More stuffed than a turkey!

Hey Everyone!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!! I hope you ate a lot, because let me tell you...I did! Haha I don't know how I did it, but we ate THREE full course thanksgiving dinners on Thursday. I have never eaten so much in one day in my whole life. I literally didn't eat anything the next day. Haha I don't think I will ever want to eat Thanksgiving food again. We have all these left overs in the fridge and I have no desire to eat any turkey ever again. But besides being stuffed, Thanksgiving was so fun!  It was so sweet that so many people wanted us over and wanted to celebrate with us. The kindness of others just amazes me.  It was so sweet and so fun spending the day with people I love out here. I love Thanksgiving and just having a day to be grateful for everything. I have been blessed with so much in my life and I've seen that more since coming on a mission.

But nothing else too exciting happened this week. I'm trying to think about things to write about....  Last night we got a referral for this lady who ordered a Bible. We went to try and give it to her, but she lives in a lock out building. Like ALL the buildings here are lock outs so it's super hard to see people because you have to check in with the front desk and typically the people we want to see aren't expecting us so they don't let us in...but we have gotten super good at sneaking in! Haha so bad. So we got in and tried finding her room which was hard, but we knocked on her door and she is the sweetest lady ever! She let us right in and accepted a Book of Mormon and wants to come to church. Her nephew is actually a member so it was just so cool! I'm so excited to get to keep working with her. I love meeting new people! It's the best!

In other news Kim came to church yesterday so that was awesome! We also had so many other new people at church. With the new ward boundaries we have lots of new people to work with and new members to meet. It's fun. We really spent a lot of the week just trying to get to know all the new people and new area we cover. It's been fun.

Well I'm excited for another week and I'm excited for the Christmas season! The new Christmas video is out so go check it out on Mormon.org! For the 25 days of Christmas they are doing 25 small acts of service that you can do to be more like Christ. It's cute. It's a fun time of year and King Street has their big Christmas tree up at the town square so that's been super fun! Makes contacting people easier! We offer to take your picture and then share the gospel :)

Well I love you all so much! Have a good week!

Love,
Sister Lawson

P.S. Thanks dad, grandma and grandpa, and the plumb family for the cards this week!

Thanksgiving dinner with our investigator Emily and her friend Tiki!

The Owens family from Quantico in Woodbridge came and saw me! Oh I

just love his family! So sweet of them to come visit me one last time

before I go home.

Playing ping pong. We really aren't good. Haha

A family the other sisters were working with, but with the change they are now in our ward boundaries so we had a little pass off and get to know you lesson. The girls had all these dolls so we each got one that looked like us. Mine has ice skates ;)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

One Wild Week!

Hey Everyone!

Can't believe another week has gone by! This week was transfer week! But nothing changed here! So, I'm not sure what will happen to Sister West mid-transfer when I leave! Oh! I don't think I ever explained that. So due to transfers being changed from the MTC changing (that happened back in March I think?) and the fact that the transfer is after Christmas now and because I switched missions so that mixed everything up, I am going home in the middle of this transfer. I'm going home with 4 other sisters who also decided to switch so they could be home for Christmas. Lots of craziness, but there you have it! I'll be home December 16th! But what's so weird is all of us going home mid transfer aren't in trios like we thought, so who knows what will be happening with our companions! But some changes might be happening this week because on Sunday they announced all new ward boundaries for the northern Virginia area! So new wards have been created and some have been combined. Currently we don't even know what ward we are in, because our ward was split in half! We are just waiting to hear and will just stick with the area we have been working in until we hear what ward we are actually a part of. We are going to have to pass half our people either way though. Crazy things here in Virginia!

But, in other news, on Thursday I got to go to the temple again! I went with the group from DC South! We went with the group that left this transfer date (that included Sister Styler. Can't believe she is already gone!) and the group I'm going home with. It was a lot of fun! I love going to the temple! It's so beautiful and the spirit is just so strong. It felt so good to be there and I am just so grateful for temples on this earth and that there are so many! My new dream is to travel the world and see all 150 of them! That would be so cool! 

