December 28, 2015 - LAST UPDATE

It's so weird that this is my last email! I'd like to say it'll be a really good one buuuut probs not. Sorry.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was really good. We got to go to a couple different parties and we visited a lot of the single sisters in the ward who were alone on Christmas. There was lots of food. And I got to Skype my family of course! So that was great :) 

Family Phone Call

 We had a really neat Christmas devotional on Tuesday for the whole mission. They had everyone going home bear their testimony. I was really grateful for the opportunity. There are 8 sisters and 1 elder going home. That meeting made me realize how truly grateful I am to be a missionary and how much I'm going to miss this.

Sisters Coleman, Rhodes and Foderaro
at Mission Christmas Devotional

Our challenge this week was to give out 3 copies of The Book of Mormon every day. Once again, we didn't accomplish it every day :( But it definitely helped us stretch! And it helped us focus on The Book of Mormon more. Last night we gave out like 5 within a few hours, so that was really cool. I've definitely learned on my mission the importance of goals. Even if we don't reach them. Before I would get really depressed when I wouldn't reach my goals (I still do sometimes), but as long as we're trying our best they still help us grow and change. So the point isn't really even if we reach them or not, although it's great if we do. But what really matters is setting goals that will stretch us and then working hard to achieve them.

My ponderize scripture this week is Ecclesiastes 7:8: Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof:and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. I found this scripture this morning and it gave me a lot of comfort. And I know that going home is not an ending, it's a beginning. I'm excited to see what's in store for me :)

I am so so so infinitely grateful for this time I've had to serve the Lord full-time. I've met so many amazing people. I've had a lot of experiences- some of them incredible and some of them just downright weird :) I'm thankful for how my testimony has grown and how I've grown. I love this gospel. It is incredible. It is true. The Atonement is real. I know that Christ lives. I can feel His comfort and His love, and I know that He is there. I know that our Heavenly Father also loves us and that He hears and answers our prayers. I know He has a specific plan for each of us that is more amazing than we can ever imagine or come up with on our own. I know that with His help, we can accomplish anything. 

I love all of you! Thank you for your support and your letters and your emails and your prayers over the past 18 months. It's helped me to make it this far :) Have a Happy New Year! See you next week! :)