Let me tell you a little about Texas!
My flight was awesome, it felt just like a rollercoaster! It was only an hour and a half long so I still feel like I am in Utah cause I don't feel like we went very far... But this is definitely not Utah. There are no mountains!!!! It is just flat ground everywhere haha. Okay there is a hill or two but pretty much it's just flat. We arrived at the airport and our Mission President was there to greet us. We went to the Mission Home and ate and then to the Alamo! That was fun :) Then we went back and my MTC companion and I stayed at a members house for the night, as did the rest of the missionaries traveling with us, and we accidently flooded the toilet! I felt so bad to make a mess of the members bathroom... There were two inches of toilet water on the bathroom floor! It was kinda fun though to be honest haha cause I got to make some memories on my first night in San Antonio :) The next day we went to the church were we got our assignments! I have been assigned to serve in the Lake Austin ward in Austin!
My new address is
2104 E Anderson Lane #1032
Austin TX 78752
So for the last few days and for the next 5 1/2 weeks I will be in Austin until my next transfer where I may or may not be transferred to a new area. My companions (that's right, I have two companions since there are so many new sisters, two of us are new and the other is our trainer) are Hermana Lund and Hermana Alfaro. Hermana Lund and I are the new Sisters and she is from Arizona. Hna Alfaro is from Australia and she is our trainer! She is awesome, she has an accent and she grew up speaking both English and Spanish so she is a pro with the language. My assignment is also a full car assignment which means we only drive, we don't ride our bikes even though we have them. And usually missionaries are not supposed to drive for the first 6 weeks of their missions or the last weeks of their missions... But because our trainer, Hna Alfaro, is from Australia and doesn't have a U.S. license... I have been assigned as the designated driver. That's right, me. The one who everyone used to make fun of for being a bad driver. The Mission President told me I would be the driver even though the other new Sister could have driven as well, I'm not exactly sure what the Lord has in His plans for me but I was definitely not expecting this one haha. So needless to say I have been driving aimlessly around Austin with my two Hermanas trying to find people who don't speak my language and who I don't understand to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hahaha the Lord must definitely have a sense of humor. :D
I love the people here in Austin! Everyone is so friendly and it's not weird to just start talking to some random stranger. Also, as the Mission President's wife said, Sis Jones, most people here are "God-fearing" people who have some knowledge of Christ and the Gospel.
Yesterday we knocked on a door, a boy named Jonathon answered, let us in, we taught him the Restoration, challenged him to be baptized, and he said yes... Holy guacamole! What faith! The Spirit was so strong! He was definitely prepared before this time to receive our message. I'm still going over that lesson in my head wondering how on earth he understood what I was saying... My companion Hna Alfaro does most of the talking since she is pro... the other two of us just insert simple comments and testimonies. We are really trying to grab hold of this Spanish thing... But the Spirit is definitely the one who does the work.
I have trouble understanding Spanish... the people speak so fast! I can hardly conjugate the words in my head fast enough to comment in a discussion! But I know that the Lord will and is blessing me. It's crazy to think about how I am merely giving the Lord 18 months of the life He has given me to help His children and do His work. It's not even my time! He gave me this body! He gave me these skills and talents! He gave me this opportunity! And I alone receive more blessings from this than I could have ever dreamed for! The Lord LOVES us. That is the reason why He does this for me. That is the reason why He DIED for me. That is the reason why we are here. That is the WHY to so many questions. If you ever find yourself asking why this or why that, it's because HE LOVES YOU. He is SMARTER THAN YOU, and HE KNOWS what will make you HAPPIEST. You may know what makes you happy... but He doesn't just want you to be merely happy, HE WANTS YOU TO BE FILLED WITH JOY. I testify that there is NOTHING more wonderful to know than this, that our Heavenly Father and our Savior LOVE us so much that they made a plan for each of us. How glorious and magnificent a plan as well.
I love you all...
The Lord loves you...
Our Father in Heaven loves you...
Sincerely,
Hermana Hopkins
I also have some pictures from her! She looks like she's doing well right?
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