October 15, 2018 -- WHOA!
HOWDY Y'ALL! WELCOME TO THE LONGEST EMAIL OF YOUR LIFE.
So, I'm going to take this by days. Because this week has been absolutely insane and I have no idea how to structure it all.
Monday we recieved word that there was a Hurricane headed our way. By the end of the day, all of the campuses thay we work on were closed down for the week. We were all mostly worried about what work we were going to do, because we didn't think that the Hurricane would be that big of a deal. Michael sure surprised us!
Tuesday morning we woke up to a text from our Mission President with evacuation plans. We had to drop everything, pack a bag, take one last shower, and hop in the car. All the Sisters in Tallahassee got evacuated to Pensacola! The Milton church building to be exact. So I went back to Pace! I got to see so many people that I love and miss. Not just members either! There were 27 Sister Missionaries camped out, and it was amazing to see so many people that I love so much. I could sit and try to list them, but that would just be way too much. So look at the pictures for all of that.
We stayed inside the church building for the entire day on Wednesday. By this point we had all gone a significantly long time without a shower, and we were all really scared about the people we had left behind. There were multiple freak-outs had by all as we prayed for our homes and the people we love so much. We did some missionary work too. The Campus Sisters led out a contacting workshop that was fun and also stressful, and we all got much closer from our shared experiences.
On Thursday we all finally got to take showers! Members opened up their homes and let all 27 of us wash our laundry and get back to civilization a little bit. It was a huge blessing. All of the members sacrificed so much for us! We also found out the damage that happened in our areas. Some sisters lost their homes, and President Smith is going to have to pull missionaries out of some areas because of the devastation. My heart is hurting so much for my home. I love Florida so much, and the fact that the people here are hurting so much is horrible. Please pray for us here in the Panhandle, we need it.
On Friday we were all assigned areas around Pensacola to work in for the day, and I was assigned to FOX RUN! So not only did I get to go back to Pace, I got to go back to my favorite place in the world! The only person I got to see in person was Sister Sadler, but I got to talk to AUTUMN ON THE PHONE. I can begin to tell y'all how grateful I am to have heard her voice. I miss her so much! I was hoping to see her, but she was at work and we were told to drive back to Tallahassee so that we could help with the clean-up efforts. Still, just talking to her on the phone was enough for now. We drove back to Tallahassee, and as we drove we saw so much destruction. There were multiple points in our drive that all 6 Sisters in our car went silent as we mourned the loss of so much. This place is our home, and my heart is here. We could barely speak through it all. We tried to go home, but there was a giant tree blocking our house and powerlines everywhere. So we ended up driving to our Mission President's house and spending the night there.
On Saturday we got up really early and threw on yellow "Helping Hands" t-shirts. We spent the day clearing trees off of lawns and houses. I had no clothes of my own with me, and so I had to borrow shoes that were 2 sizes too small and ask a member to bring Sister Hamblin and I pants. Though I was very sore at the end of the day, it helped heal my broken heart just a little to be able to serve these people that I love so much. There were four sets of missionaries (8 missionaries total) in our crew, and only 3 other members. None of us had any food for lunch because we didn't have access to our homes. So the three members let us all eat part of their lunch. We are sure there must have been some miracles going on, because 11 people are 3 lunches and somehow, there was food left over when we were all finished. We had to stay at the mission home again that night, because our power still wasn't back on.
Sunday was spent serving again. We put our shirts back on and got to work. That will probably be what we do every single weekend for the next little while. We also were finally able to go home, and so I got to sleep in my own bed and have my clothes back. The huge tree is still in front of our house, but with some creative maneuvering we were able to figure out a way to get in. Some other unexpected news came on Sunday night. Being at the mission home has its perks, and one of those is that you are able to ask President Smith in person for transfer news. So here it is:
I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED. Since I only have 6 weeks left on my mission, this will be my final area and my final companion. I am heartbroken and excited. It will be good to go somewhere new, but I am also going to miss campus and all of these people so much. I can't imagine life without them, and I have already cried a little thinking about leaving. I will be serving the remainder of my time in Daleville, Alabama. With 6 weeks left, I am finally getting out of Florida! I'm not entirely sure exactly where Daleville is in Alabama, but I will be sure to let you know next week. My new companion will be named Sister Smith. I have met her before, and I am really excited to serve with her again! Sister Hamblin will be staying on TCC and leading out the area, and she is going to do great. I'll sure miss her though.
WHEW! If you made it to the end of this monster email, you deserve a medal! I'm going to attach so many pictures with no explanations, I don't have enough time to try to write them all out. My pday will now be Monday (always!) until the end of my mission. I love you all. Don't forget how good God is, and how much He loves us. He lets me feel that a little bit everyday. Until next time l, folks- and hey! Don't forget to read the Book of Mormon!
