MOMMMM!!!!!!!!
I've been trying to figure out for the longest time how old the boys are now haha! I know they are within 5 years of each other but couldn't guess which time span. I sent Dallin an email today letting him know that I was thinking about him yesterday. I hope that he got to celebrate well and that he was surrounded by good friends and family. He's the best, I love him.
Yes it's actually becoming the time to think about it... I'm coming home! I will write you next week when I'm in the mission home, that's what the missionaries have done in the past. But I don't think that I will write a group email. I've seen a couple of my friends send their last email after they are released along with a list of 50 things they learned on their mission, so I think I will do that. I've been slowly compiling the most meaningful ones to me over the past month so I hope that I can make it a really nice last email. Can you believe it though?! A week from today I will be in the mission home with all of my friends and a few past comps sharing our final testimonies. It will be a beautiful and sad thing at the same time. It really doesn't feel real that I'm going to see you though... Like we write every week but I feel like we live in completely different universes. I don't even know what it'll be like at home, but we will have a good fun time!!!
You don't need to worry about keeping me busy! We are going to go have lots and lots of fun though! Woo hooo Mom and Sister Ingalls time!!! :D I wonder if I'll ever get used to being called by my first name... that's really strange. But really don't worry at all, I just don't want to sit and watch tv all day or sleep until 2 pm.
That's really funny you redid the room upstairs because I'd already made up my mind to sleep upstairs when I got back! I think the basement is too lonely, I don't like that. Plus, if the boys come to visit they can be downstairs. I'm excited to see how you decorated the room upstairs! And I can't believe it has a queen sized bed! That will be weird to have a big bed again- I can sleep diagonally!!! That is super super sweet of you to wash my clothes. I really hope it doesn't actually take an entire day to do though! I remember I have a ton of clothes oh man... But thank you so much for preparing that for me, I can't wait to flop on the bed :D
Speaking of clothes, I spring cleaned today! I won't have pday next week, I'll just go straight to Berlin in the morning, so today was the day to get the big things done. I went through EVERYTHING I have and threw out old stuff and clothes that were super worn, had holes and I just wouldn't wear them after. I still had a lot of clothes from the very beginning of my mission! A lot of my clothes stayed nice though, but I'm pretty happy to finally get rid of some haha. It was quite the pile! I don't think I'll have a problem fitting my stuff into my suitcases. I'll probably try it out in the next few days and just get it over with so that I don't stress pack on Sunday. I know. Your jaw is dropping again because I'm doing this not only a few days in advance, but a WEEK. I'm almost as good as Grandma!
I have a special request and would like to make cookies with Grandma the week I get back! We can all do it together, but it has been long enough without her and her famous cookies!!
That story of the temple is SO sweet! I really miss the temple. It really is the house of the Lord. Thank you for sharing that! Are we planning on going to the temple next week? What is generally our plan? :D
The centerpiece you made with Mary looks adorable! I really love the color of her wedding, the rich deep blue for winter time is a really good pick! I've never thought about that! I'm excited to see how everything looks for the reception! When is the wedding and the reception??
I bet Caitlin's hair looks adorable!! That's kind of a trend out here lately, the short pixie cut colored white. I think it fits her personality, love it! I can't wait to see a picture or see her!
Awhhh Brother LaClaire passed away... They were planning on moving out to Idaho, right? My deepest condolences to them. Will Sandy still move out to Idaho? Wow, this must have been Dad's first time conducting a funeral. I have no doubt he did amazing. Sad that that happened, and just a week before I come back. He is in a much better place resting now, that is a blessing.
Luckily this isn't my last email, so no worries! Oh boy, I love writing to you but it is sure a lot of work to think of these things and write them down all nice! I hope the voice recording helped maybe the lack of this email being super over the top interesting, but I will try my best!
You sent awesome pictures, I love them all! I laughed so hard at that list of "Reasons to Come Home"! You are just too funny!!! Those are some pretty good reasons though, so I think I will go through with it. Oh man I love you so much. You make me feel super special and loved, thank you :)
Ok this is super weird, but it's true that I'm becoming like my parents. Lately SO many dogs have been just yapping their mouths and nasty fangs at me when I go running in the morning! It's making me really not like going by them! I think I could live without a dog... Yes I am mildly thrilled to meet the fluffy clawed little beast of the house! I will love her and be nice but if she pulls her claws on me....
