Last Week of My First Transfer

So, if this was a normal 6 week transfer, it'd be over already... but luckily it's not! It's a 7 week transfer! So I get to spend at least one more week in Harpers Ferry :) Sister Lawrence will be leaving next week, so I'll likely be able to stay in this area :) So, let me get started on the adventures of Week 6!
We've been meeting with the H. family quite a bit and we totally had a yoga party before our lesson. Yes, we're doing yoga with one of my favorite families. Sister H. let me try on a pair of her heels and I think I've found my favorite shoes ever. No joke. Two words: blue and sparkly! Yes! She's just awesome :) We've been with them a couple times this entire week. Another day we went over and had Thai food for dinner, which was DELICIOUS! And, we totally had a nerf gun war. Yes, haha, that's what we do :) Brother and Sister H. told me that their home is always available and that they'd love to have me live with them after my mission. As long as I coach their kids! There is no losing here! Except for my kids back home. I think I'd miss them too much, so I'd only be able to live with them for maybe a month or two... but I'm seriously considering it :) I love them!

On Wednesday we got to go to the Temple for ourselves! The D.C. Temple is absolutely beautiful! I have pictures :) It's just amazing. The stain glass makes it so colorful! I'm so blessed to have that temple as my mission temple. I've definitely already received that extra strength that can only come from the temple. It truly is Heaven on Earth. 

So, a couple miracles this week: While shopping we ran into 2  of the F's kids (the F's are a former investigator family that couldn't continue the lessons because of the father) and they ran over and gave us hugs. It was great to get to see them again and it was such a surprise! We also ran into another teen girl in our area that we've been meeting infrequently and she totally just loved seeing us. SO that was cool :) 

And I got to hold some more stray kittens! I'll attach a picture :) 

While shopping the other day, I totally found a GYMNASTICS notebook! It has gymnasts all over it! Yes, I bought that. I have no idea what I'll do with it yet, but I have it and I'm in love with it. Haha, you can take the gymnast out of gymnastics, but you can never take the gymnastics out of the gymnast. And I was able to coach some of the girls in this ward and teach them handstands and cartwheels during sports night. I totally bribed these girls. I told them that if they came to Sports Night, I would show them a standing tuck, so they all came... and I showed them a back tuck. I miss those :) 

*We made 36 people smile in just one day!*

So, Utah needs to have a Sheets gas station. They have the best food. Three words: Made to Order. SERIOUSLY! Delicious. And we ate at California Tortilla, which was delicious, and we helped an RM in our ward talk to 5 of his coworkers about MISSIONARIES! Just because we walked into the store. That's what the Tag does. It's Jesus Christ's church and people notice that.  

We were even able to get 22 street contacts in Shepherds town! We were only there for 2-3 hours, too! Super cool. There was this one lady who was asking all these questions and she's a Jehovah's Witness, I think. She seemed very appreciative of all the answers we were able to give her. Hopefully she goes to Mormon.org and finds more answers to those questions. 

So, next Sunday I encourage you all to bear your testimony in Sacrament meeting. Especially my kids. In Harpers Ferry, there were more children giving their testimonies than there were adults! I was so impressed! Love those kids! 

So, cool story. I'm now in a TRIO companionship! We just got a new mini-missionary. Sister Gonzales. She's 17 and she literally came about an hour ago. She's super cute and we're going to have such a fun time :) She's staying for 5 days, so I'll let you know about how all that is going. 

Well, I think that's all for this week. I want you all to read 3 Nephi 17:17-22. It talks about how Jesus Christ came to the people and prayed for them. Jesus Christ prayed for those people just as He prays for US. He prays for you and for me. What a great blessing? No matter where we are in life, we can know that our Brother prays for us. That's how much He loves us. 

I'll leave you with a couple  great quotes that I've been collecting thanks to my Little Sister for her wonderful work and gift. 

"As we give, we find that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven and in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all." - Spencer W. Kimball

"Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events into motion that affect someone's life for eternity." -Dieter F. Utchdorf

"Don't give up when the pressure mounts. Face your doubts and master your fears."

S/O to Aunt Pam for having a birthday yesterday!

S/O To Big Bro Cameron for having a birthday on the 6th!

S/O To Abby Donahoe for the amazing package full of quotes!

