January 25 - HERMANA.EMILY.SHEFFER (LAST EMAILY FROM THE FIELD)

This week was an amazing last week.  I feel so loved.  I am so grateful that I was able to spend my last weeks together with the people I really love.  It was an amazing week.  I will tell you some of my favorite parts!

-I was able to be with Leilani and enjoy the beauty of the earth as we went to Big Trees State Park.  It was a great road-trip, and I am so grateful for where I was called.  California girl!

 

-Lxxxxe and Rxxl and the Haros and the Mezas and the Maganas and the Cruzs and Exxxxo all got together and had a barbecue.  Exxxxo made my favorite homemade tortillas.  They all shared their testimonies and thanked me for my service.   I was able to share my testimony and thank THEM for all they had taught me. I made them all get together for my GoPro and we shouted "VIVA MEXICO!!"

-The Brooksby's had us all over for Saturday morning breakfast (my first of my whole mission haha) and we had a good time with the Union biking sisters.  I love those sisters!

-I gave a "farewell" talk basically in el barrio Monte Vista, and the bishop said...  "We are sad to announce Hermanita Sheffer is leaving us this week, from her mission serving here in Manteca, California ... well that's where she should have been called". :)  I started my talk with a "year in review" like they do in General Conference ( haha ). I gave off a bunch of statistics and memories from the past year.  For my talk, I omitted names and just told every story of the people that got baptized.  I made it an ode to them, and I think they all liked it a lot. I illustrated how God was the author of their life.  Because it is so true, every baptism I saw wasn't a direct result of my missionary efforts.  God knows his children.  Rxxl came up to me after and told me that it was a beautiful talk :)  Coming from Rxxl that is top notch.  Some people even complimented my Spanish which made me want to cry because all I want in life is to speak good Spanish!

-I went to say goodbye last night to Cxxxxs Hernandez and his family.  Cxxxxs Hernandez is such a "man" (that's what Sister Splendid says) and he was thanking me for teaching his family, and he actually choked up. I will always remember standing on his porch and talking to him. My whole mission is worth those little moments like that.

 -Exxxxo wrote me the most beautiful letter.  He also wrote a song about missionary work that he gave me the rights to.  So I have a beautiful song about missionary work in Spanish.

-I had my last interview with President Palmer, and I felt the spirit so strong.  I feel really calm, and ready for the next couple days.

-The Elders we live near all came to play tennis in the mornings, because I love morning sports. 

-I got doorbell ditched with more notes from the ward.

-We worked all day Saturday trying to find new people and God led us to the funniest people ever!!! I loved being outside talking to random people and knocking on doors.  Even though that was so hard for me at first, it is now one of my favorite and most cherished memories of missionary work.  

I know that God knows me a lot.  I love my mission.  I look back on these 18 months and I just feel overwhelmed with gratitude for all the people I was able to meet and learn from.  I was able to see the hand of God in so many ways.  There is no doubt that my mission has helped me grow, and I am so grateful that I decided to serve.  I have such an appreciation for God and how He orchestrates our lives.  I am excited for my future.  I hope to always be a servant for Him.  I am excited to share more stories when I get home.  I am excited to see my beautiful family again.  My life is so full of JOY.  

I am excited to see you :)

 

Love,

Hermana Sheffer