I like this room, I can feel the spirit in here." That was so amazing to me that this little boy could recognize the spirit, and that he liked being there because he could feel it. 

Another experience that I had was last night. There was a member in our ward who was in the hospital. Her husband who is not a member, couldn't be there with her for most of the time because of work. We went to visit her and started singing hymns with her. During on of the last songs, her husband walked in the room and started to tear up. I know that he was able to feel the spirit. 

Yesterday was the wards primary program. Remember how Curtis used to sing really loud...Well there was a girl in the ward who reminded me of that. It was so cute!! I love those kids! The primary program is always my favorite!

The Cute Snake

This coming week we have the Halloween party for our ward. Its going to be after Halloween, but that's normal for my ward. haha! At the Halloween party when I was on exchanges there was a lady with a huge snake and she let me hold it for a while. It was so cute. It kinda freaked me out though when it's head started coming closer to my face. I think I want a pet snake when I get home (or probably not).

So yeah, exchanges were fun. I am super grateful to be speaking Spanish and to be in my area. We went tracting in Anaheim hills and it was really sad! It is a very rich area and the people were not very nice. At least here the people are super nice and talk to us even if they don't want anything to do with our message.  Anyways, that's about it for this week.

Eric! That's so awesome that you are the AP! I can't wait until you are out in the field! You are going to love it! Sounds like your Spanish is coming along really well! You probably will pass me up soon! :) Good luck!! You are always in my prayers! :) Love you all! :)

Investigators Helping Investigators

A Cali Sunset

So today we get to go to the temple and I am really excited! 

Eric, is there a temple close to where you're at in Guatemala? Also I don't know if I already told you this or not but keep an eye out for Hermana Andreason once you are out of the MTC. She was one of my companions in the MTC and I think she is in your same mission. 

This week we did a lot of finding again. We have been visiting part members families and have a lesson with one of them tonight. We visited [x] again this week. He is doing really well and seems to be really understanding the message and making changes in his life, but he hasn't come to church! He always says that hes going to come, and the last two Sundays we called in the morning and he said that he was sick. We are planning on teaching him the Sabbath day this week, so I hope he comes this next Sunday. [x] tells us that he has had dreams where he is with us in our congregation, and he knows he's supposed to come but he still hasn't. 

We also ran into one of our former investigators this week named [x], and he is probably the funniest person I have ever met! We couldn't stop laughing. He talks like a gangster and says the funniest things! He said he was going to find his Book of Mormon, so we might stop by again to see how he's doing later this week. 

Last night we went to visit [x], a less active member who we used to teach. He was baptized in Mexico when he was 12 and only went to church for a year and then he stopped going. We have invited him to church many times but he never wants to come. We were talking to him at his doorstep and this guy named [x], who we used to teach walked by. He is friends with [x] and so he came and started talking to us. We asked [x] if he still has his Book of Mormon and he told us that he is just going to read the Bible. Before we said anything [x] started explaining all about the Book of Mormon and how important it was, and telling [x] about when Christ came to the Americas. He started quoting scriptures and sharing his testimony.

Hermanas Schofield y Layton at Angel Stadium in Anaheim

It was awesome! He remembers so much! We ended up being able to make another appointment with [x], and [x] is going to try to come. It was a cool experience. 

This week our Mission President's wife called my companion and I to come help write names on the back of all of her pictures for the photo albums, and so we went to the mission home and hung out with president and his wife for a couple of hours. It was a fun way to use our service hours for the week! :) We are probably going to go over again soon to finish up. 

Well I think that's about all that happened this week. Thanks for all the letters and support everyone!!!! Love you all! :)

Have a great week!!!!!!!!!

Love, Me

Heavenly Father Puts the Words in My Mouth

Hello family!

First of all, Eric that's awesome that you have been playing soccer. We still play almost every p day. Isn't it the best! Also Hermana Longoria is my last companions new companion. She is training her. There is a very good chance that I will be companions with her. That's awesome that you know her. I haven't met Elder Brooks yet but I will keep my eye out. Sounds like you've been having a lot of fun in Guatemala! :) Keep up the good work bro.

This week we found a man named Jorge. He accepted a baptism date for November 4th! He invited us right in when we knocked on his door and said he felt different when we were there. The lessons that we have had with him have been very powerful. 

