God Bless the USA 🇺🇸

Happy Fourth of July!!!! I love the fourth!! It is so fun, especially out here! There is so much history about our country. And it's such an honor to be serving in a Ward where everyone serves in the military. (Read below about Sunday) it was so powerful to sing the Star Spangled Banner with the Ward. Fort Belvoir is the best!! If I ended my mission here, I would bawl. It's like my home! I love it. This week was a blast! We did so many things. It's so sad the transfer is almost over. Sister Langford will probs get transferred. I'm gonna bawl! AGH I don't like to think about it. Changing the subject! Here's our awesome week! :)

Monday was sweet! We had a lesson with Barbara, Kayla, Merissa, and awesome FHE with the Suttons, and with the Parsons with Chante!! Chante is the most hilarious person. Kayla hasn't been smoking!!! MIRACLES!! She has been doing so well, she is so happy and I know God is so proud of her. Such a solid and happy day!!

Tuesday! HOLY SMOKES BATMAN! It was so awesome!! We had a killer district meeting about following up with people and then had lunch. We had a mini exchange with our STLs. I went with Sister Jones and we went tracting in the boonies! The greatest idea ever!! I love that place, I seriously want to live out there. I totally would haha. We met this lady named
Mona, and told her we loved her house! (Because it was oober CUTE. She was like oh yeah, come inside I'll show you the backyard!! She totally lives on a river and has like her own super nice boat in her backyard, along with her 3 story deck. My jaw dropped, it was just so beautiful! We talked with her a little bit and gave her a Book of Mormon and pamphlet. We invited her to church as well! We are hoping she is interested, we are going back to check up on her in three weeks because she's going on vacay. She was super nice. She also had a cute dog named Gus. So that was nice. :) haha, there are such wonderful people out here! Love em!! We had a lesson with Amber, and Jignasha but OKAY cool story time!! We went to go check on our good pal, Jonathan. It was awkward because we pulled up to his house right when he and his family got home and didn't want to bug them. We just weren't feeling like we should see him. We pulled off down the street to think about where we should go. We were planning to go to Jignashas, but in that distinct moment the words "GET OUT OF THE CAR" we're stated softly but clearly in my mind. I told Sister Langford I felt like we should pray about where we need to be before leaving to see Jignasha. So we did, I said the prayer. I sat for a quick moment after we said amen, and looked up. Turned my head, and the words "knock on that door" came CLEARLY to my mind. So that's what we did! Walked up to the door and saw a cute little knick knack with a cross and a bible scripture on it, sitting on the ground. We knocked and the cutest old lady came to the door. Her name is Janean! She lives by herself. She has 3 kids, one that has passed and a husband that's passed as well. We started talking and what we come and share as missionaries. She kindly invited us in and we had the most powerful, spirit filled Restoration lesson I've ever had out here on my mission. Especially when we talked about and recited the first vision. I have never seen someone be so interested and touched by it before. It was so incredible! I LOVE HER SO MUCH!! She is so stinkin cute. I am so GRATEFUL that the spirit gave me those promptings. I am so grateful that He led us to Janean. My heart was so full of joy the whole time, and I just knew that right there, in Janean's home, is exactly where we needed to be. Heavenly Father knew that and He guided us to her. I am forever grateful!! Never ignore those promptings!! Miracles truly do happen when we follow the spirit.




Wednesday! HUMP DAYY hah jk I love everyday whether it be ups or downs!! It's what makes missions the best :) we had another awesome lesson with a Michelle, a less active. She is so great! She was so nice, she fed us lunch! It was way good too, teriyaki chicken

and rice. People are so nice to feed us out here! We get fed so much BUT we sit in a car all day SO that's not good haha that's how ya gain weight right therr! But oh my goodness I got the Loveridges package and it made my whole stinkin day! My morning was going kinda rough and I was feeling a little down and homesick. But then we went and got the mail and found a package slip so we hurried and grabbed the package and opened it!.... And we had a grand ol time during lunch ;)THANK YOU LOVERIDGES!!! :) So much fun! I am forever grateful for that, it was such an answer to my prayer, tender mercy and miracle all in one. So so grateful :) We also went and checked on some potential investigators and had an awesome dinner with the Aguayos. We had correlation and took the most awkward pictures ever haha. I feel like pictures on your mission look so awkward! HAHA maybe it's just me. Random questions/comments of the day from Sister Langford: we were sitting on the couch when all of a sudden: "I don't want you to have any other companions." AW SAD!! Haha love her! And the other one, we were out knocking on a door and she was like: "How tall is your dad?" HAHA whaa? So funny! And random.

Thursday: TEMPLE TRIP P-day!!!! With our mother out here , Sister Liechty!! Oh dear, it was the most wonderful day ever. I love the temple! The DC temple is so BEAUTIFUL!!! Like wow. When you walk inside after they scan your recommend, there is this huge painting of Jesus Christ's Second Coming I believe. He is in the center with huge concourses of angels and then it shows all the righteous people turning towards him, and the wicked who are all lost and miserable. My jaw just drops every time I see it. The spirit just hits me right whenI walk in and see it. It makes me teary. It's beautiful! The whole time in the temple I just felt so peaceful. I am so grateful for the opportunity they give us to go in this mission. It was just what I needed. I loved it so much. I just want to live in the temple. haha If only, right!?

