January 23, 2017

Sisar Holbrook - Sisar Roberts - Sisar Pugmire

Being able to go to the temple last Tuesday was just what we all needed right before a stressful week of waiting for transfer calls! 

It was kind of crazy getting 3 transfer calls at once. Sister Holbrook got hers first and she is staying here in Marjaniemi for her third transfer and someone from her MTC group is coming down from Kuopio to join her here. She is kind of freaking out to be with someone from her group so early on but I know she'll do amazing. Then Sisar Pugmire was told hers that she was going to Tampere to be in the second ward there. My transfer call was that I am leaving Marjaniemi! I am going to Tampere as well to be in the first ward and to be a Sister Training Leader with my new companion Sister Adams. I was blown away and I'm really excited for what's coming next. We are headed out tomorrow morning to catch our train to Tampere! I get to travel with Sisar Pugmire who I'll be seeing around a lot and with another sister who is headed to our zone. Also, my past companion Sisar Andersson is in the Tampere second ward so even though we are in different wards it's in the same building and I'll get to see her!!!! I am so excited! I have heard nothing but good things about Tampere and I have always wanted to serve there. I was also told that my new area has a car! 

One of the downsides to leaving is all the packing. It has been such a process and I'm almost done! I have currently 3 suitcases and a bike. I think all my stuff will technically fit but it might all weigh 300 pounds by the end. Saying goodbye to all of our amazing members has been so hard. This has been my home for the past six months and the people here have made me feel like family. I love them so much and on Sunday all the missionaries that were leaving the ward (there were 4 of us) were asked to stand up in the front of the chapel and the whole ward sang ''God be with you till we meet again'' to us. I managed not to cry until I started to actually say goodbye to people and then I lost it. The Marjaniemi ward is simply amazing and I am so glad I got to serve here. I feel like I could have honestly spent my whole mission here and I would have loved it. We also bore our testimonies in sacrament meeting and it was nice to be able to thank them for all they have done for me. 

I had my last lesson with our amazing Estonian investigator and when I told her I was leaving she was sad but thanked all of us for changing her life. She said that she's so much happier now and that her life has just gone up and that she loves us. I gave her my contact information and I hope that we can stay in contact and I'll get to hear about when she gets baptized! 

This past week was also my companions' 6 month mark! So naturally we celebrated with pizza. It was much needed after such an emotional week. So many tears were shed this week as we were saying goodbye to the ward and to our investigators and also saying goodbye to my amazing companions. It's going to be so weird to be in a normal companionship again, I have gotten used to the trio life and I love it! 

Tomorrow is going to be crazy but I take a lot of comfort in the fact that my transfer call comes from the Lord and even though it is kind of scary to think about being a Sister Training Leader I know that with Lord's help I can do it. I have a feeling that I'll be working really hard for the rest of my mission and I wouldn't have it any other way!