My Journey: Virginia Richmond Mission: NINE MONTHS!! How did that happen?

I hit my Nine Month mark this week:)

Hello Friends and Family,

I hope you are doing well. I am doing sooo good! I am so happy and mission life keeps getting better and better! This week we had a successful week, with more teaching, zone conference, NEW INVESTIGATORS, mini splits with the training leaders, and lots of good stuff!!

Let me tell you about my week! March 5th (my 9 month mark), was probably the funniest day of my whole mission. So, we did all of our normal stuff with personal study, companionship study, language study and lunch. Since we didn't make time to clean our car on our last p-day we had to get our car washed for the car inspection at Zone Conference. All of the mission cars have these (dumb) bike racks on them and you can't have them on while going through the car wash. So, we were like we will just go take if off and it will only take a minute to take off. Well yeah it was a little longer than a minute. 2 HOURS, later we got it off. But is was so funny because we took the pin out and were just trying to pull it out of the hitch. Seemed easy enough, but it would not come out, we sprayed pam on it, we put hot water on it, I drove and Sister Rushton held on to it to pull it off. Basically we are sweating and no one was answering their phones to help us out. We are so frustrated, but then the Zone leaders finally called us back and were like, all you need to do is unscrew the cap on the front and what do you know. We did and the bike rack literally fell off. IT FELL OFF! We laughed sooo hard. It was a great day! Then as you know we ended the day with burning the skirt and the M's house. (FYI when Sister Missionaries hit the 9 month mark. We celebrate by burning one of our skirts. Just to celebrate the halfway mark) It was such a good time! I love the members out here in Goochland! They are so fun! well, that was great!

One night while we were planning the Sister training leaders called us to go on a mini exchange that night. I was a bit stressed because our appointments that night had fallen through and we had not planned out what we would do next. But when we both got back together that night we both had a new investigator! How awesome is that! We were so stoked about it! :) Then we went and taught this guy that I had talked to in the grocery store about a month ago, but we had not been able to see him ad it was sooo awesome! one of the best lessons I have ever been in. We taught with the spirit and he listened and loved it. I was so excited! He also has a sister he takes care of who is special needs and she is the sweetest thing! You could tell that she felt the spirit also. So, funny story, while we were teaching, they live in a trailer and Sister Rushton was talking about the First Vision and had just started to recite the First Vision and all of the sudden the lights went out in the trailer. Hahahaha, but we kept going. It was so great!

So 3 new investigators this week! We were so stoked because we have not had that many in a while....we also may have three more new ones. tonight because we may have found a new family! :) The work is going and it is so cool to see that people are coming unto Christ. One thing I have really learned this week is that you are the most happy on your mission when you are out there teaching. When we go and we try to find people to teach it can be so discouraging, but in the end it makes me so much happier to know that I am trying. Now people are coming out of the woodwork!

Can you believe that we are almost done with this transfer? I can't believe that! My mind is blown that I have been here in Goochland since Thanksgiving and now it is March! But I love it! It has been such a good week and I have been having a lot of fun while we have been working hard!

Mom, Dad and everyone. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! I can't believe that I have been doing this for nine months now and that is is halfway over. It has made me work harder to know that I am on my last half of my mission. I have to make the best of these 18 months! I think you would be shocked on how much I have changed. I mean I am still Katie and yes, I am still hilarious, but I have changed. I have learned so much about the gospel and about Heavenly Father. He loves me and I know that he is proud of me. He has always been there and is always going to be there. He wants me to be happy and he wants all of is children to be happy, so he has sent me here to tell the people in Virginia. He wants all of us to return home to him. I have thought a lot about the pre-earth life recently. I am pretty sure when he was presenting his plan he was like "this is the plan and in the end I want you all to return to me. I want you all to be with me again. It is hard for me to let you go into the world and I know for all of you it will be a bit hard sometime, but I know it is worth it. I want you to experience it all and I know it will be for your own good." I am sure he cried letting us go too because he knew. He knew it all, but was so proud of us to be so willing to go.

Well, I love you all! I hope you have a great week! :)

Sister Siepeeee :)