Plus, Sister Liechty is the bomb.com, I love her so much! She is like a motherly figure and BFF all combined into one. Haha She is so great. We stopped at McDonald's afterwards and also took some awesome pictures at the temple. We wrote emails then had a wonderful dinner at the Koughs home that night! It was such a great day! Best 3-month celebration ever! :) 

We planned all day on Friday and made some new, sweet meal calendars. We talked with a real sweet guy with the cutest kids I've ever seen and also talked with some Jehovah's Witnesses. They were super nice! We had a real touching lesson with Vivian and met her friend Drea who just moved in with her. Drea and Vivian are both struggling with a lot right now. We watched the video, Mountains to Climb and talked about putting our faith and trust in God, believing He will work things out. Drea was so touched she was crying at the end. She is so sweet. They both said they are coming to church on Sunday!! Wahoo!! I love them both so much and I just met Drea. We also had a quick lesson with Agartha. I took care of Sister Langford throughout the day, she isn't feeling well. I'm perfecting my nursing skills ;) hahah 

Saturday!!! Oh Saturday. We helped a new family in our ward move in! They are so cute and nice! They kept telling me and Sister Lang that we were so beautiful. It was so kind of them too because I was a sweaty Betty-hot mess. We went finding/street contacting/ checked up on people. We went to a place called Vinny's Pizzeria I think? I ate half of a pizza, yes I know. Fatty right. It was SO GOOD THOUGH! Haha I seriously have never eaten so much in my life, people just feed us! They feel bad if we don't have a dinner haha, I think my stomach has grown or something because I just have never eaten so much before. Anyways!! We met a lady named Angela, who's from England. Her accent reminded me of Rach and her mission days. It made me want to shed a tear of joy for her :') We also met a fellow named Mohammed, who is Muslim. He was very kind and wanted us to come back and share our message with him and his family. We are so excited!! :) I love missionary work. I love working hard and giving it my best each day. The greatest feeling is when you come home at night, tired but happy, because you know you gave it your all that day. That's the best feeling. I love that feeling.

Sunday was so sweet. We had a wonderful sacrament meeting. It is such a privilege and blessing to be serving in a Ward all made up of military members, we sang the star spangled banner at the end and all stood up. It was super powerful. The Spirit is so strong. I love church! And sacrament meeting, and Fast Sundays. I was really uplifted. Later we had dinner with the Hales family! Get this: we ate tacos, waffles, cereal, and chocolate crepes! Ya don't have that everyday! So good, right!? haha I love that family!! They feel like family. So blessed to know them! That night we had an awesome lesson with a family we've been trying to meet with for awhile. They speak French, but the 11 yr old son was able to translate back and forth. It was so amazing to experience that! Funny and embarrassing story moment: HAHA. So I had downloaded this video in French and Spanish. Well, I quickly just pull up the video, super excited to show it, and they are watching and everything is great. Well, this woman's sister walks into the room, and we're all like heyy! So we start the video over, 2nd time around. They seem to be enjoying it, when like halfway through, (keep in mind they speak French so I had no idea what they were saying) Ben, the boy who was translating was like, uhh they said its in Spanish... HA HA HAAA....SO SORRY!!! That's awkward... Ha!! We were all cracking up it was pretty funny. They were kind and understanding. So I pulled up the french video, and started playing it for the 3rd time! 3rd times a charm right? ;) Haha, It was much more obvious that they understood that video much, MUCH better! hahaha We showed them the He Lives video. It was really cool to see that even though we may not have been able to speak the same language, each of us was able to feel the spirit. We all can feel and understand the language of the Spirit. They want us to come back next Sunday! We are so excited. It was a complete miracle that they let us come and teach them. Heavenly Father is so good. The Gospel is so good. I love it.

P.S. Also found out Diane is moving!! On the 15th. WHAT THE. I was so sad to hear it. She isn't moving too far, so hopefully I get to serve in the Ward she moves to. She was like: "oh YES!! And then I can paint your nails!" She is getting her aesthetician license haha I love her! She is the happiest person. Gonna be sad to see her go. But all is well! All is well. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful 4th!! I am so blessed to live in this country and to be blessed with the freedoms we have. This morning, president wanted us to study some patriotic scriptures. I read about the Title of Liberty. Alma 46:12-16. Moroni is a complete stud!! Seriously. Can't wait to meet him one day. I am so grateful to live in this beautiful country and to be serving here in DC. I am so grateful that we have religious freedom, to choose to worship God and His son Jesus Christ. I know that they live! I know one day, we will be reunited with them. Have a blessed Monday and week :) love you all so much!!!

LOVEEE,

SISTER HYMAS :)