S/O To Sister Van Vliet and Sister Christiansen for having a Birthday July 31st

and lastly,

S/O to The Schenk family for the package full of goodies! YUM! 

Thank you my amazing family and friends for all the love I've been receiving! Love and miss you all!

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Exchanges!!

So, sorry I didn't email you all yesterday. So I'm emailing you today... hope that's okay. Yesterday we went to the Temple Visitor's Center for the FIRST TIME with our AMAZING investigator Michaela (I'll attach pictures at the end). She's just amazing. She was able to feel the peace that accompanies the temple and she started crying while watching the #BecauseOfHim video. AND we got to meet (and learn from) a Member of the Seventy, Elder Gillespie! What!? So cool. Yesterday was a great day! AND to make this week even better, our mission temple day is Wednesday, SO I get to go back to the temple to do a session tomorrow! Twice in one week! What a blessing. That temple is beautiful. And I've never seen something so gold until yesterday. So much gold. I can't wait to go inside tomorrow.

So, this last week has been pretty fantastic! We met with this old guy named Gary who we met while we were walking in Shepherdstown and he shouted at us out his window for an appointment. Not going to lie, he's kind of a creep, so we only visited with him one more time to give him some comfort after his son died. He read most of the Book of Mormon, but he refuses to be baptized again, so it's been more of a service for us. We'd turn him over to the Elders, but he refuses to meet with anyone besides Sisters. Like I said, kind of a creep. 

We had dinner with our Bishop and his family last week and it was right before Bishop Van Vliet was about to teach the youth at Youth Conference and it turns out he taught his youth the same lesson we taught him 5 minutes beforehand. So basically we taught all the youth at youth conference via bishop. I just thought that was funny. 

We also "stole" the Elders' investigator PJ, who is living with our member friend Holly while he is playing pro baseball (living with her in a non-romantic way; she's married). We sat down to read the Book of Mormon with Holly and we invited PJ and he said yes, so basically we just taught him a lesson and the Elders have been trying to teach him for months now. This is the magic of Sister Missionaries who follow the Spirit :) it was pretty cool :)

So, THREE MIRACLES in ONE day! First Miracle: we got to see the Elders' investigator Deborah (who I just love to death) unexpectedly and we were able to give her some encouragement. Miracle #2: We had our first lesson with our new investigator, Betty, who is this sweet old lady with a diseased cat. She accepted everything we taught her including the invitation to be baptized! So, she's on date for August 15th, but she doesn't technically count until she comes to sacrament meeting, and she works on Sundays, so she's working with her boss to get off. I'm hoping she'll come! 

Miracle #3: We found a less active named Diane L., who we thought lived on the "mountain" because that's the address she gave us, but we were looking for another potential investigator, and she was outside her garage working on her car. We approached her and she was very stand-offish, but we got her name and found her real address! SO, the Relief Society presidency can now make contact with her. Yay! 

Good day full of miracles! And Exchanges started on Thursday! I was over the Harpers Ferry area and Sister Jeppson had to deal with me :) I was leading out in every discussion and I planned every day, so it was like being a Senior Companion even though we don't really have that in this mission. It was pretty cool seeing how much I could do when I didn't really have my trainer to lean on. Super fun. And I got to teach in the way that I feel most comfortable. Awesome. I loved exchanges. Sister Jeppson is just amazing. Yup. Love her.

So, back to Michaela. We showed her the video "How Rare a Possession: The Book of Mormon" and she was able to feel the Spirit SO strong! She opened up and told me that she'd been angry with God because of some stuff going on in her family, but since she's been meeting with us, her faith has grown so much and she now realizes how much God actually loves her and she's been able to feel her relationship with Him strengthen. YAY! That's our whole purpose as missionaries! And I taught that lesson, so Heavenly Father definitely gave me that little confidence boost that I needed. 

Coincidence! I was able to meet this lady named Francis during exchanges and we got to begin teaching her. She just so happens to be Diane L.'s ex-mother-in-law (complicated story) and her brother is actually LDS, so she has some knowledge and is totally cool with us coming and teaching her! YAY! 

Our other investigators, Lily and Debra, are just so cute. We've been teaching them and Lily told us she believes we came into her life for a reason. YES LILY, WE DID! So she's just awesome. Her goal in life is to make people smile. What a cool goal. And her son was actually murdered, so she's been feeling pretty sad and depressed about that (for good reason), so we've been able to give her some comfort there. If only she would come to church! Haha, but they're great people. Love them. 

HAPPY LATE PIONEER DAY! How was that in Utah, for those of you in Utah? It's basically non-existent here. That's normal, though. Sister Jeppson wanted to wear bonnets all day and laugh at people when they laugh at us. Sadly, though, four businesses actually burned down in downtown Harpers Ferry on Pioneer Day (or the day before, I can't remember). No one got hurt, luckily, but it was still pretty sad. Those were historic buildings. 

Jesse and Deborah, the Elders' investigators, had a little setback this week. They were going to have to get evicted from their home and things were crazy, but they're still holding on strong. Their baptismal date has to be pushed back a week because they couldn't come to church due to all the craziness at home, but I know it'll be for the best. We gave Deb some "scripture cigarettes" that are just pieces of rolled up scriptures/quotes on them that can give her some inspiration whenever she feels the urge to smoke to help her. She started crying because it meant so much to her, so that was really cool. She's a strong lady. And so is her husband, Jesse. And they just love this gospel because IT'S TRUE! And they know that and they want to live it! #Miracle!

So, I also got to watch the Alice and Wonderland play that many of our ward members are in because we invited Michaela, so technically it counted as a lesson (President Christiansen approved it (; ) So that was fun! I have pictures of that, too! I think that's all I have to report so far, but I'll definitely email again if I missed anything (Like last week). Enjoy the pictures! 

To end with something spiritual, I had a couple thoughts during my studies this last week. I was reading in 3 Nephi 17:17-22 and it's when Jesus Christ is with the people in the Americas and He's praying for them. Let me repeat that, He's PRAYING for the people in the Americas. And that just hit me. Jesus Christ prays for us. He weeps when we weep. He wants us to be happy and He wants the best for us. So, He prays for us. Wow. What a blessing to have our Savior, who's already done SO MUCH for us, take our worries and sorrows to God to help us. I love my Brother. He's definitely becoming my Best Friend and I hope one day I will be able to confidently say that He's my Best Friend without feeling insufficient. He loves me. He loves you. Each and every one of you. Always remember the sacrifice He made for us and the aid He gives us EVERY SINGLE DAY. "Because of Him, you can have clean-slates, second chances, new beginnings... because of Him, you can leave your past behind... because of Him, you can be happy again."

"Worry fades away when we know for sure our future is secure in God's hands."

Also, I want you all to listen to John Bytheway's talk "Get an Attitude" YES! It's amazing. And while you're going through life this week, instead of asking yourself how "bad" you can be, or how much you can get away with this week, ask yourself how "good" you can be. Ask yourself what you can improve on rather than walking the line of good and bad. We should always strive to be our best self so we can one day grow into the person Heavenly Father knows we can become. I leave you my testimony that God loves you. That Jesus is the Christ and that as long as we are striving to do our best to be our best, we will have The Lord's help. He does not leave us Comfortless. I know this Church is true. Without any doubt in my heart, I know that what I'm striving to teach each and every day is the true and everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is His church and I represent Him through my actions and dealings every day. I know that I am not alone, and I know that through the Savior's Infinite Atonement, we can all return to Him. We can all be saved by Grace after all that we've done. I leave this testimony with you, in the name of Jesus Christ, my Best Friend and Brother, Amen.

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Another Week Flying By!

This week Terilyn sent three separate emails. She kept forgetting things. At the end of the first I added an exchange we had via email. I happened to be able to get her email quick today, and responded before she was off the computer, and she quickly replied.

Enjoy!!

Terilyn's mom: Julie

On Jul 20, 2015, at 1:15 PM, Terilyn Humphrey <terilyn.humphrey@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Hi my dearest friends and family!

     How are you this week? Great I hope! I have some good news for this week. Some friends of ours, actually the Elders' investigators, are ON DATE FOR BAPTISM! They're awesome people! Technically they're not our investigators, but we've been going over and visiting with them twice a week along with the Elders, so I consider them mine, too. I'm just so excited :) And another great friend, Holly, is getting her Patriarchal blessing on the same day (August 8th) and she has invited my companion and I to come! She's just the best person ever. I love her :) So many good things! 

We also got to talk with a member, Sister S, who is struggling right now. She's getting a divorce and her now ex-husband is returning to church, which is a great thing! And she's happy for him, but she's also very depressed because her whole marriage she worked to get him to come, and now that he's coming, he's leaving her to the side. And I kinda know how that feels. It's hard to help someone get where they need to be, and be happy for them, but also feel left in the dust when they don't need you anymore. It was a tough situation, but we were able to bring her some comfort through the "Courage" Mormon Message and that seemed to really help her :) She's a neat person.

We got to set up a booth this week and talk to a whole bunch of people and share our message with them about the church! It was so cool! I street contacted over 20 people in less than an hour! SO EXCITING! 

So, you should all be proud of me because I went a WHOLE MONTH without being hurt. And then it happened. Haha, but it wasn't my fault. My sweet companion hasn't been watching me back her out, instead she just kinda goes, and last Wednesday she decided to do that while there was a car behind her. I was trying to back her out and stop her, but she wasn't watching and I couldn't move out of the way fast enough. Sadly, my knee got pinned between the two cars and my kneecap dislocated, but no worries! It's relocated, maybe a little off, but all is well. (Which means, DON'T call the mission president, Mom. He already knows.) It's pretty bruised up, but not too bad. I bruised some capsules in my knee, but I didn't need to go to the doctors. And I'm walking just fine. I just hope Sister Lawrence pays more attention next time... I'm not sure she will haha. Other than that, nothing too big happened this week. I have lots of emails to respond to, though, so this will have to be short. 

I want to encourage you all to read Alma 32 and Ether 12. AMAZING chapters in the Book of Mormon about faith :) And that's where it all starts! Oh! And look on facebook for pictures of me under #socialmediasplit #Baltimoremission #MarylandBaltimoreMission because it was our Social Media split day last Saturday! The work is going well and I'm meeting so many new people! In fact, just as we were leaving Aldi's after shopping, a convert just stopped Sis. Lawrence and I and said "Thank you for your service! It's because of missionaries like you that my life has been changed. It's because of missionaries that I've been baptized along with my wife." COOL STORY! I love people like that :) So good week. I'm loving the work! I love you all! Have a great week!

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 3:27 PM, Julie <jwhumphrey04@msn.com> wrote:

No!!! Not an injury!!! Are you sure you're okay?? 

The rest of the letter sounds great!!!!! Keep being positive! 

Love you!

Sent from my phone: Julie 

I promise I'm fine Mom :) I'm walking like a normal person!

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

Forgot something: 

Forgot to add in my thoughts in my Inspiration Journal. I seriously don't have a lot of time, so they'll be scattered, but I'll try :)

"Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and ALL THE GIFTS OF GOD that He gives to His Saints." - Bible Dictionary for Faith in Jesus Christ

We will only see miracles AFTER the trial of our faith-When the work is slow and it feels like the Lord isn't guiding you, have faith. He is still there and, if you continually have Faith in Him, miracles WILL happen. Faith leads to Trust. When we Trust in our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, doubt, fear, and worry go away. It all starts with Faith, then that faith builds Trust. And when we have Trust in Them, we have Hope for the future. A life without hope is no life at all. When we trust the Lord with all our hearts, our Hope will be an unwavering assurance for the future because we will know everything will be okay. Without a doubt. 

Okay, that's my thought for the week. I had quotes, but I left them at home... I suck, I know. I'll add a WHOLE BUNCH of quotes next week. I promise. 

I'm also going on exchanges this week! I'll be staying in Harpers Ferry with a Sister Training Leader while my companion leaves, which means I’LL BE IN CHARGE! Yeah, there's a little doubt there. And fear, but all it takes in FAITH! The Lord will not let me fail. I will be able to get through 3 days with someone who knows the area and people even less than me. It'll definitely be a learning experience. Okay, I think that's all for now! 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

I forgot the pictures...

Guys, I'm really bad at this emailing thing... SO I forgot pictures. And, I forgot one of the best parts about this week! This week we had New Trainer/Trainee meeting and I got to see my last companion Sister Hart!!! YAY!! And all the others from my district! Totally made my day :) So I have pictures from that among other things. I promise this will be the last email. Thanks for your patience :) 

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

One month out! 17 more to go... Who's counting??

