Life is so good!

 Hello lovely friends and family! 

It's been another great week! I love missionary work. I love Virginia. I love Sister Nelson! Life is so good! 

GOODBYE SMITHS...HELLO DROUBAYS

This week the VRM has had so many changes!! President and Sister Smith returned home to Idaho after serving here in Virginia for 3 years! Wow I love them! They taught me so much and helped me in so many ways! I can't thank them enough for everything they did. They will be missed. Our new Mission President is President Droubay! We get to meet him tomorrow and i'm super excited! We have heard so many amazing things about him and his family! We also lost some of our office missionaries this week as well. Sister Morrow and the Barkumes are leaving us! So sad!! Along with all of that we also have 3 new zones as part of our mission! They are: Newport News, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake!! Crazy things are happening in the VRM! 

ZONE CONFERENCE!

We had our last zone conference with President and Sister Smith this week! It was so good! We had lots of great discussions, training's, musical numbers, testimonies and some HILARIOUS skits to remember all the good times in the VRM with the Smiths and the office staff! It was such a great day and the Spirit was so strong! 

LANSINGS

The Lansing's were the mission President and Wife in the Salt Lake South mission for the last 3 years! They returned home to Virginia this week and they live in our ward boundaries! They spoke at church yesterday and they are just amazing people! Because of their homecoming there were tons of non-members at church! Sister Nelson and I made the most of that! We talked to as many of them as we could and we were even able to give one of them a copy of the Book of Mormon! Missions are the coolest! 

BECKY AND CARROL

Last week we met Becky and Carrol while we were out tracting! They invited us over for dinner this week and it was such a special experience. They are amazing people! While we were eating they asked us so many questions about what we believe and how we have grown our testimony! We were all able to share so many personal experiences and the Spirit was so strong. We explained baptism and the Holy Ghost and Sister Nelson and I shared things that we remembered from our baptism. Towards the end of the dinner Carrol looked at us with tears in his eyes and said:  "Someone might shoot me for saying this (because he's a different religion), but I know I will see you in Heaven" It was so sweet! I just love people so much!! 

JACK AND JILL 

Bike is exhausting! It's a blast but wow we are just SO sweaty and tired all the time! A few days ago we got up,  prayed, went to the bathroom, then Sister Nelson said "I feel like I got hit by a truck!" haha I felt the same! We continued on with our day and did all we could to get some energy! We had a crazy day and were biking ALL OVER the place! We ended up coming to a neighborhood with GIANT hills! It was beautiful but those hills were killing us haha! After biking all day long we were making our way home and felt like we needed to stop and knock on a cute pink door. We stopped and met the cutest couple named Jack and Jill! They let us right in, fed us some watermelon, gave us some ice water, let us use their restroom and let us share a message about the Savior. They weren't interested but it was such a blessing to meet them! The Lord is so aware of us! "Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch us a pail of water!" ;) 

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

President Howard W. Hunter said "True Greatness...always requires regular, consistent, small, and sometimes ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time" This really stuck out to me this week! Sometimes we can wonder if the small things we do actually make a difference. Sometimes it's hard to see the growth in ourselves. And sometimes it can seem like we aren't doing enough. BUT WE ARE!!! The small things we do each day make such a difference in who we are becoming! Keep going! Keep praying! Keep reading! YOU are doing so much better than you think you are! The small things make a HUGE difference! 

I love y'all so much! Have the best week and don't forget to smile! :) 

❤Sister Stringham❤ 

Saying bye to President and Sister Smith! 

SO MUCH LOVE at zone conference! (The Thurgoods)

SO MUCH LOVE at zone conference! (Sister Morrow)

SO MUCH LOVE at zone conference! (Sister Benson)

SO MUCH LOVE at zone conference! (My MTC pals)

SO MUCH LOVE at zone conference! (Sister Crandall & Sister Keil)

SO MUCH LOVE at zone conference! (and many more lovely sisters)

Michelle and Emily! 

The Wellborns took us to dinner this week! 

I LOVE Sister Nelson! <3

I LOVE Sister Nelson! <3

11 months!!!

I LOVE Sister Nelson! <3