October 21st

Hey ya'll! 

They don't even say 'ya'll' here, but my companion says it all of the time so I am starting to say it. Oops! Holy cow, I feel like I always have so much to say, and then when I try to write it all down, i can't even remember what has happened! Terre Haute is starting to seem like a pretty cool place. It is growing on me. :) I guess that's probably a good thing, because missionaries usually stay here for a while. One of the Elders who served here was here for 9 months, and he just barely left. That is so crazy! 

Okay, so I wrote down a few things in my planner that I wanted to write about...

1. My apartment is really awesome. And by really awesome, I mean that it's really creepy. You have to walk up these creaky stairs to get to the door, and I seriously think I am going to fall through those stairs every time I walk up them! But I haven't yet, thank goodness. Because this area is new for sisters, our apartment has basically nothing in it! We have a couple of things on the walls that Sister Niemann's last companion bought, but the apartment is just kinda plain. That's okay though. We got brand new beds, so they are way comfortable! That is also a bad thing though, because it's hard enough getting out of bed at 6:20, but when you feel like you're sleeping on a cloud, it's like 10x worse. One thing that is really strange about our apartment is that there are wood floors in the living room and the bedroom, and carpet in the kitchen.. Who does that? Our shower never gets hot, but it helps me to take shorter showers, so I guess that is good!

2. The craziest thing happened the other day. We made some sugar cookies, and we cooked them a little bit too long, so they got a little crunchy. We left them out on the counter, and the next morning, they were like the softest cookies ever! Humidity is an amazing thing! (Sometimes,)

3. It is starting to get bum cold here. Yes, I did just say bum cold. Sis. Niemann got me started on that one as well. Haha. It doesn't seem like it should be that cold, but with the humidity, it just goes right through your clothes! You can wear like 5 layers, and still be freezing! We are gonna go to Goodwill and look for some more sweaters and things.

4. On Saturday we go to do something that was supposed to be really cool and awesome, but kinda turned out bad. So in Terre Haute, they have like the best Cross Country Course in the United States. So they always hold the Pre-National, and National college meets out here. like 14 of us missionaries we asked to help do service at the Pre-National meet! We were really excited about it, and we got awesome t-shirts! We went in the morning and we ended up not really being needed. So it ended up being a waste of 6 hours. We just felt like we weren't fulfilling our purpose as missionaries, and so that wasn't too fun! Hopefully we helped in some way. That night, we went to a pig roast that Bishop Newton, of the Honey Creek ward put on. A less active member came with us, and she hasn't been to church in ages, so we were really happy that she was able to come!! She also came to church on Sunday! What a miracle!

5. I found out yesterday that one of the elders in my district is cousins with one of my good friends that lived next door to me at Ventana!! It was super crazy, but I was really excited to find that out!

So this week was pretty crazy. I am finally starting to get used to being a missionary. It's pretty hard though, because there is a TON to learn. This whole planning thing is so weird to me, but I know that it helps a ton! We have been teaching a few people that are pretty solid! There is this guy named Jason, and he is really religious. He grew up christian, and he's super faithful! We taught him the restoration, and he's a little bit hung up on the Priesthood. We are teaching him again this week, so hopefully we can help him understand that a little more. But we can't convince him, only the spirit can! We are also teaching a girl named Riaunah. She is super cool! We taught her the restoration, and she just soaked it all in! I know she was feeling the spirit! It's so cool to see that!! 

Tomorrow, President Cleveland is coming to Terre Haute! He is coming to our district meeting, and our district leader is freaking out a little bit because the pressure is on! Haha. He will do great though. Sister Niemann and I get to go to dinner with President and Sister Cleveland and a girl named Emily, who we hope will be an investigator soon! It should be super cool!

Things are pretty crazy here, but they are moving right along. I know that things will get hard, but I know that it is important to remember that we are on the Lord's team. He wants us to succeed, so he will help us in every way possible! This gospel is amazing! I know it's harder in Utah, because there are so many people who are members, but if you can, try to reach out to someone and share the gospel with them. It is amazing what the gospel can do for us and for others! Getting mail is awesome! So, I'm not saying you have to write, but if you do, I'll appreciate it!

Thanks for being so supportive! I can feel the power that comes from your prayers! Keep on keepin' on! 

Love, Sister Hales!