Week 1 Austin, Minnesota

me and one of our investigators Sister L..the hard-core baptist!

me and another investigator Ashley

ladies at crochet night

Me and Sister Wiggins!

Friends and Family!!

This week has been great, but it has gone by so fast!  It's weird to be in a new area..and it is totally night and day difference! Andover was about 40ish minutes out of the twin cities and most of the people that live there all work in the cities..where Austin is a small town that is centered around the spam factories..yep Austin is where spam is made..and you can smell it in the air..its great! hahaha..(its not that bad unless you are close to the plants)

My last few days in Andover where hard, I didn't like having to say good-bye to all the great people that I served with.  On Tuesday we taught a great lady Sister C about the book of Mormon and the spirit was so strong. Sister C doesn't have much of a religious background and wants to have more faith..and we were happy to help her do just that! I felt so sad when we set up the return appointment and knew that I wouldn't get the chance to be there, but it was good to help Sister Szabo make appointments for her and her new companion.  I was lucky enough to end my last day with a group of members at crochet (I think that is how you spell that!) night.  I was able to learn the basics of how to crochet and let’s just say that it’s a talent that I was not blessed with, but it was great to learn from the ladies!  One of the ladies even made me a pair of gloves..it was so sweet! Saying good-bye to sister M, was the hardest part..I’m really glad that I was able to help her come closer to Jesus Christ and hope that one day she will be baptized! 

Wednesday was the day I left for Austin.  My new companion is Sister Wiggins and she only has two transfers left on her mission.  She is a Spanish-speaking sister, so that’s kinda cool.  She is great at teaching and has a really strong testimony.  thought we have only be together for a couple of days I’ve learned a lot from her about how to explain the gospel in a simple way and how to invite the spirit into each appointment! I have to keep her humble by reminding her that there is one thing that she is not perfect at and that is saying my name! She has yet to say it right! She normally just calls me siste huler or hullit! its kinda funny!! 

We live in our own apartment and what is really funny it that it is right above another church!  I really like it because it is big and we have room to spread out. I have a whole closet to myself! and we can study in the living room and that is nice..I feel like I’m on a world tour because we have met so many different people here! like yesterday I was told what my beliefs were by a Russian guy..with a really cool accent! The best is when we asked him what brought him to America and he said that "in the future we will know" after he said that the thought came to mind that he was a Russian spy! There are also a lot of Africans living here..and it is really hard for me to understand what they are saying, but I just smile and nod my head. 

I'm still trying to meet the investigators and members, I feel really out of the loop.  when we were at our weekly meeting with the ward mission leader, who's wife just had a really cute baby and it killed me not to be able to hold it!, I didn't know like half of the people on our progress record and so didn't really say much..it made me feel so bad because I hate not knowing what is going on! Hopefully by next week I will be able to know who everyone is when we talk about people...I think that is the part that I hate about transfers..not knowing people! but with time I should be able to get it all down! 

Thanks for all you love and support!!