LAST LETTER!

FAMALIA MIA...

Yep last one...Kinda pointless writing one seeing as I'll be seeing you in less than 24 hours but it was an amazing week until late last night soo I’ll write all the good stuff and then explain.

This week was the most perfect end to my mission-- we had sooo many great lessons and awesome investigators we have been soo blessed lately. I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to come back to Tempe. This ward is my little family. They’ve spoiled me all week. So many members cried saying bye and gave me little presents and letters. Many of our investigators surprised me with little gifts (flowers, teddy bears. chocolate) and were bearing their testimonies thanking us for knocking on their door and changing their lives. The ward threw me a surprise party yesterday too, which was super sweet. They are amazing I already am missing them and I can't wait to come back. They all live in these tiny humble little trailers and invited me and my family to come and stay when them when I come back to visit. I love these people they live charity.

So bad news....

OUR AREA IS GETTING WHITEWASHED WITH ELDERS:( :( :(

Didn't see that coming at all. Well maybe a little actually. We figured my two companions would stay this transfer especially because our area is thriving right now it would be so stupid to take them out...We were shocked last night when we got the call. We were saying bye to some members and they started crying too. They love sisters for some reason our ward doesn't like elders at all. There’s always been two sisters and two elders in our ward and for some reason we always get weird elders that lose the members trust or don't work hard or offend somebody. There’s been a few that have been good though...so now the members are really upset...Us too. What the heck?! I know it doesn't technically affect me because I wont be here but I'm more mad because I’ve spend basically the last year in this area and I’m worried about what will happen with our investigators- especially the one getting baptized this weekend. And I’m worried that no one will visit my recent converts...But I’m sure that Heavenly Father knows what he is doing and that there must be someone is our are that the elders need to teach...But I’m still upset.

Well I guess it wasn't a total surprise we are being taken out. President has been worried about our area for a little while. I guess now that I will see you tomorrow I can tell you all this...So our area is HUGE but we mainly stay in certain pockets where all the Hispanics are which happens to be the high crime areas because the apartments and trailers parks that they live in don't require background checks, socials and are super cheap so it attracts some crazy white people that the majority just got out of prison and are on a variety of drugs. Which usually makes our lives pretty entertaining and gives us fantastic quotes. But the last month all this weird stuff has been happening and we had a couple of experiences where the spirit told us we weren't safe and to literally get up and run. We have about 5 investigators that all live in these apartments and that is where so much of our work is. Unfortunately there is always bad stuff happening there and on the streets that surround it. At the beginning of the transfer there was this rape and stabbing and then two weeks ago there were 2 murders. One of them was a recent convert in one of the English wards. There is just a lot of cocaine and heroine in Tempe. Lots of desperate homeless people who have lost their minds and every day it gets a little crazier. It's never really scared us until lately when it's just been one thing after the other and so many of the people we talk to on the street are asking us to have sex with them and stuff. For some reason it's just gotten worse over the last 6 weeks. Well we hadn't really told Pres about any of it because we knew he would pull us out of the area because he's protective of sisters but the same night of the murders he called us and said he had a bad feeling and was worried about one of our investigators being a "predator" which just made us super defensive because none of our investigators are predators they are all sweet hearts. So we were really mad at Pres for saying that but then the next night in that same apartment complex we were teaching one of our recent converts outside and we just got this overwhelming terrible feeling that we needed to leave immediately. I have never been so freaked out in my life. We tried to ignore the feeling the first time because there was no obvious reason to leave. Then this guy that lives there who creeps us out really bad started pacing around us in circles for like 10 minutes and then finally came up to us and asked us for drug money. I believe he is the predator president was trying to talk about. He creeps me out so bad.  We were all so freaked out that while our recent convert was saying the prayer we all had our eyes open I didn’t dare close them. And we all felt an almost audible voice telling us to get the heck out of there. He ended the prayer and we booked it. Literally we didn't walk...we ran to our car. We told Pres about it the next day and we all decided it would be better to have all of our lessons at the church and to not go back to some of those apartments especially at night. So we've had all our lessons at the church this last week and it's been so amazing! But he's still pulling sisters out.

I'm mad about it but at the same time if I think about all the weird things that have been happening I think Heavenly Father has been warning us all transfer to be safe. LAME.

But I’m thankful for the miracles we saw while we were here we were definitely supposed to be here together and find some of these people. Hopefully the area cleans up a little and sisters can go back..

ANYWHO..

I have my final interview with Pres in like two hours and then I'll be with him and Sister Howes and the other 5 missionaries going home for the rest of the day/night.... and then Pres is picking me up at like 4am for breakfast and taking me to the airport...and then I WILL SEE YOU!!!

LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU