Crazy Things are Happenin Here!

Hey all!

So we got transfer calls yesterday and some CRAZY news. Before I tell you about that I want to share some fun facts. Since the announcement of the missionary age change the average applications sent to Salt Lake City for missionary service went from 700/week to 4000/week!! 53% of those applications were Sister missionaries. We are so excited here!! :D I bet you're wondering (or maybe not) what this may mean for the Oklahoma Oklahoma City Mission. I will tell you. :)

By March (that is 4 months from now) the number of missionaries we have will jump from 130 to 216. That is 86 new missionaries. When a member of the 70 called President Taylor and asked if he wanted 86 new missionaries President Taylor said he did and he wanted mostly Sisters. So... half of those 86 new missionaries will be Sisters! :D We start getting the new missionaries in December. It is so exciting! Most of the Sisters currently in the mission will be training.

On our way to a service project to paint a house.

I have found a renewed desire to be even better than I am. The Lord is going to require more from me than he has. It is time to step up my game. I am doing my best to really become a consecrated missionary and give the Lord my all. It is a privilege and a blessing to be a missionary at this time in the Church's history. :)

To prepare the Sisters currently here get ready for when those new Sisters come in President Taylor did some crazy things with transfers. Sister Allgood is heading down to Lawton to finish her training (new missionaries RARELY leave their 1st area to finish training) and I am being transferred to Stillwater,OK! I will be in the Stillwater 2nd ward. Guess who my companion is.... SISTER NELSON! waaaa! I'm so excited! When the Zone Leaders told us I could hardly believe it. I knew I was leaving, but I wasn't expecting to go to Stillwater and I especially wasn't expecting to be companions with Sister Nelson again. Especially because I just companions with her 6 weeks ago. I will miss Norman, but I know the Lord needs me in Stillwater.

Sister Fraire with our ghost pinata

Sister Fraire will be getting two new companions. (It is really strange to transfer two of the three in companionship. Usually just one leaves.) Sister Fraire and I have become really close in the last 6 weeks. She has helped me with so much. I love her and will really really miss her. We already have plans to come back to a OU football game next football season. :) I will miss Sister Allgood too. I will really miss her piano playing skills. Thankfully she is making me a CD! score!

Okay... I guess I should update you on what else has been happening. We have one girl we are teaching who is amazing! We have been teaching her since the end of September. She is progressing so well! We have been teaching her a lot about prayer. We had an amazing lesson with her yesterday. The Spirit was so strong! We are striving to help her realize she is a Daughter of God who loves her. She hasn't felt that love for so long. I love her and will really miss teaching her. I can't wait to hear how she progresses. However, I have been getting letters from Sister Nelson, and I am excited to meet the people we will be teaching there. They have 3 or 4 people they are teaching right now who are really progressing.

On Wednesday we were on campus and met a guy and started talking to him. He told us that Mormons were some of the nicest people he had ever met. He said that we were all "out of this world nice" and then asked if it was something in the water. haha! I was able to bear my testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. He wasn't interested in knowing more, but it was great to be able to bear my testimony.

I had a great insight this morning! (Sister Allgood and Sister Fraire laughed at me, but that is okay. :D ) I have been studying about faith and hope. Even before I was a missionary I was trying to distinguish what the difference is. Obviously they are not synonymous. If they were they wouldn't be used separately in the scriptures (and everywhere else for that matter). I had all these definitions of faith and hope.... but I was still having a hard time making the distinction. Well, was I was studying I was getting really sleepy. I thought to myself that if I get up and get dressed I would wake up. So I did. As I was getting dressed the distinction hit me! While I was studying I had the HOPE that if I got up and got dressed I would wake up. I had FAITH when I acted upon that hope. (see pages 116 and 117 of Preach My Gospel) It really was quite the epiphany for me. I told my companions during companion study and they just laughed. haha! It was pretty funny. I am happy I finally understand the difference. :)

Sister Allgood, Me and Sister Fraire still at the service project :)

Oh my goodness! I LOVE missionary work! I LOVE Oklahoma! I LOVE Norman! I LOVE Sister Fraire and Sister Allgood. I will miss them, but like I said, I am excited for all the new things happening in the mission. The Lord's work is definitely hastening in Oklahoma and faith is being built. The Lord has many of his children prepared to hear and accept the message of the Restoration. He has already done all the hard work in preparing them. It is our job...excuse me.... our PRIVILEGE to find them.

I love y'all so much! Thank you for ALL of your support. You are always in my prayers! Keep being the amazing people you are!

Love Always, Sister Record