I know that the gift of tongues is real, and I have seen that a lot this week. Sometimes I think I can't explain something or say it right in Spanish, but when I start speaking, Heavenly Father puts the words in my mouth and I am able to explain. I am grateful for his help with the language because there is no way I would be able to teach without it. Sometimes it is still hard to speak outside of gospel topics, but the Gospel is why I'm here so it's all good. :) 

This Sunday our two most promising investigators from last transfer came to church. I was so happy to see them there, but when I told them that they don't live in our area anymore, and that the others missionaries were going to teach them she started to tear up and asked if we could still come see and teach her. It was so hard to explain that we have to stay in our area and I don't know if she completely understood why, but I introduced her to the other sisters and after that she seemed okay about the change. We are going to see how it goes. I love them and really miss teaching them! I am enjoying this half of the area though. :) 

Mom, you asked about the food. We eat with the members almost every day for dinner, and usually just have sandwiches for lunch. I don't have a favorite food because it's all really good but it is all so fattening! And they fill our plate with so much food! I always sneak some of my food to the other missionaries to help me finish. That is awesome to hear that Alexa and Brook are both thinking about missions! And Jerricha's going to absolutely love it! :) The weather down here has been nice still but cool at night. Yes, I still use my heated blanket every night. It's the best! :)  

You wanted to hear more about the embarrassing moments.. there are too many. Haha... a lot of them are hard to explain, you just had to be there. Anyway thanks for everything. Love you all!

Wasn't Conference Awesome?

Jericho Road

I'm so glad you got the pictures! I was worried that you might not get them. And dad that's funny about the Jericho Rd. sign! :) (FYI, Jericho Road is the name of an LDS musical group. Briana sent us this picture last week.)

Wasn't conference awesome?! I hope Eric was able to watch it in English. I was able to, and I think I was able to enjoy it more that way. I can't believe that sisters can go out at 19 now! That is so crazy!! 

Right when he said that, I thought of Brooklyn.  I was thinking about her all day since she told me that she's been thinking about a mission. Brook, I think you should do it! I couldn't imagine my life without these experiences. I think that so many more sisters will serve now, and I think the missionary work is going to grow a lot. 

I loved the talk by Elder Holland, and how bold he is. I thought the whole conference was really good and I really enjoyed the music. I wish I could go back and watch it all again. :) 

Hermanas Layton y Schofield with a local sister

We've had a good and busy week. I love working with sister Poulson. It's always sad when my companions get transferred out of the area, but every time a different companion comes, there is always so much to learn from her. It's been weird since they split the area but it's good too. We are finding more people and spending less time driving across that area to appointments. 

Mom, you asked about the sisters areas. Well, we have three. They had spanish sisters in Garden Grove, Anaheim, and here in Orange. When our area got split into two they gave the Garden Grove area to the Elders and so now the only Spanish sister areas are both halfs of the city of Orange and Anaheim. Maybe one of these days I will go to Anaheim, but if not, I won't be disappointed. I love it here! :) 

Las Hermanas

Anyway, there is not a lot to say this week. We found a lot of people, we had a lot of really embarrassing and awkward moments (that's just part of being a missionary), and got a lot done. I got to meet Hermana Breitenstein's new trainee. There is a good chance that I will be companions with her someday. She came out already knowing quite a bit of Spanish because she took Spanish classes before her mission. She is going to be a really good missionary. Sister Schofield is also training a new missionary right now in Anaheim. I can't wait to meet her. It's weird not being the youngest Spanish sister now.

Anyway, hope all is well back home. Love you all so much!! :)

The Best Decision I Have Ever Made

Sisters Layton and Schofield

That's so awesome that Eric was in my same zone!! Best teachers in the MTC! I cannot believe that he is headed to Guatemala. We have people in our ward from there and they were very excited when I told them that my brother was going. He will love it. I heard that there are really big spiders... that's why he went there and not me! :)

Ok, so this week has been crazy. I thought for sure that I was leaving this area because we knew that there were going to be changes with all of the spanish sisters. We got transfer calls Saturday night and they are actually splitting my area in half and I am taking the north half and Sister Breitenstein and her companion are taking the south half. I think I will just plan on staying here my whole mission! :) I was really sad at the thought that I might have to leave. We will have 4 sisters in our district now! That never happens. The half of my area that I will be working in has some good potential and most of our investigators are there, but the other half has our most progressing family. I'm glad that I will still get to see them at church but will miss teaching them. I know that sister Breitenstein will take care of them though. :) 

Anaheim, California Mission Sisters

Sister Schofield is going back to Anaheim and my new companion is sister Poulson. I am so sad that I was only companions with sister Schofield for one transfer. It was definitely my favorite transfer of the mission so far. I learned so much from her. Sister Poulson will be great too though. She is from Colorado and is going to BYU. Her major is history teaching. She came out with sister Breitenstein, so only has three transfers left. 

