Hello fantastic people! 

So there was a complication and my email last week never sent which is slightly frustrating. I will try to rewrite that email but first I'll send this one about this week. 

So last p day was really good. Got some good shopping done. We got the chance to paint with a lady named bonnie in our ward. Picture 1 is of my painting. We used Bob Ross paints and one of his techniques so that was cool. Got to talk to my family which I always love. Had ward mission correlation where we talk about the people were teaching with the bishop and ward mission leaders. We ended up finding a new person to teach named maddy and shes awesome. 

Tuesday was good. I had the scripture immersion for our district council and I focused on alma 5:14. I love this scripture so much. I've been focusing on these questions quite a bit on my mission and highly encourage others too as well. Went to the assisted living and visited with a sweet lady named joy. Went to sister Robinson's and rested. My knees started to hurt since we've been doing a ton of walking. Iced them for a bit then went back to work. Visited a few people and tried others who weren't home. Had pizza for dinner then headed home. Picture 2 is of me with sister Robinson's kitty smudge. 

Wednesday was great. We helped a lady, sister miller, in the other sister missionaries ward. Shes completely remodeling her house so we helped with some painting. She bought us subway after which was super nice of her. We tried to see so many people but everyone was either not home or busy. Had dinner with the rangels which we always love. Their one of my favorite families in the area. Went to book of mormon class where we read helamen 9 and had a great discussion about it. 

Thursday was a really good day. We got to visit felicia and joy. I tried this easy bake potato which was pretty good. We did our weekly planning which helped us plan out some new tactics to try for the coming week. Hopefully we can get some balls rolling. We did another exchange. I got to be with sister Christensen this time. She awesome. Picture 3 is of us together. We had dinner at the other rangels house. Their twin brothers who both live in our ward. We shared the book of mormon videos which I HIGHLY recommend watching. They are so awesome. Sister Christensen and I ended the night walking the marina. Picture 4 is of the view that night. 

Friday was a really good day. I started the day reading the talk Try, Try, Try by President Henry B Eyring. Extremely powerful talk that I suggest reading. Most today our day was filled with service. We helped sister Rangel get her house cleaned up and ready to view. They're trying to get it sold before they move into their new house. Had lunch which consisted of mac and cheese and ice cream. I'm an adult I promise. 😂 Met up with the other sisters and helped sister Miller with her house again. Picture 5 is of us with a toilet they ripped out. Super funny. Ended exchanges. Had dinner with the loremans who have the sweetest German shepherd ever. Should have taken a picture of her. Her name is arlie. I got to finally meet the mission mom sister wanlass. She travels around Nevada a lot so she always brings the missionaries goodies. Picture 6 is of us with our breakfast goodies. Ended the night watching the newest episode of the book of mormon videos. So good!

Saturday was a crazy day. It dawned on me that were in October already and there's only 3 months left of this year! When I was told back in January through a priesthood blessing that I'd go on a mission I dont think I realized just how fast the time would go. I'm 1/6 of the way through my mission which is crazy. The time has just flown by and I've loved it so much. It was raining pretty good here and the temperatures have dropped drastically. We bundled up and went out to trailer. Got to see a few people. Had dinner at the hadleys. They're an awesome elderly couple in the ward and they're out go tos for information on people. It's great. 

Sunday. Oh boy Sunday. It was so cold that day. We drove around instead of walking to invite people to church. We got a ride to church and it. Was. SNOWING! AH! We got to church just as a blizzard hit. The snow didn't stick to the ground but man did it get chilly here. I got up and bore my testimony in church which was really good. I'm pushing myself out of my comfort zone a lot lately which is great. We learned about the new youth program and I'm so excited for it. Sister Garris and I realized this is the program we'll raise our children in. It's crazy to think about. Had dinner at the Morrill's house. Walked the marina even with it being chilly a bunch of people were out. Finally got to see David again and teach him more. We invited their family to watch conference and they seemed pretty excited about it. I'm super excited for conference. 

Picture 7 is of me with my book of mormon in my area. I do not remember if I mentioned it much but when I recieved my call I was not excited to go to Nevada. I cannot imagine myself being anywhere else though. The connections I've made here and the people I've met have changed me forever. Heavenly Father has shown me all the potential I have and everything I still have to learn. I am so excited for the future. I am so proud of myself for choosing to serve a mission. I love this gospel more than ever. I've been on both sides of the fence and I know that this side is where I belong. We are in a constant battle with satan. He will not give up on trying to get us down. I will never stop fighting again. My faith is stronger than ever and I cannot wait to see how I am when I complete my mission. 

I love you all so much. I am forever grateful for all your support and love. Have a most amazing week. 

Love,

Sister Sydney Hanks ❤