Whoa! I've been out on a mission for one month now! Is that crazy or what!? I feel like it hasn't been that long, but then again, it feels like I left my family and friends forever ago. I miss you all, but I know that this is where I'm supposed to be :) West Virginia is like my home now! I love it here! It rains almost every day, but it's also super warm, so I'm loving it.

So April, a member in my ward, recently returned from her mission and she told us a story in Gospel principles last Sunday. Her mission president's wife recently went back into remission from cancer after they finished their call as mission president and wife. While she was in the hospital she had a special visitor come see her. It was President Thomas S. Monson. COOL! She had this white board full of quotes in her room, and one of those quotes was "I can do hard things." He asked her if he could change one word in that quote. She said yes. He went over and erased "Can" so the quote now stated, "We do hard things" ISN"T THAT SO TRUE! We do hard things. And the Lord helps us through it.

Okay, so last week I had to write a short letter, so I'm starting with the group email this week and I'll get to the individual ones last. So a quick recap on last week:

I got to meet my new Mission president and his wife! They're amazing! I actually spent 5 hours with them last Wednesday while we were doing interviews. President likes to talk haha. Some hard things happened after that, and I finally cried for the first time on my mission, but it was all okay. We had to have a little funeral for a kitten and I sobbed, but it's okay now. Heavenly Father just needed me to feel sad for a little bit so I could experience more joy.

Last week I met one of the sweetest girls ever! She's a 20 year old in college here and she's interested in taking the lessons, but we have to work around her schooling and her two jobs, so that's interesting. But she's amazing. I want to be as nice as her someday.

I found out that I get to help out at Youth Conference here! It's this weekend and I'm stoked! It'll be like being at my own ward again! Ah, I miss my ward. But the people here are great and super nice :)

I have a new Investigator! Her name is Michaela, and she's 18 and awesome. Her mom has Congestive heart failure and they just found that out, so she's struggling with that, but we have been teaching her and she's accepting everything! We're going to invite her to be baptized at our next appointment! Yay! And we have another investigator who was a former, but he's engaged to a less-active member of our ward and their lives are pretty tough. He is out of work for some bulging discs in his back (sound familiar?) and they're struggling to get by, which is why they aren't married yet, but we told him that if he wants to be baptized, he had to be married, so they're setting a date within the next two months! Yay! 

Funny story, so we were checking up on two former investigators who lived together (a grandma and a granddaughter) and it's all the way up the "mountains" with dirt roads and creepy places haha. So, we got there and the grandma answers the door and practically shuts it in our faces because she recognized us as missionaries, so we quickly asked her if her granddaughter was home so we could talk to her. She wasn't home and we asked for a phone number, but she lied and said she didn't have it; so the grandson (the granddaughter's brother) told her not to be mean and she basically just left him to deal with us. So there's this 20 year old boy getting our numbers to give to his sister after he gave us her number. I honestly think he just pittied us, but it was funny. Sister Lawrence and I both walked away laughing. Some peoples' children.

So, I'm going to go off on a little rant about some stuff that happened this week. Some of the members in our ward feel like my companion and I are wasting time meeting with some of the people we're meeting with because they've been taught before and they just don't want to deal with them. First off, that frustrated me. So here's my rant:

Jesus Christ didn't die for nothing. He sunk down lower than we can even comprehend, so He could lift us up and help us change. The Atonement can help us and others change. Just have faith in Jesus Christ and those who are trying to change. Help them. Love them. People need someone to believe in them and their ability to change. Someone who can show them the hope and faith Jesus Christ can give them. If the Atonement isn't changing your life, if it isn't changing you, then it needs to be used more often. Jesus Christ didn't die for nothing. 

That's my spiritual thought/rant for the day. I wish more people understood that.

So, on another sad note, we had to help out at a funeral for a lady in our ward, so that was sad. Just a heads up (even though I don't plan on passing away anytime soon) no one is allowed to wear black at my funeral. NO ONE. People should throw glitter in celebration of my life. Okay? And people should only be allowed to cry if they're smiling :) That'll be in my will one day haha. 