But this week was a good one. Pretty crazy with two temple trips and transfers and then new boundaries, but it's been fun. Things are going well with our people and we had some great lessons! We had a lesson in a members home and if you want to do something that will really help the missionaries, host a lesson! It makes such a difference and the spirit is so much more present. We also had a family home evening with the Dillards (recent convert family) in a member's home and that was so fun! Everyone had a good time!

Well, I love being here and am SO happy that I get to stay in Alexandria! It's so fun here! They put Christmas lights up in all the trees on King Street in old town and it looks magical now! I just love it! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Such an exciting time of year! Well I love you all and have a GREAT Thanksgiving! We already have three dinners we are going too and I'm sure more will invite us. Bring on he food! Haha pray for me ;) 

Love you!

Sister Lawson 

The zone!

The district.

He completed his mission...so we had to kill him off.  Haha.

What?!  17 months!  One more month to go!

Love this girl! Can't believe it was over a year ago that we were comps! 

Goodbye Sister Styler.  :(

It's cold here.  We are FREEZING!

Celebrating Sister West's one year mark!

Pictures don't do it justice!  King Street is so magical looking at night.

Double the mission, Double the fun!

Hey Everyone!

So sorry I didn't email yesterday! But I switched my Pday to today so that I could go to the temple! I went up with Sister Bray, Styler, and West! So many of my companions :) and the best thing ever was We got to meet up with the missionaries from Richmond! The group I came out with went for their going home trip so I got to see them all! We knew they were going today, but weren't sure what time so we showed up and I thought we had missed them. I was so sad. I wanted to cry right there. But then we walked up the stairs and there they were! It was the happiest moment ever!  It was just so great to see them all! I love all those sisters! I got to sit right by Sister Prach and that was so fun. So many of my friends were there. It was great! Oh I was just so happy. I'm still just so happy that it all worked out. It was just such a fun reunion and what better place than in the temple! Unfortunately they went somewhere else and our ride was waiting outside so we didn't get to take any pictures, but it was so fun seeing them all! I have really missed them. What a great group of missionaries. So cool that I got to serve in two missions though because now I get to have double the friends! On Thursday I get to go to the temple again with my group from DC south! I'm so excited! I'm going home with another great group of missionaries here so that will be a fun time as well!

So that was the best part of my week. Haha but this week was really great! We have had some really good lessons this week. We saw Emily quite a bit and she is doing really well. She really wants to come to church, but she is still on bed rest. Hopefully she will get better soon though and can come. We also officially passed Caroline to the singles ward and she is doing amazing! She told us all about church and how much she loved it! I'm so excited for her. She should be getting baptized in the next two weeks :) We met a new family this week that I'm excited about and are just meeting lots of great people! Lots of work is happening here! Love that city life.

So crazy story. the other night we went to check on a referral and they didn't answer. It was cold out so we got in the car to see where we wanted to go next. Well, as we were in the car all of a sudden we saw a fire outside. We thought maybe someone was having a fire pit party so we went to check it out. We walked over and it wasn't a fire pit, it was a pile of leaves in someone's yard and it was on fire! We ran and did what missionaries do best and knocked on the neighbors doors. They came out and we helped put out the fire. They were so grateful and the older lady kept saying how god sent her two angels to protect her house. What's really cool is the lady's granddaughter is super interested in religion and actually called us the next day saying she wanted to meet up! So we are going to see her tomorrow. It was just such a crazy time because we didn't plan on being there that night, but god knew we needed to be there to warn that family. I'm just so grateful everyone was ok and it didn't burn anything down.

