#LighttheWorld

Wow. I love DECEMBER!! I love a Christmas time!! I love the spirit of the Holidays. It just makes me so incredibly happy. Also because Christmas is all about Christ, and we get to focus even MORE on Him. I hope everyone is doing the #LighttheWorld initiative! Seriously, best thing ever. We can truly become more like Christ in the small simple actions we do each day. 

This week was MIRACULOUS. For FHE on Monday, we had a bonfire at Max's house! We had three investigators show up and a few recent converts! It felt like I was back in college but at the same time still living as a missionary. Basically everyday life serving in the singles ward. Haha. We also went Christmas shopping for some gifts at the Leesburg outlets so that was super fun! I'll be sending a package in a few weeks :) 

Oh my lands. Okay so I wore my rain boots on Tuesday. We were walking around and all throughout the day I just kept getting this nasty wiff of a horrid smell. I thought it was me for the longest time. I kept asking sister Hyer if I smelled bad and she kept saying "no sister!" So I kept on going just hoping people didn't think I smelled bad. Well, nighttime comes around. Finally sister Hyer was like "sister you probably just stepped in dog poop!" I look down on my shoe. Definitely stepped in dog poop and it reaked. However, I was so relieved to know that it wasn't ME that smelled so bad!! ;) haha.

I hit my 8 months on Wednesday!! Say whattt?? That's crazy stuff. I can't believe I hit half way this month!! Wowza. Crazy. Okay funniest story of my life. We had some car troubles this week. Sister Hyer wrote it so well in her weekly, she so kindly let me use what she wrote. In the words of Sister Hyer: "So starting the weekend before last the lights in our car weren't really working. The fog ones. The brights would work just fine but the normal ones weren't shining like at all. So we had to drive with our brights and get about a million honks and flashes. But it's fine. Safety first. We call the senior missionary over cars early last week and he tells us to take it into a Subaru dealership. On Wednesday we did. We sit there for a while and then the man comes and tells us there is nothing wrong with our car but that the lights are just dim naturally. I was having some real un-Sister missionary like thoughts in my head. Like dude. You try and drive this car at night. You can literally see nothing. But whateves. He didn't charge us anything so it was all good. We were like well maybe they weren't as bad as we thought. Well that night once it gets dark we realized we could see literally nothing. The dashboard showed the little yellow pictures that says your lights are on but there was no light!! So brights again. And we called the senior missionary again. We chat for a while and finally he is like, did you try pulling back the lever? So I do it and bam! Lights!! Perfectly normal ones. I about died laughing because I felt so dumb but hey. It's all good we have light now. #LIGHTTHEWORLD." HAHAHA. Wow. Mystery solved. Thank goodness! It was scary driving at night. 

Thursday we had interviews with president! I. Love. President Huntsman!! He is such a good man. He is an inspired man. He is so encouraging. I never leave an interview feeling down. Sister Hyer and I had the opportunity to train the missionaries all day on talking with everyone. I learned So much from each of them. I know God places people in out path for a reason, and if we don't stop and take the time to open our mouths and talk with them, you may never find out whether they were prepared to hear the gospel or not. So just Preach it! I love these missionaries. I'm so grateful to serve with them. Haha okay, sister Huntsman sis the cutest! One missionary was like, "man my throat is killin me" and sister Huntsman immediately pops up and was like "do you need a cough drop?! I have one! I have lots! The Costco sized bag! President asks me to carry them around for him!" Hahah love her. Gotta love Costco too. We also raked leaves for Ashley during our lunch break too for light the world!!

We had some amazing lessons this week. We had a few lessons with Carlos and he is progressing so well! I learned on exchanges with sister Bray to start every lesson with a hymn. I loved that idea so we decided now to start each lesson by singing a hymn! And wow. Lemme tell you. Miracles happen. We started our lesson with Carlos with a hymn and that lesson was completely filled and led by the spirit. That was the lesson where Carlos accepted a baptismal date for December 23rd. I know that hymns invite the spirit. I know that we don't have to be good singers either! Ya need the spirit? Sing a hymn and pray :) I'm so grateful for the Spirit. 

Also, we just got a text from Carlos today saying "I'm really feeling like I want to get baptized right now." WOW. Sister Hyer and I were just like: WOOOOOOOOOOOO!! It was a complete miracle. Carlos has been taught for like a year and now he finally wants to be baptized. It's a miracle. It's all Gods hand. I am just so grateful to be here.

We had stake conference yesterday and they are doing something so cool where they are taking all of the YSA wards in the northern Virginia and Dc Area and making a YSA stake. So we got to witness the stake be created! That was way cool. And two members of the seventy, elder Perkins and elder Calderwood came and spoke! I shook Elder Calderwood's hand and talked with him for a few minutes. Good fellow!! The bittersweet news is that our Bishop, Bishop Janzen, got called to be the stake president. So sad but happy at the same time! He is such a Good guy. I'm so grateful for his example of true selfless service and love.

I want to bear my testimony that I know God loves His children. I know His hand is so evident in our lives we just have to open our eyes to see Him. I love this gospel. I know that it's true. I know that Jospeh Smith is the prophet of the restoration. I know that Christ lives. I know He is our greatest friend and our Advocate with the Father. I know that He is the Light of the world and we can become more like Him by DOING what He did while He was here on earth. God needs us to love, lift, and help each other. SO.... Go LIGHT THE WORLD!! :)

Love you all so much.

Xoxoxo

Sister Hymas :)

Scripture of the week: 3 nephi 5:13: I am a disciple of Jesus Christ...