That's awesome about Michael's mission call! I love how many missionaries are coming out lately! He will do great! 

Mom, did you go to the women's conference? If not, you should watch it! I am getting really excited for conferences coming up this next weekend. I am grateful that we can listen to our living prophet and apostles. We taught Pati about Prophets this week and she thought it was really cool. She said she want's to come watch!

It is so amazing seeing the change in her from the time we started teaching. She is so great! Our new ward mission leader has been so great and helpful with the missionary work! He is getting the ward excited about doing missionary work. I am looking forward to this new transfer and am so grateful to be out here!

Cooling off with the district on a P day

Dad you said in your letter that you wondered about all of the things I'm not telling you like anything negative. Haha... There honestly not much to say and really nothing to complain about. The language is hard but it's okay because I always have a companion if I get stuck. The hardest part of the mission is watching people not accept the message and not keep their commitments, but there are others who do accept and do keep their commitments and that is one of the most amazing things to see out here! Another thing that is hard is saying goodbyes to my companions, but hey, I'll see them all again so what is there to be sad about? Haha. Don't worry I'm not hiding anything negative. 

I love the mission more than anything. It is the best decision I have ever made coming out here. I know I am supposed to be here. I cannot believe that in a few days I am at my halfway mark. Crazy! Make the time slow down!! :/ Anyway, I have to go. Love you all so much! Tell Michael congrats for me. Oh and also tell Matthew congrats for his baptism. I don't know if I said that before but I meant too. I am proud of him. 

Have a great week!

She's Still Not Married - Really

I love reading Eric's emails and think it is so cool that we get to share this experience together. I can't wait until we are both out in the field at the same time! It is crazy that he leaves the MTC so soon. The rest of the mission will only get better. :) 

This has been such a busy week. My companion is sure teaching me how to work hard, shes the best! Transfers are next Monday and I have a feeling that I might be leaving this area, especially because I have been here my whole mission. I am still the youngest Spanish speaking sister in our mission but we have two new ones that are finally coming next week.

This week we had many great lessons. We are teaching xxxx, and she talked her mom into listening to us too. Both of them are great! Her mom changed her work schedule so that she can come to church on Sundays. We hadn't even asked her to do that yet and she did it on her own. They both want to be baptized and were talking about it once we left and xxxx's little brother who is 9 heard them. He asked his mom if he can be baptized too. He is planning on coming to the lessons from now on so that they can all prepare together. I love seeing the people we are working with progress and change and seeing how happy it makes them. I think one of my favorite parts of the mission is being able to see the change when people accept the gospel into their lives. 

We had another great lesson with one of our single adults. Her sister who is 20 sat in the lesson with us and it went really well. They didn't see the importance of baptism again since they have already been baptized into the xxxx church. She has received an answer and knows that the Book of Mormon is true though. We have explained the restoration and the authority many times, but this time basically told them straight out that the xxxx church doesn't have the authority to baptize. We asked them to pray to know if they should be baptized again into this church. We have never been so bold, but I think they finally understood and agreed to pray about it. They both want to come to church on Sunday, and said that what they have learned from us makes more since than the xxxx church. I just hope they really do pray about and come to church because I know that they will feel different here. 

A couple of nights ago we were talking to people as we were on our way back to the car. We started talking to three guys standing outside and taught them a quick lesson. After, one of the guys looked at me and he was talking really fast. I thought he asked, "Are you married?" But he really said, "Do you believe in marriage?" I said "no". Lets just say it was really awkward and I am thankful for a companion who fixed what I said! Haha! 

Eric I'm glad you liked the package. I'm so proud of you!

Anyway, time to go play soccer with my zone! Woo! Have a great week! Love you all so much! :)

The Power of the Spirit

I loved reading Eric's email. He is going to be an amazing missionary!

That is cool that Brother Snyder is one of his teachers. Brother Snyder would come in our class a lot and help us out. He is an amazing teacher. Eric is lucky to have him! I can't believe that my little brother is on his mission. I am so excited for everything that he will experience! I know that I say this a lot, but the mission is life changing and there is no where I would rather be. I am glad that Eric seems to be loving it as much as I am. :) 

This week was another great one. We had one of the most amazing lessons that I've had yet on my mission. We talked about the Plan of Salvation with a family and the daughter (18 years old) had really good questions. After the lesson we asked them how they felt, and the mom didn't say much but then the daughter started sharing her testimony. She talked about how she knew that the Book of Mormon was true and was so grateful that we were sharing this with her. She told us that she had the feeling and that she knew it was the spirit because she felt really warm and peaceful. She said she knew that it was an answer to her prayers. Before we left we invited them to church and the mom said she didn't know if they could come but then the daughter said, "no mom, I have a feeling that we need to go."