But it was a good week overall. I just can't believe that I had my temple trip though. That was always so far away in the future and something you do when you go home, but here I am. Just mind blowing. I've been doing this program called 'my plan' where you make goals for when you go home so you don't just waste time again. Haha but it's really got me thinking about all the good that I can do at home. I love Virginia and it's going to be so hard to leave next month, but that doesn't mean it's the end. There's always more work to do :) tonight we find out about transfers and I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I'm excited for my last little adventure! Bring it on! :) I love you all soooo much! Have a wonderful miracle filled week! I know I will ;) Love you!!

Love,

Sister Lawson

P.S. Thanks Dad and Grandma and Grandpa for the letters this week!

A member ordered us Chinese food and so we had a Chinese Thanksgiving!
Haha there was SO much food for just the two of us!

We met this guy out on King Street. He made this crazy instrument and it's basically guitar and base strings on a board that he hits with mallets. It sounded super cool. He was good at playing it.

These are all sisters from the DC south mission that happened to be up there at the same time as us. We ran into them as we were leaving.

I'm going to Uganda!

Hey Everyone!

What a great week! Last Monday was so fun! To celebrate Halloween the whole zone got together and we played games and then watched the movie "17 Miracles." The zone leaders had brought all the couches and chairs from around the church into the gym and then we watched it. Such a sad movie. It's about the pioneers and their trek out west. Let me just say I could NOT be a pioneer! It was so sad to see what they went through, but I'm grateful for them and their faith.

Ok now I just want to talk about my favorite person in the world: Caroline. She is the one from Uganda we met street contacting. Well, we saw her almost everyday this week and she is progressing like crazy! She is the sweetest person I have ever met! We went to the
temple visitor center with her and she LOVED it! She loved that families can be together forever and she told us that when she gets married in the temple we are invited :) oh I just love her! We got to take Caroline into the lobby of the temple and there is a painting of a girl praying and she was looking at it and then turned to us and said "I feel her spirit. I feel so warm here." It was just so amazing! Caroline is seriously the best! She even came to church yesterday! But the saddest news in the world is we will be passing her to the YSA ward. :( so depressed. We told her about the YSA ward and she was so excited about it. Then we told her that she would have to meet with other missionaries and she got so sad and wants to stay with us, but we all know that it would be better for her to go to a singles ward and make friends. She told us she doesn't know anyone here and has no one to be friends with so it will be better for her. Makes me so sad to say bye for now though. Luckily we can still be her friends and I told her I will visit Uganda with her sometime :)

Today we actually got to go to DC with Caroline! Yay! We went to the African art Smithsonian and searched the whole place for art from Uganda. Haha after searching forever we found a pot from there :) it was fun. We also went to the Washington monument and just walked around DC. It's always a fun time just being in the city. I love it!

But this week has been really good and we have had lots of good lessons with people.  We had members come out this week which was so fun! I love when members come out and just spend a few hours with us. I'm so very grateful for their help.  Also good news Kim is back living with Connie! We lost contact with her for a few days and that was sad, but then she called us up and she is back :) yay! We are finding new people and just trying to get people progressing. I'm so grateful to be here and to just be a missionary! Nothing is better! Love you all! Have a great week!

Love,
Sister Lawson

P.S. Thank you to the Tenney family for the letter! Loved it! Can't believe how big you've all gotten!

Playing cards on Halloween before the movie!

Movie party.

The zone.

Temple

DC

Heart attack for days!

I love fall!

Meet me by the fountain to hear the first discussion. 

The Monster Mash

Hey Everyone!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

This week was another crazy one! To start off we went on exchanges this week. We were with the singles ward sisters. I spent the day with sister Goodwin. She is an amazing missionary! We had a fun day of trying to hunt down young single adults in the city. We ended up singing to a homeless man to cheer him up and going to a Spanish community on accident. Haha then that night we all met up on King Street and tried a new finding technique of singing. Sister West plays the guitar so we tried a little singing group, but it didn't work too well. I ended up not singing and just became the card passer. So they all sang and I had to talk to people. Anything to get out of singing! We are going to try it again around Christmas time when we can sing Christmas carols and it's not so weird singing hymns on the street....

