Hello hello! Ne how ma! Family!!!

That's hello in Mandarin-by the way! Well, another week has gone by. man, the time just flies! Things here are great as usual! the sun shines (for the most part) it's been a tad rainy and some random spurts -o- snow. it is so nice to have it be spring tho that's for sure!! 

Thank you for your emails. it is always so good to hear from you and how all of the family is doing. that is so neat to think about Derek and Aubree with their new baby! I've been thinking about them a lot this week- i heard from Joey actually what was going on- b/c he had given us some potentials to call while he was here, and we needed to call him to get more info- so anyways, i was glad to hear that things are going so well for them. 

Well, things w/ me...hmmm...it's been a little of a challenge training someone that doesn't know English very well. it has taken a lot of English, but i am just trying SO incredibly hard to be patient and to be understanding. Sometimes it is hard. I don't know if you have any advice. it's just takes a lot of you, having to explain EVERYTHING and re explain EVERYTHING, and then even the very next day, have to do it all over again, and again.  I know there is a reason that i am training, Heavenly Father is trusting me, and so I can't let Him down. It has it's fun parts too, no doubt about that.--

So, an item of  business- I have a question- I was wondering, when I come home, we will be driving to Darren's wedding, right? can we drive through SLC and we can just spend a day that i can show you around temple square and you can get to meet Pres. and Sis. Holmes?  ever since i got here on the mish, that is something that i had always hoped for, one day, to spend w/ you and dad, and to get to show you everything, what i got to do for the last 18 months! and of course for you to meet Pres. Holmes and sister Holmes so you can seen just how amazing of people they are!  i know i still have a ways before i actually come home, and please don't think i'm focusing on that- but i didn't' know if it'd be better to mention that in advance if you and dad are wanting to plan ahead. so yeah, something to think about!

well, i guess that's it for now. i just love you so much! and every time i walk past the temple and see the gold sign on the outside that says" Holiness to the Lord, House of the Lord"--I always think you and think to myself, I'm the luckiest girl in the world!!!!! Hope you have a wonderful week!  sorry, no pics this time, didn't bring my cam w/ me. I'll be sure to take lots of pics this next week. oh, there are such pretty flowers everywhere, and you can smell them as you walk on the square. the best!

loves!!!

hey family!!!!

it's me!!! Sister Angela!! it's my pday! Tuesdays are the day now.  well, things are good! I'm not in chat anymore, I'm training!

she is a dear sweet heart- Sister Yao from Taiwan! She's from the other mission, not the one that Jake Adams served in. but anyways, I'm back in the North Zone- so things are going really well, just working hard and trying to teach and train her on everything, hopefully I'm doing okay. haven't been here for awhile on the square since i was in chat right  when i got back. but it's good for me to relearn everything.

 gen. conf. was great! i saw bro and sis. whitehead! . but HEY!!!!! it was SO good to see Darren and to meet Liz and just walk around and talk! and then to see Joe and Allison and the kids! what a fun couple of days it has been. oh those kids are just adorable. we took them through God's Plan, and it was so special to be there with my own family! the spirit was really strong, and it was just so nice.   

 I'm sorry this is so short, i have to go- but please know that I'm doing well, and thank you for the Easter card! sad that no one was there to gather eggs and candy! i thought about you!! so much love to you from me!!!!! here are some pics for you! ** i  can't see what pics I'm putting on here. so hopefully they are OK! 

hey family!

thank you for your letters. got a letter from sister sessions today w/ some pics of her w/ you and pa, man, i bet that was fun! 

what else has happened this week. just great days in the chat. our district is really tight and close. we are really just working hard and supporting each other- i was calculating our numbers, and in just one week we obtained 20 referrals, compared to the 5 we got in 3 wks. prayer works. when you are faithful and prayerful relying on the Lord, miracles will happen. i have no doubt in that.  the other night, i called an emergency district mtg in my apt. and we had ice cream and popcorn to celebrate, but to also remind them of our purpose in chat to try and keep the fire going, and keep them pumped up. man, just only 2 more wks left in this transfer! oh holy mama!! time just flies soooo fast!!!!! 

okay, gonna go. glad to hear everything is good. love you so much.

okay, well, gotta run. loves so much!

here are some pics from me to you!!!!!!!

us at disney on ice, and of the performers,

oh! so this guy, he's really nice,--he always brings sisters a loaf

of his homemade bread. so sister queiroz and i were lucky to get one

this time.  so anyways, that's the bread.

group pic of all of us sisters before our performance in the assembly hall. twas fun!

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you both very much for your emails and the letters in the mail 

It has been a busy yet good week.