Okay, last thing. I was meeting with a recent convert who's been going through a bunch of drama and tough times (who isn't nowadays?) and I got to meet her little 17 month old named Joss... guess who he's named after! Alexis? Do you know it? Joss Whedon (or however you spell his last name)! That made my day! For those of you who don't know who that is, look up firefly. Dad, that made me think of you :) She's awesome. 

I got to go shopping today, so that's cool. And last week we went Laser Tagging :) That's also fun.

Shout out to my adorable niece for being baptized on the Fourth of July!! And my little Nephew for his baby blessing on the same day! You're both awesome. I love you!

If any of you want to write me I'll post my address at the end of the email. I'd love to hear from you!

Well, that's all I have for this week. I love you all!  

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

69 Monte Carlo Way,

Charles Town, West Virginia

25414 (I think that's the zip code, but I'm not positive anymore)

Mom’s addition: Yes that is the correct zip code. Also, for those of you that read her email directly, and are wondering if you were day dreaming when you read it, and think there is something different to this, you weren’t daydreaming. She asked me to add to this before I blogged it.

We love our missionary!!

Week 3!

Here is Terilyn's most recent email that came in today. She also wanted me to add her address in case someone wanted to write her a letter via snail mail, so here it is:

Sister Terilyn Humphrey

69 Monte Carlo Way

Charles Town, WV 25414

Sorry, no pictures this week.

Thanks for all your prayers and support!

Julie (Mom)

Okay, I only have 5 minutes to write this, so it'll have to be fast! How was everyone's fourth of July!? Great? I hope so!

This week has been like my own little rollercoaster ride. I got to meet my new mission president and his wife; they're amazing! Can't wait to get to know them more. My companion and I faced a lot of rejection and yelling this week. Apparently some people really don't like missionaries, but that's okay! Now we know who doesn't want to learn more, even though that's sad, too. It truly does feel like you're handing out a million dollars for free and people are just stomping on it. It's your salvation, people! But that's okay. The more rejection we face, the greater the joy we'll have when we meet people ready to learn more! And we got to! We met the sweetest girl last Thursday or Friday who is 20 years old and going to college as well as working two part-time jobs. She's just a sweet girl and she wants to learn more! I'll have to let you know how that goes next week. And we picked up a new investigator! Her name is Michaela, and she's 18. Her mom is a devote Methodist and her dad is Lutheran, but she's still undecided because she doesn't know which church holds the most truth. SO, we got to teach her about the restoration, and although she's skeptical, she's willing to pray about it and read the Book of Mormon. And I know the Spirit will be able to testify to her that these things are true if she's ready to listen to Him. I got to watch FIREWORKS! That was fun! We had a little party at a member's home and she let us eat all her chocolate haha. The view from their deck is absolutely perfect for fireworks, and we got to stay out until 10:30, so that was cool. Today I got to play some Laser tag as a zone activity! Way fun! it's way different here than it is in Utah, which is weird because it's the same game, but it's true! It takes more skill here... which means I sucked haha, but not too bad! I'm a better shot that I thought I'd be! Anyway, that's totally not mission related. Well, I wish I could write more, but I really am all out of time. Just know that The Church is true! The book is (sometimes) blue, and GOD LOVES YOU! I really wish I could share more because so much more happened, but I can't. Hopefully I'll be able to play catch-up in my next email home because lots happened! Okay, this is goodbye. I love you all! You're great people who continue to inspire me. Keep it up :)

Love, 

Sister Humphrey

First email from the mission field. She's in W. Virginia!!

Hello friends and family! How's life? Great? I hope so!

So, I flew into Maryland last Tuesday! That was one busy day! When we landed in the airport, many missionaries, along with President and Sister Richards, were there to great us! We got slammed with 99 degree weather and lots of humidity! That was definitely a change! I felt like I was swimming! But, other than that day, it's actually been pretty nice here! Not too hot or humid :) There was a giant thunderstorm the night we flew in. I've never heard thunder that loud! I was in awe :) Love it here! 

So, I met my trainer, Sister Lawrence, last week and she's pretty awesome. She bow hunts like Katniss Everdeen and totally gets teased about it all the time haha. We both love yoga, cats, and ice cream, which is basically all I ask for, so we get along pretty well haha. I've been sent to serve in the Harper's Ferry, West Virginia part of this mission, so that's amazing! It's everything I could've hoped for! Lots of country, wide open spaces, and it's SO GREEN! I've never before seen so many trees! I'll send some pictures :)

My companion mentioned to me the other day something pretty cool to think about. There are a bunch of Sisters out on missions and a bunch in my mission, but we are the ONLY TWO SISTERS to be called to the Harper's Ferry area at this time! How lucky are we?!

