Apple Pie and Sunshine

Happy New Year! Also, Happy 11 Months out on the mission to me!!! So this is my second week in the new transfer in my new area. Concordia, Missouri is another little small town area. Meaning that the area is BIG, but NO ONE lives here! Haha! It's definitely has that small town friendly feel to it! Concordia is "Apple Pie and Sunshine" ...even though the town is pretty much RUN by the Lutheran Church... there's always a lot of potential anywhere you go. Heavenly Father is always preparing the hearts of his Children to receive more.

On Christmas Eve my new companion (Sister Smith) and I decided that since we didn't have a Christmas Tree that we would set up a Christmas Manger, AKA a tent. We put up Christmas lights and pulled our beds in... and slumbered. Then we decided that we liked sleeping in a tent, so we decided we would keep the tent up all transfer. "And the Sisters dwelt in a tent." Haha. Sister Smith sings me campfire songs with her guitar and I cuddle with my new favorite friend Bradley the British Teddy Bear (Thanks Mom and Dad!) Sister Smith and I are very very different, but we sure do laugh a lot!

Christmas was great! My favorite part of course was calling home and talking to my family! I love them so so much!

Then for New Years, we had a sleepover at the Odessa Sisters house (Sister Webb and Sister Blunt). Sister Webb and I stayed up WAY too late talking about life and everyone from home. She is an amazing Sister Missionary. I am so glad that she is here with me. Every time I see her, it's like a tender mercy from home! We were in bed by 10:30. We were obedient to the rules. We just didn't go to sleep until... well... After 2010! WOOP WOOP! HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!

The next day we had District meeting!!! Elder Owens is our District Leader. He is HILARIOUS! He had Elder Nielson, our Zone Leader, do this crazy Superman impression where he ripped off his tie and shirt (but don't worry he had another shirt on underneath!) symbolic of Captain Moroni "Renting his clothes" for the title of Liberty. HILARIOUS! My email to President VanKomen today will say, "Dear President- This week the Zone Leader ripped off his shirt!" too funny!!! Great times with the Zone. Then we went to Lunch at a Spanish restaurant and the Waiter was hitting on Sister Webb and he called me "Bonita." SUPER AWKWARD WHEN YOU'RE A MISSIONARY!

Yesterday was the President's fireside. We had a recent convert from Concordia named James Duncan who was speaking. When I got there it was SUCH A TENDER MERCY BECAUSE I HAD SO MANY FRIENDS THERE! The young man, who was the Muslim I taught in Liberty 2nd was there! I LOVE HIM! He is amazing! He got baptized right after I left Liberty despite of the opposition he was facing. The power of the Lord is ALWAYS more powerful than any other. And Melody and Connie Oberg were there! Melody is still my little twin. I love her so much! It was so amazing to see them!


This new year, President VanKomen has extended an invitation that we all read the Book of Mormon in the first 60 days. So I forward that invitation to all of you!

I love you all! Keep dreamin' big. Wishin' Hard, and Love always-

Jessica Rose Wathen