So, I'm going to take this by days. Because this week has been absolutely insane and I have no idea how to structure it all.
Monday we recieved word that there was a Hurricane headed our way. By the end of the day, all of the campuses thay we work on were closed down for the week. We were all mostly worried about what work we were going to do, because we didn't think that the Hurricane would be that big of a deal. Michael sure surprised us!
Tuesday morning we woke up to a text from our Mission President with evacuation plans. We had to drop everything, pack a bag, take one last shower, and hop in the car. All the Sisters in Tallahassee got evacuated to Pensacola! The Milton church building to be exact. So I went back to Pace! I got to see so many people that I love and miss. Not just members either! There were 27 Sister Missionaries camped out, and it was amazing to see so many people that I love so much. I could sit and try to list them, but that would just be way too much. So look at the pictures for all of that.
We stayed inside the church building for the entire day on Wednesday. By this point we had all gone a significantly long time without a shower, and we were all really scared about the people we had left behind. There were multiple freak-outs had by all as we prayed for our homes and the people we love so much. We did some missionary work too. The Campus Sisters led out a contacting workshop that was fun and also stressful, and we all got much closer from our shared experiences.
On Thursday we all finally got to take showers! Members opened up their homes and let all 27 of us wash our laundry and get back to civilization a little bit. It was a huge blessing. All of the members sacrificed so much for us! We also found out the damage that happened in our areas. Some sisters lost their homes, and President Smith is going to have to pull missionaries out of some areas because of the devastation. My heart is hurting so much for my home. I love Florida so much, and the fact that the people here are hurting so much is horrible. Please pray for us here in the Panhandle, we need it.
On Friday we were all assigned areas around Pensacola to work in for the day, and I was assigned to FOX RUN! So not only did I get to go back to Pace, I got to go back to my favorite place in the world! The only person I got to see in person was Sister Sadler, but I got to talk to AUTUMN ON THE PHONE. I can begin to tell y'all how grateful I am to have heard her voice. I miss her so much! I was hoping to see her, but she was at work and we were told to drive back to Tallahassee so that we could help with the clean-up efforts. Still, just talking to her on the phone was enough for now. We drove back to Tallahassee, and as we drove we saw so much destruction. There were multiple points in our drive that all 6 Sisters in our car went silent as we mourned the loss of so much. This place is our home, and my heart is here. We could barely speak through it all. We tried to go home, but there was a giant tree blocking our house and powerlines everywhere. So we ended up driving to our Mission President's house and spending the night there.
On Saturday we got up really early and threw on yellow "Helping Hands" t-shirts. We spent the day clearing trees off of lawns and houses. I had no clothes of my own with me, and so I had to borrow shoes that were 2 sizes too small and ask a member to bring Sister Hamblin and I pants. Though I was very sore at the end of the day, it helped heal my broken heart just a little to be able to serve these people that I love so much. There were four sets of missionaries (8 missionaries total) in our crew, and only 3 other members. None of us had any food for lunch because we didn't have access to our homes. So the three members let us all eat part of their lunch. We are sure there must have been some miracles going on, because 11 people are 3 lunches and somehow, there was food left over when we were all finished. We had to stay at the mission home again that night, because our power still wasn't back on.
Sunday was spent serving again. We put our shirts back on and got to work. That will probably be what we do every single weekend for the next little while. We also were finally able to go home, and so I got to sleep in my own bed and have my clothes back. The huge tree is still in front of our house, but with some creative maneuvering we were able to figure out a way to get in. Some other unexpected news came on Sunday night. Being at the mission home has its perks, and one of those is that you are able to ask President Smith in person for transfer news. So here it is:
I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED. Since I only have 6 weeks left on my mission, this will be my final area and my final companion. I am heartbroken and excited. It will be good to go somewhere new, but I am also going to miss campus and all of these people so much. I can't imagine life without them, and I have already cried a little thinking about leaving. I will be serving the remainder of my time in Daleville, Alabama. With 6 weeks left, I am finally getting out of Florida! I'm not entirely sure exactly where Daleville is in Alabama, but I will be sure to let you know next week. My new companion will be named Sister Smith. I have met her before, and I am really excited to serve with her again! Sister Hamblin will be staying on TCC and leading out the area, and she is going to do great. I'll sure miss her though.
WHEW! If you made it to the end of this monster email, you deserve a medal! I'm going to attach so many pictures with no explanations, I don't have enough time to try to write them all out. My pday will now be Monday (always!) until the end of my mission. I love you all. Don't forget how good God is, and how much He loves us. He lets me feel that a little bit everyday. Until next time l, folks- and hey! Don't forget to read the Book of Mormon!
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