Wow. What a week!!!

June 10, 2019

Wow. What a week!!!

Hello lovely friends and family!

What a week! This week has been INSANE! But it's been really fun and we have seen so many miracles! This week I said bye to the Beautiful Harrisonburg ward and my lovely companion Sister Schouten. I loved the time I got to serve up in Harrisonburg and i'm so grateful for the people I met up there!

GLEN ALLEN AND SISTER NELSON!

Transfers were on Wednesday and I am serving with the one and only Sister Nelson! I could not be more excited to serve with her! She is such a cutie and we are having so much fun together! She is from West Valley city and she has been out on her mission for 16 months! She's an incredible missionary and i'm so happy to be her companion! We are opening an area in the Glen Allen ward! I'm back in the Richmond East zone! I already LOVE it here! The ward is so welcoming and so willing to help us with rides since we are on bikes...(which I LOVE! Biking is a blast). We are also in the same ward as the APs so that's fun! The day of transfers was pretty wild. After we found out where we were going they gave us our bikes then realized they didn't ask anyone to come pick us up from transfer meeting. So President Smith took us to our new apartment. When we got there the APs came to drop off our luggage and we asked them why our area book wasn't working.... They told us that they hadn't actually created our area yet so for the last 5 days we haven't even had an area book haha! It's been quite the adventure! Between figuring out how to bike, not knowing our boundaries and figuring out how to be a STL...It's been crazy! But awesome!

BUGS AND MIRACLES

I could go on and on about all the cool miracles we have seen this week. The Lord is in His vineyard and we have definitely seen His hand in the work this week! Our first day in our new area we were unpacking a little bit and found a big, nasty bug on the wall! We freaked out a little then got a jar and went to take it outside to get rid of it! When we got outside there was a big moving truck and a sweet old lady moving into our apartment complex! We asked if they needed help and they said yes! We quickly changed into our service clothes and went out to help them move in! The lady moving in is so sweet, she said we can call her grandma! We gave her a Book of Mormon and she said we can go back and talk to her more this week!

MLC

This week we had MLC (Mission Leadership Council). This is where all the STLs, ZLs, APs, and President and Sister Smith meet together and talk about different needs of the mission! It was one of the most spiritual meetings I have ever been to! We had lots of great discussions and I learned so much! We also got to watch the movie 17 Miracles, that was a nice little surprise! After watching that I've been thinking a lot about my ancestors. It gives me so much comfort to know that there are people on the other side lifting me, helping me and encouraging me. When we finished watching that we went into the chapel. They had printed out a piece of paper with each area's name on it and filled the chapel. It represented our vision of each area baptizing this transfer. The spirit was so strong! I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve in the leadership of the mission!

BRONCO MENDENHALL

Yesterday we had a fireside with Bronco Mendenhall! It was awesome! We got to sing in a choir of other missionaries! Music has such a special way of bringing the Spirit. It was such a spiritual evening! I also got to see lots of my favorite members from the Chickahominy ward! :) Sister Nelson and I were walking around after the meeting and we met someone who wasn't a member! We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and taught him about the Restoration. He said he would love to have some missionaries come by and teach him more! #MIRACLES!

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

In a talk by President Monson, he shared a poem written by Douglas Malloch which says,

"Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees.
The further sky, the greater length.
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow."

Jesus Christ knows exactly what we are going through. And the gospel of Jesus Christ provides that foundation we need! Remember to turn to Him in ALL times, the bad and the good, and He will help you find the joy and peace of life!

I love my mission! I love the Lord! And I love this gospel! Thanks for all the love and support! Have a great week!

LOVE YA'LL

❤Sister Stringham❤

Also, my new address is 1519 Split Oak Lane Apt. A Henrico, VA 23229