Sweet Is The Work: Once a missionary, always a missionary :)

Hello! Its me..... again :)

This week was the greatest. I just love being a missionary a lot, ya know? Its the best.

On Tuesday we had transfers! It felt so surreal to be in the group of departing missionaries sitting on the stand, instead of a nervous missionary in the pews waiting to here where I would be transferred to. I never thought I would get here! And now I wish I could go back haha :)
But it was happy because I got to see so many of my favorite people and Sister Canty and I got our new companion! Sister Stoddard! She is so awesome. She is from Sandy, Utah, went to Hillcrest, is super funny, and actually is a convert! Her parents are less active and after taking seminary as a non-member in high school for 2 years, she finally decided to get baptized when she was 17! And then she came on a mission. Pretty awesome right?
We are all having so much fun living the trio life :)

We also had lunch with President Wilson this week!
He is the greatest.
He drove all the way up from Richmond just to spend some time with us before I go home.
I have learned so much from him and I will always be so grateful that he was my mission president. We also had a fun adventure after lunch that I will have to tell you all someday haha :)

We haven't been able to meet with Gabriella and Brandon this week, but we will hopefully this week and I will let y'all know how it goes! Keep praying for them!

We had some awesome miracles this week though! Let me tell you about a few :)

Cordrey and David: So we were driving and we saw this, like, 14 year old boy literally leaping down the sidewalk hahaha. So we were like, "That kid looks super happy! Lets pull over and talk to him!" So we did! And he told us his family is Christian and that we could come teach them that night! So we went back that night and he wasn't home, but his older brother, Cordrey was! So we had an awesome lesson with him about Heavenly Father and His love for us. We asked him what he thought he needed to change in his life and he said, "Everything." So we went back to teach him and he wasn't home, but their dad, David, was! So we taught him the Restoration and the spirit was really strong. They said no to coming to church, but I know as they keep meeting with us they will change their mind :)

Irene: One day we had an assignment to go to the store to buy some toys for a family we are teaching, who are struggling. We bought some Christmas presents for this little girl, but we couldn't find one thing that we were looking for, so we decided to go to Target to find it. So we go to Target and we didn't end up finding it, but as we were checking out, the girl at the cash register looks at our name tags and says, "Are you Mormons??" We said yes and she told us that she had been meeting with Mormon missionaries, but that she had moved and has been looking for missionaries since! So crazy! So we got her number and we will be meeting with her soon!

John: We met John tracting and he is an interesting guy! He is used to be Catholic, but hasn't gone to church in years and just isn't religious. He says that he never really worries about God and hasn't though about it much. So we talked to him a lot about having a personal relationship with Heavenly Father and how that can bless his life. We went back a few days later and he told us after we left the first time that he googled, "Why are Mormons so nice?" and it said that members of our church are the nicest people hahahaha. He couldn't believe that we had taken time to be full-time missionaries and was just blown away by it all. But we had a great lesson on the Restoration and at the end he told us that we were wasting our time on him and that he wouldn't ever be able to actually change. So we got bold with him and told him that he needs to have faith in himself and actually do something! He needs to act in faith, not just wait for answers to come. But we are going to keep teaching him and I know his heart will soften. Some people just need a gentle shove in the right direction haha :)

There are more, but I can't remember them all right now! So many miracles. Every day that I get to be a missionary I am so grateful. It is such an amazing thrill to be a part of this great work! There is nothing like it in the whole world. And the crazy thing is, that it will just keep moving forward, but its up to us to decide if we will jump on that train or let it zoom right past us. I plan to jump on board and stay there :)

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

Tomorrow we have our all-mission Christmas Conference down in Richmond! Yay! Its the one time all year that the whole mission gets together and I am so excited! I can't wait to just feel the Spirit and be uplifted and see all the sisters that I love so much :)

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS THIS WEEK!!!
I'm not going to lie, I love being home for Christmas,
but there is nothing better than being a missionary on Christmas :)
I am so grateful to be able to testify of my Savior this time of year and have His name over my heart. I know that He lives and that He was born and that everything He did was for us.
That is why Christmas is the happiest time of year.
Because our hearts are turned to Him.

I hope you all take time to remember Him this week
and be grateful for the ultimate gift that He gave us.

It is super strange that next week will be my last email home, but I am so grateful, looking back, that I have had the opportunity to be a missionary. You've all read it through my emails each week,
but I'm so grateful that I actually got to experience it each day.
It has been the greatest blessing.
I don't want it to end, but I know that being a missionary never truly has to end.
It will be forever, and I'm especially grateful for that :)
I plan on having the best last week ever here in Virginia.
There is still work here for me to do :)

I hope you all have a wonderful week and know that I love you so much!

Christmas wishes and love from good ol' Virginia!

XOXO, Sister Fowers