This week we also had the ward Halloween party! So fun! Oh I just love the trunk-or-treat! I love seeing people's costumes and it's just always a good time. Lots of good Pokemon costumes and Star Wars costumes. They must be the big things this year. Sister west and I went as cow girls. It was fun and our investigator Caroline came! She is the one we found street contacting on King Street who said she had been praying for God to send us. We have had quite a few lessons with her this week and she is the most amazing person! I love her!!! So prepared and so sweet! She loved the party too and was so happy we invited her! It was her first time celebrating Halloween and she loved it. She brought the little girl she nannies for too and she also had so much fun. It was a good night!

Then on Saturday we got to volunteer at this event called "Alive." It's where you bag up tons of food to put in little kits and give to those in need. So it starts off with this assembly line thing where you put together bags of food (I was in charge of the green beans) and then the people come in and we pass out the bags and other little treats. I loved doing it. I loved just talking to all the people who came through. It was just so nice to serve in this way and made me just so grateful to be blessed with so much.

But it was a good week! Today for Halloween we are not allowed to go out, it's too dangerous, so we are having a zone party at the church and watching "17 Miracles"! Should be a fun day! Love you all and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!! Eat tons of candy!!!

Love,
Sister Lawson

P.S. Thanks to Aunt Dee for the ping pong set and thanks Grandma and Grandpa and Dad for the cards! Also a second thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for the letters from a couple of months ago! I finally got them after being sent to my old place :) also shout out to Bryan and John for the cards. I don't know who you guys are, but hey thanks anyways.

I love the fall!

Exchanges!  We found this super cool French bakery and it's now our favorite place to get treats.

Singing in the streets.

Looking into D.C.

Volunteering at "Alive"

I found the headless horseman.

Trunk or treat as cowgirls with Caroline!

Pumpkin season! 🎃

Hey Everyone!

Another great week! Can't believe it's Monday again! Last Monday we went to old town Alexandria and walked around and went into the little shops and went to this weird art museum place on the pier and rode the trolley that goes up and down King Street (it's the main street here). It was a fun day! And then today we had zone Pday where we had a BBQ and carved pumpkins! That was super fun! Took most of the day, but we all went to one of the apartment complexes here and ate and had fun. Sister Bray helped carve my pumpkin (once a companion, always a companion) and then we played some pool (very badly I might add) and just had a grand old time! It was a good Pday! :)

But the really cool thing we did this week was go to the temple visitor center with Kim!!!! It was so fun! The member that Kim was staying with brought us all and the missionaries there taught Kim all about the temple. They have this cool cut out of what the temple looks like on the inside. Then we watched some movie clips about temples and families and the prophet and missionaries! Just lots to see there! It was a lot of fun! Always a good day at the temple! It's just so beautiful and I just love seeing it. Hopefully I'll get to go back up soon! I was just so happy to get to go and that it all worked out. :)

We had a really cool experience street contacting this week. Lately at night we go to King Street and do some street contacting because that's better than knocking on doors in the dark. So we only had about five minutes to street contact Friday night. we ended up talking to this girl and she was SO sweet! She told us that just recently she had prayed to God and had asked him to send her someone who could help her understand the Bible and religion more. And then God sent us to find her! It was just so cool! I'm super excited to start meeting with her. I just love all the little miracles we see each day and I love being the answer to people's prayers. It's just the best!

