Hello, I'm alive!
Sorry I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks. I've been in touch with my immediate family so they've heard updates, but my last couple of mondays have been crazy and one of my emails didn't go through so I just have so much to tell y'all!
Two weeks ago I attempted to tell you all about the news that I have been officially transferred to Milford Ohio! My new companion is Sister Christensen and I love her so much! She's so loving and hard working and always striving to do better and I honestly think she's a lot of the reason we've had so much success in our two weeks here. We were doubled in so we've been getting to know the area together and it's been a bit of an adventure. We also took over for two sets of Elders, so the members have been really excited to have sisters in the area for the first time in years.
Before I go on to my experiences in Milford, the coolest experience of my last week in Springfield was when a man pulled up to us in his car, asked us who we were, asked for a pamphlet and some information, and told us he'd be at church on Sunday. And he was there! He had a great time, talked to a bunch of people, and said he'd be back. We were so confused we barely knew how to react! He also later messaged us to ask about eventually wanting to be baptized and become a missionary. I'm so upset that I won't be around to see what happens!
But Milford has been a miracle goldmine! The area was really lacking in progressing people that were being taught, so we've had to spend a lot of time working to find new people to teach and we've been seeing so many miracles through it!
A short list of miracles we've seen in the last two weeks:
* We were short on apartment supplies, but we got the chance to take stuff from a missionary apartment that was being cleaned out (because there used to be two sets of Elders here) and we ended up with everything we'd been needing to ask for.
*We met a man who ended up giving us his number and inviting us back. Then he invited himself to church!
*There was a woman we met outside an apartment complex and had a short chat with. After walking away Sister Christensen felt strongly that we needed to share the Book of Mormon with her. I thought she was crazy because we didn't know where she lived, just that she lived somewhere above the second floor in one of the buildings. So we went back to the building and decided to try finding her and the first door we knocked in was hers and she ended up being really interested!
*A lesson fell through and we had a member there with us, so we ended up visiting one of the sisters in the ward she ministers to and that sister ended up being the mom of someone we'd been trying to get ahold of and finally got to meet because of that visit!
*We got Chick-fil-a (this one isn't a miracle, but it sure tasted like one)
*A lesson fell through that we'd been excited for, but it was a blessing because we weren't as prepared for it as we wanted to be
My favorite miracle that happened this week was one that I posted to Facebook, so I apologize for those of you who are reading this for the second time, but it was such an amazing experience.
The other morning, as Sister Christensen and I were talking about good church videos and the idea of trying to share one with someone that day, my love for the Because of Him video came rushing back. Later that day we stopped by the house of someone we thought was in the ward but quickly found out that the man had moved and another man was living there now. Instead of apologizing for the mixup and getting on our way, we used it as an opportunity to share the gospel with him.
As we talked to him about what we do he talked about how he'd been going through a lot and praying for help but felt like his prayers weren't being answered. I was reminded of the conversation Sister Christensen and I had had earlier that day and asked if we could show him a video. My heart swelled with joy as this video brought him to tears and he accepted a Book of Mormon and invited us to come back.
It was a miracle. As we got back in our car we sat in awe as we talked about all the little things that had to happen leading up to that moment. I grew up hearing stories of people who were praying for an answer and were blessed with missionaries. I came on a mission hoping I could be that answer for someone at some point and I was blessed with that opportunity when we met this man yesterday. No one but a loving Heavenly Father who was watching out for his children could have so perfectly put together our meeting him.
That video is my favorite video because it reminds me of how wonderful Christ's atonement is. We can become new people through it. Better people through it. We can be comforted when we feel alone or can't go on anymore. We can gain the strength that is needed to be stronger disciples of Christ. And we are able to return to our loving Heavenly Father because of it. Christ atonement is the most perfect gift that our beloved Savior has offered us and can bless us in so many ways if we'll simply accept it.
I'm so grateful for this gospel and how it has led me through my life. I'm so grateful for Christ's atonement and I'm so grateful that his gospel and the priesthood has been restored to the earth so that we can have the guidance of the scriptures and living prophets. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be on a mission and be a representative of the Lord as I share his gospel with others 
These last two weeks have been tough. We've had to work hard, get to know everyone, and learn the area, both while being relatively new missionaries. But it's been such an amazing experience and I've grown so much.
PICTURES!
I'm sorry there's so many. It's three weeks worth of pictures.
*Some pictures of me and Sister Blaser in front of the Downtown Springfield sign my last day in Springfield
*Our last district photo from last transfer. My new district is also awesome. But we haven't gotten a picture together yet.
*Pictures of Sister Christensen and I. Two of them are at different hike trails we found while out contacting people and getting to know the area.
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