Saturday, June 4, 2016

Goodbye, Valrico…Hello, Riverview!

Hello, all!  So on Tuesday night, we got a call from the mission president…our area was going to close!  Sister Alder got transferred and I moved in with the sisters in a neighboring area.  It was sad and a little bit stressful, but I love it here, too, so it's okay :)  I'm in a trio now; my new companions are Sister Anderson and Sister Meagher.  My new address is 13948 Circa Crossing Dr. #107, Lithia, FL 33547.

Last Monday we got an email that we have a mission beach party next Monday!  I'm really excited :)  Sister Alder and I went shopping for shorts because we didn't have any.  I found some nice capris that fit on sale for $5!  Then when I checked out, I saw some chocolate bars and figured since the pants were so cheap, I would toss one on the counter.  When the cashier rang it up, I regretted it…the chocolate bar cost more than the pants! ($7)  Oh, well.  We then went out to Jeremiah's, a really good ice cream/Italian ice place and a Chinese restaurant.

We had a district meeting on Tuesday morning, and since Sister Alder was a sister training leader, she had to go to another district meeting with the other sister training leader (now my companion), so I was on splits with her companion (also now my companion).  Since Sister Meagher doesn't have a license, I had to drive to the church for the meeting.  I was nervous but it was okay.  What's really ironic is that when I got to Riverview, the sisters had decided that I should be the designated driver and had already asked the Assistants to the President to make the change.  I guess they thought it would allow Sister Anderson to work in the backseat and me to get to know that area more quickly.  So I've been driving all around our area since then…except Saturday :)  But I'll talk about that later.  Driving is scary, but it's good to practice and I've only been honked at a few times…lol.

So Tuesday night we found out about the craziness of a surprise transfer.  On Wednesday we packed and decided to go out to dinner as a "last night" celebration.  We went to Panera!  I used to love that restaurant when we were in Massachusetts, but they don't have it in Utah.  So that was exciting.  Then we went out for ice cream at Coldstone's.  I  got Oreo Cream Filling flavor with gummy bears in it…SO GOOD!  Anyway.  Then we went to the bishop's house to teach the Activity Day Girls (8-11 years old) about the sacrament.  They were making bread for the sacrament on Sunday :)

So Thursday I moved.  Then we rode out on our bikes.  That was the first time I got to ride my bike on my mission.  It was okay but I need a clip for my skirt and haven't found one yet.  I had to keep pulling my skirt down and I fell really behind the other sisters.  We work hard and are always knocking on doors and hurrying around.  It's crazy, but good!  I love meeting a lot of different people and sharing our beliefs even when they're not really interested.  Sister Anderson has taught me that we need to talk to every single person we can, and that we need to smile and wave because we may be the only thing someone sees about the church.  Smiling is hard, especially when you've been walking around for hours!  I'm definitely getting a little tan, haha.

So Saturday.  We headed out on our bikes after study and lunch.  We rode for awhile and then turned onto a road with no sidewalks.  There wasn't really a good place to ride, so we just rode in the grass and dirt on the side of the road.  No problem, right?  No, actually, it was sand.  I tried to stay away from it, but I hit it and totally fell and hurt my ankle.  I called for my companions but they were ahead and didn't hear me.  Fortunately, there were some people nearby who saw and came to help me.  They were so nice, they pulled up a truck for me to sit on, got me water and paper towels to wipe myself off and offered to call someone, but I didn't know our phone number.  Pretty soon the sisters realized I was gone and came back.  We got a ride home in the truck with our bikes in the back.  I was so grateful for their help.  My ankle is fine, but I was limping around for awhile.  We were out working again almost immediately, which was hard, but Sister Anderson drove.  It is red and swollen but doesn't hurt anymore.  Other than a few scrapes and bruises, nothing else happened and it could have been a lot worse.  I'm glad I can walk normally again :)

Anyway, it has been hard but so, so great.  My apartment is really nice and my companions make good food :)  It is a bigger area so there is more to do.  Sister Anderson has leadership training on Friday so Sister Meagher and I are going to get to serve on USF campus with the YSA sister whose companion is also a Sister Training Leader.  I probably won't have a lot of time to email on Monday since we have to be at the beach at 2,  but I'll try.  I love and miss you all!

Sister Porter
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Pictures:
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Here are some pictures that Sister Alder sent me of us.  The first is of us at the Gladys Knight event, and the second is us when we first met. :)


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Sister Porter




Here are some pictures of us at the transfer at our apartment.  The last one is me with my new companions.  Sister Anderson is on the left and Sister Meagher is in the middle. :)

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Sister Porter



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