This week we had some fun dinners. A family in the ward had us and our recent convert family over. The Dillard family was baptized right before I got here. I just love them so much! They remind me a ton of a calmed down version of the Harrells. Haha oh I miss that family like crazy! Don't worry I still hear from them ;) all the Harrells are all doing great. :) but anyway we had dinner with the Dillards and it was just so fun. They have 5 of the most well behaved kids I've ever met. We had a big family home evening after dinner and their oldest son taught the lesson on the plan of salvation! He is 15 and did great! Taught it just like a missionary! I love watching people progress in the gospel. It's just so cool to see them learn and grow. We also had dinner with our investigator Emily. She is just so sweet. It was fun going over there and talking with her. We are going to try and go to the temple visitor center with her too :)

Then this Sunday was the Primary Program! I got to be around for two of them this year :) Always the best Sunday of the year. Nothing beats it. Kids putting on church is just hilarious!  But it's been a great week! Lots happening in Alexandria! We are teaching so many cool people right now I can't even believe it! I love having tons of people to teach :) Love you all! Have a good week!

Love,
Sister Lawson

P.S. Thanks to Dad, Caitlin Rogers-Peckham, and the Plumb family for the cards this week and thanks Aunt Sarah and Uncle John for the Halloween package and the Jensen  family for the cute Halloween cookies, decorations, and scarves!

Pumpkin love.

Playing pool with Sister Bray!

The zone.

Fun cookies - too cute to eat!

They have our names on them!

Temple visit with Kim!

Missionaries? Or professional stalkers?

Hey Everyone!

Another week down in the city! I can't believe it! Everything is just crazy here! Everything is so fast pace and the roads are crazy and the traffic is always insane. There are always people rushing here and there and I just can't believe it! It's been fun though. I really love it! I don't think I'll ever live in the city, but as a missionary it's great! So many people to talk to Everywhere! You couldn't ask for more!

But it was another week of miracles! First off our investigator Kim, who was living with a member, disappeared. We couldn't find her for days! She just left and didn't come back. We tried calling, leaving notes at different shelters, just searching town for her, but we couldn't find her. The member had no idea where she was either. Then Sunday night we decided to go check the hospital. We knew her mother had been there last week, so we thought maybe she was still there. We went and right when we showed up Kim was walking out of the hospital room to leave and we barely caught her! She gave us a big hug and said she was so happy to see us! Her phone died and she doesn't have a charger and she has been staying at the hospital with her mother. But her mother is being released today so if we had come one day later they wouldn't have been there and if we had come one minute later we would have missed Kim. God's timing. It's crazy. Have to follow every prompting because His timing is exact. We were just so happy to actually find Kim. We should be detectives. We were going all over town seeing if anyone had seen her. She is moving back with the member this week so we will be able to see her again :)  She told her mother all about her baptism and is so excited about it :)

We were also able to get one of our investigators a priesthood blessing. She had surgery this week and after the blessing she said she felt warm and at peace and knew God was taking care of her. It was so amazing to hear! She has such a testimony of this church now. Her surgery went great and now she is just on bed rest for the week, but once she is all healed she wants to go and see the temple! So hopefully we will be able to go to the visitor center with her in a couple of weeks :)

We had one of the most spiritual lessons I've ever had on my mission this week. It was with this mother and daughter, Patricia and BB. We just simply taught the restoration, but it was powerful. The spirit was so present in the room and I felt like the spirit was talking through me. I really don't know what made this lesson different, but you could feel it. They both loved it and said they would read and pray and be baptized. I'm so excited to see them again!

Great things are happening in Alexandria! The city is amazing! We spent lots of time this week street contacting in old town. That's something that I need to get better at. Street contacting is not my forte, but it's been fun and I'm getting better at it. I gave a talk in church about prayer and am slowly starting to get to know all the members. I have a goal of getting to know the whole ward. Well, I love you all!! Can't believe it's been 16 months today! Ahhhhh this can't be happening!!! Hope you all have a great week!

Love,
Sister Lawson

P.S. Thanks Dad and Grandma and Grandpa for the letters this week!

Finally found my name on a sign! 

Street contacting by the Potomac river. Had to take some pics.

No one was really around to talk to. It was cold but it was fun to mix things up. 

I found a boat that matched my skirt!

Fire alarm went off during our planning session. The whole building was evacuated. 

Something to do with a water heater? Still not sure, just grateful it wasn't from my cooking!

16 months!  Wow.