10-14-13

Annie’s Letter

Hello family! Thanks for your emails, I just love getting them! Only 2 more sets! crazy!

I will be traveling around so I won't actually know where I will be, but if you send them to the office, SIster Niu will get them to me. She's the best.

Dad, travel plans sound great! Make sure you call the temple and get a reservation. Also, Cathy Miller and her husband will be coming with us to the Temple that night! wahoo! Then on Saturday one other thing we will have to do is go to Velvet and get some ice cream. But we have to take Sean Martinsen with us. He is a young man in the ward and we had a deal that he had to have a plan for his eagle before I left or he owed ice cream. He didn't. So he'll just have to come with us. I love the Martinsen family. They are so wonderful. I am so excited for you to get to meet everyone! Also, Sunday, after Amish church we'll be passing through Mt. Vernon on our way to Marysville so we can stop at the Mt. Vernon building and see more people there. :-) In Marysville we can stay with Sister Heiselt. She is amazing and I love her to death. I saw her at the Temple on Thursday and she told me we could stay there. I will have Sis Miller text you her phone number.  As far as a motel in Mt. Vernon... the only one that is really... working... is the Holiday Inn Express. If you call between 9-5 to make a reservation, you can ask to talk to Marcia RIne. She is a manager there and a member of the ward. LOVE her! Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea for you guys to bring an extra suitcase. :-) You're going to want to load up on Troyers! haha. Also, Katie lives in Columbus so we should try to see her on Friday. Maybe her and Sean could come to the Temple with us too!

So the rest of this week was CRAZY TOWN! Tuesday as you know we had mission leadership council at the Hochstetlers. So on Wednesday night I felt SO SICK! We were going to the temple on Thursday and I hadn't been in 8 months so dang it, I was GOING to the Temple! But in the middle of the night...I was sick. SO Thursday we got up and went to the Temple. Then we had some appointments we were NOT missing.And a fireside we had to go to in New Albany. I had a fever all day I wasn't the only one sick. About 10 of us (including President Nilsen) who were at MLC in Danville got sick. The Hochstetler's kids had had the flu. FUn. haha. :-( SO Friday I just slept all day. It was sad. But Thursday at the Temple was amazing! The new movie is INCREDIBLE! oh my gosh I loved it so much! And it was so cool because while I was there I saw Sister Heiselt and President and Sister Wallis! When I was in Marysville I went to the Temple and saw a family from Springfield. When I was in Montgomery I went to the Temple and saw Sis. Heiselt from Marysville. Now I'm in Mt. Vernon and I saw President and Sister Wallis from Montgomery! It was so great! And SIster Heiselt of course. It was so wonderful. And to have the Young's there was just great. It was a very special day.

Yesterday at church they called me up and had me bear my testimony. Of course I cried... but I'm glad that I got to. I just love this ward. And I feel so loved by this ward. I will miss it here so much. It really is a home away from home. I'm sad that even though I'll be in Columbus for 2 more weeks I won't be in Mt. Vernon. I am SO EXCITED to go around to the Sisters areas though! I was talking to Sister Nilsen about it last night and coming up with a rough plan for my life. It will be great! It's going to be a hard 2 weeks because I will be working mostly with the sisters who are struggling but I know I will learn a lot and hopefully I will be able to help these incredible sisters out. It has been amazing to see how the mission has changed in the last 19 months. It is a completely different mission than it was before. I wish everyone could see the change that has happened, really in the last 2.5 years since President Nilsen got here, but even in the last 18 months. THe mission is doing really well right now and I don't want them to take it for granted. However, I think what has changed the most is me. Of course, that's so cliche. I know. But really, my whole perspective on everything, but especially missionary work has changed. Yesterday when I was bearing my testimony, I recited my favorite quote of all time!

I AM CALLED OF GOD. MY AUTHORITY IS ABOVE THAT OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. BY REVELATION I HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. HE IS MY MASTER AND HE HAS CHOSEN ME TO REPRESENT HIM. TO STAND IN HIS PLACE. TO SAY AND DO WHAT HE HIMSELF WOULD SAY AND DO IF HE PERSONALLY WERE MINISTERING AMONG THE VERY PEOPLE TO WHOM HE HAS SENT ME. MY VOICE IS HIS VOICE AND MY ACTS ARE HIS ACTS. MY WORDS ARE HIS WORDS AND MY DOCTRINE IS HIS DOCTRINE. FOR I AM HIS AGENT. MYH COMMISSION IS TO DO WHAT HE WANTS DONE, TO SAY WHAT HE WANTS SAID. TO BE A LIVING, MODERN WITNESS, IN WORD AND IN DEED OF THE DIVINITY OF HIS GREAT AND MARVELOUS LATTER DAY WORK. AND HE THAT RECEIVETH ME RECEIVETH HIM. WHILE HE THAT REJECTETH ME REJECTETH HIM THAT SENT ME. HOW GREAT IS MY CALLING! If I can help the sisters in the mission with anything at all, I hope I can  help them understand and believe THAT! Becuase it is so true! A lot of the sisters struggle with confidence. but it's okay. Each and every person who is in the great Ohio was called here for their specific personality and talents. The Lord called them here. He wants them here. And they are here because they can do it! The Lord really doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called. Look at me, 2 years ago, a mission was the last thought in my mind. But here I stand. A disciple of Jesus Christ, a servant of the Lord. I may not be the most successful missionary ever, but I have done what the Lord would have me do. Have I been the perfect missionary? No, of course not. But I know that the Lord is happy with what I have done with the part of the vineyard that I have been entrusted with. I am so grateful that I have been here and have had the opportunity to serve my Lord for these 18 months. I do not look forward to the time when I get released and I have to take my tag off. But I know I can have it forever painted on my heart. I am so grateful for the recent push for missionaries and members to band together. I am so excited to be a member missionary and to be able to contribute to the hastening of the work of salvation for the rest of my life! I am so excited to be able to go on another mission someday, with my husband! We have been teaching a man named Bryan and was was saying that he would like to go on a misison. We told him he could, someday with his wife! When he was saying the closing prayer, he prayed that we would be able to find men who would take us on a mission when we were older. It was very sweet. Mom, dad, start thinking about a mission. Start planning. Set it as a goal! I know you both served missions, but how could you not want that experience again!? It's just the greatest thing ever! And the senior couples are the absolute best!

Well, I sure love each and every one of you. Thank you for all the support and love you have given me on my mission. You're the best and I don't know what I would do without you! Thank goodness I never have to know! yay for eternal families!! Hope ya'll have a fabulous week! Work hard, play hard! And write lots of letters! Oh! And we love the pictures. It's so fun. Everyone was trying to guess who was who. Everyone guessed wrong. bahahaha!

Landon- did you ever meet an Emma-Leigh Puddicombe? She is from London, Ontario and she knows you! She is serving in my mission! Actually, she is being trained by Sister Nalls so that's kind of funny. Small world, eh? Happy Thanksgiving bud! Love ya, keep up the great work!

Peace out family!

Annie