Her prayer at the end of the lesson was also very powerful. The spirit was really strong in the room and the daughter recognized it. The mom and dad didn't want to take her on Sunday and so we found a ride for her and she came to church! We haven't had the chance to talk with her much about it after but we have an appointment with her tomorrow.  

We had another investigator come to church who is also 18. We are teaching her and her mom, but her mom never comes to church because she works Sundays. She stayed after to watch a baptism and she told me that she thought it was neat. She says that she likes coming to this church because it's different then any other church shes been to. She says that she feels different here. It so cool to watch people change as they accept the gospel in their lives. 

This week we had zone conference and this coming week we have another sisters meeting. I'm looking forward to it. :) Also, our recent convert just had her baby!!! It's her 4th boy. We are going to go visit her tonight and see the little baby! :)

OK, I made it up. Curtis is definitely tanner than me. I can't get tan! Ha ha. I don't burn either it's weird.  Last week we found out that the bike ride was 14 miles. It was such a good work out. The Elders rode their bikes back so they went twice as long as we did. We got spoiled and had members drive us home. :) 

Love you all so much! :)

El Dia de Hispanidad

Today has been crazy so I don't have a lot of time. We left at 8 this morning and went on a bike ride with our zone. We rode to Newport beach! It took a long time and was a good work out. It was a ton of fun, but I am going to be really sore tomorrow! 

We stopped for lunch and I met a lady whose daughter is in Italy on her mission. That is so awesome that Dallin got called there! He is going to do great. I can wait to hear where Michael goes! I can't believe that Eric is leaving so soon. I know he is going to do so awesome! 

This week there was a huge stake activity called el Dia de Hispanidad. They do it every year and a ton of people come. They had food, activities, and dancing. It was really cool to see the Mexican culture! I love the people here. We brought investigators and the members brought friends. We set up a missionary booth and just went around talking to people all day. It was really weird not having our usual missionary day. 

Tomorrow is zone conference. We are going to have a big service activity in the morning painting fences and then going to a church building for the conference. I always look forward to the zone conferences. As for our investigators, they are doing well. We are passing some of them to the singles ward Elders soon and this week we are really going to focus on finding more people to teach. Our mission leader has some really good plans to help us out, and get the ward more involved. 

Our area is like 3 times the size of the Elders, and they have been planning on splitting it up and bringing two more missionaries in our area. That would help us out a lot so that we would be spending less time driving across our area to appointments. 

I don't have much time left, but I am so grateful to be out here serving a mission. It is a life changing experience and I really love every minute of it. I am learning so much from the people and from my companion. There are hard days when no one wants to talk to us, or days when I have a hard time with the language, but I have really never been happier and wouldn't change this experience for anything. 

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that we have a living prophet today to guide us. I have seen so many blessings in my life and in the lives of those who accept the Gospel and am so grateful to share it with others. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that through him we can be forgiven of the mistakes we have made in this life. I love the gospel, and I love being a missionary! Thanks for all of the support from everyone. I love you all! :)

!El Poder de Su Mensaje!

There were a lot of changes this week. We have a new Ward Mission Leader. He seems really excited about the work and has a good plan to help the members be more involved in finding people for the missionaries to teach. He said that it is the members responsibility to find people, and the missionaries job to teach. When the members are finding people there is so much more success. I have seen that a lot so far in my mission. People are a lot more willing to listen when they have a friend who is a member. 

Our area has been picking up a lot, but we had a singles group in our ward for a while and just this last Sunday we found out that they are not doing it anymore. The five top progressing investigators right now are between the age of 18 and 25 which means that we might need to send them all to the singles ward missionaries. We will see what happens though. I guess it doesn't matter which missionaries are teaching them as long as they get to hear the Gospel from someone. We would definitely miss teaching them though. I haven't been able to work with very many young single adults so these last few weeks have been fun. 

This week we had dinner with all of the Elders in our district at a member in the wards house. One of the Elders in our distract was giving the message and he was having a really hard time with the Spanish and saying what he wanted to. He was super nervous. Right when he finished talking, the room started shaking (There was an earthquake) Everyone was silent so then I said, wow, el poder de su mensaje! (the power of his message!) Everyone started laughing because the timing of the earthquake was so perfect. 

This week we went on exchanges. Sister Barlow came with me to our area for the day. We taught a few lessons together early in the day but that night we were street contacting and knocking doors. We started talking to these two guys sitting outside, then shared the message of the restoration with them. Before we left I asked if we could leave them with a prayer.

