Thanksgiving

Dearest family-

I hope you all had a very good thanksgiving! you will be very entertained to hear that we had 3 thanksgiving dinners!! lol AND i had my very first deep fried turkey- a southern favorite at thanksgiving it was pretty cool to watch him make it- and not gonna  lie! it was amazingly delicious- i just didn't eat the fried part lol but all in all it was a really great thanksgiving. we had our second dinner at the fillmores house with the barclays (both of their husbands are deployed right now) and the Magers came too!! so that was a dream come true, to have thanksgiving with a family being baptized this week :) what a blessing.

 me and sister schmidt made a really cute activity /lesson to bring into the homes we went to- we cute out a tree and a bunch of leaves we drew, and then we had all the families write what they are thankful for and put the leaves on the tree- everyone loved it! very fun to be a missionary during the holidays- i love seeing all the christmas decorations. We got to help lots of people cook and even do a little christmas decorating which is good bc we have no decorations in our apartment. (which is fine bc we are NEVER home always out working:) 

Transfers are next monday. so  will know where i am going in a week and then on wednesday the 11th i will move there. I know this is my last week so i am trying to really savor every little thing, person place and experience. This week is just us seeing all the people i want to say goodbye to and have one last lesson and bear my testimony to them. we have Lisa's baptism this saturday at 11 am but her husband's date is being moved to Januay 2th- its really cool to pray about when someone should be baptized and then to have a clear and specific date come to your mind immediately after- its just cool to see how the spirit works. 

   So this sunday i bore my testimony in Gulf Breeze for the last time- i focused on the savior's love for each of us and of our divinity and identity as children of God. Elder Sanders bore his last testimony too- really powerful- on the atonement and repentance. really powerful. I have loved Gulf Breeze. this morning we went running on the beach and a little miracle happened- a tender mercy- i have been looking for a whole sand dollar for the past 10 months- i have never been able to find one that isnt chipped or broken- well this morning as we were running on the beach, i was so overwhelmed by the beauty and so grateful to be there and marvelling all over again about the fact that I am 2/3 done with my mission here in Florida...so surreal...and i thought to myself, "I never did find a sand dollar...i only have one more monday on the beach to find one..." then i looked down and to my astonishment- there was a perfect pristine whole sand dollar in the sand!! I found one just in time!! that is always how the lord works....he lets us be tried and pushes us to the very end- then if we endure it well and hold out faithful- he always delivers. God always keeps his promises to the faithful. anyways i was overjoyed!! haha i have it and took a picture of it along with some other amazing shells i found and kept from the beach today. today was warm. 75 degrees! gotta love florida....I have a lot of pictures for you guys. 

Last night we watched the Joseph smith movie with Carla and it was almost like a movie night!! then we read General conference talks with her on motherhood and womanhood and honoring our moral authority- I really have a testimony of that.
Preparing to leave is difficult- i dont think about it- just enjoy the time i have. dont even want to talk about it really :( it just is what it  is- we are the lords servants we go where he needs us. and anyways i feel really fulfilled here- i know my work here is done and i cannot express how good that feels. peace. all the ward members are really sad and our meal calendar is packed lol everyone wants to have us over before i leave which really touches me and means a lot...i really love all these people i really do. I know that there are more people, experiences adventures, relationships, joys, miracles nd mountains to climb ahead though! that is exciting! and i know the Lord will lead me as he has in the past- so i am at peace. leaving certain people i am very attatched to is.....difficult. truly- a trial of my faith, discipline, obedience, and submission of my will to His- but I have to trust Him- i have no reason not to...I know He wants me to trust him so I am really learning how to let things go and just be more trusting in my Heavenly Father with my heart, hopes, dreams, desires, goals, and life. I want you all to know how grateful I am for you- this gospel- the scriptures that have been preserved over the course of sooo many years- it is a miracle we have the book of mormon truly. I am grateful to be serving as a full time missionary for our father in Heaven- i am forever grateful for the knowledge I have of His eternal plan,that helps me to be motivated and strengthened to live my way in such a way that will lead to attaining eternal goals- i want as many people to have that same knowledge and assurance and that is why i am out here and that is why I love what i am doing. I am grateful God is so patient with me...I hop eto learn all of the lessons He has for me wel, to be able to be fullly used by him, and to be able to have the strength to endure. I love you all so much- and Kristen- your letter meant the world to me!! I love you! thank you so much!! Love you all!!

much Love- sis b.