Hit the Tape!

 March 29, 2021

Goodbye Browning Ave

I hope you've all had a great week! My family has been busy packing and moving to our new home, but we're definitely starting to feel more settled now. At least most of us... if you need Sadie she'll be at the "real" Sweetaly by our "real" house Haha, I love you Sadie! Some highlights from the past couple of weeks include attending my first zone conference, attending a baptism and getting my travel date to England!!! If all goes according to plan () I will leave the first week of April. 

At zone conference I met President and Sister Prier for the first time, and it was amazing to see how much they love their missionaries! One highlight of the conference was Sister Prier's talk on what she calls "hitting the tape." Essentially, hitting the tape means being all in and finishing strong, just like a runner must finish a race without letting up the last few yards. This message definitely resonated with me since I got my travel date—even though I only have a couple weeks left, I want to put my whole heart into it and finish strong!!! 

Last Saturday, we were able to attend the baptism of a woman named Kristin who my comp Sister Hooper taught last transfer. We've been meeting with her about once a week in preparation for her baptism, and from the very start I was blown away by how rock solid she is in her testimony. Kristin's husband is a member and was able to baptize her and they plan on being sealed to each other and their little girl as soon as they can. Amazing! This is what it's all about, right?! Making covenants that bind us to God, open the doors to eternal life and act "as an anchor of the soul." (Hebrews 6:19) 

I've been exploring the Old Testament lately (I guess it took being a missionary for me to read it lol) and came across some amazing verses in Ecclesiastes 3:

1 To every thing there is a ^aseason, and a ^btime to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A ^atime to be born, and a time to ^bdie; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to ^alaugh; a time to ^bmourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

As the vaccine has been rolling out, I've felt like there's not only light at the end of the tunnel, but light already pouring in and promising the end of a tough year. My Grammie and Pops have been driving me to my mission a few times a week and every time they do I feel SO grateful that we no longer have to "refrain from embracing." I know that Christ is the One who can offer us "a time to embrace", "a time to heal" and "a time to build up." Because of Him, tough times will always end and we will always be able to change, repent and heal. He is the source of my peace and joy and I count myself so blessed, if not totally unqualified, to be a representative of Him as a missionary. I hope you all have a wonderful Easter celebrating His life and love for all of us!!!

Xoxox

Your friendly neighborhood missionary 

Hasta la vista, Hermana Goodson! 

Sister Hooper and Sister Sheppard are living at the Residence Inn, so this is where I get dropped off every morning