On transfers day, it was pretty awesome; I was driving through Maryland, then we went through Virginia, and made it to West Virginia twice in one day and the drive was less than 2 hours. Super cool. I've almost been in all the states in my mission! I'm just missing Pennsylvania and I haven't even been here a full week yet! For those of you who don't know now, my Preparation Day will be on Monday for the rest of my weekend. Just so you know. 

Oh, and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! Almost! This Saturday! That'll be fun! Sis. Lawrence and I get to go to a cookout with one of the recent converts in this area. She's pretty awesome :) We were weeding in her yard a couple days ago and, I kid you not, a giant spider that looked more like a creature, was right above our heads staring at us! I swear, it's legs were the size of my pinky! And a new Tongan sister, Sister F., just poked it with a stick and it totally moved all the plants and weeds while it was running away. Terrifying. The bugs here are big.

Speaking of bugs, FIREFLIES!! I've never in my life seen fireflies and they're everywhere here! God totally knew I'd need that because, as you all know I love glitter, and these little bugs are like bursts of glitter everywhere here and it's perfect after a long hard day. Just amazing :) Utah needs fireflies. Bad. 

So, the townhouse I'm living in is more like a mansion! I've been so spoiled here! Just my comp and I live in it and we have 3 floors, our own bathrooms, and a full-size kitchen! I'll probably never be this spoiled in my entire life. Love it! And we get to drive by the Potomac river almost every day. So beautiful. I'm extremely blessed. 

So, we have one investigator family that is absolutely golden! All the children know their bible and what we are teaching them just makes sense to them, which is awesome! The mom, Amy, really wants to come to church, but her husband refuses to let her. He thinks Mormons are those polygamists and they marry children; she knows he's wrong, but his heart won't soften. We're praying for her... 

So, we have awesome members here who are super involved in the missionary efforts. I love it. They feed us well and I've never seen so much ward/missionary interaction. DO MISSIONARY WORK! The missionaries will appreciate the referrals and you and your family will be blessed! It's hard being rejected so much here because the people are comfortable in their lifestyle and they don't want to put in the work to learn more, so they just don't, but it really is like handing out $100 and having people just stomp on them. Sometimes people can be mean and will offer my companion and I beer just because they know we don't drink and they'll tease us about it, but that's okay. It is frustrating, but it's okay. I really do love these people and so many people love God here, so that's always great! I just have to keep remembering that The Lord is preparing people for me to teach if I just stay obedient. 

So, you know how Hazing is totally and completely bad? Well, my companion totally hazed me into this mission! Haha, so we had an appointment with this family who had tattoos everywhere and were offering us alcohol and all this stuff, and it got super uncomfortable really fast because they were asking me these deep doctrine questions and my companion wasn't answering anything! I was all along while teaching them, then they all busted up laughing because it was all fake! RUDE! They have this cute little 7 year old who thought her family was super mean for doing this for me, but I thought it was funny. Sister Lawrence is lucky I have a good sense of humor. It was good. They're a great family. We're going to start teaching their little girl the missionary lessons to prepare her for baptism. They're a less-active family and we're working a lot with the less-actives so hopefully that'll help. We are going to have a yoga party soon :) 

Well, I think this is all for now. Our district hiked Maryland Heights this morning. We were hiking for about 4 1/2 hours, but I have lots of pictures! I'm so exhausted by now haha, and we haven't had anything to eat, so grocery shopping is the next thing on the list!
I love you all and I know you're all amazing! I know this Church is True! I wouldn't be here if I didn't. Many people get comfortable with where they're at in life; DON'T! Push yourself to work harder, be better, and love more. Learn new things! I know that if I hadn't had that desire to learn for myself if this Gospel was true, I would be completely lost. This world is a tough place to live. Life isn't fair. I've met some people here who have lost children and just terrible things, but this gospel and God's love gives them hope. I know this Gospel can give you hope too. It won't take away your challenges, but it will make life easier. Remember that. I love you all! Have a great week!

Love, 

Sister Humphrey