This week was actually a bit of a harder one. We got through it on top but it was really hard for Sister Walker. Her family booked their flight to Germany to come pick her up at the end of March and they all just talk about how much they want her to come home and they miss her and yeah. I would think that's really hard too! But she's struggled her entire mission with this, and some weeks are just harder than others. Well, I did it to yet another companion and had her open up to me because she was just bottling everything up inside. It helped a lot and she just needed to let it out. It's funny, it's helped me not get trunky at all by helping her not be trunky! We are given each other to help and support each other, and we definitely do it. I have full confidence in her and I love her so much.
She also helped me through quite the crazy weekend! You know how I'm super bad at saying no to people and taking things on my plate? Well that's still a problem haha. I agreed to give a music number and a talk on the same Sunday which I was like no big deal that's not too crazy, then a Relief Society lesson all by myself the next week! Well, halfway through the week I learned that the teacher for this week was sick so she asked to switch weeks, and I of course said yes. Needless to say, that is a lot to prepare for one Sunday, and in German!!! Thankfully, I feel really comfortable with it. Yes that was not easy, but it went and got acccomlished! I know of a surety that I did that only through the Saviors strength. There is no possible way that I could have done that on my own.
The music piece was really hard! Definitely the hardest piece I've ever learned, or at least that I've played in a good 7 years. I want to play it in our Sacrament meeting too, it's really beautiful I just need to find a singing minion and a violin minion!
I gave my talk on some things I've learned while serving the Lord, and what I learned from a Book of Mormon that I read with a question for almost my entire mission (over a year!) It was on the back burner but I always came back to it, so it became kind of a theme for my mission. The question was, "How does Jesus Christ strengthen me?" based off of Phillipians 4:13 or something around there. I shared 3 main points that I learned that.
1. He strengthens us IN our trials
2. He gifts us healing and second chances
3. He turns our weaknesses into strengths
I took decent notes but mostly studied and tested out the promise in the Doctrine and Covenants that the words will be given to me in that very moment. It was true. I felt the spirit as I testified. I could do it boldly but full of joy. I love giving talks!
The Relief Society lesson also went well! There were so many that were sick that I only taught 6 sisters including my companion! So it was pretty low stress. I guess this is what happens in a smaller branch! I based it on the talk "The Role of the Book of Mormon in Conversion" by Elder Bowen. It's an awesome talk, and I figured what better than a missionary than to talk about conversion? The class was awesome though and they had lots of comments and were super sweet. I really love them they are great people.
I was SO dead after church yesterday! It was really exhausting. I enjoyed participating so much but that was really a lot! I think it was a tender mercy of the Lord because it finally hit me: I am absolutely exhausted. I am so tired! I've given everything, I've reached my goals. I'm happy with how I learned to serve my mission. It slightly stressed me out when I heard from a few of my friends and some missionaries that now is the time to give everything I've got and top it all! Yeah I understand what they mean, but think of a marathon sprinter at 26 miles and they have .2 left. The thing to do is to sprint but they are just so exhausted becuase they've been giving everything they had the whole time that the sprint isn't anything super extraordinary. I want to give, give, give and more and more and more, but I'm realizing I really don't have much more to give! I can give a week, I know that. I'm really glad I didn't extend, this was right for me to go home at this time.
Oh last thing that's really really exciting, after much prayer I decided to start the Book of Mormon again in English! I'll explain why it needed prayer. I study mostly in German, but I haven't read the Book of Mormon in German just completely through. It's not what I really wanted to do because I was always studying to find specific things. But as I finished up the Book of Mormon a week before, I thought about finally reading it in German. But I hadn't done the prophets challenge yet, and I wasn't sure if I'd read it in German before the end of the year (it's over 700 pages in german!) I prayed to know what to do and got the answer that I should do President Nelson's challenge in English first, then move on to German. Well, I started the Book of Mormon in English (I got a fresh copy and a highlighter to mark all of the verses about Jesus Christ!) and I'm in Mosiah 10 now! It's the fastest that I've ever read the Book of Mormon! And the only reason that I'm not farther is because I had to plan my talk and lesson. Oh man, the Book of Mormon is so amazing and something about it this time around is just pulling me and drawing me to it! I read it in all of my free time! I've learned new things that I haven't seen before. Mostly themes and seeing things in a bigger picture because everything is still fresh on my mind! I love the Book of Mormon. I have a deep testimony that it is the word of God, the evidence of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the instrument in gathering Israel. I love sharing it with others.
Well Mom, this is it! I love you a million glorious sunny days is Germany. This place has had my heart for so long, but I am excited for the new adventure ahead. We will write again in a week! Don't get trunky. Read your scriptures and take your vitamins because the gospel is being restored and Sister Ingalls will turn into Macey and will want to have lots of fun together! :D
Have a happy, happy week! I'm praying for you and hope you all stay well, safe and loved.
Sister Ingalls jr.