We had a very powerful District mtg on setting goals. i was really nervous to give it, b/c that's  a touchy subject for sisters, evaluating their progress, and weaknesses. it turned out really well, we set a new goal as a district of getting at least one referral a day per comp. on temple square (we count #'s separately from temple square and chat) and the sisters were scared at first, we prayed hard, and took it to the Lord, we all felt good about it, and I just bore testimony that we can have the faith to do this ( our #'s were terrible)

the very next day, we got more referrals that one day, that the previous 3 wks combined! the Lord is truly blessing us with miracles. the sisters motivation has dramatically increased and their faith, our #'s are way up, they come to me with their excitement. it's been great. we had a mtg. this morn with Pres. Holmes and the Assistants and our Zone Leaders concerning chat. We've got some great resources to reach the whole world. We are really focusing on getting the sisters to feel the urgency of the work, to teach and commit our investigators so that when the local missionaries come in, they are golden referrals who are ready and prepared for baptism. it's been great so far. I'm just very excited and pumped up to get out there!

Well, i best be going. we have a very busy day today- walmart, Disney on ice, and then a performance I'm singing with the sisters in the assembly hall.

well, i'm going, love you so much.

Hi Family,

Well, this week has been great! we've had a lot of neat Portuguese people that we are teaching in chat.  we also had Pres. Int. this last week. This one I had w/ Pres. was the best one I've ever had. he is such an amazing person! so spiritually powerful- i truly look up to him so much. Everything that we talked about was just what needed to be said!   it's just a testimony to me that he has been called of God.

OH! I'm so happy that you had sister sessions over for dinner! that just makes my day! isn't she just the sweetest? and funny! i saw erin turner across the street the other day, so we did a wave from afar!

oh, so Kayla is engaged!!!! she sent me a card the other day and told me! her BF- Jeremy was in Mexico with the Hoffmans and proposed to her there, how romantic! she's getting married next may and asked me to be in the wedding! so that's exciting news!

speaking of marriages....you have darren and liz and  coming to visit this month. that's exciting stuff! well, i'm going to try and send you some pics. 

Sorry this is short...we had to stop and do a Portuguese tour on the way over here

..it snowed a lot today!

pics: 

me and sis. queiroz at Music and the Spoken Work

me outside in the snow this morn. ...so sad!

Family!

Things are going good! I am feeling better...I've got my voice back finally, i have wonderful zone leaders who are extremely helpful and supportive, and the sisters in my district are so kind. I've really been blessed. so I never got to tell you that my new companion is sister queiroz ( pronounced kay-doss)

she is from Brazil, and just the sweetest! she's great! we really get along! I'll send you a pic of us. well, in chat, we've been doing a lot of phone lessons w/ investigators- from Guyana and Botswana. we are also teaching a really neat guy from the Netherlands. it is so amazing to be teaching these people, and to hear them pray.  they are trying so hard, the Lord is really preparing people! 

this morning we had a mission tour- and Elder Pace from the 70 spoke to us this morning, and he randomly chose sisters to interview and I got to interview with him! it was great! we talked a lot about feelings of inadequacy in the work, he spoke about that to us as a mission, and then i talked to him about it some more, and asked him how do i know if the Lord is pleased with my work? and it really helped. its hard sometimes being here, never really seeing the fruits of your labor, and so he told me to pray and ask, Lord, have you accepted my sacrifice. that was really helpful, a  dif. out look. Pres. Holmes also spoke and bore a very powerful testimony of Joseph Smith. Man, i just wish you could all hear him speak. remember the way you felt after listening to Elder Holland's talk last Gen. Conf on the Book of Mormon? that's how you feel listening to him. I just love him and have the up most respect for him. i truly know that he has been called of God to lead this mission. He and sister Holmes actually were asked to extend until 2012- first time ever for a temple square mission pres. to be asked to extend. he is doing good things for this mission. anyways- enough of me!

Byee!!!  

AJ

Family!!!!

Just a quickie to let you know I'm here in SLC!  So my new pday is on Friday now. so that's when you can be expecting some love from me in your email box!! tee hee! well, so theres lots going on here. they've made me a District Leader over the Chat district! oh man!- its a new thing here, we teach people over the Internet in chat rooms and its neat, they've had success w/ baptisms, its all still very new to me, so I'll keep you updated w/ it all. 

Pretty much all of the sisters that have come back from outbound  could not wait to get back to temple square, they liked their outbound for the most part, but missed TQ so much.  I love temple square, but it was still really hard to leave Penn.  It was the best experience and such great people I'll miss. I'm just going to work as hard as i can and just immerse myself in this work, i know it will help me shift my focus and gears to temple square and help w/ the transition.

Today was neat, all of us outbound sisters got to have lunch at pres. holmes house. and boy is it a beauty!!!!!!! I don't really know how else to say it, but it is just gorgeous. It's up top on a hill and very "holmey" haha. j/k. 

Well, my time is up, I'm alive, good, but still hoarse from my cold!

It was sooo good to talk w/ you and daddy while at the airport ! i love you!!!!!!!!!!! like soooo much!!!!!

love, ME!