They asked how long it would take and my companion thought that they asked how long we are missionaries for. She told them that we do it for a year and a half. Then the guys eyes got all big and they thought we wanted to pray for a year and a half so then they said no. It was so funny. Then I told them that it would just be a couple of minutes. They all started laughing. It was so funny! I love trying to learn Spanish. We make mistakes all of the time but definitely learn from them. It is still hard for me to speak but I still have half of my mission to work on it. :) 

This week we found a girl about 18 years old who invited us in her house. She loved the message and invited us to come back the next day. We went the next day and she invited us back again the day after. When we came the third day her mom and dad were there. Her mom was really open to the message but her dad was very Catholic and didn't want to listen to us. He sat in on the lesson with his Bible in his hand trying to convince us that there is no more scripture then the Bible. When we were talking he would listen which was good, but really only was there to prove us wrong. Then we invited them to pray at the end of the lesson and in the dads prayer he asked to bless my companion and I that everyone in the world would listen to our message. We were so confused. Haha. 

Anyway, I am so grateful to be a missionary. I am so excited for Eric to leave on his mission soon. Just remember that when it gets hard, it will always be so worth it!! :)

Making Progress

Great week! My new companion is a really good missionary and I am learning so much from her. She has been out for a while now and goes home on Christmas or the day before. What a great Christmas present for her family! :) 

A lot has happened this week. Four different investigators accepted a baptismal date which was a miracle. Our investigator Tomas who has been working on the word of wisdom didn't drink coffee last week at all! He still wouldn't accept a baptism date yet though. Well, we were walking to our car after a long day and there was a door open to a little house. I remembered talking to someone in the street a few weeks ago who said she lived there so we stopped by to see if she was home. The man said that she didn't live there and so we just started talking to him instead. We taught him the restoration and then randomly our investigator Tomas came out from the hallway. He got excited and started telling the man about the Book of Mormon. We invited the man to be baptized and he said he wanted to learn more first. And then we looked at Tomas and invited him again. He never accepts a date, but this time he said, "Claro que si!" (Of course!) What!? We were so happy! Hopefully he can find a way to get to church soon.

He has talked to his boss and is looking for another job. We are praying for him, and I know that Heavenly Father will help him get there if he really has the desire to come. 

There weren't anymore earthquakes this week but we had a little excitement last night. The fire alarm went off again. It has gone off so many times since I have been here that I didn't think it was anything. We stayed inside for a little bit but it kept going for a while so we finally decided to go outside. When we got to the bottom of the stairs there was a ton of smoke and firefighters running around. The garbage room was on fire. I don't know how that happened. We sat outside for an hour and just did planning for the next day until the alarm went off. We went to bed and then in the middle of the night the fire alarm went of again. I just put my pillow over my head though so that I could go back to sleep.

Anyway, that's about all that happened this week. I love being out here! My companion is the best and I am so grateful for all that I am learning from her. :)

New Companion

I loved hearing about your trip to Las Vegas. Sounds like a lot of fun! 

Today is transfer day. We thought that we were going to stay together because that is what President said he was planning on doing, but they made some last minute changes and sister Breitenstein got moved to a ward in Anaheim. I am still here in my first area and I love it, so I'm glad I don't have to leave yet. I already miss my companion so much but I am sure my new companion will be great too.

Her name is sister Schofield and she is from Utah. She goes to Utah State  and is going into music. I have been on exchanges with her a couple of times so I have gotten to know her a little bit. She is a very good missionary and I am excited to work with her. 

That is so cool that Eric went through the temple this week. I loved the picture with all of the family in white. We are going to the temple again this transfer and I can't wait! When does Eric leave for his mission again?

I can't wait until we are both missionaries at the same time. Have him send all of his emails when he gets out, and I will do the same when I get his email address. He is going to do so great and help so many people. Tell him to look for Hermana Andreason when he gets to Guatemala, even though there are a ton of missionaries out there.

Anyway, the other day we were tracting and there were about 30 Jehovah Witness missionaries in the same area. As we were walking we tried talking to the JW's because we talk to everyone, but they didn't like us very much. They had already knocked on a bunch of the houses so every time we went to the door people thought we were Jehovah Witnesses. We didn't end up staying in that area for too long. 

Our investigators are doing well but we are still having a hard time getting them to come to church. I am so blessed to be out here and grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary. I know that this church is true and love seeing the gospel change lives for the better.

Nicole that is so awesome that your sister get called to Lima Peru North mission. My brother went to that same mission. I am so happy for her. She is going to be such a great missionary!

I love you all so much! Thanks for everything!

Sister Layton :)